Dublin Excursions

One of the benefits of studying abroad is the ability to venture outside your host city and explore the surrounding area. Excursions are offered for all semester, year, and summer programs. Semester students are typically offered two to three excursions and summer students are typically offered one to two excursions. You will receive a calendar of the specific CEA excursions offered for your program during orientation. To give you an idea of the possibilities, we have collected typical experiences from some of the day trips and weekend tours we may offer.

Galway, Connemara and the Aran Islands

Students will depart on Friday by private bus and cross Ireland east to west to Galway, the fourth largest city in Ireland. Also called the city of the Tribes, Galway is often considered the cultural capital of Ireland. Nestled as it is in Galway bay the sunsets here are spectacular. Students will have free time to discover the charm of Galway and its narrow pedestrian streets. On Saturday we depart for a tour of Connemara, one of the most beautiful and rugged landscapes in Ireland and where the Gaelic language is still spoken. We take the ferry in Connemara to visit one of the Aran Islands. These islands are both beautiful and fascinating, being a link with a time long passed. Among other sites we visit Dun Aengus, one of the most impressive forts on the island dating back to the Iron Age. Saturday evening is given over to experiencing some of the live traditional music available in many of the pubs of Galway. After some free time for shopping we return to Dublin on Sunday afternoon.

Glendalough and Powerscourt Gardens

During this day trip, a private bus takes students to the county of Wicklow which is south of Dublin. The first stop will be at Powerscourt Gardens where students will have the opportunity to visit and admire both the beauty of the gardens themselves as well as the landscape surrounding them. We continue on to Glendalough, the site of an old Irish monastery founded by St Kevin, set in the Wicklow Mountains in a valley between two lakes (“Gleann da loch”). Students will be given a tour of the site and watch a video about the origins and importance of this site. It is a classic example of an Irish monastery which dates back to a golden era in Irish history when Ireland was referred to as the “island of saints and scholars”. The bus will return to Dublin via the coast road.

Belfast, Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge and Giant’s Causeway

We leave Dublin by private coach on Friday and travel north to Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. Once battered by the “Troubles” between Catholics and Protestants, Belfast, since the Good Friday Agreement, now enjoys the hustle and bustle of any major city with its shops, bars and restaurants full of life and activity. As a reminder of the past we visit some of the “Loyalist” and “Republican” quarters of the city and view their murals which depict the bitterness of a divided community. On Saturday we leave for the Antrim coast as far as Ballintoy where we visit Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, a suspension bridge connecting the mainland to the tiny Carrick-a-Rede Island at a height of some 90 feet! Once a crossing for fishermen, today it has over 225,000 visitors venture across it each year. After this we travel along the coast to the Giant’s Causeway, one of Ireland’s truly amazing natural phenomena: over 40,000 interlocking columns leading down to the sea. Not surprisingly Giant’s Causeway is a World Heritage Site. We return to Dublin late Saturday evening.

Newgrange

The day trip to Newgrange is truly a trip back in time. Dating back thousands of year (even before the Egyptian pyramids!), Newgrange is one of Ireland’s most ancient and impressive sites. This Neolithic passage tomb shows the level of knowledge and organization that was present in Ireland at the time. One of its outstanding features is the light box through which the dawn light penetrates and illuminates the inner chamber only once a year on 21st December.

Kerry

Kerry is known as The Kingdom for good reason. It is home to some of the most magnificent scenery in Ireland, from the gorgeous Killarney National Park to the jaw-dropping beauty of the Dingle Peninsula. Away from the typical bus tour routes, students will experience these places in a unique fashion, with early morning horse rides through the park and a gentle bike ride to Muckross House and Abbey. There is much to learn about the park’s flora and fauna, as well as the lives of the Kerry Chieftains that once resided there. No introduction to Kerry would be complete without a visit to Fungi the Dolphin-- local fishermen will take students out to sea to meet Dingle’s biggest celebrity and learn about his Atlantic home. A tasty lunch will be provided under the canopy of trees at Torc Waterfall and the evening will allow time to relax and mingle with locals while experiencing the nightlife of Killarney town. The trip to Kerry offers a delicious combination of action, history and nature that is sure to leave students spellbound.

Kinsale

This beautiful town is set right on the coast. Students will spend the day exploring a sixteenth century military base—Charlesfort-- and wander around this adorable town. Kinsale is the culinary capital of Ireland, so of course students will have the chance to sample some of the best seafood they will ever taste. Deep sea fishing with local fisherman Sean Og will make this coastal visit complete.