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

I spent 12 weeks fully immersed in Irish culture through the Irish Gap Year Adventure and Leadership Program. Though I personally had some struggles from coming from being and only child to living with 12 other people, the program itself is life changing. I know that I will carry all of my memories I have made here with me for the rest of my life. I have learned about the new culture, the new people, and even learned some things about myself. I would recommend this gap year program to those who are considering it.

I’ve previously experienced two international programs somewhat similar to the fall 2017 Irish Gap Year semester, and IGY far exceeded those programs and blew my expectations away.

IGY offered the best of of both worlds: both immersing yourself in another country while also learning different skills and exploring the country. The system of exploring different sites and cities in various ways, whether it was hiking, surfing or just checking out a cool historical site, while also having a cosy and welcoming home base in Bundoran worked very well. The program was a good balance of challenging myself to go out of my comfort zone while also not getting travel fatigue. It’s almost ridiculous how gorgeous all of the places we went to for hiking, camping and surfing were. Each of the leaders was very helpful and really helped to make this experience the best there could be.

For future gappers, don’t be afraid of asking questions or raising concerns. All of the leaders want the best for the gappers and if there is something you want to do or have a problem with, they are more than happy to help. Also don’t be afraid to talk to the locals, as some of the best moments on this trip for me were getting to know the people I was fortunate to be able to meet. Irish people are some of the friendliest (and funniest) people whom you will ever meet.

Overall, Irish Gap Year is such a fantastic experience, both growthful and fun, and one which I will treasure forever. The three months flew by so very quickly, as the program is very thoughtfully and flexibly planned out. Thank you so much to each and every one of the wonderful IGY staff!

As we drove from the airport to Bundoran on my first day, I was wrapped up in thoughts of what Ireland would bring to me and what I could bring to Ireland . I had pictured Ireland many times before as a child and every image that I had pictured beforehand was almost identical to what I could see from the window. The green rolling hills, the smell of cow manure in the air, and of course the strange fact that they drive on the other (wrong) side of the road. Though my fascination of the landscape continued, my mind began to wander elsewhere. I wondered if I had really made the right decision in flying across the world and spending the next three months in a different country with complete strangers. I was leaving my friends, my parents, my boyfriend, and my puppies. Of course I was scared, but I knew that there was no way I could give up on an opportunity like this. One of a lifetime. I will never forget my initial thoughts and fears during that three hour car ride. However, naturally, those fears have disappeared and I am now faced with new ones; am I making the right decision of going home?
Irish Gap Year has given me the greatest three months. I tried my best to go in with an open mind and no set expectations and by doing so I find that I have created the most positive outlook on this program and the amazing country that has hosted us all. I have seen some of the most incredible views on the planet. I have pushed myself to mental and physical extremes, and have come out happier than ever by doing so. I have been given the opportunity to immerse myself in a new culture and I have met some of the most amazing people in the world.
For you future gappers, it really doesn't rain as much as National Geographic may say. Don't be afraid to leave your loved ones behind, they will be so excited for you and proud that you have taken the opportunity to see the world. It may be hard at first, but you are surrounded by other students who care very much for you and you will have the support from many other resources. Irish Gap Year does a wonderful job of bringing leadership and adventure into their programs.
Push yourself to experience the amazing world around you.

Words can not even begin to describe my experience. For the last nine weeks I have done things I never thought I would do, I have climbed mountains, surfed in the freezing waters of Ireland ocean, traveled far and wide across this beautiful land, formed bonds with the people here, this program has smashed through my expectations for it in the best way possible. I came here a somewhat overweight guy, expecting a lot of manual labor, long boring hikes and bland food, in short for this to be an Irish version of fat camp. In under a day of being here I had left those thoughts behind. I was enthralled by Ireland's beauty, the kids living in the awesome house were amazing, and the food is incredible, and they don't skip on the portions. The hikes we do take are always amazing, showing us Ireland's beauty. Though to my surprise I did in fact lose weight, hell, none of my pants fit me anymore!

I would have to say my favorite memory of this place would have to be liquid therapy, a program where we help young children with Aspergers learn to surf, a program I really wish had been around in the states when I was growing up. It was fun to teach a kid how to surf, and I've learned to love surfing here, there is nothing even close to the experience when you stand up on a board for the first time.

I would highly recommend this program to anyone, it's a once of a lifetime experience that is going to stay with me for the rest of my life.

I'm glad I decided to spend my gap year in Ireland and with Irish Gap Year. Hiking, traveling, surfing, volunteering, and being surrounded by some of the friendliest leaders you'll ever meet made for a fulfilling 3 months. With lots of freedom as well as being a very flexible program, it's easy to bend the program a bit to fit the student. The program is a great opportunity to grow, meet new people and have lots of fun. I highly recommend it.

I had a blast on this program. The staff are engaging, fun people who really care about the students. As students we were immersed in the local culture and community of Bundoran, Donegal, where we were based. The people of this area are really friendly and inviting, and since it is so safe the students are given a lot of freedom. The house is big and comfortable, located in a beautiful coastal area about 40 minutes walk from the town. While here we engaged regularly in outdoor activities such as surfing, kayaking, cliff jumping and hiking. We also volunteered with youth organizations and animal shelters and worked on an eco farm. I got to see more of Ireland than I ever thought I would in such a short period of time. We went on trips to really awesome parts of the country, from cities like Galway, Dublin and Belfast to scenic rural areas such as Clare, Kerry and Northern Donegal. I enjoyed the hikes we went on, especially climbing mountains. For instance we hiked to the top of Croagh Patrick in County Mayo and Mount Errigal in Donegal. My favorite walk was probably our hike along the cliffs of Moher in County Clare. I loved experiencing the traditional Irish food and music in places like Doolin. While on these trips we learned to work as a team and plan out our own activities.
The program leaders are very involved in the students lives we are here, though we are also encouraged to plan things ourselves and think independently. They are always asking questions and making sure we are having a good time. They are constantly working to improve the program and I think it will only get better and better. I highly recommend this program for anyone looking for an exciting cultural adventure in an beautiful country.

If you like to be around good, friendly people, this is the program for you. If you like to go on adventures and trips but still live in a spacious, comfortable environment, once again this is the program for you. That’s just part of my experience with Irish gap year, over the course of three months I have tried many new things and challenged myself immensely. For example, I tried surfing and at first did not like it; at the beginning of this program I would dislike anything I wasn’t good at. One day one of the awesome surf instructors noticed I wasn’t enjoying myself in the water, he then motivated me to keep trying and he stayed by my side until I finally got up on my board! It was amazing and now I cannot only say I was able to stand up on a surfboard, but I really like surfing now. Learning about myself and facing my own challenges was only a portion of this trip. I was lucky enough to see many parts of Ireland; my personal favorite trip was going to the Cliffs ‘o’ Moher. The hike for that trip was really fun for me because we put in such much work and than got to stop and eat lunch in a really beautiful spot, which I really enjoyed. I also liked that we had opportunities to visit cities like Belfast and Dublin. Every trip we went on was absolutely amazing, and than after every trip having the luxury of returning to the very comfortable, spacious gap year house was just grand. I was at first hesitant to leave my home in the D.C. metro area and go all the way to Ireland because I had never lived away from home before, but I’m so glad I did it. I had all the amenities in the gap year house that I have at home, plus more! The house chef, Rida is awesome, I was well fed and after all my meals I liked to lounge on the big soft couches and enjoys my free time for the day. Free time is also another thing most people think about when they consider a program like this. The ratio of activities and free time is just right in this program. Overall I would recommend this program to anyone! Especially if you want to take a year off from school or don’t exactly know what further education to pursue, this is the right program for that. 10/10!!!

I had a lot of fun as well as experiences to grow during this program. There were lots of outdoor adventures during the first half of the trip. We went on reflection hikes, where we were prompted to think about life on a deeper level. The second half we travelled a lot more.
Now, thinking back to when I was choosing my gap year, I would have wanted people to give me honest accounts of their time and constructive criticism of their programs, so I will. I guess my feedback for this program is that not everything is running one hundred percent smoothly yet. There are times when a lot of the plans are pretty wishy washy. This is not necessarily a bad thing. It is expected that this program is this way because it is a rather new program, and it just gives us students more of an opportunity to get involved.
Some of my favorite parts of this program were getting the chance to travel to different cities, meet the locals, and work on whitehill eco farm. I also really liked getting to know the staff involved. Everyone who works here really cares about the students and all are in it to make our time here valuable. I have grown so much here with the help of the staff involved.
If you choose this program, you won't be disappointed. There is something in it for everyone.