Scoil Scairte is the Irish school you always dreamed of.

This 9-week voyage of discovery invites people to gather together online to explore, experience, and learn about Irish culture in a global learning community from March 2 - April 27, 2023. 

The upcoming series will shine a light on the inspirational people and places of the Galway region in the west of Ireland which stretches from the Atlantic Sea to the wilds of Connemara ​​(referred to as a “savage beauty” by Oscar Wilde), and out to the Aran Islands, home of some of Ireland’s finest archaeology, heritage, culture and tradition.

Scoil Scairte will take place on Thursdays, March 2 - April 27, 2023, at 7 pm Ireland | 2 pm ET | 11 am PT. Places are limited - click here to secure your spot.

You will be guided by a host of inspiring bilingual multidisciplinary artists, activists, creatives, educators, culture makers, and indigenous language keepers including  Kathy Scott (Founder, Host, Creative Director of The Trailblazery), Manchán Magan (Writer, Presenter, Bee Keeper, Documentary-Maker), Caitlin Ní Chualáin (Journalist, Singer, Voice of Duolingo Irish), Máire Ní Chonláin (TG4 Editor, Exec Producer An Cailín Ciúin), and many more.

Scoil Scairte is especially honored to welcome Indigenous guests Delta Kay (Arakwal Bumberbin Bundjalung woman, Advocate) and Danny Teece-Johnson (Journalist, Writer, Director) to shine a light on the country and culture from so-called Australia.

What's Involved:

9-week online course with 30+ hours of live & recorded content

  • 21+ inspirational gaeilgeoirí guides & guest contributors
  • 9 live gatherings with cultural guides, music & language teaching
  • 9 care packages with slides, recordings & resources
  • 3 months of tutorial sessions for beginners & intermediates
  • 3 months free Meitheal community membership
  • 3 months access to Language Lab of pronunciation recordings
  • 1 guided meditation series by Kathy Scott & composer Brian Crosby
  • 1 season of Focail agus Fís film series hosted by Mairéad Ní Chonghaile, Siobhán O’Kelly and James Riordan
  • 1 interview series with Manchán Magan & special guests

Join Scoil Scairte and explore how language can shape how we see the world and our place in it.

Why Scoil Scairte?

In the 1700s, Irish education was outlawed and the process of learning took to the land. Hedge Schools or Scoileanna Scairte gathered wherever people could find shelter, in hedgerows, in fields, by rivers, and under the stars.

Irish is one of the oldest living vernacular languages in Europe. It has shaped the cultural identity of the people on the island of Ireland for thousands of years. If a language dies we lose access to meaning, memory, and our ways of being human. Despite a turbulent history the Irish language has survived and is encoded with a wisdom that can help us today. 

The Scoil Scairte program was created in 2021 by The Trailblazery in collaboration with Manchán Magan and supported by Foras na Gaeilge with part funding by Galway City Council through its Creative Ireland Programme. 

If you're looking to reconnect with some of the traditions and practices that supported and nourished our ancestors - this is for you.

Join Scoil Scairte and explore how language can shape how we see the world and our place in it, click here for more information. You can also keep up to date with The Trailblazery on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.