Study Ireland – Stories & Guides from International Students

Dia duit! Hello! And Good Day! (pronounced dee-ah g-witch) 

You may be wondering if there are dorms on campus or if international students live with a host family. What is housing accommodation like? I live in the Plassey Residence Village, which is pretty much a small apartment complex. There are several villages located throughout the campus to accommodate all the students. Each village is comprised of small apartments, each with its own door to the outside. Plassey Village is only about a 15-minute walk to the center of campus and most of my classes. This is pretty typical for all the villages. Each apartment houses four, six, or eight people. My apartment has four bedrooms, each equipped with a twin-sized bed (suitable for a single person), four storage drawers underneath, a desk and chair, a wardrobe, and a sink with cabinet space underneath. We also have a shared living space with a couch, TV, dining table and chairs, and a kitchen.  

I live with 3 other lovely ladies, although some arrangements are co-ed. We love living together this semester, and I couldn’t be happier with how my housing arrangements turned out. We’ve settled into a routine in the evenings of making dinner and watching a few episodes of Gilmore Girls. I love experimenting in the kitchen, which I share with only the three girls. Friday nights are our pizza and movie nights, and we look forward to them every week!  

We have a routine of going shopping together each weekend. We make a list of places we need to visit, such as the Milk Market (a farmers’ market), Savvas Music store for Irish tin whistles, Dunnes for groceries or clothes, Penny’s for clothes, Michael Guiney’s for kitchen things, and a local shop for a sweet treat or coffee! We plan our day and make our shopping lists. We check the 304 and 304A bus routes and times (always estimated, as it’s usually a few minutes late). We spend the morning or most of the day in town, making Dunnes our last stop for groceries before catching the bus back to the village. Plassey Village has a bus stop just across the street from the village reception office. 

As the University of Limerick hosts over 18,000 students, there are several new things I am not accustomed to. The laundry room in my village has three washers and three dryers for over 40 apartments. Having to share the laundry room with many others, you have to schedule time to do your laundry. There are two bathrooms in my apartment, shared among four girls, and I’m used to sharing a bathroom with many other girls in a dormitory. 

Here are a few limericks I wrote about living in Limerick, Ireland! 

I live in a village called Plassey, 

The weather is not too nasty. 🌦️🌈 

With Nessa and Eli, and Katie, 

We four girls live steady. 

We are all pretty classy. 

In the village, four girls live. 

Many memories we give. 

Apartments are vast. 

But we all will last. 

Our kitchen has no sieve. 

Dishes and plates we had. 

Upon our arrival, we were glad. 

To the store we must go. 

And tote bags in tow. 

The bus with us and our cargo. 

Four bedrooms for four. 

We have lots of doors. 

Twelve you see 

And this must be 

For we have things to store. 

To Guiney’s we shall ‘venture, 

For I must have a blender. 

Soup I want to create 

But puree need to make. 

This has brought me much splendor. 

Studying and staying in Limerick, 

It must be considered a picnic. 

Little friends do we see, 🕷️ 

That should be in a tree. 🐝 

Our kitchen comes with sidekicks.