Dr. Richard Wilber,
Director
(RWilber1@aol.com)

        The University of South Florida/University of Limerick Irish Summer School in Contemporary Writing is an intensive three-week summer school that includes one week of travel in Ireland and two weeks in residence at the University of Limerick in Limerick, Ireland.
 
              Week One
Day One:
        The travel week begins when we land in Shannon, Ireland, where we will be met by our guides for the week, Michael O'Connor and Mary McKenna. That first day we will drive to Galway and check into our bed and breakfast on the edge of
town.  Galway is a historic university town, with a wide variety of restaurants, pubs and shops. Afternoon and evening open, though we will organize a walking tour of Galway for those interested. 
 
Day Two:
        On day two, we tour the mountains, lakes and bogs of Connemara, visiting a scenic abbey nestled against a mountainside and stopping in several locations to marvel at the views. Evening free, with plenty of traditional music
available at several local pubs. 
 

Day Three:
        On day three, we take the ferry across to the Aran Islands, where we spend the day. These rocky islands, where Irish Gaelic is still the native tongue, have a history of human occupation dating back thousands of years. On Inishmore, the largest of the islands, an ancient Celtic fort, its walls still standing, overlooks cliffs and the sea below. We return to Galway for the night.

Day Four:
        On day four we travel by tour bus to Killarney, stopping on the way to see the stunning Cliffs of Moher and the fascinating moon-like landscape of The Burren. Our housing that night is the newly built and very nice Atlas House
hostel, just a short walk from the town centre. B&B accommodations are available for a $15 surchage. Evening free to explore Killarney's charming town centre or the nearby National Park.

Day Five:
        On day five we tour Killarney by bus, stopping at opulent Muckross House and its gardens and farms, Torc waterfall and much more. The afternoon is free to spend cycling through the nearby national park or walking around in Killarney
itself.

Day Six:
        On day six we travel by tour bus to the Dingle Peninsula, stopping for lunch in Dingle Town and then visiting the Blasket Islands interpretive center in Dunquin, setting for movies like "Ryan's Daughter" and "Far and Away."
Dingle's attractions include a small, seventh-century dry-stone church still in usable condition, some fantastic cliff views, ancient beehive huts and a Celtic fort, and stunning mountain scenery.

Day Seven:
        On day seven we leave Killarney, visiting Tralee on our way north to Limerick and the start of our residency at the University of Limerick.

                                     Week Two
                                   In Residence

        The residency program begins with a course in professional writing, taught by USF instructor Rick Wilber. The course includes journal writing, travel writing, the essay form, the short story, and a session in writing narrative poetry. Students will be guided in group workshop sessions, one-on-one instruction, and a lecture setting.
 

                                     Week Three
                                     In Residence

        The second week of intensive study is a week-long, three-credit course in Irish literature, taught by Patricia Lynch, Eugene O'Brien and Brian Coates of the University of Limerick faculty. The course, Contemporary Irish Writing in English (EH 4116), begins with a discussion of Irish storytelling and the short story. From there, the course content moves into contemporary Irish fiction, using the text of the novel CAL, later made into a movie of the same name. Irish poetry, including Yeats and others, is included in the week, as well, as is material on James Joyce and other prominent Irish prose writers. 
 

                                           Final Weekend

        The last day of residency is Friday, July 31st, and we will close with a special party for the entire group. On Saturday we will take the train to Dublin for the day, visiting Trinity College and the Book of Kells, St. Stephen's Green and Grafton Street, the Templebar area and more. We will spend that night in Dublin, and on Sunday fly back to the States. 
 

                                      Typical Day

        A typical day at the UL setting will begin with a 10 a.m. lecture, a break, and then workshop tutorial sessions until a 1 p.m. lunch break. Afternoon sessions will feature more workshopping of stories, and then a 3:30 to 5 p.m. writing session.
        In addition, there will be several fieldtrips to nearby sites, several sessions of readings by Irish or American writers, and a visit from Irish journalists.
        The workload includes a considerable amount of reading and writing, but leaves ample time built in for touring, socializing, and a variety of shorter daytrips from the UL campus.

 
                               University of Limerick Housing

        At the University of Limerick, students are housed in Plassey Village, a purpose-built apartment complex on the edge of campus, featuring two-bedroom apartment-style rooms. There is a scenic walk along the Shannon River that brings the students to their classroom during the residency.
Students have access to the university's athletic facilities (tennis courts, indoor pool, basketball courts), library, student centre and more

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                                           Costs

        The cost of $2500 includes six-hours of credit (three from USF and three from UL), all transportation, all accommodations and breakfast for the first week, and most meals during the University of Limerick stay. Airfare is additional.