I came to Georgetown University Law Center for my LL.M. as an Irish lawyer with a practical goal: to expand the number of U.S. state bars I could sit for. It was, quite sensibly, a means to an end.

What I found instead was something far richer. Washington, D.C. felt open in a way I hadn’t before experienced. I visited the Capitol and the White House, spent time in government departments, and even met a Supreme Court Justice. Coming from Ireland, where the Troubles had not yet ended, that openness was striking. Public life felt visible, accessible, and, to me, a little extraordinary in such a large country.

Then there were my classmates. I met a wonderful group from across the United States and around the world. There was serious study, of course, but also music, dancing, excellent food, late-night conversations, and plenty of what we Irish call the craic. I hope to see many of you from F.L.A.G. at the Reunion.

After 14 years practicing commercial real estate and construction law in the Northeast, I moved to Macon, Georgia, “The Soul of the South,” about an hour from Atlanta. Faced with yet another bar exam, I chose a different adventure. Today, I work in nonprofit development at St. Peter Claver Catholic School, a historic Black Catholic school serving children from underserved communities. Making the case for educational opportunity turns out to be just as meaningful as practicing law. In many ways, I am telling my own story. Education has always been my key to opportunity.

A special Hoya connection here is Georgetown’s ‘second founder’, Fr. Patrick Francis Healy, S.J., a Macon native whose remarkable story deserves to be better known locally. I am working on that.

I am married to my college sweetheart, and we are raising a loquacious 17-year-old whom I will be introducing to Georgetown during Reunion Weekend. Pray for me.

Hoyas, come visit Macon. We will provide the welcome, the soul, and the craic.

Here it is 30 years after graduation and almost 33 years since the first day we walked into Georgetown Law (Greta continues to insist that she walked me to class!). I hope the ride has been as rewarding for you as it has been for me. I continue to think of my classmates as some of the finest people I have ever known.