5 Good Friday traditions you didn't know existed

In Ireland, preparation for Easter usually starts on the first day of Lent, forty days before Easter Sunday. From the first day of Lent, Irish people would stop eating meat but would also quit something they cherish such as a favourite food, alcohol or even television. Until 2018 it was illegal to sell alcoholic beverages in Ireland on Good Friday and was one of the very rare days throughout the year when pubs would have to close! 

Good Friday has always been treated as a day of rest in Ireland with no outdoor work taking place. If you are also choosing to rest this Good Friday, why not read about 5 Irish Good Friday traditions you probably never heard of! 

1. Many women believed Good Friday was the best day to get a haircut due to the belief that on Good Friday hair would grow back thicker and longer.  

2. Speaking of hair, washing your hair on Good Friday was thought to guard against headaches.  

3. It was a time old belief that anything planted on Good Friday was certain to grow.  

4. Plant your garlic to use as a remedy against winter coughs 

5. Take off your shoes and socks and put them away for the summer. Being barefoot on Good Friday also guaranteed freedom from colds for the rest of the year. 

The History of St. Stephen's Green, Dublin

In the very centre of Dublin’s shopping district lies one of Ireland’s most well-known public parks – St. Stephen’s Green. This historical park is cared for by the Office of Public Works and is an important public resource as it provides an oasis of green calm in the middle of this bustling city!

The park has a complex and interesting history, being involved in the 1916 Easter Rising and was a regular walking spot for the likes of historical figures Arthur Guinness and Countess Constance Markievicz. The park itself hosts a large number of important sculptural monuments to Irish history.


St. Stephen’s Green is the perfect place for a mid-day walk, or to clear your head after a busy day in work. It’s become a popular destination not only for locals, but tourists also!

Have you visited St. Stephen’s Green yet?

5 Reasons Why HCAs are Essential to the Healthcare Industry 

We all know how important the role of a Nurse or Doctor plays in the healthcare industry, but unfortunately all too often the role of a Health Care Assistant (HCA) is overlooked. Health Care Assistants aid, support and direct personal care to patients and residents in a variety of institutional settings, such as hospitals, clinics and nursing homes. It is a role which requires a lot of knowledge, energy, and compassion.

In Ireland, hospitals are constantly in need of reliable Health Care Assistants, making it one of the most in-demand roles in 2022. As an HCA, your services will be highly valued by a variety of medical organisations in Ireland, and you will often be working alongside other healthcare professionals. While your duties may vary, you will always be a vital part of the hospital team.

The past few years have shown, more than ever, that healthcare workers are a vital part of our society and will always remain so. Although it can be a challenging profession, the rewards will make it worthwhile.

Why HCAs are so essential:

  1. They spend a majority of their time with patients – When you are visiting a family member or loved one in a hospital or healthcare setting, the person that will likely spend most time with the patient is a HCA. They are there to look after their patients, and make your stay more comfortable whilst you are in the hospital. They also act as an important support role for families and loved ones.
  1. They do important day-to-day tasks – Whether you are in a hospital, care or nursing home, patients will need to receive person centered care. Looking after one's daily needs is an important part of the role of an HCA. These tasks offer valuable experience for those beginning their career within the healthcare sector, and allow you to understand your role very well.  
  1. They form important relationships – A stated before, HCAs will spend a majority of their time with their patients and are therefore more likely to form valuable relationships with them. Unfortunately, this can be both positive and negative for the HCA, and is one of the more difficult aspects of the job. Overall, these relationships make the patients feel more comfortable, and know they are safe and being looked after. It is also important to make your patients feel at ease by discussing topics that they are particularly interested in, even small talk can help alleviate their loneliness.
  1. They are there in a time of need – If a patient wakes up in the middle of the night quite uncomfortable, unable to move or has suffered an accident, the role of the HCA is to tend to their patient's needs. The HCA will often be the first point of contact for patients, and another reason why relationship building is so important. It is also important for the patients family to know their loved one is in safe hands.
  1. They learn patients' individual needs – HCAs often learn the needs of individual patients and are therefore able to provide person centered care. Maybe one person is only able to drink water, compared to another who has a fear of needles. These are issues that HCA's will come to learn on a personal one-to-one basis, and often try to accommodate as best they can. 

How to become a Health Care Assistant in Ireland?

If you would like to start your journey of becoming a qualified Health Care Assistant - then Dorset College Dublin is here to help you! Our Health Care Support and Nursing Studies programmes equip our learners with all the knowledge, skills, and competence to work in a wide range of sectors throughout the healthcare industry. You will experience a friendly student-centered learning environment with industry professionals to support, mentor and guide you.

In terms of career progression and employability, healthcare stands out above many other professions. Healthcare remains one of the best career options in terms of both current job prospects and future industry growth.

If you would like more information about any of our healthcare courses, or where to start on your HCA journey, please email [email protected] to speak with a Sales Advisor.

GradIreland Graduate Careers Fair 2022

GradIreland is the official graduate career website in Ireland, who publish a wide range of career publications, including directories and career sector guides, and organize Ireland's leading graduate events such as the Graduate Careers Fair. 

The GradIreland Graduate Careers fair is Ireland’s largest careers fair held annually in September. Taking place in Hall 8 of the RDS Dublin, this is a free event for graduates to experience real events, conversations and meetings with top employers and postgraduate employers. Throughout the day, there will be many talks and seminars taking place with information and advice from industry professionals.  

The GradIreland Graduate Career fair offers attendees the opportunity to get their CV reviewed and ready for job applications, find internships/graduate programmes and attend exclusive live seminars.  

By attending this careers fair, you are building and interacting and talking with various top employers and it is a fantastic way to start the networking process, especially when you are a new graduate. By speaking with them you can take the next step on your career path! 

Register for the event here: https://gradireland.com/events/gradireland-graduate-careers-fair  

The Road to Kerry (Student Diary)

Danaé Danycan was a Semester Abroad learner over from Epita, one of Dorset College Dublin’s partner schools, who spent time studying in Ireland. To make the most of her Irish experience, Danaé and three friends decided to leave behind the bustling City Centre for a long weekend to discover another beautiful part of Ireland – the county of Kerry. This is how their trip went...  

Thursday:  

We took to the road at 11 am as it is only a three-hour drive between Dublin and Tralee, in Kerry, where we have reserved our Airbnb for our trip. We took a break in Cashel to visit The Rock of Cashel and have a walk in this lovely city. 

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Arrived in Kerry!
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Friday:  

We began our journey on the road to Valentia Island, this is where we saw beautiful landscapes with great cliffs. Our destination was Valentia Island and port where we tried to see Valentia's cliffs. Unfortunately, it was very rainy so we didn't see anything.

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Saturday: 

Our destination of the day was Killarney. There are so many great things to do in this place. We chose to visit Ross Castle and have a walk in the park before going to Killarney's national park to see Muckross Abbey. It was a very nice and mysterious place where there wasn’t anybody and it's possible to go into the Abbey and climb the stairs.  

After that we went to see Torc Waterfall and we drove on beautiful roads to come back to Tralee. 

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Always exploring!

Sunday:  

We had to return to Dublin on Sunday as we had our classes on Monday morning. On the way we took the time to go to Limerick and visit Bunratty Castle and the lovely reconstituted village. 

Over the four days of our trip, we had paid €100 per person overall for the house, food, car and entrance fees, which we felt was very resonable.

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ST Alphe In-Person+ Conference

The ST Alphe InPerson+ Conference 2022 was a two-day event held in Dublin, Ireland, which offered the opportunity for language providers, higher education institutions and service professionals to meet in person with agencies from across the world. This conference introduced agents from various Irish institutions, such as Dorset College Dublin, to help recruit international students for language and degree courses, and showcase the brilliant opportunities available to students who wish to study in Ireland.  

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Alphe Conference

  

The conference was sponsored by ELE Ireland (English Language Education Ireland) who are a group of professional, globally recognised and quality-driven Irish institutions based across Ireland. ELE Ireland comes together to showcase Ireland as a great place to come study English and highlight language schools across the county. ELE Ireland proactively enhances the positive experience of English language students and staff, and Dorset College is proud to be a founding member of this organisation.  

The conference took place from May 20th – 22nd at the Castleknock Hotel in Dublin City Centre. Dorset College Dublin’s Director of Sales & Marketing, Nathalya Musa, represented the college and spoke with various agents from Mongolia, France, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, Brazil and much more! The importance of education and strengthening the relationship with agencies for international students was the aim of this conference. 

 

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Founding members of ELE Ireland

As the ST Alphe Conference Manager, Ash Rees notes that ‘Ireland is already established as one of the most popular destinations for English language study, and is a burgeoning destination for students. With many companies expanding and globalising their teams, now is a better time than ever to learn English and expand your career opportunities. 

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The Conference is a great opportunity to meet Agents from across the world

Dorset College Dublin offers in-person Pre-Sessional, General & Business English classes as well as Professional and Bachelor’s degrees. If you would be interested in learning more about these courses, our Sales Advisor would be happy to discuss this further with you.  

Find out more about ELE Ireland and future ST Alphe Conferences: https://www.ele-ireland.ie/  

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ST Alphe Conference Logo

Find out more about ELE Ireland and future ST Alphe Conferences: https://www.ele-ireland.ie/  

Happy Pride Month!

Every year, throughout the month of June, people of all backgrounds come together to celebrate LGBTQIA+ communities, and recognise the progress they continue to make towards creating inclusive spaces for everyone.

While we’ve come a long way since the Stonewall Riots of 1969, we need to continue working hard to raise awareness, challenge negative attitudes, and to encourage greater diversity and inclusiveness across society.

Dorset College Dublin wishes everyone a safe and happy Pride Month!

Hello, How R U? - Mental Health Campaign

Mental Health Campaign 

Mental health Ireland held their ‘Hello, How R U?’ campaign on Thursday, the 7th of April 2022. Hello, How Are You? is a mental health promotion campaign which supports people to confidently connect with others and to have open conversations about mental health and wellbeing. This campaign also supports empowerment through the provision of reliable information of mental Health services in Ireland, and signpost helpful resources for those seeking help.  

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Campaign Logo

The aim of this campaign is to tackle the lack of connection or belonging that many people experience by inspiring individuals to ask how others are feeling. This invites people to open conversations, listen and encourage action to help those who may need it.  

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The five steps of H.E.L.L.O

Dorset College ran a coffee morning in conjunction with the Hello, How R U campaign giving learners the opportunity to meet with one another to create a safe space and encourage conversations and active listening. The tables in the canteen were decorated with cakes, biscuits, treats, and posters explaining the Hello, How R U campaign to highlight the importance of mental health and wellbeing.  

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Campaign set-up
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Events such as the Hello, How R U campaign are a reminder of the importance of talking to one another and connecting in a genuine manner. With learners back in the college again, now is a better time than ever to sit down, chat and engage in thoughtful conversations. It was great to see students from various countries and cultures actively listening to one another and openly discussing issues surrounding mental health, in both Ireland and abroad.  

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 Helpful Mental Health resources: 

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