As native German language teachers, we always encourage our students to visit Germany to embrace the German language and the German culture. Due to the current pandemic this is not possible, however you can still have a taste of Germany right here in Ireland.
Shopping
Aldi and Lidl are the German supermarkets that everyone knows in Ireland, however there is a really cool homeware brand here too. Despite the Irish sounding name, Butlers homeware is a German retail store based in Stephen’s Green shopping centre, think of tiger and Ikea mixed together and you have this cool home furniture and accessories shop. This retail giant has 120 stores across Europe, and is a firm favourite here with Irish shoppers.
Food and Drink
It is such a pleasure to have German retailers Lidl and Aldi here in Ireland, with their high quality, low cost food and drink, and the odd necessity in the middle aisle, but you can have a taste of Germany outside these stores too. You can also get a taste of Germany at the Howth market with Frank’s German Sausage offering an array of bratwurst every weekend, and also available for BBQ’s and catering. If bread is one of your diet staples (like most of us) then you can purchase amazing German breads all across Ireland from Cork to Dublin, and everywhere in between. Check out Bretzel Bakery in Dublin, Bread and Roses in Cork, and one we have heard so much about, Bácús Bhréanainn in Dingle, Co Kerry.
If you’re in the mood for an authentic German restaurant, and you’re based in Co Wexford, look no further than Schnitzel House Wexford, where they serve everything from sweet treats, don’t forget us Germans love our coffee and cake, to Currywurst, Schnitzel and more.
If you would like to know more about traditional German foods check out our blog.
German books
All students learning German at GermanMind know this book shop very well: International Books in Dublin 2. This store offers German books for fun and education, with GermanMind students receiving a 10% discount off all purchases. This book store is a great spot to get lost in literature, and find your course material, as well as the latest German thriller or romance novel, postcards and t-shirts. If you need any recommendations, or have any questions on materials, please email us.
German language Groups and Meetups
We always encourage our students to hang out together after class and learn German together in a relaxed atmosphere, whether that is online or offline (restrictions pending). Wait for more information about our German Kaffeeklatsch on Saturdays!
here is also a Dublin German Speakers MeetUp group online who do similar, and offer an online space for people learning German to practice and improve their language skills.
The German Irish Chamber of Industry and Commerce is a group we tell our German business students to connect with. This organisation promotes trade and investment between Ireland and Germany, with companies such as Allianz, Siemens and Bayer offering insights into their industries here in Ireland. They offer a number of free webinars which may be useful to attend for language skills, but also business knowledge in a number of arenas. Check out their schedule here.
Whether you try some German food, watch some German movies on Netflix (music and movies help you learn German quicker), or hang out with fellow students, it is all bonus time spent embracing Germany and improving your ability to retain the language and learn new words and phrases along the way.
With a 5% discount on all group courses this month (code: germanmind), why don’t you embrace the German language with Ireland’s number one German language school in Dublin 2. Our new courses are beginning soon, and we would love to see you there - online or at school! Check out our courses now!