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

Irish Gap Year was a great choice for me. The program was a good balance of structure with freedom and flexibility. I really appreciated how the group leaders were understanding when downtime was needed and accommodating when I wanted to do certain activities. Everyone involved, our day-to-day leaders especially, was positive and kind and helpful, I got to know some truly amazing people on this trip.
Bundrowes House is large and very nice, though living with eight other teenagers can have its challenges. Bundoran is a very cute little town, though very quiet.
The adventures and activities have been very cool, rock climbing was the most terrifying experience of my life and it was awesome, learning to surf was so much fun despite the cold. We went on loads of cool hikes, ranging in difficulty from short hikes on paths to day long treks.

My Irish Gap Year experience has been exciting, surprising, and the opportunity I was looking for to reflect on my gap year. Eight other students and I were the first ones to experience this brand-new program. Despite the perceived risks of jumping into uncharted territory, our program leaders adapted along the way to meet and even exceed our needs.

The House and Bundoran: Students in Irish Gap Year live in a huge, beautiful 2-story house from the late 19th century. The house was one of my favorite parts of the trip; we might go off on road trips or camping trips, but when we'd get back it was always a cozy safe haven with plenty of space for everyone to have alone time and recharge. That being said, gap year students don't usually get a whole house to themselves for a 3-month program, and sharing a house for the first time has its challenges.

Bundoran is a very small town of just a few thousand people, and a lot of its economy is based around surf tourism. At the beginning of our trip in September, there were tons of tourists from around Ireland and abroad coming into town who we got to hang out with at band performances at the surf school and in the local pubs. In November, the temperature dropped and there were suddenly a lot fewer social opportunities in Bundoran. That's one thing to keep in mind about winter here.

Did you know that Bundoran is one of the best towns for surfing on Europe? Imagine waking up, pulling on a wetsuit, and hopping on a land rover that takes you to a pristine beach with endless, clean waves. After a couple hours of surfing, you refuel with tea and digestives at the surf school. That was me about 20 times on this trip!

Instructors: The instructors for this program were incredible. They were positive, experienced, and easy to talk to. One time, they drove us to a village in the middle of Nowhere, Ireland and searched by foot for an abandoned castle ruin because they had heard it was the family castle of one of the students in our group. They also gave us a level of freedom that we, in some cases, had never experienced before. I am so happy we got to plan our 4-day trip to Cork and our 3-day trip to Dublin. They even gave us the freedom to have two alcoholic drinks whenever we're out, something that shows their trust in their students and sets Irish Gap year apart from other programs.

Activities: From surfing, cliff diving, ocean kayaking, and "hikes" that required us to climb up a mountain on all fours, to museum-going, willow sculpting, our indoor leadership class, and chill hikes, we did the whooole spectrum of activities.

One activity that was really special to me was volunteering with Liquid Therapy, an organization that teaches autistic children how to surf. I was paired with Annabel, a nine year old who was so thrilled to go surfing that we were always the first ones into the ocean. I spent five days with Annabel pulling her into waves on her board, cheering her on when she caught them, chatting with her about life, and sometimes playing games with her like seeing how long she could stand on her board in still water. It was incredible seeing her progression and getting to make a strong connection with a new person in Ireland. At the end of Liquid Therapy, the Irish Gap Year students threw a party for the kids and their parents at our house!

I would recommend this trip to everyone. I would especially recommend this trip to anyone who knows they want a structured program, yet a program that gives its participants a good-sized dose of independence and freedom to take their trip into their own hands.

I have really enjoyed my time on the Irish Gap Year Adventure and Leadership program. All of the leaders are really kind and genuine people, and very attentive to our needs and wanting to make sure we’re getting the most out of the program. As someone who eats gluten free, all the leaders are very helpful in making sure my dietary restrictions are met. If there was ever a problem or challenge I was facing, I felt totally comfortable bringing it up and asking any one of my leaders for help. It’s a very good program for people (like myself) who are not overly outdoorsy but would like to be, because it allows you to explore nature and try new things in an all inclusive, ‘nobody gets left behind’ kind of way. I have been able to push myself physically in this program through surfing and hiking and I’ve really enjoyed all the adventures I’ve had with both. One of my favorite memories was a day when we went on a sunset surf, the sky was pink behind the rolling green cliffs and the ocean was like glass as the waves rushed toward us. It was an unforgettable sight and experience. We also did a lot of volunteer work in the local communities, and one of the highlights for me was helping a local youth group build a garden. I've loved being able to explore big cities like Galway and Dublin, we saw everything from museums to universities and authentic Irish pubs. I especially liked Galway, and hope to go back there as much as I can in the future. Overall I'd say this is a very worthwhile program that has helped me to figure out a bit more what I want and where I'm going, and allowed me to fall in love with a new country and culture along the way! Would definitely recommend it to anyone thinking of doing a Gap Year.

I've truly enjoyed my time in Ireland over the past three months. I have learned how to surf, gone on many hikes, and made many new friends here. I never thought I would enjoy being as active as I am here. I wasn't such an outdoors person before but now I know that going surfing and pushing myself on hikes makes me happy. My goal when I first started this trip was to feel more ready for college, and although I don't feel completely ready I can say I've grown up a lot from all the new experiences I have had.

I came to Ireland after already being out of high school for a year, spending my previous gap year on an academic program in England and two culturally immersive volunteer programs in both Asia and South America, so when it came time for me to search for my next program, I had a clear picture of what I wanted. To be in a long-term group setting, to live in one place but still take trips and explore my surroundings. To be active and outdoors, but I also wasn't looking for something too extreme. I wanted balance, something that would be good for someone who wouldn't call themselves "athletic" or "outdoorsy." I wanted to be pushed out of my comfort zone, but not too far out! Irish Gap Year seemed to fulfill all of my requirements, and thus far it has met my expectations, and even surpassed some of them! For the first two months of the program we went out surfing at least two-to-three times a week, more if you were really keen! And we usually included two hikes every week exploring the beauty that is Northwestern Ireland. We also ventured out of our little bubble into the wider Ireland, taking three day trips into places like Dublin, Galway, and Belfast, a nice break from small town living especially as the weather turned and it was no longer pleasant for the more "outdoorsy" portion of the program. You get a full picture of Ireland and its people, who, by the way, are five-star. Our leaders too are amazing, easy to talk to and come with a wealth of experience, and are truly amazing people to learn from and get to spend three months with. The town of Bundoran is small, very small. During the summer season and all through September and October this was not a problem as it is a popular surf and outdoor destination. It is therefore full of new and exciting people to keep the town's vibe young and vibrant and your Friday and Saturday pub night's interesting! But as the good weather passed so did most of the tourists, and weekends in Bundoran grew slower. But fear not! Our program leaders allowed for the schedule to be flexible, so if we needed a change of scene, they wouldn't hesitate to see our needs met, sometimes taking us out of town for the weekend, etc. Living in a house with eight other 18 year-old's is been interesting to say the least, and is just as complicated as it should be expected. Kitchen and bathroom habits will always be a point of contention! Living with the same people and doing all of my activities with the same people was, for a self-admitted loner, a challenge, but all in all has taught me many valuable lessons and is not something I regret, no matter how difficult or out of my comfort zone it was. The leaders do try to help in this regard, they are attentive to the needs of both the individual and the group. As one of the guinea pigs in their first gap year program, I can honestly say that the program has been a success and I would whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone interested in signing up for it in the future.

It was a great program that was plenty of fun. If you enjoy adventure this a great program for you. It has a large focus on surfing while also doing other activities. Since it is a new program there are some issues since they have to sort out the kinks; however, as a guinea pig for this group it was definitely worth it. They are improving the program day by day as the learn from their mistakes. The staff is great and friendly and will easily adapt to your needs.