TY French Trip 2026

Welcome Note

The school year is flying by and it is hard to believe that we are now only a month away from the TY French trip. The next few weeks will see us all preparingand packing and we are very grateful to you as parents/guardians for your continued support at home with your child//children in relation to this trip.

We now are 1 more sleeps to embarking on our mission to Paris.

We are hoping that your child will have a lovely cultural and fun experience and that the trip will be one that is enjoyable for everyone.

Please be mindful that this is during our holiday time and we are giving up time with our own families to bring your child on this experience. Please remind your child to adhere to the school Code of Behaviour and the school Tours Policy. We ask that they represent our school with pride while exploring the beautiful cities of Paris and Caen. We want this trip to be memorable for all the right reasons, and your support in reinforcing our school values is invaluable.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. Thank you for your cooperation and support in ensuring a successful and enjoyable trip for everyone involved.

Le dea-mhéin

Eoin, Andrew, Mary Ellen & Niall

Below are some final details to take note of.

School mobile phone

083 4775320

Bus to and from school

• Meet in Eoin's classroom at 12:45 on Thursday 12th of February
• We will be leaving shortly after this for Dublin Port
• We will return to the school by bus on Thursday 19th of February c. 12:30

What to bring:

• Passport
• EHIC
• Day bag
• Money (recommended c. €250)
• Students will be buying lunch and evening meals themselves, apart from 1 evening meal on Sunday.
• There will be opportunities to shop
• Weather in Paris and Caen similar to Ireland - prepare for rain and cold
• Clothes for 7 day
• Rain coat
• Warm clothes & scarf
• Change of shoes/runners
• Toiletries
• European plug
• Phone charger
• Sea sickness tablets
• Any medication that might be needed

Before boarding the bus at the school students are required to

• Hand their passports to their respective assigned teacher for safe keeping
• Give €55 to their respective assigned teacher
• €5 to cover city taxes
• €50 refundable if no noise at night and rooms are not damaged in the hotels.

Metro App

1. See below

As we prepare to set sail for France this Thursday, we ask that all students have the app "BONJOUR RATP" downloaded to their phone. The purpose of this app is to be able to download a digital metro card that students can use while in Paris.

• Step 1 - Download the app 'BONJOUR RATP'
• Step 2- Accept the terms and conditions of the app and approve 'push notifications' from this app when asked
• Step 3 - Click on 'Tickets' in the bottom right hand corner of the app
• Step 4 - Create a Navigo card (this is the free online metro card that is created and linked to your phone)
• Step 5 - Click the shopping bag icon and then click 'Tickets - for occasional trip'
• Step 6 - Students can add 'Metro-Train Tickets', priced at €2.55. We ask that students pay for 8 tickets.

We hope that ther instrctions above work and that you see how this app will mean a lot less queueing for us as a group at each individual Paris metro station. If there are issues with any of these steps, don't panic. The train ride from Cherbourg to Paris is just under 4 hours long and the team will be checking in with each student and their Bonjour RATP app on this journey. As long as the students have the app downloaded, they can top up anytime using a bank card.

In advance of Thursday's meeting, we ask that Survey 1 be completed by all, with Survey 2 being optional.

1. Medical Needs Register	Medical Needs Register (TY French Trip 2026) – Fill out form
2. Outstanding Questions (about the Trip)	Outstanding Questions In Advance of the Information Session – Fill out form

Overview Plan & Detailed Schedule

Below you will find both the overview plan and the detailed schedule for the 2026 TY French Trip.

The overview plan is simple to read and provides quick information on the key travel moments and the overnight locations. This overview plan is short by design so that it provides both students and parents/guardians in an accessible format.

The detailed plan is longer to read and outlines many more details such as specific travel times and the daily activities and experiences.

Overview Plan

	Key Locations	Accommodation Location
Thursday 12th February	Firhouse ETSS to Dublin Port (private bus departing school at 14:00) Dublin to Cherbourg (Irish Ferries)	Irish Ferries
Friday 13th February	Cherbourg to Paris (train)	Paris
Saturday 14th February	Paris	Paris
Sunday 15th February	Paris	Paris
Monday 16th February	Paris to Caen (train) Tour of Normandy (private bus)	Caen
Tuesday 17th February	Caen to Cherbourg (train) Cherbourg to Dublin (Irish Ferries)	Irish Ferries
Wednesday 18th February	Dublin Port to Firhouse ETSS (private bus arriving at school at approx. 14:30)	N/A