Language courses in Limerick: free LCETB English, UL evening courses, Irish classes and Alliance Française

Quick answer: Limerick and Clare ETB offers free English language skills courses for adults. For other languages, the University of Limerick charges €375 for 40 hours of evening classes (€200 concession), UL’s Irish evening courses cost €180 for 10 weeks, and Alliance Française de Limerick charges €396 a term for adult French. Limerick library members can use Transparent Language free.

Free English through Limerick and Clare ETB

Limerick City and County Council’s guide for new communities says Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board (LCETB) offers free English language skills courses for adults: the College of FET assesses your reading, writing, listening and speaking and places you in a class. LCETB also runs ESOL, and the council page notes clinical English support for Ukrainian healthcare workers and other recognised refugees who need an English score to register with a health regulator. Contact LCETB’s course choices team on its freephone number to start.

ETB evening language classes

LCETB’s College of FET on Mulgrave Street runs part-time evening courses, some fee-paying and some funded. Its 2026 list includes:

Course	Award
Irish for Beginners	QQI Level 3
Spanish Beginners; Italian Beginners	QQI Level 3
Spanish Continuation; Italian Continuation	QQI Level 4
French Beginners; German Beginners; Ukrainian for Beginners	Certificate of attendance

The college does not publish the fee for each evening course; it asks you to email its adult education office. Full-time courses at the college are fully funded.

University of Limerick

UL’s School of Modern Languages and Applied Linguistics runs evening language courses in French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Arabic and Chinese. Each course has 40 hours of classes over 20 weeks, from the week of 21 September 2026 to April 2027, one evening a week from 6pm to 8pm, in person or online. The fee is €375, or €200 at the student rate, which also covers refugees, job seekers, people living with a disability and people aged 65 and over. Online payment through TransferMate adds a €10 fee.

UL’s Irish-language office (Aonad na Gaeilge) runs 10-week general Irish courses for €180, or €90 at the student rate on the same terms. A morning discussion group for fluent speakers costs €50. Courses run subject to demand. For certificates in Irish, see how the TEG Irish-language certificate works.

Alliance Française de Limerick

The Alliance Française at 7 Pery Square is the oldest in Ireland, founded in 1944 as the Limerick French Circle. Its 2026/27 adult classes started on 14 September, with morning, afternoon and evening groups of 90 minutes a week, and are priced at €396 a term. Teen and children’s classes cost €272 a term. It also offers an online programme and DELF exams.

Free language help at the library

Limerick City and County Library Service gives members Transparent Language Online, covering more than 100 languages, and Kidspeak for children over six. You sign up with your library card number.

Private lessons and schools: typical prices

We did not find a published source for typical private tutor rates in Limerick. For national ranges, see our Ireland language course costs guide.

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How to choose a language course in Limerick

Language classes are not licensed like a trade, so compare providers on what they publish and what they will put in writing:

Level and hours. Ask which level the course starts and finishes at and how many teaching hours it includes. Most providers use the CEFR scale in our guide to CEFR levels A1 to C2.
Price per hour, not per course. The courses on this page run from 15 to 48 hours, so divide the fee by the teaching hours before you compare.
What is extra. Textbooks, membership, exam entry and payment charges are often added on top of tuition.
Accreditation. Ask whether the course leads to a QQI award, university credits, a certificate of attendance or nothing formal. For English schools recruiting students from abroad, ask whether the school holds the ACELS/QQI quality mark it claims and check it with QQI.
Minimum numbers and refunds. Several providers here only run a class if enough people enrol, and some fees are non-refundable once the course starts. Ask for the policy in writing.
QQI or not. Several College of FET language courses lead to a QQI Level 3 or 4 component. If you want a record of your level, ask which award you will get.

Language course providers in Limerick

These providers appear in public business and education listings for Limerick. We have not checked their teaching, prices or accreditation, and they have not paid to appear.