11 Must-Do’s During Your Gap Year in Ireland

Gap year programs in Ireland are popular for good reason. Perhaps Uncle Patrick’s been imploring you to explore your heritage. You’re an academic attempting to follow in the footsteps of Ulysses. You saw the movie P.S. I Love You and are seeking a cute musician to practice your Galway Girl impression on.

You want to play a Game of Thrones on the actual set. You’re conducting research for your minor in Guinness (otherwise known as “the black stuff,” if you want to be Irish about it). It’s even possible, though unlikely, that you’re a Sinead O’Connor superfan (“Nothing Compares 2U,” Dublin).

What gap year magic awaits you on the Emerald Isle?!

While we can’t tell you exactly how to spend your gap year in Ireland, some of this country’s [lucky] charms are not to be missed.

Whatever your reasons are for exploring gap year programs in Ireland, there’s plenty more to discover at the end of the rainbow, for the Emerald Isle truly is a pot o’gold. Besides program activities, be sure your Ireland gap year itinerary includes these 11 must-do’s!

What to do during a gap year in Ireland

1. Get the Hell Outta Dodge.

Or Dublin, rather. With its dizzying array of Irish pubs, it’s way too easy to end up on a hypnotic pub crawl that takes you through an endless maze of rambunctious Celtic music shows and cozy corner taverns as you lose yourself in the fog of what forever must feel like, until you wake up one day and realize you’re about to miss your flight home.

Don’t get us wrong, you should definitely check out the country’s famous pubs when you’re not busy doing more dynamic Ireland gap year activities, but don’t forget that famous Irish slogan—“Don’t be a hooligan and mind ye drink responsibly,” which is totally a thing that we didn’t just make up.

2. Make Yourself Feel Small.

We mean, in that “gazing into the night sky, contemplating the universe” kind of way, with a visit to the Cliffs of Moher. These seaside cliffs are so damn majestic that they were featured in both The Princess Bride and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

The folks in charge spent 17 years making the visitor center so cool that it won a freakin’ award. The cliffs have also been designated an IBA, or Important Bird Area, which is an actual real thing that we did not make up, we swear. Plus, there are puffins there. Puffins. Every gap year in Ireland should have puffins!

Who needs the Cliffs of Moher when you have the Dowth Cliffs? Less touristy = big win

3. Visit an Island with an Identity Crisis.

In his early days—as in 7th century early—Spike was a pious island, housing a monastery whose ruins were last reported in 1774. In his rebellious teenage years (around the 17th century) Spike occasionally acted a safe haven for smugglers, before maturing into a military fortress in the late 18th century.

Life later took a dark turn for Spike, as he took on the title of “Ireland’s Alcatraz,” a role he embraced well into the 20th century. Although he briefly considered housing prisoners again in 2006, Spike has since decided to remain a captivating tourist site outside the city of Cork. What will the future of Spike Island be? Only time and a good therapist can tell.

4. See the Ring.

Don’t worry, it’s not scary—it’s just the Ring of Kerry! Thank you for humoring us. Moving on. This circular, epic scenic route is located on the southwestern coast of Ireland in County Kerry.

We wouldn’t tell you to plan everything in advance during your gap year in Ireland, but if you get your timing right here, you’ll get to see a wild mountain goat crowned king, and then celebrate the absurdity of it for days.

Take it slow and you’ll come across a number of equally charming sites and events on your tour of the Ring, taking place throughout the tiny villages, white sand beaches and endless rolling green hills you’ll encounter along the way.

5. Storm the Castles.

In a gentle, reverent traveler sorta way. Castles, like leprechauns, are all over Ireland if you know where to look.

If you’re into kissing things that literally thousands of other people kiss every year (because that’s totally not gross at all), visit the nearly 600-year-old Blarney Castle and smooch the Blarney Stone, which is said to bestow the gift of eloquence on its many admirers.

Dunluce Castle has major BDE (Big Dungeon Energy)—so much so that it inspired the royal castle in CS Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia and can be spotted in the Iron Islands of Game of Thrones. 

If you don’t visit a castle while spending a gap year in Ireland, you’re doing it wrong

Underneath the castle is Mermaid’s Cave, which as the name suggests, is enchanting as heck. A visit to the formidable Kilkenny Castle is basically a visa requirement, so make sure you carve out enough time to view the impressive contemporary art collection in the basement.

Shout-out to Cahir Castle for surviving a cannonball attack at approximately 600-years-old, and subsequently having a cannonball stuck in its tower for the next 300 years and counting.

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6. Befriend a Redhead.

Really any Irish person will do. If you still don’t know what to do during your Irish gap year upon arrival, the locals will tell you. Your new friends will also help you get off the beaten track, pave the way to hidden treasures, and clue you in on all the local legends.

Many gap year programs in Ireland have homestay options, so you can enjoy that famous Irish hospitality (and homemade stew) with your new foreign family. Don’t be shy in small towns—the less tourists a town typically sees, the happier the people will be to tell you all about themselves over a pint or four.

Learning all the lyrics to an Irish drinking song is mandatory, even if you’re sticking to soda.

7. Horse Around. 

Horses are kind of a big deal in Ireland, and for good reason. Have you seen that glorious landscape? The dreamy coastline? Those misty Irish moors?

The best way to appreciate this country’s stunning scenery during gap year programs in Ireland is undoubtedly on horseback, and tour operators are conveniently located just about everywhere.

Of all the popular gap year activities in Ireland, this one gets a gold medal in both Majesty and Practicality. Don’t forget to budget, as you might need to pony up some cash for the ride.

8. The Book of Kells. Look at it. 

The Book of Kells is a really big deal, like the Bible, or the Mean Girls Burn Book. This Insular (a term derived from island) style collection of manuscripts is well over a thousand-years-old, and it’s partially a picture book!

The Book of Kells mainly consists of four gospels and is considered a bastion of medieval art. Don’t bother doing a location search for this one. You’ll undoubtedly wind up at Trinity College as you wander around the heart of Dublin, where this national treasure is famously housed.

Visiting Dublin definitely won’t be a bust!

9. Mock Some Swans.

It turns out that when Icelandic swans fly south for the winter, they start to lose steam around Ireland and shrug to themselves, “Good enough,” as swans do. This is silly of them, and everyone on a gap year in Ireland should pay them a visit to tell them so.

This is the perfect Ireland gap year activity for a quiet day in Dublin, as you’ll easily find swans sprawling all the way down the River Liffey and in the city’s central park, St. Stephen’s Green. Be careful not to mock the swans too much, as they’re thought to be shapeshifters in Irish mythology.

10. Party like a Galway Girl.

Galwegians (this is truly what they are called) are said to be the bohemians of Ireland, and per the stereotype, they love a good festival. Head there in May for music, July for art and film (Galway has been deemed a “UNESCO City of Film”), and September for oysters.

The city has a colorful, medieval vibe, and you’re bound to find a ton of buskers and creative-types who are up to something all year round. Foodies on a gap year in Ireland should also take note of Galway’s Michelin-starred restaurants—Aniar and Loam—two of the country’s 12 recipients of Michelin awards.

In addition to its own charms, Galway is a great homebase for exploring a ton of Ireland’s most famous landmarks, including those crazy cliffs we mentioned earlier.

11. Get a Celtic Tattoo.

We’re kidding...but you actually could get a small, quality tattoo if you wanted to. They're modest, inconspicuous, and won’t take up too much of your time or money.

Want to learn more? Browse ALL Gap Year Programs in Ireland on GoAbroad.com

Ready for a magical (and busy) Irish gap year?

With a little planning and a little luck, we can make your gap year in Ireland happen!

We know you’ve yet to find your pot o’ gold at the end of the rainbow, so check out some low cost gap year programs in Ireland before finalizing your itinerary. Be sure to learn a bit more about your new home-away-from-home before you get there...you don’t want to be that gapper at the pub who doesn’t know Northern Ireland is its own country. 

While Ireland is bound to surprise you with its many charms, doing your research will come in handy when it’s your turn to buy the next round of pints: a Heritage Card, for instance, will get you into most castles and Ireland’s national parks for just 25 euros! 

Like we said, spending a gap year in Ireland isn’t for everyone—it’s for anyone. A balanced life is always essential, and that’s easy here, even on a gray winter day.

Whether you’re hiding from the rain at the Gallery of Photography in Dublin, letting the wind dramatically sweep your hair back on the Cliffs of Moher, galloping along the Ring of Kerry, or time traveling through Kilkenny Castle, you’ll feel lucky as a leprechaun that you chose to spend a gap year in Ireland.

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