Learn english in Ireland with Avril

Hi! Thanks for considering our family!

Avril (mum) is remaining home for the summer and it is our second year hosting, we are loving every minute. We have 4 adorable children: Pearse (who will be 6 in June), daughter Scarlett (who will be 5 in September), son Arthur (who will be 3 in October), and Harrison who was born in October 2025 and will be almost 1. It is a busy and dynamic home but we love every minute of it. We don’t generally watch TV (or a limited amount) and keep the children busy as much as possible.

Airport transfers (drop and collect are preferable Saturdays only). Also means our guests successfully overlap. We usually then can have girls from different countries with ease which really helps enrich the experience.

Our guests/availability

We have two rooms available for the summer. In our experience, we have seen an overlap of teenage girls of different nationalities that has really made the experience more enriching.

We have an Italian female student (17) staying with us until the end of June. We also have the younger brother of a past guest joining us in June and it’s our first boy so it will be new for us but we are embracing it. You really do make friends with the families.

We have a Ukrainian student (18) who is studying remotely and has decided to stay for the summer for work experience. Ira just turned 18 in January 2026.

We have a Spanish female guest (16) staying with us from July 5 - July 19 inclusive. A German student is staying for the same dates.

NOTE: Our academic places are full from September - December 2026 with availability in the second term commencing January 2027.

Our Region

So a little about our region, we live in a beautiful town center townhouse in Claremorris which is less than a minute walk from public transport, gyms, and shops. It is very safe here. We are very close to the countryside also.

The secondary school (all-girls school) is a 10-minute walk away. For academic places, we typically drop our students in the morning and they walk home with their friends in the evenings.

More about us is that we are a kind and engaging family who very much enjoys hosting! While helping improve English, we aim to leave a lasting memory as we see the trip as one of personal growth as can be seen from our reviews ☺️.

As a family, we eat together every day.

As part of the activities, they include cooking (I usually cook everything from scratch) and I love to teach.

After meals, we play games or talk together. Sometimes the children just want some TV time, and if the weather is nice, we go out to our garden. We might do art or have a game of “spot it”. Our children can be quite entertaining.

Our home is professionally cleaned and sometimes we have a housekeeper help out.

Our Family

At the moment, the children enjoy swimming lessons and soccer on Saturdays. I make buttermilk pancakes every Saturday morning. We do art almost every day, listen to music, and cook. Football has become quite popular as the boys are getting older.

On Sundays when the weather is good, we go to the beach or different parks.

On weekdays, there are two different parks to visit within walking distance that we can visit with our children. We could also bring a picnic.

We do not allow the children to see anyone on mobile phones (as they are not allowed one), so we just ask that that is respected. Of course, carry a phone and take pictures, but we just ask for no scrolling and hope that’s okay.

Local Amenities/Things to Do - ideas for activities I can drop guests to if they wish

Public transport is walking distance from our home (only a 2-minute walk to the train or bus), so easy access to places around Ireland.

Close by is a riding school (5-minute drive) https://hanleyshorses.com/ and a golf course.

Walking distance (1 minute) are swimming pools, tennis courts, handball alley, squash courts, youth club (non-name club). There are scouts here and lots of gym classes again within walking distance such as Pilates and yoga.

Our home is attached to the GAA pitch which frequently has native Irish Gaelic matches to watch.

Claremorris theatre is a 2-minute walk from our home.

There is also Moorhall and other local cultural sites to visit such as Turlough House, which is a local museum.

We can consider a visit to the grounds of Ashford Castle and sign up for a boat trip.

Enniscrone has a blue flag beach and seaweed baths.

A trip to Galway is usually part of the excursions which includes a trip to the museum, visiting some shops to get gifts for family, and trying one of the restaurants there. Always get lovely photos on that trip and I stay around as a tour guide.

If you wish to have English classes, we have a nanny so private lessons can be provided in the mornings.