About Cork
Weather
- The weather in Ireland is very changeable. It is advisable to bring a rain jacket as it can rain at any moment. On the upside it is rarely very cold.
- For a look at the weather in Ireland now click here: http://www.met.ie
Visa Requirements
Participants from many countries outside the European Union require a visa to enter Ireland. For the application they need a letter of invitation provided by the school, a proof of payment of tuition fees, a medical insurance and a formal financial statement that they can support themselves during their stay.
If you need entry clearance, book your course well in advance to give yourself enough time to obtain it.
For full information go to http://foreignaffairs.gov.ie/
Public Holidays
Cork English College is open from January 4th until December 16th, 2012. The following are a list of public holidays when the college will also be closed. Please note that CEC provide an activity in lieu of classes on each of the days during the college term.
- January 2rd (New Year’s Day)
- March 19th (for St Patrick’s Day)
- April 9th (Easter Monday)
- May 7th (May Day)
- June 4th
- August 6th
- October 29th (Hallowe’en)
- December 25th (Christmas Day)
- December 26th (St Stephen’s Day)
News and TV
You can familiarise yourself with the current events in Ireland by visiting some of the many TV and newspaper internet pages. Here are a few examples:
Television
Newspapers
Health Care
Cork English College advises all students to take out travel and medical insurance in their own country before departure.
Students from countries within the European Union are entitled to free medical treatment under the National Health Service (except for non-emergency hospital treatment). They should bring a European Health Insurance Card. Hospital services are provided free in public wards for EU visitors. This is called the E1.11 form.For full information see this website
Getting Here
- Air: Cork International Airport has now opened it’s new terminal. The new development will mean that the airport will now have a capacity for 5 million passengers per year. New routes are constantly being added so keep an eye on the following website for updates : www.corkairport.ie
- Bus: the national bus company is called Bus Eireann and they operate both city buses and regional buses. Inside the city you can avail of weekly and monthly bus tickets that can be used to go to and from college. Here is their website www.buseireann.ie
- Aircoach. Students can now avail of the excellent service direct from Dublin Aiport to the door of the college in Cork. The timtable of services is available on the following website : www.aircoach.ie
- Train: For travel around Ireland the fastest way to travel is by train. Tickets available at the train station and discounts available for students. Here is their website www.irishrail.ie
Electricity and Voltage
Ireland runs on the 230 V at 50 Hz and uses a three pronged plug. For more information on this go to the following website.
Communication
There are four main mobile phone companies in the country at the moment. Below are their websites. O2, Vodafone and Meteor all offer pay as you go sim cards at a nominal fee, which usual includes a certain amount of credit. Also each company has special rates for calling outside of Ireland. Visit the websites below for details.
Also available from many different companies are prepaid calling cards which can be used from a landline or a payphone and reduce the cost of calling abroad.
Art and Culture
There are many museums and cultural centers in every area of the country. There is a vibrant interest in all areas of the arts including music, art, theatre, dance and film. Below is a list of websites with information on museums and cultural centres.
