Coláiste Bhreandáin
Coláiste Bhreandáin is located about 9 miles west of Dingle, Co. Kerry. The college is under the patronage of St. Brendan and St. Thérèse of Lisieux. The College itself is in a cul-de-sac and all the families accommodating the students live in that area.
Accommodation/Lóistín/Hébergement
The Students stay in Irish-speaking houses, within a
walking distance from the college. Families provide a high
standard of accommodation and are noted for their friendliness.
They have a great opportunity to practice Irish with the
members of the family.
Personal Attention/Aire Phearsanta/
Attention Personnelle
The number of students in each course is limited to 12
to ensure personal attention to the students and rapid progress.
Homework will be given.
Trips/Turasanna/Excursions
A trip will be organised to Maidhc Dainín Ó Sé’s and Peig’s native places. Meeting with Maidhn Dainín Ó Sé. On Sunday students will discover the town of Dingle.
The Course/An Cúrsa/Le Programme
The Teacher is a fluent speaker of French and Irish who
is highly qualified - Licence ès Lettres, B.A. Honours,
Higher Dip. in Education, Teastas i dTeagasc na Gaeilge,
Dioplóma i Léann an Tráidisiúin, Diplôme universitaire de
Phonétique francaise. He teaches not only in Irish schools
but also worked for Raidió na Gaeltachta, Students of Coláiste
Bhreandáin have reported to have excelled in both their
Irish and French Leaving Cert results. Standard revision
notes covering the written, aural and oral sections of Leaving
Cert. are provided to all students. Due to great demand
and limited places available, it is advisable that students
reserve course places as early as possible. It is a well
grounded course for higher level students only. The dialects
of Kerry, Connemara and Donegal are all studied.
Rules/Rialacha/Règlement
- Students are expected to speak Irish.
- Students must obey instructions received from the
headmaster. Courtesy is also de rigueur.
- Students may not be absent from guesthouses after
10.00p.m. and must remain there until after breakfast.
- Company keeping of an exclusive nature is not allowed
but friendliness is strongly recommended.
- Swimming is only allowed under supervision.
- Camera phones are forbidden. Mobile phones must
remain in guesthouse.
- Students are not allowed to enter public houses
under any circumstances. Smoking, consumption or possession
of alcoholic or illegal substances are strictly forbidden.
Comments from last year’s students
I found this course very interesting and enjoyed every day. My pronunciation in both French and Irish has greatly improved and all the notes will prove very beneficial for me for the Leaving Cert. I loved listening to and learning new songs, which gave us a break from the work. The trip to where Peig came from was great.
We had a very entertaining evening with Maidhc Dainín
Ó Sé also. I would definitely recommend this course to others,
Merci beaucoup!
The accommodation is very good and the bean an tí
cooks the best food. She was very accommodating and friendly.
We all felt at home, Thank you.
Claire Gumbleton, Midleton, Co. Cork
I really enjoyed the course. We were kept busy always learning. I feel my pronunciation and understanding of both languages has improved.
A great experience of the small numbers resulted
in excellent individual attention.
The trips were most enjoyable and interesting. Also
the guesthouse was homely and food was lovely. Thank you
for all the help.
Emily Lloyd, Mullingar, Westmeath
I found this course helpful and interesting I gained
a great knowledge of Irish and French. I feel that both
my oral and written parts of both languages have improved.
I found the notes very helpful and believe they will
be of a great advantage to me in the future. Everybody in
the course got on very well and I’m sure they will be my
friends for life. The bean an tí was very kind and her house
was warm and comfortable. The food was amazing every day.
I really enjoyed the trips to the beach and the trip
to Peig’s country also our trip to Dingle on Sunday. Overall
I had a great time and believe that I have benefited from
my two weeks in the course.
Niamh Kelly, Kilrush, Co. Clare.
I think the course is well worth the money - an invaluable resource before the Leaving Cert. The classes were intensive but balanced well with the trips and outings and no one could have fit more teaching into two weeks than our teacher did. The handouts and sheets were a great help and a native speaker of French was an enormous benefit to learn pronunciation properly. The house we stayed in was lovely with a warm, kind and accommodating bean an tí. I would definitely recommend this course to my friends.
Claire Denny, Cork, Co. Cork
I got an A1 in French and Irish in the Leaving Cert
as a result of attending Coláiste Bhreandáin. I found the
course and the notes most helpful for my examinations.
Donal McAvenue, Stillorglin, Co. Dublin
I would highly recommend this course to Leaving Cert students around the country. It is a busy week and intense course but you can see by the end of the week all you have learned. Both courses, Irish and French are fully covered including the poems and short stories and brilliant notes.
The accommodation was great and close by. The Bean an tí was always prepared and we were never hungry. The tour of Dingle was so interesting too. We saw the area which has many historical elements. It allowed us to get an insight into Irish culture and a greater insight into my Leaving Cert work. For example we had an evening with Maidhc Dainín Ó Sé who wrote "A thig ná tit orm". The class and homework atmosphere was great as well because we all got along so well. The fact that there are only 12 on the course makes it better as you can ask questions etc if you do not understand.
I would highly recommend this course as it is on during the mid-term break and leaves you with plenty of time to learn everything once you get home. Pronunciation is greatly improved in both languages.
Julie O'Malley, Louisburgh, Co. Mayo
