01
Gaelic Language
8 HoursStudy basic Irish language, grammar, and vocabulary — then hear Gaelic spoken firsthand on your journey, especially on the Aran Islands where it's still the first language.
For Students
Classes That Bring Ireland to Life
Mornings of engaging, hands-on classes — then afternoons exploring the very places the lessons describe. This isn't a classroom; it's a country.
7
Subjects
50
Class Hours
Mornings
In the Classroom
Afternoons
Out Exploring
50Hours of Class
Learning in Ireland
Learn It in the Morning. Live It in the Afternoon.
Classes on the Irish Life Experience are taught where it all happened. You'll study Gaelic, then hear it spoken on the Aran Islands. You'll learn Ireland's history and read its writers, then spend your afternoons out exploring the country itself.
Language, history, literature, and culture
Folk dance and drama you take part in
Classes in the morning, exploring in the afternoon
The Curriculum
Core Subjects
Five subjects that give you the language, history, and stories behind everything you'll see.
02
Irish History
8 HoursDiscover how Ireland and its culture were formed, from Pre-Celtic Ireland (c. 2500 BC) through the path to independence (1916–1922) — including Catholic Emancipation, the Famine, and emigration.
What you’ll cover (7)
- Pre-Celtic Ireland (c. 2500 BC)
- Early Christian Ireland to the Vikings (c. 458–900)
- The Normans and Ireland (c. 1200–1400)
- Daniel O’Connell and Catholic Emancipation
- The English and the Anglo-Irish in Ireland
- The Famine and Emigration (c. 1850)
- From Rising to Independence (c. 1916–1922)
03
Irish-American History
8 HoursLearn how the Irish helped build American settlements and how that legacy still shapes American culture — from Ulster emigration to the Famine years and beyond.
What you’ll cover (6)
- Ulster Men and Women Emigrate to the Colonies (c. 1750)
- The Famine and Mass Emigration (c. 1860–1900)
- The Irish and the Towns: New York, Boston, Chicago
- “From Shanty to Lace Curtains”: the Irish Join the Middle Classes
- Irish Contributions to the United States
- Famous Irish Men and Women
04
Irish Literature
8 HoursA study of Ireland’s writers, playwrights, and poets.
Writers you’ll read (10)
- Paul Durcan
- Brian Friel
- Seamus Heaney
- James Joyce
- Hugh Leonard
- Frank O’Connor
- Liam O’Flaherty
- J.M. Synge
- Oscar Wilde
- W.B. Yeats
05
Irish Studies
8 HoursExplore Ireland’s currency, education, genealogy, and geography — plus the European community, law, media, politics, and social concerns.
On Your Feet
Creative Classes
Less note-taking, more doing — dance and drama you take part in.
06
Irish Folk Dance 5 Hours
Learn, participate in, and enjoy the traditional folk dances of Ireland.
07
Drama 5 Hours
A study of contemporary Irish drama. In groups, students study an assigned historical Irish figure, write a limerick, and prepare a creative group performance.
Beyond the Classroom
Where the Lessons Come Alive
Once class is out, the country becomes the classroom. Guided tours take you to the castles, cities, and coastlines you've just read about, so history stops being something on a page.
See the Tours
