From Sunday, 18th of June, to Sunday, 25th of June, we spent our time in Ireland on a language trip to improve our English skills and explore the beautiful country on the side. There were many different activities that we took part in, both in the city of Dublin and its surroundings, but we also attended classes in Atlantic Language Dublin, a school that specifies in teaching English to foreigners and non-native speakers. For the duration of the trip, we lived with host families in a small Dublin suburb called Shankill, all of which were incredibly kind and open towards us.
Our journey started off at 1:45AM, when our bus departed for Bratislava Airport. There, we took a plane to Dublin Airport, where we eventually arrived at around 10 o’clock. However, we didn’t have much time for meeting and settling in with our host families, as we started off our trip with a visit to Guinness Brewery, one of the most famous beer companies in the world. Afterwards, a tour guide showed us some of the important monuments in Dublin, such as Temple Bar, the Ha’Penny Bridge, or Trinity College.
Each morning, from 9AM to 12:30AM, we were taught interesting things about Ireland and the English language, before heading off to different sights or exhibits. Among the most memorable were the cliff hike on Howth Island, Kilmainham Jail, Croke Park Stadium, and the Jeanie Johnston museum. We also had plenty of free time, not only to explore Dublin and do some shopping, but also to visit the beaches located right next to our neighbourhood.
We also took a trip to Northern Ireland and its capital, Belfast, which amazed us with its many graffiti pieces, inspired by the long ongoing civil war that left the people there with lasting memories. The city wasn’t the only thing we saw that day though – we also visited the grave of Saint Patrick and the ruins of a long-gone castle, before making our way through the mountains and eventually back to Shankill.
We left for home at 6AM on Sunday and arrived in Amstetten at around 6 o’clock in the evening, satisfied, but very tired. Overall, it was a simply amazing trip and we are incredibly thankful to have gotten this chance to visit the beautiful country of Ireland.
Lisa Waidhofer, 6b
