With nearly 50 years of combined experience leading students and groups to Ireland and all over the world, the Irish Life Experience team has the knowledge and the “know-how” to make each and every student’s experience an unforgettable one. Nearly all of our team members have once participated in our summer study abroad program in Ireland as students and have continued on to lead groups and become part of Ireland’s only fully-integrated, cultural, and academic program for North American students.
This combination of experience and knowledge guarantee an exciting educational trip for any student.
President & Founder-Polson, Montana
Hailing from Polson, Montana, Taryn was bitten by the travel bug at an early age. At sixteen, she had the opportunity to participate in a summer study abroad program in Ireland. After graduating from college, Taryn served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kyrgyzstan. Before being evacuated after 9/11, she worked in a small Muslim village teaching English to 5-11 graders. Upon returning to the States, she decided she needed a change of pace and moved to Ireland for a year, where she immersed herself in the tiny town of Camlough, Co. Armagh. Since her return to the States, Taryn has been taking high school and college students to Ireland for over ten years. She has dedicated her life to sharing her knowledge and love for Ireland with young adults, combining education, travel, and fun. In her spare time she loves spending time with family and friends, hiking, running, skiing, singing, traveling and cheering for Gonzaga basketball.
E-Mail Taryn at THarrison@IrishLifeExperience.com.
Chief Operating Officer-Boston, Massachusetts
Born in San Francisco and raised in Minneapolis, Bryan is now settled in Boston with his wife, five children, two birds, one frog and one dog. Bryan is the President of Tenon Tours, one of North America’s leading tour operators and the official travel partner of the Irish Life Experience. Bryan met Taryn through Vinnie Lewis (below, no relation) who assured the two that they were a match made in heaven, sharing a passion for enhancing lives through travel. Vinnie was right and they’ve been thankful for the introduction ever since!
E-Mail Bryan at BLewis@IrishLifeExperience.com.
Director of Finance-Boston, Massachusetts
Born and raised in Detroit and now living in Boston, Michael’s passion for travel was confirmed in the Caribbean in accounting and operations procedures for StudentCity.com. During a backpacking journey through the Greater and Lesser Antilles, his enthusiasm for Caribbean culture and history grew into a lifelong desire to connect with people-locals and other travelers alike-as a way to immerse himself in foreign cultures while traveling. He is extremely excited to join the ILE Team as Director of Finance, combining his decade of experience in investment banking with his enthusiasm for providing an unsurpassed level of customer service in travel and tourism. Fun Facts: Known to many as “Murph”-he has won over seventeen chicken wing eating contests, enjoys long walks on the beach, and is a phenomenal knitter. Even though he has never been to Ireland, he is looking forward to going cliff diving at the Cliffs of Moher. Maybe he can try this with the ILE this summer!
E-Mail Murph at MMurphy@TenonTours.com.
Program Director-Belfast, Northern Ireland
Based in Ireland with over 13 years experience in leading student groups.
E-Mail Angie at CottonBuddie@Hotmail.com.
Program Teacher-Dublin, Ireland
Name: Dan Parkinson
Age: 32
Weight: Variable
Height: Constant
Star sign: Don’t believe in all that nonsense.
Marital status: Don’t believe in all that nonsense.
Real marital status: Married to the lovely Gill since July. Sorry Ladies.
Hometown: Dublin (As in the home of the All-Ireland Football Champions), which is in Leinster (As in the European Rugby Champions), which is in Ireland (As in the World Bankruptcy Champions).
Occupation: Teacher
Favourite Food: Seconds
Favourite Drink: Tea. And Scotch. Not together obviously.
Favourite Place in Ireland: Coppers
Favourite Place in America: Whitefish, Montana and Fenway Park
Favourite American: Leonard Cohen
Favourite Thing About Americans: Their sense of irony.
Best thing about the ILE: Getting to be a tourist in my own country.
Worst thing about the ILE: Taryn’s games.
Program Teacher-San Francisco, California
Edel was a Counselor on the High School Irish Life Experience for the first time in 2011. Born and raised in Dublin, Edel developed her passion for Irish culture and traditions from a young age. She expanded her love of international travel and experiences during secondary school, splitting time between learning French in Toulouse, travelling throughout Europe, and summers spent in the heart of Connemara learning Gaelic. Inspired by time spent immersed in different cultures, Edel studied to earn a dual Bachelors degree in European Business and International Business from Dublin City University and Northeastern University in Boston. Before leaving her lovely home for the US in 2008, she spent time coaching youth Gaelic football across the Dublin area and can only be described as a Dublin GAA fanatic! UP THE DUBS! While studying in Boston, Edel assisted with the teaching of 11th Grade Food Science in Charlestown High School, a highly rewarding experience and excellent insight into the high school classroom culture. After gaining experience as Operations Manager for almost a year at Tenon Tours in Massachusetts, Edel now lives in San Francisco working in the area of trade development for Enterprise Ireland. She looks forward to spending summers with the many fantastic ILE groups to come!
Staff Director-Sagamore Hills, Ohio
Originally hailing from New Jersey, Vinnie left the Garden State for greener pastures- two of them actually. It began with a study abroad experience at the University of Limerick in Ireland, which exposed him to life in the Emerald Isle and a passion to share travel experiences with others. Upon returning, he worked at StudentCity.com during the year and spent his summers as a Counselor extraordinaire for the Irish Way Program and the Irish Life Experience. After six years he settled down in seasonal ski industry job in Vermont, which turned into a career that now has him overseeing two Midwest ski resorts.
“I found myself in Ireland. It has helped shaped who I am and what I hope to be.”
