Charlie Lord, operating out of The Irish Diaspora Center of Havertown, wants to give American kids a chance to earn a college education in Ireland, writes Peter Nolan for Irish Echo.

The Irish Diaspora Center is looking to “build bridges between the United States and Ireland through the medium of education,” Lord said.

Working with a team at the Center, Lord has set up a program that’s secured 25 scholarships with five universities in Ireland.

The deal would provide reduced fees for Irish American students to attend a full four-year bachelor’s degree program overseas.

Right now, non-Irish citizens pay a higher rate to attend, but these are kids born in the United States to Irish parents, so they qualify for dual citizenship.

 Lord was actually born in Belfast and moved to America in 1987 to see what else was in the world. 

The retired school teacher settled in Philadelphia, earning a Master’s degree from Temple University while working as a teacher at Haverford High School.

He started a business, Celtic Clothing, aiming toward an Irish-American consumer.

The business was a success, allowing him to retire early from teaching and focus on his scholarship program.

Find out more about Charlie Lord and this unique scholarship program in the Irish Echo.