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
Nov 21, 2024
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

4.83 Rating
based on 182 reviews
  • 5 rating 83.52%
  • 4 rating 15.93%
  • 3 rating 0.55%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Housing 4.65
  • Support 4.8
  • Fun 4.85
  • Value 4.75
  • Safety 4.9
Showing 33 - 40 of 182 reviews
Default avatar
Quinton
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Irish Gap Year

Had a good time, and learned a lot from living on my own for three months. The hikes and surfing were very fun, and the landscape is beautiful. Unfortunately, the town was far away from our housing. The trips were nice but fairly short, but they ended right before the weekends, so we were unable to get the foods we wanted before the weekend after. The climate was not as cold as I expected it to be, but was still cold. Overall the experience was great and really useful for me for when I go to college next year.

Pros
  • Saw lots of Ireland
  • Got experience living like in a dorm
  • Experienced lots of new activities
Cons
  • Could be difficult to get food or other needs
  • House had a few issues that were never resolved
  • Only in Dublin for two nights
103 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Violet
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Irish Gap Year: Adventure and Leadership

This program was a great introduction to living independently. The town of Bundoran was a beautiful place to live. We were given a lot of free time to explore and go to pubs, and I learned a lot from living in a house with seven other people. The hikes and surfing we did were incredible. I felt like there was a good amount of challenge in the adventure activities. I wished we had spent more time actually doing the activities rather than driving back and forth. I would have loved to spend more time outside instead of sitting at home.

Pros
  • Amazing scenery
  • Lots of independence
  • Irish Gap Year staff
Cons
  • Lots of travel time
104 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Stefanos
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Irish gap year adventure and leadership

I came into this program with the sole purpose being to have a space separate from the rest of my life. What I found was a group of people who not only made me feel seen and accepted but pushed me to be better and more than I thought I could be. The activities provided allowed me to grow with the people here and discover the person I want to be. The town was a nice home base to return to after everything we did that felt like an authentic slice of Ireland to live in. It also had some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever witnessed. Everytime we visited a beach I was floored and the natural beauty I was seeing. While there were some challenges and people who I didn’t get along with, that’s life. No program is gonna stop people from not getting along. Overall I had a great time and feel like a better version of myself.

Pros
  • Location
  • Night life
  • The people I liked
Cons
  • Long walk into town
  • The people I didn’t like
106 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Griffin
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Irish Gap Year Adventure and Leadership Program Review

Irish Gap Year was a great experience for preparing for college and exploring Irish. The staff is very helpful and the program is well planned out to explore various aspects of Irish culture. The various cities we traveled to were enjoyable, yet I wish we had spent more time in Dublin, and that the last few weeks were not packed with trips. I really I enjoyed the surfing and pubs during the weekend, along with all of the Irish cuisine. There were many places to explore that we weren't able to get to but even more than we did explore.

Pros
  • Learning independence
  • Exploring Ireland
  • Group Bonding
Cons
  • Staying in one place for too much time
  • Sometimes difficult to prepare for trips
104 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Raley
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Irish Gap Year- Adventure and Leadership

I had a positive overall experience with Irish Gap Year. The town of Bundoran is beautiful and there are many local shops to visit. There was a lot of down time to explore and sometimes I felt I had more time than things to do. We did a myriad of different activities such as surfing, hiking, camping, and farming. Another positive part of the program is that I met many new people, some of which are my new best friends; being part of a group like this has taught me how to work with different types of individuals and how to handle difficult social situations. Overall I enjoyed exploring Ireland and experiencing different adventure activities.

Pros
  • friendly staff and leaders
  • fun activities
  • meaningful conservation work
Cons
  • lots of travel time
104 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
John
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Irish Gap Year

This program was a fun combination of travel, while creating the opportunity to gain familiarity with particular places. Because we lived in Bundoran, and would only take short, two-three night trips to other places, I was able to make tons of friends a connections in the town. I felt like I was able to really integrate into their lifestyle. It was nice to have a sense of home, while also getting to see all of the other Irish highlights. Gallway and Dublin were two of my personal favorites, as they were a great change of pace and we took some awesome tours. My favorite adventure based activity was the hike we took on the cliffs of Moher. Truly phenomenal stuff.

Pros
  • Great counselors
  • Great accommodations / hometown
  • Cool day / overnight trips
Cons
  • Certain people in the group
  • A little slow on some of the weekends
60 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Evelyn
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Irish Gap Year

This experience was very influential on the growth of my leadership skills and personal growth. I felt like the staff had a great deal of fun with us which made it better to be around them and trust them. I would recommend this trip to people who are looking to get out of their comfort zone physically as I was pushed to my limit multiple times on the hikes and with the weather. I would say the housing situation was also great based on the house itself, however I would have preferred a better mix of people who were more on top of housekeeping vs people who were comfortable living with lower standards. I learned to become comfortable with living with conflict around me at a lot of times. The actual sites we visited were always beautiful and interesting. I greatly enjoyed the surfing and the beaches we visited and will definitely be taking that knowledge back home to practice more.

Pros
  • Surfing
  • Cliffs of Moher
  • Scenery
Cons
  • Physically demanding
58 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Ben
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Adventure and Leadership IGY

Deciding to go on this trip was one of the best decisions of my life. I got everything I wanted and more out of this program. I didn’t think that it would be as much fun as it was. You get to see such beautiful spots in Ireland some that you wouldn’t even think would exist. While I was here on our student led trip we visited the Muckross house and saw some 10,000 year old great Irish elk antlers. I also found some friends that I’ll never forget. If you’re on the edge of going on a gap year jdoit

Pros
  • People
  • Food
  • Activities
Cons
  • Dishes
  • Getting in trouble
  • No weed
94 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers