Let's start at the very beginning
It all started in 1964, when John McNichols led a group of American students to Ireland on an intercultural programme. The group's visit marked the very first EIL activity in Ireland. Fifty years on, John visits the EIL offices in Cork and speaks to Jo-Anne about his experience.
The whole concept of taking yourself out of your comfort zone and learning to live in another society is a bit of a contrived experience because you're only there for four or five weeks, but if you let yourself go and become a functioning member of your host family, as I believe most of my group of students did, it will change your life. I believe our trip to Ireland in 1964 had a positive effect on everybody. The Irish experience broadened our horizons tremendously as individuals and the students went home with a different experience than they had lived their whole lives.
So, how did Ireland in 1964 appear to a group of young American students? Take a look at some of the photos from their trip...






