EASTON -- The 44 students in the International Travel Study Program at Oliver Ames High School spent the April school vacation in Ireland and England.

The trip was organized by Eveline Johnson, a social studies teacher at the high school, through the American Council for International Studies, an educational travel agency based in Boston.

This was the 14th trip to Europe since the program began in 1988. In addition to previous trips to Ireland and England, the destinations have included France, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and Russia.

All costs for the program were paid by the students and their families. The students attended meetings to prepare for the trip and researched English and Irish art, history, geography, culture, customs and currency. They received academic credit for meeting all requirements.

This year’s trip, "Romans, Vikings and Celts," began with two days in Dublin, where the students stayed a short walk from the city center. They visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral, where they met Dean Robert MacCarthy, and Trinity College. During free time they visited art, history and natural science museums and sites connected with the 1916 revolution.

After a ferry ride across the Irish Sea to Holyhead, Wales, the group spent an afternoon at Conwy Castle, which was built by King Edward I in the late 13th century.

The students continued to Chester, site of the largest Roman fortress in England. They walked the city’s 2,000-year-old walls and its medieval shopping street and toured its historic cathedral, where Handel’s "Messiah" was performed for the first time in 1742.

A two-day stay in York gave the students an opportunity to see the York Minister, one of the world’s most spectacular cathedrals. Some attended an Easter Vigil service presided over by the Anglican Archbishop of York, while others attended services at nearby St. Wilfrid’s Catholic Church.

Other memorable sights included the ancient city walls, a medieval alley called the Shambles and Clifford's Tower, a hilltop castle built by Henry III in 1270 on the side of a wooden fort built by William the Conqueror in 1086. The students also took part in a ghost walk that explored the offbeat side of the city’s history.

On their way to London, the group stopped for several hours in Stratford-in-Avon to see Shakespeare’s birthplace and the home of his wife, Anne Hathaway.

Their stay in London included a city tour highlighted by a climb to the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral and a stop at St. James’s Palace and Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard.

The students also visited the British Museum and spent free time at Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, Covent Garden, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus. Some also took advantage of the opportunity to ride the Eye, the ferris wheel that towers over the Thames, and others visited Abbey Road, where the Beatles recorded many of their albums. Many students also went to Harrod’s, either to shop or to have tea.

In another highlight, the group attended an evening performance of "Phantom of the Opera" at Her Majesty’s Theatre in the West End.

Students participating in this year’s trip were Eric Andrews, Kenneth Bernstein, Stacie Binney, Joseph Boerman, Nicole Cassaro, Sean Connolly, Elizabeth Conrad, Allison Day, Danielle Degrandis, Justin Derrick, Ashley Douglas, Erin Drummey, Benjamin Faust, Erica Fuld, Ryan Gallagher, Kathryn Gammons, Valentina Geba, Kristen Gilson, Jacob Graff, Maria Hadge, Nicholas Hanney, Nicholas Karavetsos, Thomas Kelly III, Julie Kent, Stephen Lima, Eric Lyons, Christopher Maggio, David Malone, Samantha Merola, Taylor McGillvray, McKenzie Miller, Kyle Mowatt, Holly Nobrega, Zachary Norton, Eric Olsen, Elaina Pires, Heather Ross, Kyle Sullivan, Michael Tanner, Brendan Toomey, Elizabeth Waldron, Keith Weiner, Alicia Whalen and Avery White

In addition to Eveline Johnson and her husband, Ken, adults accompanying the group were English teacher Sue Hadge and her husband, William, and Sue Merola, an aide at Moreau Hall Elementary School.

Next year’s trip will be to Greece, with overnights stays in Athens, the island of Santorini and the charming seaside village of Naufplion. More than 50 students and parents have already signed up. Registrations are still being accepted, but space is limited. For more information, contact Mrs. Johnson or Mrs. Hadge at the high school, or visit the website for the trip at home.comcast.net/kmj53/2007trip.html.