Parents are welcome to visit their children once during the course. This one visit must be confined to the midpoint of the course and only on a Saturday/Sunday. Students will not be allowed to leave for periods during the course save in exceptional circumstances. This is in everybody’s interest and ensures that all students gain maximum benefit and enjoyment from the course.

Students are supervised at all times. Students are never allowed to wander off on their own or with a small group (not that they would ever want to!).

There is a doctor on call at all times.

• Students’ medical needs are always given utmost priority.

• Medical costs are borne by parents/ guardians.

Tours are orgainised around Conamara and to the Aran Islands (Optional, but well worth a visit!).

To help answer all your questions, Coláiste Uí Chadhain provides information sessions for parents of new students, before the courses begin. All new students are also interviewed so we can obtain some idea of each applicant’s standard of Irish. This is necessary in light of the basic requirement of using some Irish words in every sentence.

The only way to learn a language properly, quickly and effectively is to immerse yourself totally in the environment of that language. If you speak English, you won’t learn Irish – it’s as simple as that. So at Coláiste Uí Chadhain there is one very important rule: No student may speak one full sentence of English. One full sentence of English entails dismissal without any refund of fee. This rule is implemented fairly and without exception as students who speak English here automatically expel themselves from the Coláiste.

Teachers employed in Coláiste Uí Chadhain are highly qualified and have great experience teaching in Irish colleges. In addition, the very low staff to student ratio (Approximately 12:1) allows them to spend more time with each student than they would during school hours.

Students stay in houses close to the Coláiste. Each house is of the highest standard and is inspected by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. In addition, the Bean an Tí looks after each student with good food and fine Irish. We prefer not to accommodate friends and relatives together for the simple reason that this can make speaking Irish more difficult for the students concerned. However, we will consider accommodating one friend if request is made mutually, if each friend is named on the other friend’s application form and if both applications are received together. We cannot guarantee all requests.

Rest assured, students make new friends on the very first day. Separate arrangements will be made during courses for laundry.

Cinnirí are both students and leaders at the same time. A vital part of the running of the college, cinnirí are older students who are past pupils of the Coláiste and who have completed a special training course orgainised by the Coláiste. The Cinnire is a link between either students and teachers or between students and the Bean an Tí. This structure can be particularly helpful to, and supportive of, younger students