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.
17
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.
For more information on whats included in our program fees please visit our website www.Irishgapyear.com/info/frequently-asked-questions
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Airport Transfers Equipment Meals Park Fees Tour Guide Transportation Wifi
What's Included (Extra)

All food, accomodation, activities, travel within Ireland and full, 24/7 support from the Irish Gap Year team are included.
Please see our website www.irishgapyear.com/info/frequently-asked-questions 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 05, 2024
May 10, 2024
76 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.

You will become immersed in our community and Irish culture, be challenged physically through outdoor adventure and mentally through our leadership workshops and volunteering in our community.

The rugged natural beauty of Ireland and warm heartedness of the people offer a unique setting for your journey of self-discovery. 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

BIPOC Support

We welcome students from all walks of life and backrounds and have hosted many BIPOC students on our programs.

LGBTQIA+ Support

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

Sustainability

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
  • Community Immersion: Live in your own magnificent Victorian home on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean on Ireland's rugged Northwest coast. Your home is cozy, quirky and quaint. Here you'll learn invaluable independence building skills with your peers!
  • Volunteer in the Community: Make a meaningful and positive impact on our community as you volunteer on farms, animal shelters, with local youth groups, Clean Coasts Ireland and other local organisations.
  • Develop your Leadership and Communication Skills: Our leadership workshops are fun, interactive and experiential. You'll learn much about yourself and others as you are challenged to work within a team on a wide range of projects.
  • The People: Irish people are amongst the freindliest and funniest people you'll come across anywhere and our gappers always love getting to know the locals. They're quirky sense of humor and unique outlooks on life won't disapoint!

Program Reviews

4.84 Rating
based on 172 reviews
  • 5 rating 84.3%
  • 4 rating 15.12%
  • 3 rating 0.58%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Housing 4.7
  • Support 4.8
  • Fun 4.85
  • Value 4.75
  • Safety 4.9
Showing 57 - 64 of 172 reviews
Default avatar
Eliza
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

We love Sarah and Niall

This program was a truly incredible experience. As an approaching college student, I was looking for a way to spend my gap year where I where I would also grow as a person, gain leadership skills, and be able to work on my weaknesses as a student. This program gave me all that and more. From the incredible, challenging yet always rewarding and beautiful hikes to the educational and fun city trips, Irish Gap Year has been one adventure after another. Perhaps the best thing I've gained from the program is the social connections and friends, as cheesy as it sounds. I was previously worried about going to college and living with people other than my family. This program gave me a taste of how that would go and what I needed to improve on and what my skills already were. The greatest thing about this program is the staff. All the program leaders and staff here were extremely supportive and it's obvious how much they care about the students and how much they enjoy their job. All in all, I must reiterate how much of an incredible experience this was and how strongly i recommend it to other students craving adventure, leadership opportunities, and strong community.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Bring a good pair of hiking boots, rain gear, and a positive attitude and open mind to new experiences and people!
78 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Lilly
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Adventure and Leadership Program

I really loved this program! The staff is so welcoming and personable. They really made the experience what it is. They always made themselves available to talk if need be. They handled problems with a great amount of thought, grace, and efficiency.
I really grew a lot as a person during this program because the activities we did pushed me. It made me realize that I am a lot more capable mentally and physically then I previously thought.
Also, the Irish people welcomed us with open arms. We really got to know people from local businesses. I met a lot of great people on this trip that I will keep in contact with and I know that if I ever come back to Ireland there are people hear I call up. One of my favorite things that I will miss is being able to walk out of the house, look left and see the ocean and the cliffs, look right and see Aroo Mountain. It is the most humbling feeling. I would recommend this program to people who love the outdoors and are up for anything.

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
It is really hard to just pinpoint one thing, but the coolest we did was a cliff walk to the cliffs of Moher. It was so beautiful and breathtaking. My brain could literally not comprehend the beauty of it all. It was something that pictures can only wish to capture.
78 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Campbell
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Irish Gap Year Adventure and Leadership Program

This program has been a truly once in a lifetime opportunity. The activities, volunteering, and leadership workshops were so much fun, but more than that, I grew so much as a person and gained a family within my cohort. Additionally, our leaders provided an incredible guiding hand when necessary, however also allowed us to make our own mistakes and become more independent people. Overall, this has been an amazing experience and if I was given the chance to do this program again, I would in a heartbeat. I have so many memories from these three months and I wouldn’t trade those for anything.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
You get as much out of the program as you put into it and be open to the new experiences and new people.
73 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Will
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Adventure and Leadership

Irish Gap Year was a very amazing experience because I have grown so much from this program and if you need a break from school and trying to find yourself this is the program to do because how much you do and it’s nothing like home and I really loved this program because how much I’ve gotten to grown because it’s more than just going on hikes and leadership activities. The relationships I have made here will last a long time and I have made a good bond with our leaders and living with everyone.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Just keep an open mind and have fun it’s really easy to think about home but once you are here it’s the best time ever
76 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Kate
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Adventure and Leadership Fall Program

Irish Gap Year offers much more than adventures and leadership workshops. They challenge you to find your voice amongst adversity within the group and helped me gain more confidence and awareness of who I am and what I believe. The staff shows full support between all hours of the day and have been there whenever called/needed. IGY is a great fit for older teens to make mistakes and achieve personal growth in a beautiful place amongst amazing support. My program leaders Sarah B and Ryan H really succeeded at making relationships with the entire cohort and treating us as adults. The entire staff does a great job of allowing us to make mistakes without making us feel childish. The program is a great place for new adults to test different things and figure out who they are outside of academics and past relationships in an environment that supports the mistakes and the wins wholeheartedly.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Make sure to really be honest with yourself and others and take full advantage of every opportunity they offer you. The success of the trip is defined by how much you’re willing to have fun or not.
72 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Buchanan
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Adventure and Leadership fall Program

My time during the Irish Gap Year program (IGY) has been absolutely incredible. We spent a lot of time helping and learning about the community. Furthermore, we obtained a whole new point of view from Irish history and from the native Irish people. All together, I highly recommend this trip for anyone trying to discover their true self and for anyone who wants to have a great time in a different country. Cmon, guys, it’s fun. Really really fun. Honestly, it was cray cray. Skeety skee, pop pop.⬛️🟧

What was your funniest moment?
When I flew head first over the handle bars of my bike. Everyone was alright. It was really funny.
68 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Jake
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Adventure and Leadership Fall Program

Everybody within the program has the same goal: to make sure each person got the most of their experiences. They did everything they could to accommodate the needs of each gapper. The personal growth I underwent cannot be described in mere words typed on a device. I truly feel that I have went from a caterpillar to a beautiful and vibrantly colored butterfly. That is no overstatement, as the power of the gap year should not be underestimated. Each student has flourished greatly and it has been a joy to experience.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
My advice is to be yourself because everybody here is kind and willing to accept who you are.
68 people found this review helpful.
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.
71 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers