Irish Arts & Culture Immersion Programme

I am so glad that I decided to join Irish Gap Year! The experience exceeded my expectations. The housing is gorgeous, the staff are so friendly and lead the group responsibly while still allowing participants a lot of freedom and independence. We learned to make bog oak jewelry, paint with watercolor, and draw with charcoal from amazing local artists. We were given time to explore Dublin, Belfast, and Galway, as well as witness the spectacular landscapes of Ireland, from mountains to forests to rocks to oceans. I learned so much about Ireland's illustrious history and I am already hoping to return as soon as possible!

I had such an amazing time. I had the best housemates and the staff was so respectful and kind. I felt like I had a family with everyone and enjoyed every workshop I did as part of the arts and culture and loved the pieces I made in them. I’ve never been happier and felt more accepted in a place and I made friends that will last a lifetime. The inside jokes and the weekly karaoke parties are things I will never forget and our group is already is planning a reunion to return to Ireland again and I can’t wait for our next adventure together.

Cliff jumping, hiking, surfing, brilliant art teachers: these were all short walk from our home beside the cliffs in Bundoran, Ireland, a small surf town. The day-to-day of the program consisted of an effective mix of arts education and Ireland exploration which I loved.
Fiona and Phil, my counselors during the program, were a highlight — guiding us through challenging moments and triumphant ones with always good music. Despite Covid restrictions, the program managed to put together a great program. Thanks for all the great memories!

Amazing program! Learned multiple art forms including photography, leather work, jewelry making, charcoal, watercolor, and so much more! Program leaders were so welcoming and supportive throughout the entire program. Great group dynamic and community bonding! It was such meaningful experience to take time to grow, self reflect, and explore my passions, all while living in a beautiful part of Ireland. We also were able to engage in various Irish adventures such as surfing and cliff jumping. Overall, it was a great experience. Good craic!

Amazing program! Learned multiple art forms including photography, leather work, jewelry making, charcoal, watercolor, and so much more! Program leaders were so welcoming and supportive throughout the entire program. Great group dynamic and community bonding! It was such meaningful experience to take time to grow, self reflect, and explore my passions, all while living in a beautiful part of Ireland. We also were able to engage in various Irish adventures such as surfing and cliff jumping. Overall, it was a great experience. Good craic!

When I learned that I was travelling to Ireland in a pandemic, I was a little nervous. That immediately went away once I got to the Portbeg houses and got to experience Bundoran. Every day I had this wow factor that I was living in this beautiful costal town surrounded by a great and memorable group of people doing the art I have always wanted to do with the most amazing professional instructors. Hiking, Surfing, Kayaking and day trips to towns and cities across Ireland also occurred and seeing the historic sites of Ireland really resonated with me. Thank you Irish Gap year 🙌

Attending IGY was one of the best decisions of my whole gap year experience. I learned so much about art—not only practical skills, but also the values of unjudged creativity and perseverance. Seeing the natural beauty of Ireland through hikes was wonderful, and though covid prevented us from visiting as many cities as I would like, I’ll remember the places we did visit forever. Anyone who enjoys nature, art, or is even just open to pushing themselves into something new (I wasn’t much of an artist myself before I came here) will love this program.

Doing this gap program was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. This experience was unforgettable I’ve discovered that I am a much better artist than I had initially thought and over the course of 3 months, i feel like I’ve improved on those skills. I also really got along with the tutors and feel like They’ve helped me bring out the artist in me. Our program leaders (Phil and Fiona) were amazing and I found that they’re easy to talk to and they made the program 10x better. I’ve also met some amazing people that were a part of this group that I will definitely be keeping in touch with after the program.