StudENT INFORMATION
The project officially starts in Dublin on June 29th and runs until July 27th. If you are arriving in Dublin on June 29th, you will head directly to our pre-arranged meeting locations in the airport as soon as your plane arrives (these will be determined later). If you are already in Dublin before the start date, we will meet you at a pre-arranged location in the center of Dublin. As the arrival date gets closer, we will send more details on both arrival times and locations, including links to public transportation from the Dublin airport to the city center.
As a group, we will take a direct train to Castlerea, Co. Roscommon where you will be then transported to your housing for the duration of the project.
In addition to encouraging an early arrival, we also suggest that you stay on in Ireland and Europe after the end of the program, if your budget and schedule permits. In past years many students have stayed and traveled together around Ireland and the rest of Europe. When looking for flights, you might keep this in mind. See the section below on booking air travel.
Orientation Meetings
Our main Program Orientation will be held on Zoom in May or June. We would like to encourage all new and returning students to join us, so we can meet everyone, go over some logistics including packing lists, arrival information and share some ideas for program prep, etc. If there just isn't any way for you to get there, no worries. We will have someone take notes and we will share them by email afterward.
Estimated Cost: $4200 program fee, which does not include airline ticket purchased independently by the student.
Included in Cost: All transportation, food and housing during the three week stay. Foothill Program students will be residing in the small village of Ballintober and the town of Castlerea, each are located in County Roscommon in the northeastern area of Ireland (an hour east of Galway and two hours north of Dublin). The majority of the participants will stay in accommodations at the O’Çonner family property in Castlerea known as Clonalis with a smaller group in houses situated within the village of Ballintober. Clonalis is located on an active farm that is part of a private estate and the ancestral home of the O’Conors, who are the current owners of Ballintober Castle, the focal point of the research project, and who were the Kings of Connacht and at various times, High Kings of Ireland. Clonalis is an 18th century renovated stables with kitchens, showers, a dining hall and room for 23 beds. Participants will be served food in one of the two pubs in Ballintober with alternating communal meals at Clonalis.
Excluded from Cost: International travel, personal expenses, travel insurance, health care, optional field trips
Airline Travel: Purchasing Tickets
As you know, you are responsible for getting yourself to Ireland and meeting us in Dublin. We have found that ticket prices can be cheaper mid-week, enough to make it a good possibility for you to come to Ireland a few days early. If you do come early there is plenty to do in and around Dublin. However, we are not going to be available to assist you until June 29th when we meet in Dublin. Prior to that you are on you own. We are not ‘responsible’ for you until June 29th when the program officially begins, and our responsibility ends on July 27th, the final day of the project. Whether you come early or leave late, we leave that up to you, but please know that we are only responsible for you on and between the project dates. (You are welcome and encouraged, however, to connect with other participants via the Facebook to organize get-togethers in Dublin prior to the program start date and/or make group travel plans after the program finishes.)
Once you have purchased your airline tickets to arrive in Dublin please email your full itinerary directly to us so that we know when to expect you. Again, please make sure that your PASSPORT is up to date.
Food, Lodging and Transportation During the Project
On June 29th, students arriving in Dublin will be accompanied to Ballintober and Castlerea by train. Upon arrival you will be placed in to pre-assigned housing, which will either be in a shared home with other students and staff volunteers in a leased, furnished home in Ballintober or Castlerea, or a leased cottage on the Clonalis estate. In general, housing assignments last for the duration of the project, although we do occasionally move students around by necessity and/or request, so we ask for flexibility from all program participants. Please be sure to share with us any specific housing needs you may have as soon as possible and we will do our best to accommodate them.
Food will be provided by the project from June 29th lunch/dinner to July 27th for breakfast. We try to accommodate all dietary needs and have always made good food a primary focus of our projects. The program uses the two local pubs which hire local cooks who make the dinners during work days with communal dinner created by staff and students for the remainder of the nights. Breakfast and lunch will be ‘self-catering’ which is a European term for ‘cooking for ourselves’. We do feel it is important to try to have the entire group eat together and so we make an effort to have group dining for lunch and dinner.
INSURANCE
We also require that you are covered by insurance and we will require proof of insurance prior the program start. You can purchase short-term travelers insurance which is cheap and supplements other insurance you may have. There are a number of vendors, such as www.eglobalhealth.com where we see quotes for $60.00 which covers up to $1,000,000.00 for the month of July.
PASSPORT
We can't overemphasize this -- your passport is essential for travel to Ireland. If you are US citizen, you will not need a visa, as you will receive one after touching down in Ireland. VERY IMPORTANT: It is now federal policy that your passport must be valid for over 6 months after your international travel date. Make sure your passport is up to date. For more information visit the official Ireland travel website.
STEP 1 Fill out an Application
First step is to throw your hat into the ring by filling out an application. This will act as a place holder for your spot in the program. In a short amount of time we will review your application and you will receive notification.
Step 2 Deposit Payment ($100)
Once your application is accepted you will receive instructions about how to submit a $100 application deposit. We do anticipate a full program, with a waitlist of interested participants. The $100 deposit will hold your position and is non-refundable.
Step 3 Final Payment ($4100) and Waivers
As a confirmed member of the CIC-ASS program you are required to complete your full program fee payment by May 1st. If we have not received your payment as we near the payment deadline, we will notify you of your risk of losing your spot.
Complete a waiver form and send via e-mail to: brodyr@bc.edu or andrewbair@g.harvard.edu