You don't have to wait until school's out to plan what to do. Whether you're into film-making or football, science or surfing, there's a summer camp for you, writes GRAINNE FALLER
FOREIGN LANGUAGES
Far and away
If you’re going abroad, you’re going to want to make it count. Leaving Cert preparation courses are being run by EIL Intercultural Learning in France, Germany and Spain. Prices range from €1,491 for a fortnight to €2,999 for four weeks in France. Germany costs €1,330 for a fortnight and €2,152 for four weeks. Spain costs €1,311 for two and €2,466 for four weeks. There are various other courses and summer camps available on the company’s website
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Lingoo is a service that allows families to organise either a two-way exchange programme with families in France, Spain, Germany, Italy and other European countries, or a one-way paid home stay. There is no agency involvement – families deal directly with one another so this option should be cheaper. It is also possible to register as a host family. Registration costs €48 per child per year with some discounts for subsequent children.
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Closer to home
You don’t have to leave the country. Euro Languages College offers 18-day French, Spanish or German camps in Irish boarding schools. Students take part in classes and activities and they are expected to speak the language of the camp throughout. Prices range from €1,065 to €1130.
Horizon International Language College offers a similar set-up of residential French and Spanish courses in Irish boarding schools. Parents can opt for one week at €450, two weeks at €800 or three weeks for €1,200. There is a discount of 10 per cent if more than one child attends from the same family.
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For Dublin residents, the Alliance Française on Kildare Street runs classes for teens with an optional Fun For Teens activity add-on in the afternoons. Older teens are offered morning and afternoon classes. Classes run from Monday to Thursday for two weeks at a time. Costs for classes are €240 for younger teens (first to fourth year) and €350 for fifth and sixth years. If younger teens add on the afternoon activities the course costs €350. Fun for teens alone costs €160.
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IRISH
Coláiste Uisce Combine the rite of passage that is the stint in the Gaeltacht with all manner of wet and wild water and adventure sports and you're guaranteed a blast trí Ghaeilge. Coláiste Uisce is based in north west Mayo and a two-week long residential course costs €960. Some scholarships are available. uisce.ie
Concos (Comhchoiste na gColáistí Samhraidh) is a federation of 47 Irish colleges both in and outside the Gaeltacht areas. All courses must meet standards set by Concos and the Department of Education and Skills. With lots to choose from, this website is a good place to start.
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FILM-MAKING AND ANIMATION
Young Irish Filmmakers will run film-making courses in Kilkenny throughout the summer. The courses cater for 8-12 year-olds and 13-18 year-olds. A week-long course costs €120 and dates are available on the website.
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Galway Film Centre runs summer courses for 10-17 year-olds in both live drama and animation. Courses will run throughout the summer and are a week long. They cost €250 with a discount for more than one child from the same family.
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The Irish Film Academy is running two- and three-week camps for teens. Teen Campo offers acting for camera or film-making courses. The film-making courses offer music video (suitable for beginners) or thriller, slasher and horror (advanced) options. Cost for two weeks is €400 or the three-week option is €500. irishfilmacademy.com
Action School of Film offers film and animation courses for students aged 10-12 and 13-18. Courses are running in Sligo, Donegal, Westmeath, Leitrim, Mayo and Cavan, costing €245 for the younger group and €295 for the teens.
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DRAMA, MUSIC AND DANCE
Gleeks from Leitrim and Dublin can indulge their passion with Glee Summer Camps for 7-18 year-olds. Week long courses cost €80 per participant (or €75 for participants in Carrick-on-Shannon). gleesummer.com
Starcamp – acting, singing and dancing camps – are running in various locations in Munster and Leinster. The courses are aimed at three groups: 5-7 year-olds, 8-10 year-olds, and 11+ year-olds. They are a week long and cost €90 for one child, €150 for two or €220 for three siblings. There is an instalment payment option.
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Dublin School of Music, which is based in Terenure, will offer a music and art course in August for 4-7 year-olds. It will cost €99. Meanwhile, anyone over the age of 10 can partake in a course that allows budding songwriters and band members develop their material and record a CD. That course takes place in August and costs €125. dublinschoolofmusic.com
Gaiety School of Acting is offering summer courses in acting, musical theatre, dance and film-making. Courses are available in different locations: Temple Bar, Navan, Bray and Malahide. Not all courses are available in all locations. Costs range from €225 to €150. gaietyschool.com
ARTS AND CRAFTS
Artzone offers a range of summer camps from a fashion academy and summer art to animation and comic book illustration. Camps operate in various locations around Wicklow, Dublin and Kildare. The art course costs €109 for five days, with discounts for siblings. artzone.ie
Kinsale Pottery and Arts Centre is running five-day summer camps in July and August. They cost €160 for a full day or €120 for a half day. Sibling discounts are available. kinsaleceramics.com
Pine Forest Art Centre in Dublin's Glencullen offers junior and senior art summer camps, as well as portfolio preparation for older teenagers. Courses run for two weeks during July and August. Junior course costs €250, while the senior course costs €280. The bus fare (if required) is €95. Portfolio preparation is offered for two weeks at €300 or four weeks at €550. pineforestartcentre.com
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Whizzkids Week-long, full-day, half-day and residential camps for students who are interested in technology, based in NUIG, UL, DCU, UCC, UCD and IT Tralee. Students can learn about web design, movie making, online gaming and spy tactics. Half-day camps are aimed at 8-12 year-olds and cost €90 or €150 for siblings. Full-Days are aimed at 9-15 year-olds and cost €149 or €280 for siblings. Residential courses are for teenagers only.
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Anyone 4 Science camps aimed at 5-7 year-olds and 8-12 year-olds will be held in Portmarnock, Carrickmacross, Tallaght, UCD, Rathmichael, Cork, Navan, Dundalk, Ashford, Rathgar, Maynooth and Thurles. There are also camps suitable for Junior cycle students running in the Institute of Technology, Tallaght and in UCD in June and July. The teen camp costs €160 per student. anyone4science.com
Space Camp: Find out about life as an astronaut, the solar system and the search for alien life, even build and launch your own rocket. Chilren aged 8-12 years can attend space camp at CIT’s Blackrock Castle observatory throughout June and July. The camp costs €95 per student with discounts for siblings.
NATURE
Causey Farm: Four-day summer camps involving survival skills, raft making, bogland exploration, arts and crafts and haymaking among other things. Aimed at children aged 5-13 years, the camp costs €75 per child per week. Transport can be arranged from Dublin or Navan at an extra cost.
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Brigit’s Garden in Roscahill Co Galway offers a Fun with Nature course for 5-8 year-olds involving bug hunts, arts and crafts and nature games. Older children (9-12 year-olds) are taught to cook food outside, hut making and tracking in a survival skills course. Courses cost €55 for members or €62 for non-members.
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Fota Island runs summer camps for children aged 5-12 years. Activities include art, sport and environmental activities – all based around the theme of the natural world. Cost is €95 per child, sibling discounts are available.
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The Irish Peatland Conservation Council will run a Wet and Wild Nature Summer Camp at the end of July. Activities on the Bog of Allen (Kildare) will include nature crafts, pond dipping, creepy crawlie hunt, insect-eating plants and a frog search. Cost is €50.
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SPORT
The eFlow FAI Summer Soccer Schools offer something for everyone: girls, boys, goalkeepers and children with special needs. At the moment, early booking rates apply. Goalkeeper camps cost €59 and all other camps cost €89 per child. Prices rise after June 15th. Discounts are available. Camps are running all around the country. summersoccerschools.ie
Kellogg's GAA Cúl Camps are a summer stalwart. Operating in 32 counties right though the summer, the camps are aimed at boys and girls aged 6-13 years. Costs depend on location but range from approx €42 to €55. Sibling discounts apply. kelloggsculcamps.gaa.ie
Shreddies Parks Tennis camps are running all over the country and cater for 6-17 year-olds. Dates, camps and costs vary according to location. In Dublin the cost is €30 for a month of coaching.
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Irish Hockey is running summer camps around the country, catering for 9-17 year-olds. Camps are running in July and August and they cost €160. hockey.ie
Let's Go! summer camps offer multi-sport camps for children aged 5-6 and 7-13 years. They run all over the country and cost between €90 and €95 depending on location. Sibling discounts are available. They are also running iPad camps that combine iPad activities with the multisports. letsgo.ie
Aimed at children aged 4-12 years, UCD's Multi-sports Summer Camp offers more than 25 different sports, from rock climbing to dodgeball. There is an additional pre- and after-camp care service if needed. Camps cost €110 or €180 for camp plus pre- and after-camp care. ucd.ie/sport/sportscamps/summercamps/
WATER SPORTS AND ADVENTURE ACTIVITIES
Kilfenane Outdoor Education Centre is offering summer camps and adventure days for kids and teens. Camps involving all sorts of adventure activities cost €150. Teen adventure days involve day-long excursions: mountain biking, hill walking, canoeing, abseiling and rock climbing, and cost €50 per day, with discounts for subsequent days. kilfinaneoec.com
Seven days of surfing, kayaking, zip wire, crag climbing, etc in Connemara's Delphi Mountain Resort costs €499 per child. delphimountainresort.com
Oysterhaven Centre in Kinsale offers sailing and windsurfing courses as well as multi-activity summer camps for 4-17 year-olds. Prices and age ranges vary depending on the course. oysterhaven.com
Surfdock Fun Watersports Camp runs from June through to August, and activities take place in the Grand Canal Basin. It's for children from 8-16 years. The cost is €195 per child per camp. surfdock.ie
