The Irish Experience

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The Irish Experience A summer travel program for North American high school students who want to experience Ireland while earning credits.

This summer study abroad high school program takes place over a four-week period in July. For two weeks the students will be based in the beautiful university town of Cork in the South of Ireland. They will attend classes on the picturesque campus of University College Cork, where they will study in an informal and relaxed atmosphere.

All good things must come to an end.  Everybody has got mixed feelings about going home.  Looking forward to meeting up ...
29/07/2024

All good things must come to an end.  Everybody has got mixed feelings about going home.  Looking forward to meeting up with family and friends and sharing stories of their trip but at the same time sad to be leaving Ireland and their new friends. 

Students had a final opportunity to make a contribution to an already booming Irish economy with some last-minute shopping. 

The evening was spent at a banquet in the salubrious surroundings of the National Yacht Club in the picturesque harbour village of Dun Laoghaire.  Happy memories were recalled through a slideshow and students realised just how many great experiences they enjoyed during this trip. 
(July 26th)

As classes have officially come to an end and students are receiving their final marks, let's flash back to all the lear...
26/07/2024

As classes have officially come to an end and students are receiving their final marks, let's flash back to all the learning environments we have studied in. At the University College of Cork, our classrooms were in the West Wing as part of the original campus built in 1845. At the University of Galway, classrooms become much more modern in the Art Millennium Building. Finally, at the University College of Dublin, classrooms were housed in the UCD Sutherland School of Law.

On Thursday night, students attended “Riverdance,” which is a performance that focuses primarily on traditional Irish mu...
26/07/2024

On Thursday night, students attended “Riverdance,” which is a performance that focuses primarily on traditional Irish music and dance. Originally an interval act during the Eurovision Song Contest of 1994, it was expanded into a stage show in 1995 in Dublin.

Students greatly enjoyed watching the performance and were swept away not only by the beautiful music, but also by the skill and agility of many of the performers. 
(July 25th)

Students visited the National Gallery of Ireland on Thursday to enjoy some of the beautiful works the institute is home ...
26/07/2024

Students visited the National Gallery of Ireland on Thursday to enjoy some of the beautiful works the institute is home to. The Gallery was founded in 1854 and houses a rich collection of over 16,300 artworks from around 1300 to the present day. Particular attention was paid to glasswork by Henry Clarke and the Yeats room which exhibited the works of Jack W. Yeats, brother of William Butler Yeats.

Students also visited the Oscar Wilde Memorial Sculpture that is located in Merrion Square in Dublin. Design by Danny Osborne and unveiled in 1997, the statue is made of different stones from three continents - the nephrite jade used for his jacket is from British Columbia, Canada!
(July 25th)

On Tuesday night, students attend “Dancing at Lughnasa” by Brian Friel at the Gate Theatre in Dublin. Throughout the Dra...
26/07/2024

On Tuesday night, students attend “Dancing at Lughnasa” by Brian Friel at the Gate Theatre in Dublin. Throughout the Drama Unit, all students studied this 1990 play that explores the lives of five sisters living in 1936 Donegal, Ireland. The original “Dancing at Lughnasa” has won many awards including an Olivier Award and Tony Award for Best Play.

The play takes place around the festival of Lughnasa, which is a Gaelic Festival that marks the beginning of the harvest season (around August 1st) and is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals. Historically, the festival was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man with many traditional rituals and offerings of the First Fruits to the Celtic god Lugh in the hopes of a bountiful harvest. 
(July 23rd)

On Monday and Tuesday, the students stepped on board the Jeanie Johnston Ship and learned about the Irish people who fle...
24/07/2024

On Monday and Tuesday, the students stepped on board the Jeanie Johnston Ship and learned about the Irish people who fled the Famine and embarked on a treacherous voyage in the hope of a better life in North America.  The students were transported back in time to join them on their gruelling journey.

The original Jeanie Johnston was built in 1847 in Quebec, Canada.  Originally intended as a cargo ship for transporting timber, rope, molasses, rum, to***co, tea, textiles, letters and more, she ended up carrying a very different kind of cargo – desperate men, women and children fleeing the Famine.  Between 1848 and 1855 she made 16 crossings carrying emigrants from Tralee, County Kerry to Canada and sailing back with timber.

The Jeanie Johnston is unique among what were often called Famine Ships or Coffin Ships in that it didn’t lose a single passenger during any of the 16 crossings.  We learned that this was due to the extraordinary efforts and humanity of the ship’s doctor, Dr. Richard Blennerhassett.
(July 22nd and 23rd)

Saturday morning, we left Galway for the drive to Dublin via the Wicklow Mountains. We did leave the rain behind us and ...
24/07/2024

Saturday morning, we left Galway for the drive to Dublin via the Wicklow Mountains. We did leave the rain behind us and arrived at Miners Way where the students had a great time exploring the area. County Wicklow is known as the Garden of Ireland, with good reason.

We continued on to the medieval monastic settlement of Glendalough where they saw a prefect example of a Round Tower, which were designed to warn off and protect from marauding raiders, in particular the Vikings.

We arrived safely in Dublin, the capital of Ireland, and have been studying hard ever since!
(July 21st)

While in Galway, many of our students purchased their very own Claddagh rings. The Claddagh ring is a traditional Irish ...
20/07/2024

While in Galway, many of our students purchased their very own Claddagh rings. The Claddagh ring is a traditional Irish ring in which a heart represents love, the crown stands for loyalty, and two clasped hands symbolize friendship.
Although there are various myths and legends around the origin of the Claddagh ring, it is almost certain that it originated in or close to the small fishing village of Claddagh in Galway.
The Claddagh and Celtic Jewellery shop (pictured first) at the end of a street in Galway is said to be the closest shop to Claddagh where you can buy a ring. Many of our students purchased their rings from this shop.

As we left Cork for Galway on Monday morning it seemed that the city was sad to see us leave as the skies opened. Howev...
19/07/2024

As we left Cork for Galway on Monday morning it seemed that the city was sad to see us leave as the skies opened. However, by the time we got to the Cliffs of Moher the sun was out in all its glory. The spectacular Cliffs of Moher, rising 600 feet out of the Atlantic Ocean is the most visited site in Ireland and one can easily see why.
(July 15th)

On the second stop of our two part adventure, we went to Mizen Head. Beautiful rugged Mizen Head, the most south-westerl...
18/07/2024

On the second stop of our two part adventure, we went to Mizen Head. Beautiful rugged Mizen Head, the most south-westerly point of Ireland – next stop St. John’s, Newfoundland.  It is stunning with its craggy rocks and inlets and the bridge over the main inlet which took us to a lighthouse.  Students got a good insight into the lives of the lighthouse keepers in the days before automation.  They also got to see some seals playing in the inlet below.

We stopped for dinner at the Maritime Hotel in Bantry, where actress and comedian Miriam Margoles was dining.  She was very gracious and happily chatted with the students.  She was there to attend the Bantry Literary Festival.
(July 13th)

On the first stop on our two part adventure, we set off in the sunshine to beautiful West Cork and visited Gougane Barra...
18/07/2024

On the first stop on our two part adventure, we set off in the sunshine to beautiful West Cork and visited Gougane Barra, where the river Lee begins in a small lake. It is named after Saint Finnbar, the patron saint of Cork City and is the site of an old monastic settlement nestled in the hill.

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