Seamus Hodgkinson was raised in Northern Ireland during "The Troubles," a time of religious unrest and violence. Thousands of lives were lost as hatred between Catholic and Protestant groups escalated into intense battles. In 1957, Hodgkinson left Northern Ireland to accept a teaching position at the newly formed Doane Stuart School in New York. This was the first successfully merged Catholic/Protestant school in the U.S. As Hodgkinson longed for religious tolerance in his beloved Ireland, a seed of an idea to bring two students from Belfast--both Catholic and Protestant--to experience his school in America formed in his mind. This was realized through Doane Stuart's Irish Exchange Program. The program eases historic divisions, two students at a time. Today, with the program in place for two years, four Belfast students have experienced life and education, and been introduced to new ideas, in America. Hodgkinson anticipates the program will grow to include more Irish students, and that Doane Stuart students will be able to complete the exchange by visiting Belfast. (Contains 1 online resource.)