Arcadia Ireland

I’m starting this by giving you a round of applause. In my eyes, you have already made a stellar choice by deciding to come and study on the beautiful Emerald Isle. You’ll meet me and figure out pretty quickly that I am passionate about all things Ireland.  It is a stunning country that has so much to offer. With this in mind, we at the Arcadia Dublin centre have made a list of events that will ensure that you visit the best places in Ireland and see them with people who can’t wait to show them off. Each Saturday event is a jam packed daylong event and we want to make sure you make the most of your time. Enjoy the day that Arcadia will spend with you, but while there; why not take the chance to make a weekend out of it? Explore Galway and what it has to offer before popping to Inis Mór for a day. Come with us to the Cliffs of Moher and take the chance to spend the rest of the weekend in Ireland’s City of Culture winner, Limerick. You get to the meeting point and we will bring you on an adventure-we can’t wait to tour Ireland with you all.

Here’s a best of Ireland guide, ‘a la Arcadia’, all you need to do now is sign up;

Event registration opens Thursday, August 10th and closes on September 7th. Events are first come, first served so don't wait too long to register! In the event that an excursion you wanted to sign up for is full, instructions for joining a waitlist will be provided.

Aran Islands

Our trip to the Aran Islands will venture from Galway City Centre. We will set off on a bus and then take the short boat ride over to Inis Mór (big island) which, as the name suggests, is the biggest of the three islands that make up the Aran Isles. A day of self-guided exploring will ensue, with activities available on the island to suit everybody’s taste. Take a bike and cycle the perimeter of the island on the Ring of Aran and stop off at places like the ancient ruins of Dun Aonghasa, the seal colony and Kilmurvey beach to name a few. If that’s not thrilling enough, why not head over to see where the Red Bull Cliff Diving series take place or take a surf lesson in the exciting but FREEZING water.

Meeting Point: Galway (Full Day)

Belfast and Antrim Coast Weekend

Well, what a weekend! Most certainly our most popular trip, this three day excursion takes us on an exploration of all that Northern Ireland has to offer. We will start by visiting The Titanic Exhibition in Belfast city. This world renowned museum is one of Belfast’s highlights and will make you feel like you’re Jack or Rose on the ill-fated streamliner. Along with this, it will show you how the ship was actually built and the real facts behind what happened on that tragic journey. Saturday will see us heading to the spectacular Antrim Coast and to one of Ireland’s most unique natural sites; The Giant’s Causeway. Learn the geological reason for the amazing basalt formation and use your imagination when learning about the Irish legend behind the rock. On Sunday we will have a talk on Belfast’s unique mural history and then bus it around the city to see the murals and learn about the history of The Troubles and Northern Ireland’s fraught past.  On top of this, we have Arcadia students from Arcadia Scotland and Arcadia England joining us for this jam packed weekend. All travel, accommodation and meals (bar two lunches) are included on this trip.

Please note: There will be a separate sign up for QUB students on this trip. See Passport for further information.

Meeting Point: Dublin (3 Days)

Cliffs of Moher and Bunratty Castle

Have you Googled ‘Things to do in Ireland?’ If so, I’m sure you’ve noticed that the breath-taking Cliffs of Moher come up on every list. Join us for this day trip and we will bring you to see some of the highlights of the West Coast. We will start in Bunratty Castle which is Ireland’s oldest medieval castle. Built in 1425, it has passed through many hands including the Normans, the powerful Irish O’Brien clan and then onto the plantations families that were placed here during English rule. We will wander around the castle and the gardens before popping into Doolin, a small and charming village in Co. Clare. After this it’s onto the piéce de resistance. We will explore the Cliffs of Moher, also known as the ‘Cliffs of Insanity.’ Towering at 702 feet, these spectacular cliffs are not to be missed. And if you can manage to get a selfie with one of the many puffins that reside there, I’d say National Geographic will come knocking at your door pretty quickly!

Meeting Point: Limerick (Full Day)

Muckross House and Killarney National Park

People from Kerry will try to convince you that it is The Kingdom, and to be honest, they aren’t wrong. The views in Kerry are spectacular and Muckross House and Killarney National Park are both ‘must sees’ when you’re in Ireland. Collecting from Cork, our coach will make the trip to Muckross House where we will then get a tour of nineteenth century Victorian mansion. Following this, we will set off on a hike around the stunning Killarney National Park with our guide Julie who will be able to answer any and all questions about the park and its wildlife. If you like history, adventure or you want to get a sense of the stunning countryside in Ireland- this trip should not be missed.

Meeting Point: Cork (Full Day)

Game of Thrones

Do you love stunning Irish countryside? Are you obsessed with Jon Snow? Is Winterfell your dream Kingdom? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions then this is the tour for you. As the name would suggest, this tour is one for our Game of Thrones fans. Timed perfectly after the release of the newest season, get your nerd on and enjoy some GOT action in several of their original filming locations. The best bit? Even if you have never seen an episode of Game of Thrones this tour is worth every minute. Seeing how the productions were made, running through the beautiful Tullywood forest dawning a massive cape- who needs to be a fan of a TV show to enjoy that? This trip is great fun for fans of the show and equally for people who haven’t a clue who the King of the North is.

Meeting Point: Dublin (Full Day)

Culinary and Culture in Kinsale

Join us for an evening of exploration outside Cork City. Kinsale is a stunning village that is best known for its history and culture. We will take a walking tour through the beautiful village with a local guide, Dermot Ryan. Dermot is described as the scion of Kinsale History by

The Sunday Times and has been named as the Best Guide in Ireland by the Irish Independent, Ireland’s top-selling newspaper. Following this we will rest up over some of Ireland’s most famous culinary wares before making the short trip back to the city centre.

Meeting Point: Cork (Evening Event)

Culture Night at ‘Ulysses’

James Joyce, who’s he? Yeah right!! You’d be lucky if you managed to get to Ireland without someone muttering something about James Joyce or Ulysses to you first. Only problem is, although it’s hailed as one of the best literary pieces of all time, it’s a pretty hard text to comprehend, right? Wrong! It was, but now The Abbey Theatre, one of Dublin’s most prolific theatre’s is showing Ulysses in a way that makes it accessible to even us mere mortals. Culture nights are something that we in Arcadia Dublin pride ourselves on and this one will be even more unique. We will start the evening with a meal in a famous Dublin restaurant and then with full tummies, will sit back and enjoy a new take on a very well-known classic.

Meeting Point: Dublin (Evening Event)

‘Escape’ with Arcadia

In a brilliant, hilarious and fun way to get to know your Arcadia peers, come with us and set your mind a challenge. Escape rooms will test your logic, your patience and will most certainly make you think outside the box.  In an evening set up for thinking and escaping, we will meet up for a test of our noggins and will follow this up with a delicious meal in a vibrant city restaurant.  Take the chance to escape from your regular mid-week evening and let’s see if we can beat the room.

Meeting point 1: Limerick (Evening Event)

Meeting Point 2: Galway (Evening Event)

And that’s a wrap folks. So don’t forget, the deadline to sign up is September 7! Sign up and let’s adventure!