Residential Gaeltacht Summer Course on Cape Clear Island

Instructor-led marine activities combined with conversational Irish on Cape Clear Island. Participants kayak to remote spots where seals, dolphins, caves and a sea arch can be seen, snorkel (also called free diving), learn stand-up paddleboarding, coasteer along the island's rocky shore, walk a slackline and take part in team challenges. Guided marine-ecology modules led by local expert ecologists and ornithologists explore, examine and record the island's flora and fauna with an emphasis on maritime habitats. Instructors hold National Governing Body qualifications, everyone is Garda vetted and Remote Emergency Care Level III first-aid qualified. The instructor-to-participant ratio is 1:6 and each week is capped at 25 participants.

The school applies a discount when more than one participant books on the same booking form.
The course fee covers instruction, activities and accommodation, all food including daytime snacks, the ferry from Baltimore, and outdoor equipment: buoyancy aids, wetsuits, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards and snorkel gear. Transport on the island is on foot, with a local bus used if the weather dictates. Bedding is supplied; participants bring their own towels. Personal accident insurance is recommended and is not part of the fee. The centre holds public liability insurance.

Accommodation is dormitory style in a hostel on the edge of South Harbour / An Inbhear on Cape Clear Island, about 50 m from the strand. Participants share single-sex rooms. Duvets, sheets and pillows are provided; participants bring their own towels, one for indoors and one for outdoors. A dining room and common room is available for meals, debriefing sessions and work on projects and portfolios. There is 24/7 supervision, and cinniri (leaders) sleep in adjacent rooms at night.

All food is provided, including snacks during the day, mainly fruit. Lunch is usually packed so that it can be eaten outdoors; the centre sits about 50 m from the strand, so meals are often taken outside between activities. Participants are expected to set and clear tables in the dining room.

Kayaking, snorkelling, stand-up paddleboarding, coasteering, slacklining and team challenges, together with marine ecology, island heritage, fishing, ornithology, bat detecting and moth identification. Cape Clear Island is officially a Gaeltacht, so conversational Irish runs through the week and participants are gently encouraged to use whatever level of Irish they have, with no pressure. Portfolio work covers facilitated teamwork, critical thinking and research on the sea and the shore, with topics linked to the curriculum and to the UN Sustainable Development Goals: ocean, sustainability and climate change.

The centre describes itself as Ireland's only offshore adventure centre and is based on the shoreline of South Harbour on Cape Clear Island. A commercial kitchen with a chef is used for the teen camps, and the dining room doubles as a common room for debriefs and project work. Outdoor equipment is provided: buoyancy aids, wetsuits, helmets, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards and snorkel gear. All safety equipment is supplied by the centre.

Cape Clear Island / Oilean Chleire is an offshore island in West Cork with wide ocean views, sea cliffs, old pathways across the hills, lichen-covered drystone walls and a small but welcoming population. The centre was established in 1997 and has provided watersports and training to thousands of people since. The owner and manager holds instructorships in sea kayaking (ICU) and snorkelling (CFT), and visiting tutors are experts in Irish language and marine ecology. Walks across the island take in local businesses, a goat farm and an apiary.