Q: I’m only interested in fall (or winter) quarter. Can I still go to Ireland?
A: To go to Ireland you have to successfully complete both quarters.

Q: I just want to work on the language (or music, or history, or goddess-based spirituality, or politics, or poetry) but none of that other stuff. Can I take this program for partial credit?
A: Studying Ireland means studying everything we do. It’s all or nothing.

Q: I can’t go to Ireland in the spring. Can I still enroll in the program?
A: Of course! Ireland will always be there for when you can afford a visit. Many students who enroll in fall and winter quarters eventually get to Ireland.

Q: When will we go to Ireland and where will we live?
A: You can leave for Ireland anytime after your winter quarter evaluation (by March 23), but you have to arrive in Gleanncholmcille, Donegal on (not before) Friday, April 20. We will stay there in classes until Friday, May 25, and then we have to vacate our cottages the next day (the 26th). Most of you will share holiday cottages (four or five peope per cottage), but some of you will stay in a very nice small two-story wooden dormitory. Virtually every cottage has a spectacular view of the valley and sea. The photo above, in fact, was taken by me from outside my cottage.

Q: When do I have to be back in Olympia after we go to Ireland?
A: Our first meeting as a class back on the Evergreen campus will be Thursday, May 31st, at the end of ninth week. We will also have class meetings in week ten.

Q: Can I stay in Ireland for the summer?
A: By enrolling in this program you are also obligated to return to Olympia and complete your final paper. But there is a whole month of free time before we start our work in Ireland.

Q: Can I bring my children/parents/lovers/friends/pets to Ireland? They’re really nice!
A: This trip to Ireland is exclusively for enrolled members of the program who have spent two full quarters studying successfully and effectively in the Ireland program at Evergreen.

Q: How much will this trip cost?
A: Roundtrip airfare to Ireland varies widely, from $600+ to $900+. Your expenses in Ireland will include rental in a shared cottage for five weeks (about $600-700), food for five weeks (it’s comparable to North America), tuition for the instruction there ($1000), and several nights’ extra lodging outside of Donegal (Derry, for example, or Connemara) – another $100-200. Transportation within Gleann Cholm Cille is by foot. At home (while you’re in Ireland), your expenses are likely to still include Evergreen tuition, rent, and utilities.

Q: Any chance that I can find a job while we’re in Ireland?
A: No; you’ll be too busy. Besides, unemployment there is high and the people who live there already have enough trouble finding work off-season without you as competition.