Understanding Ireland

In the past, the student’s first day in Ireland was a series of lectures from business leaders. Great stuff, but not ideal when one is suffering from a bit of jet lag. This time, we started with a tour of Kilmainham Gaol. It’s a former prison and it played an important part in Irish history, as many leaders of Irish rebellions were imprisoned and some executed in the prison by the British in 1916. After hearing from Jim Lyons before we left, it really puts current affairs into context. Jim was a Special Advisor to the President and U.S. Secretary of State for Economic Initiatives in Northern Ireland and the border counties of the Republic. He is now the Honorary Consul General of Ireland for Colorado.

We have diverse student group this year. Half under-grads, half grad students. Half men, half women. Two are veterans. One is an attorney. Many are active in the community and in non-profits. Two are from India. One is from Siberia. The average age is 27. I expect this trip to be transformational for the students as they strive to become extraordinary leaders in their field and make a difference in the lives of others.

The students will be working in teams of three with five Irish start-up organizations:

Sports Vantage
Abrivia
Groupnos
Billfaster
Startup Ireland

We will also be meeting a number of entrepreneurial leaders, academic professors, and government officials while here including a visit to NRDC (the top university business incubator for IT in the world by UBI Index)

Our final meeting and student presentations to Denver business leaders and the Irish Network of Colorado will be Monday, June 16th from 6-8pm at the Tivoli Student Union Building – TV 320 C – Baerresen Ballroom.

Lastly, all the students will be blogging daily as well (see below). We hope you’ll check in to see what they’re learning, and how it will apply to their leadership and entrepreneurship in the very near future!