Irish College of English Glenstal Abbey Summer Camp (Ages 11-17)
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The Irish College of English Glenstal Abbey Residential Summer Camp, for students aged 11 – 17, takes place at Ireland’s most prestigious boarding school, located outside of Limerick. At this camp, which has been recognized by study travel professionals as one of the best in Ireland, students benefit from high quality English language lessons, a rich assortment of recreational and cultural activities, a good nationality mix of students and the opportunity for campers to interact with Irish teenagers.
Limerick, the third largest city of the Republic of Ireland, is set in Munster province in the south of the country. Its compact old town is known for the medieval-era St. Mary’s Cathedral and St. John’s square, which is lined with Georgian townhouses. Standing along the River Shannon, the 13th-century King John’s Castle is one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks.
Glenstal Abbey, located 20 km from Limerick, is a prestigious Irish boarding school situated on a 500 acre estate featuring streams, lakes and woodland paths, surrounding the 19th-century castle built in the Romantic Norman style. The stunningly beautiful parkland offers unique opportunities for outdoor activities and exploration. ICE Residential Summer Camp students have exclusive use of the Glenstal Abbey campus and estate.
ICE GLENSTAL ABBEY SUMMER CAMP AT A GLANCE
- Location: Glenstal Abbey, Limerick
- Age Range: 11 – 17
- Maximum number of students per session: 100
- Maximum class size: 15
- Accommodation: Residential
- Number of full day excursions per week: 2 full day (Saturday and Sunday)
Irish College of English Glenstal Abbey Summer Camp: Glenstal Abbey, Murroe, Co. Limerick, V94 HC84, Ireland
“I first became familiar with the Irish College of English (ICE) when I visited the year round school in Malahide in 2006. Since then the school has won many accolades at the international level for the quality of its junior programs. In addition to its membership in MEI and its recognition by ACELS (both of which are not uncommon for good language schools in Ireland) in 2015, ICE was the first school in Ireland ever to be shortlisted for the Study Travel Magazines Award for Best Junior School. It was shortlisted again in 2016, 2017, and 2019. The ICE adult school, open year round in Malahide, was also shortlisted in 2017 and 2019 for Best English Language School Europe (which includes schools in the UK, Ireland and Malta).
I list these honors here because as an agent who has been working for nearly 20 years, I have been able to appreciate just how many junior programs there for English learning in Europe—hundreds, if not thousands. The Study Travel Awards are nominated and voted upon by agents like me around the world, and even if a program just makes it to a short list of 5 nominees, especially more than once, it has to be really, really good. I have seen on my own in working with ICE that that is the case. The students I have sent there have been very happy with the quality of their programs, and as agent, it has been a delight to work with ICE staff.
I should also mention that since the beginning of my career, as much as I love Ireland and Irish people, I have resisted recommending programs there for children and teenagers. They tend to have very limited nationality mixes, and are usually frequented by large groups of Italians, Spanish, and to a slightly lesser extent, French students. Many of them end up with 70% Italian or Spanish students for the entire summer. After many years of searching, I found that the Irish College of English, while it does not place strict limits on the enrolment of students of a single nationality, makes much more of an effort than other schools in Ireland to internationalize its junior students. The programs themselves also have much variety to offer participants—they can stay with traditionally warm and welcoming host families in the village of Malahide outside Dublin, which is upscale, very safe and quiet, and on the sea, or they can stay in one of two prestigious boarding schools, Clongowes near Dublin or the more characteristic Irish Glenstal Abbey near Limerick. The course offerings also provide students with many of the options that they really want in summer programs: intensive courses, horseback riding, sailing, and Cambridge exam preparation to name a few. To top it off, ICE also involves Irish teenagers on their programs, giving students the opportunity to interact with native speakers their own age and make lasting friendships.”
ICE Glenstal Abbey Summer Camp
Why choose the ICE Glenstal Abbey Residential Summer Camp programs?
- The Irish College of English Glenstal Abbey Summer program takes place on the campus of Ireland’s most prestigious boarding school.
- The Glenstal Abbey boarding school has excellent, state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor facilities for classroom learning as well as for activities.
- Irish College of English was the first English language school in Ireland to be shortlisted for Study Travel Magazine’s “Junior Course Star Award” in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
- The Irish College of English Glenstal Abbey summer camp offers an excellent program combining English language lessons, afternoon sports and leisure activities, evening elective options and social activities.
- The Irish College of English junior and teenage programs is one of the very few in Ireland to offer a good nationality mix, ensuring that its students speak English with each other every day.
- The summer camp offers high quality residential accommodation in Glenstal Abbey’s modern boarding house.
- All of the Irish College of English summer camps include one half-day excursion and two full-day excursions per week.
- The Irish College of English provides excellent standards of welfare and supervision.
The facilities
ICE GLENSTAL ABBEY FACILITIES AT A GLANCE
- State-of-the-art classrooms
- Science Laboratory
- Computer Rooms
- Music Room
- Library
- Multimedia Center
- Modern Dormitories
- Impressive Dining Room
- Cinema and Theater Facilities
- Nurse Station and Infirmary
- 4 Rugby Pitches
- Soccer Pitches
- 6 Tennis Courts
- Table Tennis Room
- Indoor Sport halls with Basketball, Badminton, Indoor Soccer and Volleyball, Athletic Track
- Large Lake for Water Sports
MORE ON THE ICE GLENSTAL ABBEY SUMMER CAMP SERVICES
Intercultural Irish Teenage Program
The Irish College of English offers weekly lessons called the Intercultural Teenage. Irish teenage students will join lessons alongside teachers, which allows summer camp students the opportunity to interact with Irish teenagers.
Student Welfare
Irish College of English has a dedicated office and staff for student welfare, and an emergency 24-hour telephone number that will be provided to parents.
Airport Transfers
Airport transfers from Dublin airport can be arranged at an additional cost. To organize the transfers, Marshall Language Services will need to furnish the participant’s flight information to the Irish College of English. If children are travelling as unaccompanied minors, the Irish College of English staff will receive them from the airline personnel, and when the program is over, accompany the participants back to the airport and hand over the children to airline staff.
The courses
COURSE CONTENT AND SAMPLE TIMETABLES
ICE Glenstal Abbey Summer Camp Program
The ICE Glenstal Abbey summer camp program for students aged 11 – 17 combines English language lessons at A1 – C1 levels with varied afternoon outdoor programs including different adventure, nature, exploration, relaxation and sports activities every day. In the evening, the program offers a wide range of elective skills options or social activities. The residential summer camp program can be booked for 2 – 4 weeks.
Each week the program includes:
- 15 or 21 hours of English language lessons
- Weekly in-class interaction with Irish teenagers
- 12 hours of afternoon activities
- 6 hours of additional free elective options (more English lessons or a new skill)
- 8 hours of evening social activities
- Two full-day excursions
A sample timetable:
RESIDENTIAL ACCOMMODATION
Irish College of English’s Glenstal Abbey summer camp includes residential accommodation in the Glenstal Abbey modern rooms for 2 – 8 students. The state-of-the-art facilities of the boarding house include a large dining room, common areas, entertainment facilities and private lockers.
Meals
Residential accommodation includes a full board meal plan with breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Laundry
Bed linens and towels are provided. Free laundry service will be provided once a week.
Student Welfare
There is a nurse station and infirmary on site and students will be under 24 hour supervision.
Insurance
Insurance covering medical and travel assistance, personal liability and trip cancellation is not included in the price of the program. Marshall Language Services has a policy available through Guard.Me that covers these elements, as well as an additional policy through CareMed that covers cancellation under a wider range of circumstances, including the need to repeat school exams. A summary of these policies may be downloaded below.
Dates and Fees
Other Programs by this School
Irish College of English Clongowes Wood Residential Summer Camp
Irish College of English Clongowes Wood College offers students aged 11 – 17 a residential summer camp in one of Ireland’s most famous boarding schools. The campus includes historical buildings and state-of-the-art facilities. The program includes English language lessons, afternoon outdoor activities and evening elective skill options and social program.
Irish College of English Homestay Summer Camps
Irish College of English offers homestay summer camps for students aged 11 – 17 in Malahide, Dublin. Summer camps offered include the Classic Junior Program, Intensive Junior Program, English with Horse Riding and English with Sailing. The program includes English language lessons and variety of sports and cultural activities inside and outside of Dublin.
Irish College of English Adult Programs
The Irish College of English offers full-time English language courses, Cambridge examination preparation courses and Professional and Business English courses for adults at its school in Malahide, Dublin.
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