Birmingham-Southern College, AL, Literary Tour of Ireland, Jan 12 26, Wednesday January 12, Theme: Ireland s premier Ancient Temple.

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1 Day 1. Wednesday January 12, Theme: Ireland s premier Ancient Temple am Arrival at Dublin Airport. Clear customs. Meet your guide and coach. Opportunity to use an ATM machine in the airport before departure. [NOTE: a PIN no. is required to use all ATM machines in Ireland] Depart Dublin airport New Grange- AV show, visit replica of New Grange, Exhibitions, Bookshop. We have booked for Shuttle bus to visit the original Passage Tomb/ Temple/ Astrological site Lunch at Boyne Valley Visitor Centre- in self-service restaurant Drive to Buswell s Hotel 3.45pm Arrive Buswells Hotel, 25 Molesworth St, Dublin pm. Rest or Sleep recommended. 7.30pm Welcome Dinner. Day 2 Thursday January 13, 2011 Theme: Literary Dublin Continental Breakfast Depart by bus to James Joyce Tower and Museum, Sandycove Lunch at Writers Museum The Writers Museum. Self guided tour, using audio headphones short time allowed in the book & gift shop 2.15pm -Depart from Writers Museum walking. ( 10 min. walk) Tour of James Joyce Centre, North Great George s St. & guided walking tour of Joycean Dublin pm -Sculpture of Cuchulainn in the GPO, enroute to our hotel. -Walk back to hotel- (aprox 10 mins.) Dinner Learn Irish Dancing with Siobhan after dinner. Overnight: - Buswells Hotel Day 3 Friday January 14, Theme: Cultural Dublin Continental Breakfast Depart: walking all day Visit the National Gallery- including the Yeats Room and time permitting, some Portraits of Literary Figures The National Gallery bookshop- free time for bookshop or galleries Walk to Trinity College The Book of Kells and Old Library, Trinity College, Dublin Book of Kells Bookshop (30 mins allowed in gift/ bookshop at end) Lunch in the TCD Student buffet restaurant- self service Depart for the National Museum pm -National Museum- guided tour of the main gallery & the Treasures of Ireland room. The Audio-visual show will be included pm -Rest of evening free to explore down town Dublin. Dinner Voucher provided. Dated:

2 Day 4 Saturday Jan 15. Theme: Viking Dublin & The Yeats Exhibition Free afternoon & evening to explore Dublin Continental Breakfast Depart, walking to Dublinia. ( 15 mins ) Dublinia, the story of Viking Dublin & Christchurch Cathedral & Crypt Walk to National Library. (15 mins) Introductory guided Tour of The Yeats Exhibition at the National Library Followed by as much time as you like to look at the Exhibition in detail. -Followed by a free afternoon in Dublin Lunch and dinner Vouchers provided Dinner- Vouchers provided sharp -We gather upstairs at The Duke Pub, No 9 Duke St. off Grafton St at 7.15pm. Seats are on first come first served basis. -Late arrivals may have to stand for the first 30 minutes of the show. 7.30pm The Literary Pub Crawl begins upstairs in The Duke Pub, Duke St. Day 5: Sunday Jan 16. Sligo : Theme: Yeats Connections in Sligo Town Walking Tour of Sligo Town am Full cooked Irish Breakfast in hotel restaurant 8.50am Bring all luggage to the coach Coach departs for Sligo. Comfort stop enroute midday Coach arrives at your hotel in Sligo Lunch pm -Climb Knocknarae to see Queen Maeve s Cairn (Stone Age), led by Martin Visit Culleenamore Kitchen Midden on the shore Visit Carrowmore Passage Tomb Cemetery. (Stone Age, c. 4,000 BC) Free time Dinner Optional Traditional Music session Overnight: -Sligo Hotel. Day 6 Monday Jan. 17. Theme: Yeats Country, Sligo Choice of continental or cooked Irish breakfast 9.00am Depart by coach. Experience the landscape that inspired the poetry of WB and the paintings of Jack Yeats blended with archaeology and mythology. Experience Yeats poetry recited in the landscape that inspired it.. 1- Rosses Point was the first glimpse of home for the young Yeats children- Willy, Lilly & Lolly, returning by boat annually for the summer holidays at Merville with their maternal Pollexfen grandparents, with whom their young brother Jack lived for many years. 2 Glencar Waterfall. 3 -Drumcliffe, where great grandfather Rev John Yeats was rector, Visit Yeats Grave & the High Cross & Round Tower at this Early Christian Monastic site, excavated between by Joyce Enright- wearing her archaeologist s hat!! Lunch enroute. Dated:

3 Lissadell House- former home of the Gore-Booth family; newly refurbished with a lot of new material relating to both sisters, poet Eva (Gore-Booth) & patriot & freedom fighter, Constance, later Countess Markievicz Free time in Sligo town- a visit to wood carver, Michael Quirke, is a must Dinner Optional Traditional Music Session in the Harp Bar. Overnight: -Sligo Hotel. Day 7: Tuesday Jan. 18. Theme: Yeats Country, Sligo am -Cooked Irish Breakfast Walking tour: The sites associated with Yeats in Sligo Town include 1. Merville House, home of grandparents William & Elizabeth Pollexfen. 2. St.John s Church of Ireland, where John Yeats & Susan Pollexfen were married in & 4. The Pollexfen Offices & The Steam Navigation Offices in Wine St; 5. The Yeats Room at Sligo Co Museum and 6. The Yeats Building, home of the Yeats Society, where we see the Photographic Exhibition and Patrick Carey s film Yeats Country. - We will meet the administrator of the Yeats Society, Stella Mew. 7. The Model Niland Gallery which house the collection of Yeats Family paintings, drawings etc. (Time may not permit a visit.) Lunch Bus tour to sites around Lough Gill stopping at Tobernalt Holy Well, (Celtic Assembly site and Rag bush), part of Hazelwood Sculpture trail, Creevylea Franciscan Friary. With views of Inisfree, ( Lake Isle of Inisfree ) Dooney Rock ( Fiddler of Dooney ), Slish Wood ( Stolen Child verse,), Parke s Castle, a 17 th century Plantation semi-fortified Manor House (exterior only-closed for winter) 7.00pm -Dinner. Last night in Sligo. Day 8: Wednesday Jan 19. Theme: Opposites in Irish Life: the rich and the poor Location: Driving from Sligo to Galway Breakfast sharp -Load all luggage into the coach Depart Sligo. Drive towards Galway. Visit three sites enroute Tom Heneghan s -10-acre Farm, now a Visitor Centre. Our guide, Tom was born in the traditional 3-roomed cottage & lived here til the 1960 s when his father built a new house next door. His family lived here for over 200 years Continue towards Kylemore Abbey, now a boarding school for young ladies. Lunch enroute. Short stop at the Famine Ship at the foot of Croagh Patrick Kylemore Abbey: View the AV & visit the main reception rooms. Short walk Drive to Galway Dinner. Vouchers will be provided. Overnight -Galway Hostel, first of two nights in 4-bed ensuite rooms (bunk beds). Dated:

4 Day 9 Thursday Jan 20. Theme: am - Yeatsian Sites in Galway. Pm- Exploring medieval & 19 th century background to Literary Ireland Continental Breakfast Depart Hostel by coach, drive to Thoor Ballylee, home of WB Yeats, Visit Thoor Ballylee, exterior only, as closed to visitors in winter. The names of The Tower (1828) & The Winding Stair (1933) refer to here. -See the Wall plaque I the poet William Yeats Coole Park, home of Lady Augusta Gregory, co-founder of the Abbey Theatre and patron of the Literati. Visit the walled garden to see the autograph tree ; the Visitor Centre to see the AV on Lady Gregory (30 min); self guide yourself thru the exhibition Me and Nu, named after the book by Anne Gregory (30m) then walk around the grounds to see the site of the former Coole Park House, (the cover of the booklet Coole Park, depicts a painting of the house by W.B.Y ). -- The names of both In the Seven Woods (1904), and The Wild Swans at Coole (1919) derive from this estate at Coole Park Lunch and shopping in Bunratty Blarney Woolen Mills. -Sculpture by Fred Conlon, based on an ancient torc neck ornament Guided tour of Bunratty Castle & self-guided visit to the Folkpark Return to Kinlay Hostel, Galway Freetime in Galway. Vouchers will be provided for dinner Eddie Lenihan, Storyteller Optional Traditional music in Pub in Galway. Note:Days The trip to Inismeain is weather dependent- we go if the ferry is running. Day 10: Friday Jan 21. Theme: Synge and the Aran Islands Continental Breakfast sharp Depart, walking to the Bus departure point. NB. Important to be on time The Island Ferries bus departs from Eyre Square to Rossaveal Ferry Ferryboat from Rossaveal, Connemara, to Inismeain Island, Aran Islands Walk to & check-into accommodation in various Guesthouses. [The bags will be transferred by taxi] Irish Class in An Dun before lunch Lunch in An Dun for everyone The Guided Walking tour includes the Synge Cottage, where JM Synge stayed & wrote plays in the summers of 1898 & 1902; also a large Celtic Age stone fort or cashel, the th century Catholic Church with it s stained glass windows by Harry Clarke and a ruined Early Christian Church - (5 th -10 th century AD) Free time Group Dinner in An Dun Irish language and traditional singing class Session of Ceile Dancing in the Inismeain Pub will be led by Martin & Joyce. Overnight -Bed and Breakfast in various Guesthouses. Dated:

5 Day 11: Saturday Jan 22. Theme: Time for Reflection, Journaling & Chilling Out- day 1 Time: t.b.a. -Breakfast in your Guesthouse. -Free day on the island. -Optional: a hike around the island, led by Sam Munyer & Martin Enright, will include the Synge chair at the west end of the island(duration 4 hours min) [Sign up on Thursday am]. Departure time to be announced. -Packed lunches are available if requested at least 24 hours in advance. -Lunch at An Dun for those who did not request a packed lunch Group Dinner in An Dun Illustrated talk Introduction to Irish Archaeology The Pub, a chance to chat to any of the locals there. Try out some Irish phrases Overnight- -Bed and Breakfast in various Guesthouses. Day 12: Sunday Jan 23. Theme: Time for Reflection, Journaling & Chilling Out- day 2 Time: t.b.a. -Breakfast in your Guesthouse Freetime. Mass may be available in the Catholic Church Group Lunch in An Dun. 4.00pm -Head towards the pier. [Your bags will be brought to the ferry by taxi] Depart Inishmeain by Ferryboat to Rossaveal Island Ferries bus to Galway City. 6.15pm. -Check-in to Kinlay House Hostel, Eyre Sq., Galway. 6.15pm- -Dinner. -Free evening in Galway City. -Optional Traditional Music Sessions. Day 13: Monday January 24, 2011.Theme: English Administration & 1916 Easter. Opposites: Dublin Castle & Kilmainham Gaol Continental Breakfast Bring your luggage to the coach Depart Galway for Dublin (3 hours drive) and Lunch enroute Guided tour of Kilmainham Gaol Drive to Buswells Hotel Check-in to Buswells Hotel. -Free time for Lunch. Vouchers provided Depart hotel for Dublin Castle. (10 minutes) Guided Tour of Dublin Castle Freetime. Dinner Vouchers provided sharp -Coach departs for the Abbey Theatre Play at the Abbey: play as yet unknown -Return by coach to the hotel after the show. Dated:

6 Day 14: Tuesday January 25. Dublin. Free Day 7.30 ish/ Farewell Dinner Day 15. Wednesday Jan 26 Homeward Bound am Breakfast. 6.50am Please bring all your luggage outside the front door to load on the coach. 7.00am sharp -Final departure for the airport and return flight to USA. Lunches: Dinners: Notes: There will be usually be a choice of either a hot plate, a cold salad, or soup & a sandwich. Several days will be at self service restaurants. Tea/coffee not included. On Inismeain there will not be a choice of menu, but a vegetarian option is available. There will be a mixture of 2 course and 3 course dinners all with tea/coffee. All dinners will offer a choice of main courses- except on Inismeain. Some days there will be group dinners, some days vouchers for named restaurants will be provided. Vegetarian options will be available at all meals. Please note that Wild Rose Tours reserves the right to change the programme and/or the timing of activities in Dublin or elsewhere for convenience, safety or in the interests of the group or any other reason totally at the discretion of Wild Rose Tours End Dated: