By Brittany Clark, ISA Site Specialist for Ireland.
1. Quality of Life – The Republic of Ireland ranks #1 in the world for quality of life in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2005 Quality of Life Index. This decision was based upon measuring 111 countries on nine indicators: health, family life, community life, material well-being, political stability and security, climate and geography, job security, political freedom, and gender equality. Experience the Irish quality of life for yourself!
2. Music – Ever heard of bands like U2, Van Morrison, Thin Lizzy, the Cranberries, the Undertones, or Snow Patrol? All of these bands and many others started in Ireland or in Northern Ireland! Study abroad in any of the four ISA sites in Ireland or Northern Ireland and attend music festivals like the Cork Jazz Festival, the Cork Folk Festival, the Belfast Nashville Songwriters Festival, the Oxegen Festival in Dublin, and the Galway Arts Festival.
3. Sports – Ireland has some of the most entertaining sports to participate in and to watch in the world. You won’t find a boring game of Gaelic football, cricket, hurling, comogie, or rugby on the island of Ireland! With over 50 different clubs and societies at each of our Irish universities, it won’t be hard to enjoy at least one of these sports!
4. History – You thought the Egyptian pyramids were old; The island of Ireland has historic monuments older than the pyramids! From Newgrange to Carrowmore to the Hill of Tara, these prehistoric monuments are some of the oldest in the world. Study abroad on one of the ISA Ireland or Northern Ireland programs and you’ll be able to experience this kind of history in person!
5. Cuisine – If you’ve never had a full Irish breakfast, you’re missing out. A full Irish breakfast consists of bacon, sausages, eggs, pudding, tomatoes, mushrooms, baked beans, and soda bread. If that’s not enough, did we also mention that the Republic of Ireland basically put the potato on the map. The potato was introduced to the island of Ireland in the 16th century and the rest was history.
