Eoin McKiernan

[4] Inspired by his parents' love of their homeland, McKiernan went to Ireland to study Irish culture as a young boy.

At 15, McKiernan won a scholarship to spend three months studying Irish in Rosmuc, in County Galway, and later moved to Lahinch, where he spent the rest of the year on his maternal relatives' farm, noting, "I learned from my grandmother a fund of stories and folklore that is with me still.

"[5] On this trip, he was provided a letter of introduction to Éamon de Valera, the Irish statesman with whom McKiernan would build a lifelong acquaintance.

He also became a board member of the Experiment in International Living (EIL), a program that sponsored trips to Ireland for American students.

The IACI earned a reputation as "the most important force in North America for fostering a serious approach to Irish culture.

"[14] Éamon De Valera agreed to act as patron, as did succeeding presidents of Ireland, and Princess Grace of Monaco was international chairperson from 1972 until her death in 1982.

[23] McKiernan also garnered the John F. Kennedy gold medal of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the gold medal of the Éire Society of Boston, life membership of the Royal Dublin Society, and honorary degrees from the University of St. Thomas, Marist College, and New York University.