Atlantic School of English & Active Leisure

The Atlantic School of English & Active Leisure sits in the centre of Schull, a traditional harbour town on the Mizen Peninsula in West Cork, along the Wild Atlantic Way. Founded in 1999 and family-run, the school combines English language teaching with an outdoor and cultural programme, drawing on its coastal setting a short walk from the water.

The school runs year-round courses for adults, from general and business English to specialist and one-to-one tuition, alongside teacher training. During Easter and the summer it offers immersive programmes for juniors aged 9 to 17 and younger children, as well as online courses. It holds ACELS accreditation and is an Erasmus+ provider, with Cambridge Linguaskill and Trinity College London affiliations.

What sets the school apart is the “Active Leisure” element woven around lessons. Water-based activities include sailing, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, body boarding, swimming and boat trips, with sailing taught at a centre on the same site. Land and creative options range from hiking, tennis, football and horse riding to Irish cooking, dance, arts and crafts, and film and music making. Activities are run at approved centres with qualified instructors, and the surrounding landscape and Irish culture of South West Cork form part of the learning experience.