Couldn't ask for a better 3 months

Quite honestly, I was extremely satisfied with IGY’s A&L program. I don’t know what else I could have asked for from my three months but I know I will come away from this program a more confident, happy, and adventurous person. The Irish Gap Year staff are all absolutely PHENOMENAL. Especially my individual group leaders (shout out Niall and Ryan) felt more like mentors or big brothers rather than someone paid to take care of you. They were both incredibly friendly and always wanted the best for you. The housing was truly home sweet home and I will be incredibly sad to move out of ❤️Portbeg❤️ in a few days. The location of the town is also a highlight of this program. I absolutely loved Bundoran and I think it’s a truly rare opportunity to be able to spend 3 months in the countryside of Ireland. This program is absolutely amazing for cultural immersion and I feel like I truly lived in Ireland. You get to know some of the locals and where all the best spots are in town really quickly and besides the fact that the houses are a little far away from town, the walk there is always beautiful with an option to walk along the costal cliffs. The program runs where you split your time between Bundoran and exploring cities and towns. The overnight trips are all awesome and have a good mix of tours and structured activities and free time.

In terms of things you did, I loved the variety of activities that the staff planned for us and although whether or not you loved something depended on the person, I think they planned a good mix of things so that everyone was happy. I was personally very happy with the surfing, and town exploration parts! If you go on this program make your leaders take you back to ulster folk park>>>

Overall, I came into this program with high hopes and was not disappointed. Everyone at IGY really wants the best for you and I think I grew a lot physically and mentally in this program. I even got covid in the early weeks of the program and their accommodation of that was spectacular. They brought me food everyday and set me up in an apartment where they would check in on me from a distance and make sure I wasn’t going stir crazy. Truly exceeded all my expectations. I would recommend this program for anyone looking to learn about Irish history and culture and have an amazing time living with other gappers in the countryside. I’ll be very sad to leave but I know I’ll be back sometime!