Not only is hurling the oldest field game in Europe but also the fastest field game in the world.
This very Irish sport was already mentioned in a 12th centuary document which tells the story of Cu Chulainn. Cu Chulainn was one of the greatest Irish mythological heros. When Cu Chulainn was a young boy his name was Setanta. The legend tells us that Setanta was fighting again a vicious hound. Setanta was playing hurling when he was attacked by a vicious dog. Using his hurley he hit the ball through the beast’s mouth and deveated the hound. For this great accomplishment he won the name of Cu Chulainn, the Hound of Chulainn.
This traditional Irish sport is very popular amoung Irish people of all ages. Every Irish town and village has a hurling team, in most schools hurling is part of the school curriculum and young and old enjoy watching matches on television or live in stadiums. The most amazing thing about this sport is that even the All Ireland champions are not being paid and play purely for the pride of their national sport.
Every visitor of Ireland should watch this amazing sport. The Language and Culture Course which takes place at the Slaney Language Centre in Wexford in October combines English language learning with Irish culture. Language students learn about Irish history, culture, sport, literature and art inside and outside of the classroom. A hurling workshop as well as an Irish dancing workshop are part of the extracurricular programme.
Posts Tagged ‘The Slaney Language Centre’
Hurling - a unique Irish sport
Thursday, August 11th, 2011Hook Lighthouse no 1 flashiest lighthouse in the world according to Lonely Planet
Thursday, June 23rd, 2011Lonely Planet has listed Hook Heritage Centre and lighthouse in County Wexford as one of the top 14 attractions in Ireland and the no 1 flashiest lighthouse in the world.
The present structure is about 800 years old and is the oldest operating lighthouse in the world.
Many English language students of the Slaney Language Centre in Wexford have spend some of their time in Ireland in and around this amazing lighthouse and would definately agree with Ben Handicott, the Lonely Planet author.
Cambridge English First - Cambridge First Certificate of English - FCE
Monday, April 11th, 2011Cambridge English First commonly known as First Certificate of English (FCE) is an exam for people who need to proof they can use everyday written and spoken English at an upper-intermediate level for work or study purposes. The FCE exam uses real-life situations that are especially designed to help you communicate more effectively and learn the English language skills you need. The exam is set at level B2 of the Common European Framework of References for languages. The FCE exam certificate is recognised by universities and employers in many countries.
The Slaney Language Centre, an English language school based in the Southeast coast of Ireland offers FCE exam preparation courses three times this year:
Monday 16 May to Friday 3 June (3 weeks intensive)
Monday 22 August to Friday 9 September (3 weeks intensive)
Tuesday 27 September to Thursday 17 November plus Saturday 26 November (8 weeks part time)
There are still places available for these three courses.
Easter Language Course for people over 30 - Learn English in Ireland
Saturday, March 5th, 2011Are you in your 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s or 80s? Do you enjoy travelling, meeting people, communicating in English and learning about different cultures? Would you like to brush up on your English in an enjoyable communicative way rather than by studying textbooks? Would you like to improve your English language skills inside but also outside of the classroom through excursions and activities? The Easter Language Course includes a tour of the Irish National Heritage Park, a tour of the Dunbrody Immigration Ship, a walk on the beautiful beach of Curracloe, an Irish dancing workshop and a traditional Irish music session. An international lunch where each language student prepares a traditional meal of their home country will also be organized. The two week course takes place from Monday 18 April to Friday 29 April 2011. Bookings are now open for the Easter Language Course at the Slaney Language Centre.
English Language Courses for Families
Thursday, March 3rd, 2011Family Courses have been designed for parents and their children who wish to attend an English language course at the same time. The Slaney Language Centre has been successfully offering courses for parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren or aunts/uncles and nieves/nephews for five years now. Due to word of mouth recommendation our August family course is now fully booked. There are still places available for the July familiy courses from Monday 4 July to Friday 8 July and from Monday 18 July to Friday 29 July.
Slaney Language Centre Students passed the Cambridge First Certificate Exam
Friday, February 25th, 2011Congratulations to Livia Stocker, Sara Vonmoos, Leo Baumgartner, Nicole Kaeslin, all from Switzerland, to Seolah Yun from Korea and Tamara Ruether from Germany for passing the FCE exam. Well done everybody!
The next FCE exam preparation course takes place from Monday 16 May to Friday 3 June here at the Slaney Language Centre.
Tall Ship Races 2011
Friday, February 11th, 2011The biggest event in Ireland in 2011, the Tall Ships Races, will take place for four days from 30 June to 3 July in Waterford, which is located on hour from Wexford. This is suitable for language students to visit this great celebration. Ireland will play host to over 70 majestic Tall Ships and it promises to be one of the most spectacular and colourful events in the world! Half a million visitors are expected to visit the South East over the four days to enjoy food, music, street theatre and fireworks. Come along, experience and enjoy what promises to be an amazing festival. Have a look at the list of events that will take place over the four days.
Hurling
Friday, February 4th, 2011Last summer we introduced a hurling workshop as an activity for our courses. Hurling is a traditional Gaelic sport played with a hurley (a wooden stick) and sliothar (a small hard ball) It’s an extremly fast, skilled and dangerous sport. George O’Connor, a nationally famous Wexford hurler gave an unforgettable hurling workshop to the children who attended our family course. He taught them hurling skills and presented them with the gift of a hurley to develop their skills and to continue playing the game when they returned home. We look forward to offering such a great workshop again this summer so if you would like to learn more about this traditional game when you’re here with us, let us know!
Check out the Gaelic Athletic Association website to find our more about this traditional Irish game.
2011 at the Slaney Language Centre
Tuesday, January 18th, 2011All of us at the Slaney Language Centre are getting ready for an exciting New Year. Our website has been updated and is now online and you can also download our new course guide.
Specialised courses in 2011 include a Course for 30 Plus Students at Easter, an innovative Language and Culture Course in October, two FCE Exam Courses and three Family Courses.
We hope to see you all.
How about learning English and working on an Organic Farm in Ireland?
Thursday, May 13th, 2010Ever heard of Wwoofing?
WWOOF stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms and is basically an exchange - in return for volunteer help WWOOF hosts offer food, accommodation and opportunities to learn about organic lifestyle. Bea from Switzerland was the first Slaney Language Centre student to try out wwoofing. She had a great time and now more and more people of all ages and many different nationalities combine their English language course with working on an organic farm in Ireland. The language course will help you to improve your English and all you need then is a bit of enthusiasm and love for nature and the outdoors. You can even choose your own farm at Wwoof Ireland and optain more information about courses and more from the Slaney Language Centre.