Saturday, 29.09.2018
We hope the HTL Leoben students enjoyed their stay on the Emerald isle! They left early in the morning – the flight departure to Frankfurt was in time and all went smoothly from there on back home to Austria. Thanks for visiting Ireland – many regards from the H2:IRL Team – Michael, Gina, Lucy, Colin, Paddy and Lisa.
Friday, 28.09.2018
The students left early after breakfast and headed to the capital of Ireland – Dublin! They learned a lot about Dublin, its history, sights and architecture during the guided city tour. They then checked into the hostel and enjoyed some free time afterwards – especially Temple Bar, a lively quarter with lots of restaurants, pubs, galleries and souvenir shops. The afternoon and evening in Dublin was the perfect time to finish the H2 Schulsprachwoche in Ireland!
Thursday, 27.09.2018
The group left very early in the morning at 7am. They headed to County Clare to visit the famous Cliffs of Moher. The weather is dry, hopefully the sun will come around later. If it is not too cloudy they will enjoy the stunning view onto the cliffs and the Atlantic Sea. Later on they will drive along the Wild Atlantic Way, crossing the Burren National Park – a lunar-like landscape of rock and cliffs. In the late afternoon they will arrive to Galway where they will check into their hostel and will go for dinner at Monroe’s pub. We wish them a lovely day exploring the west coast of Ireland!
Wednesday, 26.09.2018
Time flies – it is already the final day at the H2 International Academy in Minane Bridge. One item (among other topics) during the English lessons was the „Jumbo Breakfast Roll“ song which our English teacher Colin talked about and sang along with the students. It is a typical dish that the Irish people love eating, but unfortunately it is not very healthy. It is a funny song about this habit. The morning of English lessons is nearly over and the students will receive their students reports and certificates in a few moments. The teachers will also award prizes to the best three students of the week. Who will it be?
In the afternoon the students will walk over to the pitch of the Minane Bridge Gaelic Athletic Association where they will meet two trainers. They will be shown the rules of Hurling and Gaelic Football. The weather is dry and sunny – perfect weather for a sports afternoon!
Tuesday, 25.09.2018
It is the second day in school and the students are making progress with their English speaking skills, engaging in role plays and interviews and meanwhile learning more about Ireland’s culture, history and traditions. #
In the afternoon they are going to meet Barry, our tour guide for Kinsale. He will take them on a historic stroll around this lovely little fishing village right beside the Atlantic Sea. They will meet first at Charles Fort, an old fort from the 17th century and will enjoy the view onto Kinsale. They will then walk through the narrow streets, passing cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops and galleries. They will learn more about the history of Kinsale, its battle in 1601, and many more exciting events that once have happened here (i.e. pirates stories, the saga about a „White Lady“ and the true story of the „Giant of Kinsale“). They will continue their tour to the „Old Head of Kinsale“ where they will see the beautiful cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Sea and the nearby beaches. The final stop will be the sandy beach at Garrettstown. We keep our fingers crossed for dry (and hopefully sunny) weather – in case some student decide to dip into the water.
Monday, 24.09.2018
It is the first day in at the H2 International Academy. The students were introduced to their English teachers Lucy, Colin and Paddy. After a short multiple choice test and a written assignment, the group was split into three smaller groups. After some warm-up games the lessons were well underway.
In the afternoon the students were picked up by our H2 bus and were driven to Cork City. They met with our tour guide Noel who showed them around town. They passed St. Finbarr’s Cathedral and stopped at the Cork University Campus (which looks a bit like Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies). They finished their sightseeing tour at the famous Department Store Brown Thomas and from there on the students explored the town by themselves. The group enjoyed a wonderful afternoon in Cork with beautiful sunny autumn weather.
Sunday, 23.09.2018
It was a beautiful sunny day and after a nice breakfast (typical Irish breakfast with sausages, black pudding, beans, toast, egg and tomatoes) the student met back at the bus. Blarney Castle was the first destination of the day – where they climbed up the stairs to the top of the castle and kissed the famous Blarney Stone (whoever dares to lean back and kisses the stone will receive the „gift of the gab“ – the ability to speak easily and confidently in a way that makes people want to listen to you and believe you). The group also explored the castle grounds, passing Blarney House and a beautiful fern garden and getting a wish granted at the „Wishing Steps“ in the Rock Close.
In the evening, after they had dinner with their host families, the students met back for their Ceili dance lesson with our teacher Fionan. The girls and boys were very enthusiastic, learned fast, danced a lot, swung around and followed the rhythm well! Well done to all of them!
Saturday, 22.09.2018
The HTL Leoben students arrived in time to Dublin airport and were greeted by our bus driver Jack. They then made their way down to Carrigaline in the south of Ireland. At around 10:30pm they arrived and were warmly welcomed by our host families. After a quick hello and showing around the house, most of the students went into bed straight away as it was a long day of travelling.
