Social and Cultural Programmes
We organise a range of social activities and events for our students in the afternoons, evenings and at weekends. Activities can include tours and trips, quiz nights, film clubs, sports events, day tours. Some events are free, others may have a small entrance fee.
Sample Activites
Afternoon Tour of Derry: Guided tour around the city walls
You will learn about the city’s monastic history, its strategic importance as a military base during the first and second world wars, the modern ‘troubles’ of the late 1960s and the struggle for civil rights, as well as the music, arts and crafts which have helped to put Derry on the world map as a cultural hotspot.
£5 pp
Evening Activity: Traditional Irish Ceili Dancing
Ceili Dancing is a traditional form of Irish dance based on heys (or hedges) where participants line up facing each other and dance in sets. It is great fun, very easy for non-dancers to learn and a brilliant way to meet locals.
£3 pp
Afternoon Tour: When Cultures Clash – Visit to Bloody Sunday Museum and Siege Museum
A visit to both the Bloody Sunday museum and the Siege Museum offers students the chance to view both sides of the cultural divide in Northern Ireland. The two events helped to shape not only the city of Derry, but the modern history of Ireland.
£6 pp
Evening Activity: Big Derry Quiz Night
We have our monthly quiz night where students, staff and host families get together for an international themed Pub Quiz. Teams compete for prizes and most importantly the glory of being named Brains of Derry
FREE
Afternoon Workshop: Music in Derry – Song & Music workshop
Derry is famous for its music and literature, and was even the first ever UK City of Culture. There is a wealth of musical heritage in the city and these workshops offer students the chance to learn locally written songs, both the song itself and the history and background of the piece.
Singing ability NOT Required
FREE
Afternoon Activity: Kayaking at Creggan Country Park
Our canoe fun session will begin with a safety briefing from our fully qualified instructor in addition to a brief introduction to canoeing. The group will then be accompanied by the instructor onto the lake for a paddle and to take part in a few games. At the end of the fun session, participants will be offered a chance to jump off our pier (optional).
£20pp (Group Price)
Afternoon Activity: Gaelic Football
Gaelic football is an Irish team sport. It is a form of football derived from traditional Irish ball games. Gaelic football has been described as a cross between rugby and association football – but the Gaelic game came first. A local Gaelic Football coach will help you understand the rules of the game and play a match.
£10pp (Group Price)
Sample Excursions
Prices for Saturday Excursions range from £20 – £35 per person
Giant’s Causeway
When the Giant’s Causeway was discovered in 1693, many regarded it as the 8th wonder of the world. The Causeway is an astonishing complex of hexagonal basalt columns packed tightly together and the tops of these form stepping stones which lead from the cliff foot to disappear under the sea. Columns, which are very similar, can also be found on the Island of Staffa in the Hebrides, this is why the story goes that the road was built by the giant Finn MacCool to enable him to cross over to Scotland.
Game of Thrones Tour
Our highly recommended Game of Thrones Tour which showcases the breath-taking locations around Northern Ireland where the hit-series was filmed, including: Downhill strand, Dunluce Castle, Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, Ballintoy Harbour and the mysterious ‘Dark Hedges’.
Titanic Belfast
Titanic Belfast is the world’s largest Titanic visitor experience, exploring the Titanic story in a fresh and insightful way. Housed in an iconic, six-floor building, it’s located in the heart of Belfast, Northern Ireland, on the very slipways where she was built. The Titanic experience takes you through nine galleries, telling the story of RMS Titanic, from her conception in Belfast in the early 1900s, through her construction and launch, to her famous maiden voyage and tragic end. The galleries are innovative and interactive with many features including diving to the depth of the ocean to explore where RMS Titanic now rests.
Belfast City
Belfast, Northern Ireland’s capital, is a port city known as the birthplace of the Titanic, and for its political murals, documenting the ‘Troubles’ of the 20th century. In the city’s renovated dockyards, the Titanic Quarter includes the Titanic Belfast museum and the Titanic slipways, which now host open-air concerts. Other sights to see are City Hall, the Botanical Gardens and the Ulster Museum.
Glenveagh National Park, Donegal
Glenveagh National Park is one of six national parks in Ireland. Situated in the Northwest of Co. Donegal, Glenveagh encompasses some 16,000 acres in the heart of the Derryveagh Mountains. Such a great wilderness is the haunt of many interesting plants and animals. The tour takes in the castle and gardens, as well as hill walks to see the herds of Irish Red Deer.
Inishowen and Malin Head
The Inishowen 100 may sound like a Formula One race, but it gets its name from the approximate distance in miles of the sign – posted drive. This tour takes our students around one of Ireland’s most beautiful regions – the Inishowen Peninsula. We visit the ancient hill top fort of Grianan an Aileach (pictured) as well as the quaint village of Buncrana and then finally to the most northerly point of Ireland – Malin Head.
Ulster American Folk Park
The Ulster American Folk Park is an open-air museum just outside Omagh, in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Experience the adventure that takes you from the thatched cottages of Ulster, on board a full scale emigrant sailing ship, to the log cabins of the American Frontier. Meet an array of costumed characters on your way with traditional crafts to show, tales to tell and food to share. The indoor exhibition at the Ulster American Folk Park examines life in Ulster in the 18th and 19th centuries.
