Full Time Internship | Galway

Apartment

• Live with other AIFS participants in/near city center
• Apartments may be co-ed
• Single room or shared double room
• Shared bathrooms
• Communal kitchen and living area
• Fully furnished with shared washing machine
• Close to public transportation
• WiFi/Internet access

Transportation

Walking is the preferred method of transportation around Galway, but there is also a bike-share program and buses to help navigate around the city. 

Weather

Galway is a coastal city which means the days are usually mild, but can be cloudy and rainy even in the driest months of the year, so don’t forget to pack your rain gear. 

Time Zones 

Ireland is 5 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time and 8 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time.

Languages

While English is an official language spoken in Galway, you will also hear Gaeilge, the second official language, spoken in shops and pubs around the city. 

Karen Lyons
Location Coordinator Galway

BA in Communication Design with an option in Media Arts

Born and raised in Northern California, Karen spent many years living in Los Angeles before moving to Galway, Ireland in 2018. A study abroad program to Brighton, England while she was in college, contributed strongly to her passion for travel and the ease at which she made the decision to move to a new country. Karen’s own study abroad experience coupled with her love of Ireland, are what inspired her to take the job with AIFS Abroad in 2022 and she has thoroughly enjoyed sharing this passion with the student interns. She has traveled to almost 20 countries in Europe and she counts Australia and Costa Rica among some of her favorite places to visit.

After moving to Ireland, Karen took up photography as a hobby and as a result, her photos are featured frequently by various Galway and Irish tourism social media pages. She has adapted very well to rural Irish life, having recently started playing Rounders with a group of friends. She also loves to bake and cook, and helps to coach her son’s soccer team.

Karen’s professional background is in public relations and event planning. After spending several years working for producers and talent agents in the entertainment industry, she segued into PR, working on accounts ranging from brands and food/drink to film and television. She also planned and executed large and small scale events. Her life in Los Angeles was very different to her life in Galway and she wouldn’t have it any other way. When she’s not working for AIFS Abroad, Karen spends her time with her son and husband, traveling around.

In addition to day trips and excursions, a cultural calendar of weekly activities and social events is included in your program fee. These activities will include both typical tourist sites and attractions and lesser known visits which take advantage of the expert knowledge of our local AIFS Abroad staff and give you a more authentic and insightful view of life in Ireland. Typical activities, tours and visits could include:

• Guided walking tour of Galway
• Boat tour on the River Corrib
• Day trip to the Aran Islands
• Day trip to Connemara
• Lunch or dinner featuring authentic Irish cuisine
• Art & Music Festival events
• Local team rugby or soccer match
• Learn Irish dancing from professionals

This program offers a range of day trips and excursions that will take you outside Galway and deepen your social, historical, and cultural understanding of Ireland. Previous excursions have included:

*Please note optional excursion fees may change slightly depending on the term. Fee will be shown at time of application.

Connemara
Day Trip
Included in Program Fee
Connemara is the largest Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) region in Ireland, located to the west of Galway City, where sheep roam free and mountains and castle ruins dot the landscape. Among the adventures that await in this beautiful part of the county, are a sheepherding demonstration, where you will get up close and personal with the lambs, a tour of an historic silver and lead mine, and a lesson in Irish boglands with a traditional turf cutting demonstration. And what tour of the west of Ireland would be complete without a visit to the 15th century Aughnanure Castle, where the ferocious O’Flaherty family lived and ruled for over 300 years.

Aran Islands
Day Trip
Included in Program Fee
A short ferry ride across Galway Bay brings you to the largest of the Aran Islands, Inis Mór. This full day excursion includes a tour of the island with local guides whose families have inhabited the land for centuries, while they take you on the island’s backroads in their 4×4 jeeps, along the beaches, taking in views of the picturesque stone walls, ruins and cemetaries, and to the famous 3000 year old ancient ring fort, Dún Aonghasa, which is perched off a cliff overlooking the Atlantic. The adventure continues with a walk to Poll na bPéist, also known as the Wormhole, a rectangular shaped blow hole, resembling a swimming pool, that was naturally carved by mother nature and was once the spot of the Red Bull Cliff Diving competition.

In order to help you prepare for your experience abroad, we have compiled General Cultural Resources and Site Specific Cultural Resources for you to review. Your program staff will also provide you with more details during pre-departure and orientation.