Adventure and Leadership Program: Semester Length, Fall and Spring Cohorts

This program was a really amazing experience for me. I have grown so much as a person, met some amazing people and have done things I wouldn't have thought were possible. The program offers a good balance between adventure based activities such as surfing, hikes, rock climbing and travel to different Irish cities. All the staff was very helpful and supportive, especially our main leader Niall. One of the highlights is definitely Liquid Therapy which is involves teaching surfing to children with additional needs. Overall I would definitely recommend this program.

Irish gap year has been an inciteful and wondrous experience for me personally, the last few months have been both a learning experience and tons of fun at the same time for myself. From the get go this program forces you out if your comfort zone in a good way, between the new people on you with the program and the new culture, giving opportunity to learn new things to help. The housing situation, while annoying sometimes due to things breaking down, was really well put together in terms of rooming and other accommodations. For the actual adventure and leadership part of this program, the adventure expectations were definitely met, spanning from surfing to hikes to cities, allowing for most people to do what they want on this trip. For the leadership half, things weren’t exactly what I expected. Overall, really good experience, and I plan on visiting Ireland again!

I had a great time with Irish Gap Year and would recommend this program. I loved getting to explore different cities and towns in Ireland while also becoming really familiar with Bundoran where the program is based. The activities were fun and we got to try a huge range of things (surfing, rock climbing, camping, hiking). The one thing that came with doing such a wide range of activities was that there was sometimes a lack of consistency - surfing and hiking were pretty much the only activities that we repeated throughout the program. There was a lot of free time both in towns and cities which was always fun. The leaders and staff are great and very qualified. There were some issues in communication with the staff and the schedule was changed last minute a few times which caused confusion. Accommodations were super nice - any issues were always addressed quickly. The website makes it look like bikes are provided - they aren’t, but the walk to town is pretty quick.

Irish Gap Year provided a variety of fun cultural and adventure activities. The staff cared a great deal for our well-being and comfort, and bundoran is very fun for a small town. The food was good and healthy, but would not recommend the trip for foodies. The highlights of the trip were all amazing views, stunning trips out to various parts of Ireland, and getting to go out on the town and experience the culture. A really fun group environment was cultivated by both the staff and students. Also I surf and had no idea there was surfing in Ireland, but Goshdarnit there is good surfing in Ireland! The staff were very nice about giving me as well as the people who wanted to fish or other things like that advice about where to go to keep up our hobbies!

This program was a lot more chill than the program I did the first semester through Pacific Discovery which I appreciated. The amount of freedom we had was good. One thing that was a little annoying was that the town center is a mile away and we had no access to bikes. The leaders were good. The communication could have been a little better between the leaders and the group. Bundoran is a nice town but very small, so visiting cities like Belfast and Dublin is great. The staff are obsessed with surfing and we got to go surfing several times which was fun.

Quite honestly, I was extremely satisfied with IGY’s A&L program. I don’t know what else I could have asked for from my three months but I know I will come away from this program a more confident, happy, and adventurous person. The Irish Gap Year staff are all absolutely PHENOMENAL. Especially my individual group leaders (shout out Niall and Ryan) felt more like mentors or big brothers rather than someone paid to take care of you. They were both incredibly friendly and always wanted the best for you. The housing was truly home sweet home and I will be incredibly sad to move out of ❤️Portbeg❤️ in a few days. The location of the town is also a highlight of this program. I absolutely loved Bundoran and I think it’s a truly rare opportunity to be able to spend 3 months in the countryside of Ireland. This program is absolutely amazing for cultural immersion and I feel like I truly lived in Ireland. You get to know some of the locals and where all the best spots are in town really quickly and besides the fact that the houses are a little far away from town, the walk there is always beautiful with an option to walk along the costal cliffs. The program runs where you split your time between Bundoran and exploring cities and towns. The overnight trips are all awesome and have a good mix of tours and structured activities and free time.

In terms of things you did, I loved the variety of activities that the staff planned for us and although whether or not you loved something depended on the person, I think they planned a good mix of things so that everyone was happy. I was personally very happy with the surfing, and town exploration parts! If you go on this program make your leaders take you back to ulster folk park>>>

Overall, I came into this program with high hopes and was not disappointed. Everyone at IGY really wants the best for you and I think I grew a lot physically and mentally in this program. I even got covid in the early weeks of the program and their accommodation of that was spectacular. They brought me food everyday and set me up in an apartment where they would check in on me from a distance and make sure I wasn’t going stir crazy. Truly exceeded all my expectations. I would recommend this program for anyone looking to learn about Irish history and culture and have an amazing time living with other gappers in the countryside. I’ll be very sad to leave but I know I’ll be back sometime!

I was a part of the Adventure and Leadership Program in the spring of 2022. I had a great time on the program and had a positive experience with Irish Gap Year. I would say that the best part of this program was the cultural immersion. Living in a small town really gave you a sense of the community in rural Ireland. Bundoran was also incredibly beautiful and you always had close access to beautiful hikes and great outdoor activities. My personal favorite part of the program was the trips to cities. We were given enough independence to have fun and explore the city by ourselves while also having set out activities. The independent housing style was also great. It definitely is not without trials living in a house with 7 strangers and no adults, but it become a space where we could all come together and hang out. The independence that they gave us was definitely a draw for me to join the program. Our leaders were supportive yet understanding that we were young adults who were free to make their own decisions. For young people looking to take a gap year abroad that focuses on travel and adventure, I would definitely recommend this program.

I am so glad that I had the opportunity to go on the IGY adventure and leadership program. It was the perfect blend of independence while still feeling safe and cared for in a foreign country. Bundoran and Ireland in general was a great location to spend 3 months learning about yourself, appreciating nature, creating friendships, and getting to travel. I really appreciated how all the staff, no matter what job position they were in, were always there for you and were all really fun and easy to get along with. We got to do so many fun activities and had a lot of input into our schedule which was great. Some of our favorite activities were surfing, hiking, community service with Liquid Therapy, going out in town, and rock climbing. The housing was good because we were separated into 2 separate houses, 7 of us in each, so we were sometimes all together but also could spend some time alone when we needed to. We hung out in both the houses every day and ate our meals together. After long days out it was so nice to come home to a hot meal prepared for us. The food was pretty good and also they bought us whatever groceries we wanted, so we were always well fed. Overall, coming on IGY is one of the best decisions I have ever made. I am leaving with so many life long friends, a fondness and increased knowledge for a new country, a greater understanding of myself, and have had such a peaceful and fun time before I head off to college.