Alliance seeks to strengthen ties between two nations

Trina Vargo, president of the U.S.-Ireland Alliance will be in Las Vegas on Sept. 8 and 9 to meet with the business community about the year-old organization dedicated to educating Americans about Ireland.

Vargo also plans to speak with UNLV officials about the organization's George J. Mitchell scholarships, which provide opportunities to American students studying in postgraduate programs at Irish universities.

The nonpartisan, nonprofit organization established in 1998 by Vargo, a former adviser to Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., for 11 years, works to strengthen relationships between Ireland and the United States.

The Washington-based organization includes members from business, educational and political entities of both countries. Its membership is at least 1,000, Vargo said.

Nationwide there are 44 million people of Irish decent, Vargo said. Many see potential in Nevada.

"Nineteen percent of the people in Nevada claimed Irish ancestry in the last census," she said. "That's more than 200,000 people."

The idea is to build a national network of people who care and will voice their opinions about Washington's relations with Dublin. The goal is to have an organization that works like national Jewish-American and Armenian-American groups that look out for the best U.S. stance toward their homelands.

"We want (politicians) to know we care about the relationship" between the U.S. and Ireland, she said. "The U.S. has played an incredible role because politicians know people care about it."

Although the Clinton administration has paid a "disproportionate amount of attention to Ireland," the group is concerned about what can happen in the next generation, Vargo said.

Her trip to Southern Nevada is sponsored by the Resort at Summerlin. Although Vargo will not be speaking in public, she said she'd make arrangements for informal visits with interested parties.

"There are a lot of people in this country who care about the relationship but haven't known how to get involved."

The organization's efforts to promote connections between the two countries can be beneficial, she said. "Ireland is hot right now. Ireland is second to the U.S. as an exporter of software. Every major computer company is in Ireland."

The U.S.-Alliance scholarships named in honor of Mitchell, the former senator from Maine who aided the Northern Ireland peace process, are available to those with a bachelor's degree, including graduate students, businesspeople and professionals who want to attend a university in Ireland for one year.

Information about the scholarships can be accessed on the Internet at http://www.MitchellScholar.org.

To meet with Trina Vargo, president of the U.S.-Ireland Alliance, call (202) 785-6687.

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