Teachers of the Center for Modern Foreign Languages visited Mary Immaculate College in Ireland☘
Our colleagues exchanged experiences, were inspired by a new culture, and are happy to share their impressions with UCU community.

We are sincerely happy for the team and share their photos ❤

“The second week of March in Ireland feels almost like in Ukraine – all rain and bone-chilling humidity, but all the trees are already in bloom. “Spring is considered to begin in February here,” tells us Dr. Conchúr Ó Brolcháin, Lecturer of the Irish Language at Mary Immaculate College in Limerick. He goes on to share profound insights about the linguistic map of Ireland and, with swift, confident strokes, paints a picture of how and why the linguistic scene there has been changing over the past couple of centuries.
We also get to meet Dr. Eugene O`Brien, Head of the Department of English Language and Literature, who
talks about the work of their Department and outlines the role it has played in organizing an English
Summer School for Ukrainian refugees. Dr. Anne O`Keeffe, Senior Lecturer at the Department of English
Language, gives a beautiful presentation about their research into corpus linguistics and its applications in
language teaching. On the spot, we start brainstorming and exchanging ideas; ultimately, we end up having
another meeting the next day to follow up and consolidate new approaches that surely will become an
important part of our teaching toolkit.
Giana Hennigan and Dr. Joan O`Sullivan, Lecturers at the Department of English Language & Literature, are
our colleagues who are involved in teaching English as a second language. We find that we have so much in
common: both victories and rewards as well as challenges and frustrations of language teaching in the
present day and age. We discuss the creation of tailored courses for students, language immersion, and
translanguaging – it’s nice to talk shop with people who have a similar experience.
We do a presentation on Education in Ukraine in a cozy room, made welcome with friendly glances and
encouraging smiles. We speak about our University and all its educational merits; we speak about our
community that actually brings life to the robust academic foundation we rely on. There’s not a dry eye in
the house afterward, friendships are forged, and plans are made as we find more and more avenues for
future cooperation.
Ireland stops you in your tracks with its formidable stone brick medieval beauty, but much like with
Ukraine, its biggest asset is the people”, – Oksana Mykytka, English lecturer