Location
  • Ireland
Length
4 - 12 weeks
Program Tags
Adventure Travel Cultural Immersion Hands-On Learning Volunteer Abroad
Merit-based funding, Payment plans, 529 Plan eligibility
Health & Safety

Program Details

Activities
Kayaking Trekking
Timeframe
Fall Spring
Housing
Guesthouse
Primary Language
English
Age Min.
18
Age Max
22

Pricing

Starting Price
17000
Price Details
Program fees include all meals, housing, activities, and transport within Ireland and the full 24/7 support of the Irish Gap Year team.
Please visit our website for more information on what is included in our program fees.
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Airport Transfers Equipment Meals Park Fees Tour Guide Transportation Wifi
What's Included (Extra)

All food, accommodation, activities, travel within Ireland, and full, 24/7 support from the Irish Gap Year team are included.
Please see our website for more details on what's included in the Adventure and Leadership Gap Year Program

What's Not Included
Airfare Travel Insurance
What's Not Included (Extra)

Flights and medical insurance

Jan 29, 2025
May 10, 2025
84 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Irish Gap Year’s Adventure & Leadership Gap Year Program will take you far off the beaten track, deep into Irish culture and nature where you will learn much about yourself and the world.

This structured, group program will immerse you in our community and Irish culture. There will be plenty of outdoor adventures, leadership workshops and team challenges and volunteering projects in our community. You will also get to travel all over Ireland!

The rugged natural beauty of Ireland and warm heartedness of the people offer a unique setting for your journey. Throughout this program you will develop a deeper level of self-awareness, independence, group dynamics and self-governance. We hope that you will take with you a way of thinking and self-awareness that will last a life time.

You don’t need to be outdoorsy to enjoy and benefit from the Adventure and Leadership Program, it’s all about a willingness to participate and pushing your perceived boundaries.

Video and Photos

Diversity & Inclusion 💙

We welcome students from all walks of life and backrounds and have hosted many BIPOC students on our programs.
We welcome students from all walks of life and backrounds and have hosted many LGBTQIA+ students over the years. Ireland and Europe in general are quite progressive with regards to LGBTQIA+ policy, lifestyle and support. Irish Gap Year provides support to our LGBTQIA+ students to help them feel secure and safe during their time with us.

Impact 🌎

Irish Gap Year is a Carbon Negative Company, meaning we remove more C02 from the amosphere through our ecological volunteering than we create as an organization (including student flights to Europe).

Irish Gap Year Director, Ryan Allen is the Chair of the Gap Year Association's Sustainability Commitee and created the Association's Climate Action Plan in 2023.

Program Highlights

  • Expeditions around Ireland: Each expedition on the Adventure and Leadership Program is unique with its own area of focus and theme. The expeditions are 3 to 5 days each and will and bring you far off the beaten track and face to face with Ireland’s hidden
  • Amazing Race Challenge: Mystery locations, wacky and fun tasks, build your travel IQ
  • Volunteering with Liquid Therapy in our afterschool surf therapy program.
  • Team Challenges: Developing leadership and communication skills in real-world, experiential settings
  • Live with Your Peers: Share a household with your fellow gappers in the beautiful coastal town of Bundoran, County Donegal

Program Reviews

4.81 Rating
based on 189 reviews
  • 5 rating 81.48%
  • 4 rating 17.99%
  • 3 rating 0.53%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Housing 4.6
  • Support 4.75
  • Fun 4.8
  • Value 4.75
  • Safety 4.9
Showing 81 - 88 of 189 reviews
Default avatar
Lucas
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

What I love about Irish Gap Year

This Program has put me in a situation where I can prioritize learning, and has allowed me to grow tremendously through trials and tribulations — some of which were self-induced, and others of which were created by IGY to push me to be my best. The standards set by our group leaders was fun loving but serious when necessary. All in all, a very fun supportive environment. I have to say though that the lack of diversity would be the only thing that I would hope could be improved on, but I would sooner associate that with the types of people who end up taking gap years, and most definitely not an unwillingness by IGY to bring in people from different places (which I believe they do try to do.)

What was your funniest moment?
The funniest moment was definitely when we went on a boat scavenger hunt in enniskillen and me and my buddies’ boat’s engine died in the middle of the river and we had an amazing bonding experience as our boat slowly drifted into the marsh.
94 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Andrew
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Irish Gap Year Fall Review

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What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Get ready for an adventurous trip and bring lots of layers, it’ll get cold!
93 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Brynn
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Life changing experience like no other!

This journey i’ve had with IGY has been a great new adventure for me with the right amount of challenge. With unique experiences everyday and the lessons that come out of it, someone who is up for the adventure and up for working through the challenges that life here will organically bring your way to inspire the learning lessons that you will take with you for life. This is a highly athletic program but if you keep that in mind you’ll have lots of lovely memories of the outstanding views on the many mountains of Ireland! I’ve had a great time with the friends I’ve met here and the experiences I will take with me to the next chapter of my life

What was your funniest moment?
The goofy and fun conversations I’ve had with my lovely new friends I’ve met
91 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Allison
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Irish Gap Year Adventure and Leadership Program

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What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Go in with an open mind, and don't be afraid to push your limits! Some of the activities may seem scary - like rock climbing, zip lining, or cliff jumping - but lean into everything and enjoy your time while it lasts.
92 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Garrett
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Irish Gap Year Adventure and Leadership Program

The Adventure and Leadership program was an incredible opportunity to spend time in all parts of Ireland while participating in exciting activities and allowing a significant amount of independence for individual participants. Trips were frequent and took the group to all corners of the island, exploring both the republic and the United Kingdom, and allowing for a nuanced dialogue regarding the history and conflict of Ireland. There was very little repetition in the day to day activities, from hiking to surfing, rock climbing and volunteer work. Working with local organizations was especially interesting and helped to ensure the program felt like more than a summer camp and had a visible impact on the local community. IGY allowed for participants to spend free time in any manor they chose, to the point where students were allowed to visit other towns such as Sligo on days off. Taking part in this program was both a helpful respite from academia and a stepping stone to becoming more independent while providing an incredible opportunity that few my age have experienced.

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
I would have liked to been more proactive with spending time with the rest of the IGY programs. Only until rather late in the program did I start to spend more of my free time with other groups and I wish I had started sooner.
89 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Noah
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Irish Gap Year Adventure and Leadership

The IGY Adventure and Leadership program gave me the opportunity to do things I'd never have gotten to do otherwise. I was able to learn Irish history firsthand from those who experienced it, went to iconic Irish cities and landmarks, and visited some of the most beautiful places I'd ever seen. The staff was supportive, and as a group, we all began to form a close relationship with the staff members. I would recommend this program for anyone who wants to break out of their comfort zone in a safe and controlled environment.

What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?
One day my group and I went up north to a cliffside in Cuit Island in western Donegal to go ziplining and rock climbing. The thought of jumping off a 50+ foot cliff was terrifying, but I was assured that I'd be ok by my group leaders. I remember dangling from the rope and seeing the waves crashing below me. Simultaneously one of the coolest and scariest things I've ever done.
93 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Jean-Paul
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great Experience

The activities that IGY offered were varied and very fun. They ranged from surfing (my favorite) to hiking to cliff jumping, and many, many, other outdoor activities. I thoroughly enjoyed the freedom that this program offered, while still maintaining a safe and comfortable environment. I would recommend this trip to anyone who loves the outdoors and isn't afraid to get dirty. Anyone without these qualities will almost certainly struggle.
Housing was great. The houses were a bit old and things did tend to break like the dishwasher and laundry machine, but they were very cozy and otherwise functioned pretty well. They also had a maintenance man on call so any problems that did occur were fixed quickly.

What was your funniest moment?
On one of the trips we went to an island to volunteer to pick up garbage washed up on beaches. On the ferry ride back to the mainland, one of the group leaders bent over and untied one of our shoes. Then he took the elastic on my raincoat hood and turned my face hole tiny. Everyone died laughing.
90 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
makenna
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Irish Gap Year Adventure and Leadership

Going on this program was one of the best decisions I ever made. On top of getting to fully experience my love for the outdoors through hiking, surfing, and loads of other activities, I was able to discover new cities and learn about Irish history and culture. The atmosphere of this program pushed me socially, mentally, physically, and emotionally, and caused me to grow in ways I didn't know I could. There were definitely challenges in all aspects that caused me to discover myself, and the leaders and staff are right there to support us. The amount of growth and maturity we attained through a gap year and this program is unmatched. This program gave me the opportunity to try so many new things and to do so in a safe environment. The past three months have been the best, and quickest, months of my life. Time has flown so fast and we have done so much. I wish I could do this program all over again, just so I could take it all in one more time, the highs and the lows. This trip has taught me things I will carry with me for a long time, and I am so grateful for that.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Come with an open mind and a good pair of hiking boots. You will meet people so different from you and try things you never have before, talk to everyone and give everything a chance. If you want to get the most out of this trip, an open mind is necessary. You are outdoors a ton, and the mud is no joke, so invest in good boots and rain gear.
99 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers