02. - 09.04.2025
Alive, alive, oh! 6AB in Ireland
The classes 6A and 6B went on a language week to Dublin, Ireland. Every day we visited amazing places, went to school four times and learned many interesting facts about Ireland’s history, food, culture and music. On 2nd of April 2025 we took the flight EI661 with Aer Lingus from Vienna to Dublin where our journey started:
As soon as we landed in Dublin, we were picked up by a bus and drove to our language school. There we started our orientation tour, where a guide showed us around the city center and explained a bit about the most important monuments and sights of Dublin. For example, we learned about the Spire of Dublin, which is a 120-meter-tall steel monument and symbolizes the modern renewal of the city. We took a walk along the river Liffey and ended our tour at the language school. Afterwards, we went to a meeting point, where we first met our host families.
On our first full day in Dublin, Thursday, we visited Trinity College. There, we had the chance to see the famous Book of Kells, which was really fascinating. Afterwards, we explored the campus and enjoyed the beautiful surroundings. While we were walking around, our teachers told us some interesting facts about the history of the college.
On Friday, we learned a lot about the Great Famine and other hardships that led to emigration in Ireland. After a short morning at school and some free time, we visited the Jeanie Johnston Ship, where we took a guided tour and discovered more about the difficult journeys Irish people undertook during the Great Famine, as well as the impressive history of the ship itself. Later, we went to the EPIC Museum, which gave us an even deeper understanding of Irish emigration through its interactive exhibits. It was a very interesting experience that helped us learn more about Irish history and the stories of those who left the country.
On the fourth day, Saturday, we had to get up really early in order to get on our bus tour. Our travel guide gave us insights on some historical events of Ireland on our four-hour bus trip. The Cliffs of Moher were breathtaking and though it was windy, we had beautiful weather. After visiting the stunning Cliffs of Moher, we stopped in a little town where we had lunch in a local pub. The food was great. While most of us enjoyed the tasty food at the pub, some started exploring the town picking wild garlic. After a short rest, we went on another bus ride — this time to Galway. Some of the students went exploring, others were looking for souvenirs and one group of students even saw a street magician perform a stunt. Finally, after a long day, on the bus ride home we sang “I am from Austria” and “Molly Malone – Alive, alive, oh” for our lovely tour guide.
On Sunday morning we drove to the Wicklow Mountains and Glendalough by bus. We walked through the forest, enjoyed the lakeside and a view of the Round Tower. After that we were at a sheep farm where we watched the farmer commanding his dogs with different whistles to herd his sheep. At the end of the show, we were allowed to pet the lambs – they were really fluffy. In the afternoon we had some free time. All in all, it was an enjoyable day.
On Monday school started at 9:30 again. We prepared for the presentation on Tuesday and chatted a bit with the teachers of International House Dublin. In the afternoon, we had free time in the city. Some of us went shopping in the posh streets, others browsed through shops or just enjoyed the atmosphere. Then we took the bus back to our host family and ended the day in a park with beautiful flowers, a playground, and sports equipment.
On our last full day in Dublin we presented the researched topics on Ireland’s culture, history, religion, music and sports and were astonished how much we’d found out about this country during this week. In the afternoon we visited Malahide Beach, lying in the beautiful sand, playing games and chatting about our experiences. One of us was even brave enough to jump into the freezing water of the Irish sea.
On the day of our departure from Dublin, we had to get up early because our flight was scheduled for 7 a.m. We said goodbye to our host families and met up in a parking lot, from where we took a bus together to the airport. Checking in went smoothly, and we had enough time before the flight to buy something to eat or shop for some souvenirs. We landed around 11 a.m., and after collecting our luggage, we all said our goodbyes.
We truly enjoyed our time in Ireland. It was a very interesting experience, and we learned a lot about both Dublin and Ireland. Every day, we went on exciting trips to various sights across the country. Our favorite excursion was to the Cliffs of Moher, as it was incredibly impressive to witness such a site of natural beauty. Overall, it was an unforgettable week full of new experiences and wonderful memories.
