Raymond Holian from County Mayo, Ireland is the 2016 recipient of the Rev. John M. Conlisk Irish Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded annually to a graduate student from Ireland, and covers full tuition, housing and medical insurance expenses throughout the student’s attainment of a master’s degree.

The scholarship was established by a group of Irish Americans and Fairfield trustee Kevin M. Conlisk ’66. The scholarship was named after his late brother and former priest Rev. John M. Conlisk of the Archdiocese of Bridgeport. The goal of the scholarship is to help an Irish student obtain international business contacts and garner new perspectives in business education.

The scholarship came as a surprise for Raymond Holian but he couldn’t be more thankful to have the opportunity. “If you asked me six months ago if I’d be here I couldn’t have told you. The last few months have been a whirlwind,” he said. Raymond is grateful for the warm welcome he has received from Fairfield Univeristy and the Gaelic American Club, as well as some of his family members who live on Long Island. He looks forward to joining a local Gaelic Football team in the spring.

Raymond Holian completed his undergraduate degree in Law and Accounting at the University of Limerick and is currently pursuing an MBA in Finance at Fairfield. Raymond has experience in commercial litigation working as a summer intern in the law firm A&L Goodbody where he worked in both the Dublin and London office, and he was also a legal assistant at Holmes O’Malley Sexton Solicitors in Limerick.

Raymond Holian is very grateful for the opportunity to pursue his master's at Fairfield, and aspires to work in legal and compliance in a finance related position and is interested in potentially obtaining a position in the U.S. “I am very thankful to the Conlisks and the Irish community in Fairfield for making me feel so welcome.”