Language Holidays in Ireland

In 2011 I spent two weeks in Ireland. A friend and I flew to Dublin and subsequently went to Galway, which is located on the west coast of the Emerald Isle, by bus. There, we spent our language holidays that were organized by “LISA! Study abroad” (in German the organization is called: LISA! Sprachreisen)

In case any of you is thinking about attending language classes abroad, I would like to tell you about my experiences and share my thoughts about language holidays:

+ school

One day after our arrival in Galway we had to take a “placement test” and were assigned to different classes, according to our level of English. Throughout the next two weeks, we attended classes before and after lunch, usually starting at about 9 am and ending at 5 pm (with two breaks in-between). From my point of view, the English lessons were very beneficial, especially in terms of improving my English speaking skills. We did a lot of fun speaking exercises and also extended our vocabulary on various topics like cars, food or law.

+ meet many people from different countries

In the course of my two weeks in Ireland I met students from Spain, Brazil, Russia and Italy and I am still in contact with some of them.

+ get to know locals

Concerning accommodation, we were given two options – we could either stay at a youth residence together with all the other language students or we could stay with a host family. I think everybody has to decide for themselves what suits them best. However, personally I would recommend the latter. I chose to stay with a host family and I gained some precious insight into the life of a “modern Irish women”. My host mother was a single mum and even though she did not spend too much time with her “host children” (I stayed at her house together with a Spanish and an Italian girl), she was really nice, told some interesting stories and would help us solve any kind of problem. Another advantage was that I was forced to speak English, while in a students' residence I would probably have met some German speaking people and would have spoken German to them.

+ afternoon activities

After class we could participate in organized activities, like for example going to the movies, bowling, seeing a Greyhound race or party in a disco on the campus. Admittedly, the disco was not what one would have expected by Austrian standards, since no alcohol was sold there and it closed at about 11 pm, but still it was a lot of fun, especially because the hot-blooded students from Italy and Spain showed off some amazing dance moves.

+ weekend trips

On the weekends some optional trips to sights like Bunratty Castle, the Cliffs of Moher or the Aran Islands were offered. If you ever visit Galway, a trip to the Aran Islands is an absolute must! They lie just off the West Coast of Ireland in Galway Bay. Exploring one of the islands by bicycle is a great opportunity to take in the typical Irish landsacape consisting of green meadows, low stone walls and sheep. Also, it is an amazing experience to stand on top of the steep cliffs and look down at the rough sea. In addition, visitors of the Aran Islands can get a taste of the traditional Celtic culture, since Irish is the main language spoken on the islands and the rugged natural beauty and thatched cottages really take you back to Ireland in Celtic times.