DISCOVER IRELAND!

Spend three weeks in Ireland, one of the most exciting countries in Western Europe. This program is held in Dublin, a city which has become one of the cultural centers of the world. You will tour a countryside which is as rich in history as it is in beauty. Ireland has "come of age" and has a new image, its culture is having a global impact to an unprecedented extent.

The Discover Ireland! program is a blend of information and fun designed to give students an insight into Irish life, taught by Irish University professors. Carefully planned excursions will allow you to encounter the various facets of Irish culture first-hand. Included in these excursions is a two-day trip to the West of Ireland. Participants will also get the chance to experience Irish dancing and try it for themselves!

There are 20 hours of classes per week. Afternoons are devoted to recreational activities or visits to sites of cultural and historical interest, which is optional for the students. Overall, the course is designed to be an interesting and educational look at Ireland and the Irish, showing who they are and why!

Host families in Ireland receive a minimal fee for room and board, as is customary in the British Isles.

Venue: Cabinteely Summer School

Sample Schedule (may not be in this particular order):

Day 1
  • Arrival
  • Settle in with host families
    • Day 2
  • General orientation
  • Walking tour of Dublin
    • Day 3
  • Day spent with host family
    • Day 4
  • The Irish in North America
  • Traditional Irish music
  • Ireland on the big screen
    • Day 5
  • Early Irish history
  • Early Irish literature
  • Early Irish natural history
  • "The Heritage of the Irish Bogs" video
    • Day 6
  • Early Irish mythology
  • The plantations of Ireland
  • The folklore of the Irish landscape
    • Day 7
  • The structure of Irish mythology
  • Anglo-Irish culture
  • Irish musical forms
  • "The Irish R.M." video
    • Day 8
  • Bus tour of the Boyne Valley
    • Day 9
  • 10:30 a.m.  A walking tour of historic Dublin
    starting at the front gates of Trinity College
    • Day 10
  • Day spent with host family
  • Traditional Irish music night
    • Day 11
  • The Great Irish Famine
  • The Irish abroad
  • Anglo-Irish literature
  • J.M. Synge and The West
  • "Shadows of The West" video
    • Day 12
  • Literature of the Irish peasantry
  • The works of W.B. Yeats
  • The Irish peasantry
  • Revolutionary nationalism and the land
  • Irish ballads
    • Day 13
  • The loveless marriage in Irish literature
  • The evolution of the Irish language
  • Irish marriage patterns
  • "The Ballroom of Romance" video
    • Day 14
  • The Irish educational system
  • English as spoken in Ireland
  • The English in Ireland
  • "The Loaded Weapon" video
    • Day 15
  • Bus tour to West of Ireland
  • Overnight
    • Day 16
  • Return to Dublin in the evening
    • Day 17
  • Day spent with host family
    • Day 18
  • The works of James Joyce
  • Modern Irish culture
  • Modern Irish society
  • "Irish Rock Music" — video
  • "The Commitments" video
    • Day 19
  • Bus tour to Wicklow
    • Day 20
  • Departure from Dublin
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    Note:  Program not offered at this time.  Please check with us at a later date for 2009.