What to do in Dublin: A Guide to our social program
Dublin is a truly unique city that offers a fun and busy atmosphere for students to enjoy, in one of the most beautiful countries in Europe.
But, beyond being a picturesque place to live, what activities does it offer our students? Kaplan International Dublin's social program manager Daniel Griffin told us what highlights of the school's social program make Dublin truly different to our other locations.
St. Patrick's Day
St. Patrick’s Day is on the 17th of March every year and is one of the most important dates on the KIE Dublin calendar. It cannot be missed. With thousands of people flocking to Dublin for its famous parade and festivities, Dublin becomes the social hub of Europe for that incredible day.
The St. Patrick’s Day Festival runs for five days and gives the students a real opportunity to experience what Irish culture is all about. Music and performance arts are all over the city, and Dublin transforms into a sea of green.
Venezuelan student Juan let us know about his experience of St. Patrick’s Day:
Saint Patrick’s Day started for me and my friends a couple of days before the actual day, buying costumes and flags and whatever green things we could wear. It was really fun.
On that day we planned with all of the Kaplan students to meet at the school to paint our faces and go to the parade together.
The atmosphere on that day is amazing, it seems like everybody gets more friendly, you can see thousands of people wearing green, everywhere you see there is a sea of people cheering, singing songs and just enjoying the day. At 12 the parade starts for about three hours where you can see a lot of floats decorated, big Viking boats on the street and marching bands. I highly recommend people to visit Dublin on Saint Patrick's Day.
The Traditional Irish Experience
The Traditional Irish Experience gives you a unique Gaelic Experience at Dublin’s popular River Bar, where students have the opportunity to learn the famous dance moves of Riverdance in an Irish dance class. All of this is followed by a lesson on the bodhran, a traditional Irish drum instrument. The whole night ensures that our students get a full Irish music education!
Trips to Belfast & The Giants Causeway
With weekly tours going to Belfast, the capital city of Northern Ireland, it has fast become one of the most popular trips in KIE Dublin. This particular trip gives the students a big insight into Irish folklore and Irish history.
The Giants Causeway is one of the world’s most unusual natural landscapes, and was even declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1986.
The site also helps form the story of one of Northern Ireland’s best-loved legends. According to legend the columns are the remains of a bridge built by a giant, who was defeated by a local man named Finn McCool.
Irish folklore is a huge part of Irish culture, as stories have been passed down from generation to generation for hundreds of years, so the story of the Giants Causeway is a fascinating insight into Irish culture!