Winter Short Term
December 28/29th 2025 – January 12th 2026
Application Deadline: September 15th 2025
Term overview

Discover Ireland’s Magic This Winter: Join Our Intensive Program in Dingle!
Imagine spending two unforgettable weeks at the end of December and beginning of January in the picturesque coastal town of Dingle, one of Ireland’s top New Year’s Eve destinations. This charming town bursts into life with fireworks and a lively marching band parade, attracting thousands of visitors to celebrate the New Year in style.
Experience authentic Irish culture in a vibrant setting filled with traditional music, language, food, and ‘craic’ (the Irish Gaelic term for ‘fun’). You’ll be warmly welcomed by our SHU in Dingle team, offering world-class teaching in the stunning backdrop of Dingle’s festive spirit.
Ireland’s winter boasts a mild climate, perfect for exploring the wild Celtic landscape. Outside the classroom, enjoy activities like hiking, beach horseback riding, and touring ancient ruins. While Dingle is a summer hotspot, our Winter program offers a unique, immersive experience without the crowds.
Dingle is a renowned ‘Gaeltacht’, a traditional Irish Gaelic-speaking area, known for its rich character and charm. Join students from around the world and make Dingle your Winter home with SHU in Dingle. Don’t miss this chance to dive into Irish culture and create lasting memories in one of the world’s most enchanting locations!
Courses
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Todd Barnes PhD
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The connections between language, culture and social identify are strong. Cross-cultural variations in language are noted in differences in pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary by speakers of the same language. We will use structural and cultural linguistic frameworks to identify and understand differences in dialects of English spoken in Ireland and the United States.
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Rick Magee Ph.D.
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Worldwide tourism is continuing to grow and has been identified as a critical industry for the economies of many different countries, each linking their attractions primarily to cultural identities. Ireland is one of the leading tourist destinations and the country’s tourist leaders have developed this position over decades as Ireland relies heavily on revenue generated from this source. It is estimated that overseas visitor numbers reached 6.29 million in 2011, a 7% increase from 2010. How does Ireland go about creating their specific brand image in marketing Ireland as a ‘holiday destination’? How have they created the Irish mystique that attracts so many tourists each year?
This class will explore these questions in developing a better understanding of tourism marketing and how Ireland has become a leader in this sector. The class will utilize a readings list, case studies, social media and site visits to explore this topic.
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Spend 2 weeks learning about ethical issues in health care by exploring compelling scenarios and case-studies. Study the role of ethics and the importance of Philosophy to the Irish Catholic Intellectual Tradition and investigate how health care concerns impact the lives of patients and health-care providers throughout southwestern Ireland.
Among the central topics to be covered include informed consent, medical futility, reproductive ethics, privacy, cultural competence, and clinical trials
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rish and U.S. social welfare history and practice today are distinctive one from the other but both retain structural and cultural vestiges of their shared English Colonial roots. In this course, students will explore the common foundation of social welfare in both nations and follow the singular paths of each nation in establishing their own priorities in social programs and practices to support and control of their citizens. Students will learn from Irish lecturers as well as SHU faculty about the fundamentals of social welfare, while exploring in breakout groups how housing, healthcare (including mental health), food and water, child welfare, immigration and criminal justice are structured and implemented in both nations. A study of commonalities and contrasts, this course challenges students to consider the perspectives and practices of these two very different political entities both to support and control their populations, and the structural and cultural variations that have informed U.S. and Irish practice today.
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Study the ancient religion of Ireland, of gods and goddesses, ancestors and rituals, holy places and sacred rulers. Learn about the Celtic origins of Halloween, and the great seasonal festivals of the druids. Walk through the landscape and discover traditions and customs from ancient times that are reflected in the modern world, through myth, place names and customs.
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Winter
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How to Apply

Tuition & Fees
