Arrival to the Great Isle!
Tired, hungry, and a bit jet-lagged, all 19 students and the 6 of us counselors joined together at the Dublin airport in our matching ILE T-Shirts. To beat jet-lag, we kept the students awake for the full day after jumping the 5 hour timezone change. It’s an exhausting day of travel, driving from Dublin to […]
Introducing Jaiden Toth-Your 2019 Blogger and Female Counselor
Hello ILE’ers! My name is Jaiden Toth, and I grew up moving around Montana. My family eventually settled in Polson, Montana, where I was blessed with an angel named, Taryn Harrison. She is one of my best friends and ultimate inspirations in life. In 2013, she convinced me to be a student on the Irish […]
Introducing Michael Meaney-Your 2019 Gaelic and Irish History Teacher
Hello All, My name is Michael Meaney and I’m from Carlow, a small County in the south-east region of Ireland. I am a Post Primary (High School) teacher working in Carlow. My main subjects are Irish and European History, Geography, and P.E. I worked as an Archaeologist before I qualified in teaching, so I have […]
Introducing Casey O’Connor-Your 2019 Female Counselor
Casey began Irish dancing at the age of nine. Her love for Irish dancing inspired her love for Irish music and so she picked up the fiddle at the age of eleven. As a teenager, she filled her time with dance lessons, competitions, and would most likely be found sitting at home playing her fiddle […]
Introducing Miles Bryan-Your 2019 Irish American History Teacher
Hey Y’all! I’m Miles Bryan from Anderson, South Carolina. I have a degree in Spanish and International Trade from Clemson University and I am a a High School Spanish Teacher. My grandparents on my dad’s side love to read books and are some of my biggest supporters. My grandfather knew he was of Irish descent […]
The End of the Line
Day Twenty-Four/Airport Day (July 22nd): As it was our final airport day, we had another early day. I am happy and proud to report that the students left their apartments in near perfect condition, which was certainly an improvement over some past years. We rolled our luggage cases out bleary-eyed. Everyone said goodbye to Paige […]
Wrapping Up
Day Twenty-Three (July 21st): Here it is. The last full day of the ILE. This is one of the hardest days for everyone. It means packing suitcases and praying they aren’t weighted down by too many souvenirs, cleaning apartments and more importantly starting to say a few goodbyes. Today serves as the final free day […]
Here We Go Again!
Day Twenty-Two (July 20th): The end is nigh. Time creeps closer. Our staff tries very hard to keep the fact that the trip is nearing end from the forefront of our students’ minds — and the best way to do that is to keep them busy! We had yet another early start today and a […]
On Our Turf
Day Twenty-One (July 19th): Despite the lack of sun, the day began temperate and continued that way. The sky was washed with grey clouds but instead of dulling the natural beauty of Connemara, it enhanced it. This is the place where sky meets water and earth in the most spectacular of ways. We hit the […]
Gimme Moher
Day Twenty (July 18th): Our meandering travels took us all across County Clare today. To make sure we had sufficient time everywhere we went, it was a bit of an early start. The day began with a bit of a solemn start as we went to Corcomroe Abbey on the Burren. Corcomroe is a 13th […]
