Irish School of Excellence

Robert McCarthy .

Rob spends most of his time on the rugged west coast of Co.Clare. He lives by the sea in the well known surfing town of Lahinch.

Originally from Cornwall in the UK, Rob first came to Ireland in the summer of 2006 - “In search of my heritage and some good waves”.

Rob is a qualified Lifeguard and Surf Instructor and in the summer you can find him on the beach, working with a local Surf School, taking groups of novice surfers out into the water to safely enjoy the waves.

Lahinch is one of a growing number of towns to have it's own first-response team for cardiac emergencies. With his extensive first-aid and rescue training Rob was an obvious choice to be part of the team; 'We work together to provide 24 hr cover, 365 days a year, just in case somebody needs us.'

He is also a fully qualified Swimming Teacher and still finds time each week to teach classes at his local swimming pool for the nearby National Schools.

As if he were not in the water enough already, he even spends his spare time in or on the waves. When he is not swimming with dolphins or out on his boat he is pursuing his passion for surfing.

When we talk about surfing and surfers, we are talking about a life-style choice; ‘In other sports you can just pic up your equipment and go when the mood takes you but with surfing it’s different. The ocean, swell, wind and tides all have to come together at the right time to form the perfect waves.’

‘Surfers live day-to-day with one eye on the weather charts and you rarely find a surfer with a 9 to 5 job; that’s why I enjoy the flexibility and variety that comes with co-ordinating our driving program for schools'.

Rob is very active in the environmental movement and works in several different groups to respond to the challenges of Climate Change and pollution.

Being involved with cars and driving might seem an unusual career choice for an environmentalist but Rob has been working with The Irish School of Excellence to develop the ISO’s Green Driver Program to help educate our students to the environmental impacts of car use.

‘I’m very glad of the opportunity to work with Kieran and the Irish School of Excellence to promote better drivers and ultimately save lives on our roads!’

Polish Classes

Polish students with a difficulty with English can receive Tuition with our night classes run by our instructor Magdalena Musial. Magdalena has already taught over 70 students over the past year and they have all passed even though some of her students had no English whatsoever. Magdalena teaches with the Driver theory CD but with Polish Translations handouts, which has proved to be a huge success. Along with helping her Students to get their permit for driving, Magdalena stresses with great detail to her students the importance of safe driving for both her students and the other road users. Magdalena can be contacted at Magdalena@irishsoe.com or 085-1324966 for more details and booking appointments.

Sign Language Classes

We would also like to hear from students with hearing difficulties as we are in a position to deliver classes through sign language.