Ireland has been inhabited for about 9,000 years.  Stone age man first arrived sometime after 8000 BC.  The Bronze Age, which began around 2500 BC, saw the production of elaborate gold and bronze ornaments and weapons examples of which are on-show in our National Museums.  The Iron Age in Ireland is associated with people now known as Celts.  The Gaels, which were the last wave of Celts to invade the island, conquered it and divided it into five or more kingdoms.  It is from these Gaels that we get our Gaelic traditions.

Gaelic football and hurling are the most popular sports in Ireland.  Along with Camogie (Ladies hurling), Ladies' Gaelic football, handball and rounders, they make up the national sports of Ireland, collectively known as Gaelic Games.

Ireland became Christian in the Fifth Century reputedly through the efforts of Saint Patrick who has since become our National Saint.  Various English invasions and occupations began in the twelfth century with full political integration with the United Kingdom at the beginning of the nineteenth century.  Ireland regained its independence in 1922.

The island of Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The island of Ireland is the third largest in Europe.  The population of the entire island is just under 6 million people  with just over 4.2 million in the Republic of Ireland and just over 1.7 million in Northern Ireland.  

An important part of the pleasure and interest of visiting Ireland is its variety - no two regions are the same and each offers you something different.  While Dublin City is the centre of urban style with excellent opportunities to experience the cutting-edge of contemporary Ireland, many of the rural regions offer the possibility of taking things at a gentler pace, especially along the Western Seaboard.

Ireland is divided into four provinces: Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster. The principal cities after Dublin are Cork, Galway and Limerick in the Republic of Ireland and Belfast and Londonderry in Northern Ireland with remarkable countryside in between. 

Overall, Ireland has a mild, but changeable, climate all year. The island is not noted for its extremes. The warmest ever recorded air temperature was 33.3°C (91.94°F) at , County Kilkenny on 26 June 1887.

The state flag of the Republic of Ireland is the Tricolour.  This flag, which has its origins in the nineteenth century, carries the colour green for the Catholic majority, orange for William of Orange the Protestant King (and his followers) and white for the desired peace between them.

The island of Ireland retains its rich cultural tradition that manifests itself everywhere in the music, literature, history and geography of the entire Island.

On the Summer School you will have an opportunity to visit both Northern Ireland and the West Coast.