"2011 scholarship winner Jasmine Petrie gets better acquainted with Robert Emmet at St. Stephen's Green in Dublin, Ireland; on a typical Irish Day."
A Semester In Ireland
Each spring, the Robert Emmet Society awards a scholarship to an outstanding North Central Michigan College student for a fall semester of study in Galway, Ireland.
Students at NCMC must present an outstanding essay on the enduring values of Robert Emmet to be considered for the scholarship at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Galway, Ireland. Their academic record and student activities at NCMC are also considered by the Scholarship Committee along with their performance at a personal interview with committee members. The scholarship includes tuition, round-trip airfare, and all housing expenses.
The Society was founded in the early 1990s to honor, Robert Emmet, the namesake of Emmet County, Michigan, and to make area residents more aware of Emmet's brief, but courageous life and his enduring legacy as a champion of freedom and democracy. The scholarship award is the Society's major activity each year.
The Irish patriot's name was given to Emmet county by the Michigan legislature in the mid-19th century to honor his revolutionary leadership that sought to overthrow the British rulers of Ireland in 1798 and again in 1803. Captured by the British in the wake of the rising's failure in 1803, he was quickly tried and then hanged and beheaded publicly in a major square of Dublin. His eloquent speech from the dock in defense of his actions and the cause of Irish freedom insured that his name and actions would be long remembered in Irish history and folklore.
Dane Schmidt of Gaylaord is the 2010 winner of the Society scholarship named for two founding member of the group, the late Joseph W. McCarthy and the late William McCullough, M.D. Dane is the 12th area student to study Irish history and culture in Galway since the award was initiated 1996. He attended Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology. The scholarship award, valued at approximately $10,000, includes tuition, lodging, books and airfare.
For further information, contact the President's Office at NCMC, or the Robert Emmet Society via email at info@emmetsociety.org, or by writing to P.O. Box 2027, Petoskey, MI 49770.