What we do: As many of you know, Alpha College of English is situated in the heart of Dublin city centre. Here at Alpha we encourage all of our students to immerse themselves in Irish culture, and pride ourselves on the cultural and social programmes we provide. We recognise that students need to get out of the classroom, and our … Read More
Things to Do in Dublin This Valentine’s Day
Whether you’re “forever alone”, celebrating galentine’s, in a committed relationship or part of the #selfloveclub – we’ve got you covered this Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day is widely regarded as a day for dates, romance and explicitly couple-related things. I’ve found something for the single pringles, the mate daters, and everyone in between. Culture: A lesser-known fact about Dublin is that … Read More
Best location to visit in Ireland
So, here I am writing the post that I promised you about the Ireland best locations to visit, and some of that I can personally advise you to go, after my journey around this Country. So, the most touristic cities in Ireland, after Dublin, are Cork, Galway and Limerick. About this three, I will surely say “go to Galway!”. Everyone … Read More
Dublin Walking Tour
Taste of Irish history Last Friday, thanks to our special tour guide Stig, the students of Alpha discovered a lot about amazing Irish history. Even though the Republic of Ireland as a country is not that old, the history of Ireland goes way back. In case you’ve missed that, Ireland was under the occupation of Great Britain for more than … Read More
Hill of Tara and Trim Castle
One of the ways to fully get a grasp of a foreign culture is to learn about its past. If you’re staying in Dublin, you are lucky: at less than one hour drive from the capital, there are two of the most representative places in Irish history, both for their symbolic and cultural value: the Hill of Tara and Trim … Read More
Glendalough – The valley of the two lakes!
Glendalough – The valley of the two lakes! In Italian we have a saying: “A Pasquetta piove sempre “ (“It always rains on Easter Monday”). This Murphy’s law-esque maxim refers to the fact that the traditional excursions and picnics Italians organise the day after Easter, the last day of Spring Holidays, is often ruined by the bad weather. But still, … Read More
Google tour of the 1916 Rising
This year (2016), Ireland will be celebrating the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising which is a pivotal point in the history of Ireland and our move towards independence. There will be many events throughout the year to celebrate the anniversary, obviously with a particular focus on events around Easter time and the Spring. If you go to dublinrising.withgoogle.com you will be … Read More
Eurovision
Firstly, let me explain the term ‘guilty pleasure’ A guilty pleasure is something that you enjoy when you know you shouldn’t. The Eurovision is mine. The Eurovision Song Contest (to use the full title) started in 1955. This year is its 60th year. The most famous winners are ABBA, who won in 1973 for Sweden, with ‘Waterloo’ and Celine … Read More
10 Facts about St. Patrick’s Day
We love St. Patrick’s Day here in Alpha! Everyone celebrates being Irish on this day, no matter where you are on the planet. With St. Patrick’s Day celebrated across the world, did you ever wonder how much you actually … Read More
Stars on our street!
Life is never dull here on North Great George’s Street! Again, it’s being used as a location for film crews to use for their scenes. We’ve heard it’s a film called ‘Love & Friendship’. Chloe Sevigny and Kate Beckinsale are two of the main actors. The story is from a Jane Austen novella. Jane Austen was a famous English writer … Read More
Pancake Tuesday
Today is Pancake Tuesday in Alpha. Lent (40 days and 40 nights of fasting before Easter) begins tomorrow, Ash Wednesday. Before we fast, we feast. Hence, Pancake Tuesday, or Shrove Tuesday. Pancakes are delicious. In Ireland they’re less like the American style of pancake and more like the French style crépe. We mostly eat them rolled up with sweet toppings … Read More
Irish Dancing on youtube!
Michael Flatley, famous Irish-American dancer, came to fame in Riverdance in 1994. He went on to create his own dance show ‘Lord of the Dance’ and ‘Feet of Flames’. He now lives in Cork in a huge house in Fermoy called Castlehyde. He was a guest on a BBC chat show The Graham Norton Show this weekend. In the video… … Read More
Bloomsday!
It’s Bloomsday here on North Great George’s Street, and seeing as we’re just about to kick off our summer programme in Belvedere College (where James Joyce attended), check out a short clip of a lecture on Joyce that Keith Payne gave to Alpha students last summer..
Ireland Inspires
Failte Ireland (the Irish tourism body) made this fantastic video to get everyone ready for St Patrick’s day. What do you think?