AIFS Abroad in Maynooth, Republic of Ireland: Semester

From beginning to end, my time with AIFS in Maynooth was literally AMAZING. I met some people that I’m still friends with, had food I’ve never had before, and got to experience a new way of life. It was so, so, SO relaxing. There were it’s tough moments for sure, but God blessed me even (or especially) in those moments in that I learned how to grow and be an adult and make my own decisions in those moments. It was so gorgeous and I loved shopping in downtown Dublin, trying foods in Maynooth, and learning to catch their (beautiful and clean and safe) buses! It’s been 6 months now and I miss it so much!!!

Loved every second of it! Traveled to numerous countries, academics weren’t the hardest so I was able to have freedom when it came to exploring! Maynooth was a beautiful town, loved the shopping center. Everything was walkable and Ireland has excellent transportation.

The excursion planned by the school to the Cliffs of Mother was just like any other day in Ireland— WET. My newfound friends and I embraced this, dancing in the rain and taking wonderful photos of the beauty that was the Cliffs. I felt like a little kid again, jumping in puddles and laughing with these people I never would have met otherwise. We pretended we were Kings and Queens of the world, scaling some of the rocks off of the paths of the cliffs and exclaiming that the rain hitting our faces was the best feeling ever. I’ve never liked the rain, hated it even. But in that moment, I embraced the feeling of my hair sticking to my face and my cheeks hurting from smiling too hard. I still think about this moment, months later, when I’m asked about my fondest memory studying abroad. I would have never expected missing the rain of Ireland, but here I am, missing it regardless. Missing my friends, who I still keep in contact with today.

Before I agreed to study abroad, I didn’t even think I was going to go through with it. My best friend and I had spoken about it numerous times before but it never got past the “what if” stage. That was until one night when we were searching for a school that our two separate schools met at which would allow us to go to college together for a semester. Maynooth happened to be the only one so after 0.2 seconds of thinking we said you only live once and clicked submit to our applications. The process after getting accepted was daunting, but AIFS made it so easy to navigate and not stressful at all. The living accommodation in Maynooth was super nice, the outings AIFS created immersed me into the culture, and the ability to travel to other places while I was there was too easy to be tempted with. From the pub culture, to the architecture, to the friendly atmosphere of the whole country, the entire study abroad semester was easily the best thing I have ever experienced in my entire life. During my time at Maynooth, and in Ireland in general, I not only fell in love with the country and its rich culture, but I also found life long friends that I will know and love for the rest of my life. This study abroad program has fueled and lit my passion and want for traveling, and I am forever so thankful that it did.

I studied abroad in Maynooth Ireland and I had a wonderful experience. My program director Cliodhna truly made the experience stress free and memorable. The living situation was good and the location was amazing. It was close to Dublin so you still got experience the big city. Maynooth its self is small but there are a ton of restaurants and shops to explore.

I studied abroad at Maynooth University during the spring semester of 2019. I chose Ireland because I wanted to explore the country my grandparents grew up in and to meet my relatives that still live there. I chose Maynooth because of it's proximity to Dublin and I am so glad I did! It was so easy to get into town and explore Dublin! There are buses and a train that leaves right from Maynooth and takes you right into town. There's also a shuttle that leaves from Maynooth that takes you directly to the airport. As part of the AIFS program, I got a LeapCard, which was essentially a public transportation pass. It came preloaded with 100 euros and was super easy to refill as necessary. The initial amount lasted until about halfway through the semester, but I also went into town a lot! For the campus itself, Maynooth is STUNNING. There are two halves to the campus, North and South. The North Campus was made up of the majority of the class buildings, the gym, the dining hall, and the dorms. It was constructed fairly recently and the campus had a very modern feel. The South Campus is much older, but not like an American old. The South Campus has that authentic Irish feel. The buildings are beautiful and are updated on the inside to keep up to 21st century standards. There is a massive old church that looks like it's right out of Harry Potter, a gorgeous backfield area that has walking paths, a cemetery on campus (so fun to explore!), and an old castle just off of the campus grounds that students can go in and visit. Both halves of campus connect to the town of Maynooth, which was so homey and welcoming. There are two grocery stores within a five-minute walk of campus, multiple barbershops and food options, and the town has walking paths and trails all over it! One goes through the golf course, which many people utilize, and another follows the train, which is situated along a canal, and the trail leads almost all the way into Dublin. While there are recommended courses on the AIFS website, I was able to take any course I wanted at Maynooth, with approval from the head of the department. Maynooth is a big international school, so there were lots of courses offered for just international students, which included students from all over Europe. Maynooth offers an Irish Cultural Heritage Certificate in which one takes four classes and revies this certificate. There is one required history course and the rest of the courses offered covered Irish history, Irish literature and folklore, and the Irish language. These classes all included field trips to Irish monuments that international students otherwise wouldn't see, such as Newgrange and Clonmacnoise. My favorite out of these courses was the Irish language course. I was able to have a (basic) conversation in Irish with my grandparents when I came home! The AIFS program included trips to different locations in Ireland, such as Cork, Galway, Belfast, and a traditional Irish farm. A two night stay in Dublin is also included as your first two nights in Ireland and that experience is a great way to see Dublin for the first time. There's a guided tour of the city and the resident director, Cliodhna, showed us the best time. She was absolutely incredible as an RD. She was always available on campus and went on all the AIFS trips with us. She truly went above and beyond in her position and the semester would not have been the same without her. The AIFS trips were an incredible way to see the country. Overall, my semester in Ireland was incredible due to the location and provider I chose. I would not have learned as much as a did about Ireland or had seen as much of the country as I did if I had not chosen Maynooth University. I would not have had such an enjoyable and wholesome semester and experience if I had not chosen AIFS as my provider. I made lasting memories and friendships due to both of my choices and I would highly recommend that anyone interested in studying abroad in Ireland do the same!