Welcome to Dingle
Play Video

My name is Séan Pól Ó Conchuir, I’m the SHU in Dingle Campus Director. My role here in Dingle is to run the campus, working with faculty both local and from Fairfield, Connecticut, to ensure that we provide a great academic and cultural program to students coming to Dingle. But my biggest role is ensure that students that come over to Dingle from the US are cared for to the highest possible level.

Seeing daughters and sons go to University is a milestone in any parents’ life, and some parents may have further worries seeing their son or daughter leave for another country may be daunting, whether for two weeks or a full semester.

I’m sure that one of the reasons you came to a school like Sacred Heart University (Fairfield), or another US partner school, is that you liked the many attributes of a smaller University or College; the feeling that faculty and staff look out for and care very much for their students. Let me assure you that this care and attention is replicated here in Dingle.

I am, along with my staff are available to the students here on a 24/7 basis; any needs or worries you may have will be cared for. Dingle has a strong sense of community and students are part of this community, where we all look out for each other. The town of Dingle is a wonderful place, full of character and sites to behold, it is also, a very safe town where students feel very secure.

Finally, I hope that my daughter will one day attend college and will no doubt want to participate in a study abroad program, indeed, I will encourage her to do so. My hope is that she attends a program that is run in a similar vain to the SHU in Dingle program, where students are looked after to the highest possible level, while allowing them to grow, mature, experience a different culture but all within the umbrella of on-site support team that genuinely care.

Please feel free to contact directly if you have any questions or concerns.

Featured Testimonials

"Going into Sarcred Heart, a Study Abroad program was not at the forefront of our decision. When the opportunity came up for my son to study in Dingle, it was something that I had to make happen. Being second generation Irish here in the States, and having visited Ireland myself I was excited for Ian to study in Dingle. I knew he would love the country and mostly he would love the people. It was exciting for him to see where his great grandparents grew up and to learn about the culture and the ways of the Irish people. It turned out to be so so much more for him. Life changing I would say. First of all he made life long friends while studying over there. The students became like a family. Secondly he grew and matured as an adult more than I could have possibly imagined. He traveled to other countries and saw things I'm still waiting to see. He had adventures and the excitement of exploration and education. He learned so much about himself and his craft while there. Thank God for the digital age because he brought me along for the ride through pictures and texts and phone calls. Nothing is more satisfying for a parent than watching their child or adult child fulfill a dream and be genuinely joyful and happy. Every picture, every communication showed me that....and even more satisfying was him making the Dean's list while he was there. Best thing I could have ever done for my son!" -Bernadette Hyland McCracken, mother of Ian Baron, who studied in Dingle in the School of Communication, Media, and Arts Spring Semester program in 2017
Bernadette Hyland McCracken
“I went to Dingle for the two-week program in the winter of 2017. Dingle was super awesome, it’s one of the most unique places in the world and you’ll probably never find somewhere like it. The landscape, the people, the food, everything about it was so encompassing and even if you go for two weeks like I did, you still get as much of the experience that you’ll get if you go for a full semester, just in a shorter period of time. For my course, I took Celtic Religious Traditions while I was there, and it was really interesting because it wasn’t like a religion class that you would take here on campus at SHU, although it had many of the same ideals. We were able to see a lot of Celtic shrines and learned a lot of mystical things about the Celtic religion that you wouldn’t be able to do here specifically. Aside from class, we met so many people in the town and in the pubs because everything in Dingle is so small and so connected that you really get to know everyone there, even if you are there for just two weeks, which was really great. If you do get the chance to go abroad, definitely do it. Dingle is something that I will never regret doing, it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made here at Sacred Heart and I’ll never forget it.”
Alexa Binkowitz, SHU student
“I studied abroad in Dingle for two weeks in the summer of 2017. I absolutely loved it, it sounds cliché but I cannot speak higher of the program itself. Ever since then I’ve been wanting to go back, I want to travel more, and it really changed me as a person. After the two weeks, I wanted more. It was everything I could have asked for and more! Dingle is just so comforting, it’s a little town that you know your way around in after the first three days. Everyone there is so welcoming and are always excited to have the “Americans” there, which really makes it feel like home. It’s a not a big city so you’re not overwhelmed, and it somewhere where you can just walk around and feel comfortable in your surroundings. The best way to learn more about life is to go see another viewpoint of life in a different country. It will open your eyes, it will only do things that will benefit you as a person. As we go into our future fields after college, to say that you were international and that you experienced another way of life and another way of thinking is incredible, and is something that no one else can match unless they have had the same experience. I cannot speak higher of this program, so go abroad! You will not regret it!”
Dava Fortunato, SHU student
“I studied abroad in Dingle for the spring semester in 2017 as a part of the SCMA program. I had the chance to make real world productions that were used by the local businesses in Dingle. Go to Dingle and take the chance to create something that will matter and change people’s lives.”
Eric Torrens, SHU student