The Best of Ireland 13 nights Self Drive or with Driver Guide

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1 The Best of Ireland 13 nights Self Drive or with Driver Guide Day 1 and 2 Arrive Dublin and tour to Kilkenny in the South east. You can either transfer direct to your hotel or tour en route. You should stop in Kilkenny and explore the city, full of medieval laneways, inns with tales of witches, and a great castle and of course lots of shops. Follow the valley of the River Nore to Bennetsbridge, with its many craft workers studios, Thomastown with the Cistercian abbey of Jerpoint and the Jack Niclaus golf course on the rolling estate of the Earl of Carrick's mansion, Mount Juliet and Inistioge with its romantic gardens surrounding the shell of Woodstock House. The adventurous could visit the Kennedy homestead at New Ross, the gardens of Kilmokea at Campile, Tintern Abbey and The Lighthouse on Hook Head and the Dunbrody, a replica sailing ship. Another day could be spent exploring the little villages of Graigue and Borris, the Blackstairs Mountains, the valley of the River Slaney and the splendours of Huntington Castle, not forgetting the miniature Salisbury Cathedral at Myshall. Day 3 and 4 Tour to County Cork From Kilkenny there are two alternative routes towards Cork, Head south, visiting the Kells Priory and mill, and stopping for a tour of Waterford Crystal. From there a very scenic road follows "The Gold Coast" through Tramore and Annestown to Dungarvan. Shortly after, Dungarvan is the ancient church and cliff top holy well at

2 Ardmore and then the church in Youghal, where Sir Walter Raleigh worshipped. The famous cookery school of Ballymaloe, with its shell house and associations with William Penn, is just to the South of Midleton, home of Irish Whiskey. The Cobh Heritage centre presents a fascinating story of emigration to America and as you rejoin the main road to Cork the gardens of Fota Island and Barryscourt Castle should not be missed. The alternative route brings you to Cashel, a limestone outcrop rising from the plain and crowned by the cathedral and round tower. Sheltering at its foot is Bru Boru, entertainment of Irish music and dance. The back road to Cahir, through Golden, will bring you past the riverside ruins of Athassel Abbey and the legendary Motte of Knockgraffon. Cahir has a huge castle in a fine state of repair and a wonderful "Swiss Cottage" built as a folly in the Regency period. It is also a centre of antique shopping. From Cahir you should follow the road over the Vee, climbing high up into the Knockmealdown mountains (watch out for the sheep & the monster of Bay Lough!) and coming down into Lismore whose castle was for many years home to Fred Astaire's sister Adele. From Lismore follow the Blackwater to Fermoy pausing to visit the Barry mausoleum at Castlelyons on the way into Cork. You could spend a week exploring the Cork area and still not have seen all the highlights. The bells of Shandon, The English Market, St Finbarre's Cathedral & the Crawford Gallery are a few of the highlights of the city. Blarney Castle, with its eloquent stone is a short drive to the north. The town of Kinsale, the gourmet capital of Ireland, is a place to spend a day. The Old Head golf course, south of Kinsale, is uniquely challenging being surrounded by cliffs that fall steeply down to the sea. Touring to the west you will find brightly painted villages, mad folk museums, amazing sub tropical gardens and host of craft workers, farmhouse cheese producers and enchanting cafes, bars and restaurants. As you carry on down the coast the golden beaches begin to disappear. By the time you reach Mizen Head the seascape is as wild as anywhere in the world with the Fastnet light flashing its warning in the distance. To the North are Mallow Castle, the forest park of Doneraile, and the remote Boggeragh Mountains.

3 Day 5 and 6 Tour to County Kerry Bantry House is an essential stop. The house, with its "staircase to heaven" gardens is a wonderful example of a landlord's home and has a stunning collection put together by the 2 nd Earl of Bantry who did well at Napoleon III's bargain basement sale at Versailles. Visit Garnish Island, a garden with no house laid out in the early 20 th century by the great designer Harold Peto to take advantage of the Gulf Stream. On the boat ride out there watch out for seals. There are several boats going to the island but the prettiest harbour is definitely the Blue Pool, particularly when the Rhododendron are blooming. Leave plenty of time for Kenmare, or even consider staying there - it has excellent pubs and restaurants, some beautiful shops, and a generally relaxed air. Whether you stay in Killarney or Kenmare you'll want to explore one of the famous peninsulas of Kerry - The Ring of Beara, The Ring of Kerry and The Dingle Peninsula. Each takes a full day of over 100 miles of stunning seaside with the mountains always beside you. Kerry is a land of contrasts - velvet green golf courses, empty golden beaches, rugged cliffs, exotic gardens, wild scenery, unchanged since the ice age, hidden communes of artists and writers, stone age monuments, and fish filled rivers and lakes. Day 7 & 8 Tour to Connemara in County Galway From Kerry you'll head up through Limerick, passing Rathkeale and Adare, a very pretty village and well worth a stop. There are three abbeys here as well as the Desmond Castle and the Trent Jones golf course surrounding the neo-gothick Adare Manor. Limerick is a busy city and has several major attractions - the Hunt Museum in the 18 th century customs house, King John's Castle, St Mary's Cathedral and the Georgian House on Pery Square. After Limerick head out towards Shannon, stopping off at Bunratty Castle and folk park on the way. If you take the old road into Newmarket on Fergus you will see a turn to the right just at the end of the village. When you reach the top of the hill walk up through the trees to Moohaughan Fort, the Iron Age seat of some great ruler.

4 From Galway there are several possible explorations of Connemara. On the east side of Lough Corrib are the impressive remains of Ross Friary. Ashford Castle, where Pierce Brosnan was married, was also the setting for the movie The Quiet Man. The riding centre there offers trekking though the estate. Nearby are the stone circle of Cong and the Gods of the Neale. The woods in the are have deep caves with subterranean rivers, the most famous being the Pigeon Hole. At Maam you can visit a sheep farm and at the far end of the valley you'll come out to Killary Harbour, a glacial fjord. Kylemore Abbey, a Benedictine school, is awesomely beautiful and has a recently restored Victorian garden. Clifden, the capital of Connemara is known for its tweeds. Be sure to follow the Sky Road into Clifden, and if you have time visit some of the coral beaches out towards Cleggan. On the way back towards Galway you'll pass Gowla Mine, where you can actually go down a mine shaft; Just after Oughterard, beyond the golf course, is Aughanure Castle, the home of the ferocious O'Flaherties. In Galway itself you should explore Shop Street and Quay Street (being sure to visit the Kenny Gallery), have a look at the old city wall in the Eyre Square shopping centre and, like Columbus, visit the church of St Nicholas. Day 9 By way of the Burren and The Cliffs of Moher The internationally renowned karst limestone habitat of the Burren, with its orchids, gentians and ragged robin, is unique. Stop in Kinvara, home of the Galway Hooker and of King Guaire the Generous, whose right arm was longer than his left from so much giving. At Kilcolgan take a moment to explore the Turlough down a laneway opposite the blind poet's graveyard and then stop for refreshments at Moran s of the Weir, a thatched oyster bar patronised by John Wayne & Noel Coward. Return to Galway for the night Day 10 Near Castlebar visit the Foxford Woollen Mills, founded in 1892 by the Sisters of Charity to provide income for the local people & the National Museum of Country Life, set in the impressive Victorian mansion of the Fitzgeralds at Turlough Park. Travel through Sligo, which is known as "Yeats' Country," as the Nobel-winning poet found great inspiration from the attractive landscapes. Drive around Lough Gill to see the sites that inspired the poet W B Yeats. Overnight near Donegal

5 Day 11 Head back towards Dublin by way of Boyle with its abbey and pre-historic caves, and Carrick on Shannon, home of the Rockingham Demesne on Lough Allen. Stop for lunch at Belvedere House and Gardens in Mullingar and continue on visiting Castletown House, the largest 18 th Century mansion in the country, before arriving in Dublin for the night. Day 12 & 13 Explore Dublin and surrounding countryside. Dublin has long been a centre of art and culture. Stroll through the elegant Georgian streets of Merrion and Fitzwilliam Squares, shop in the elegant emporiums of Grafton Street and Powerscourt Townhouse, explore the collections of the National Museum and National Gallery, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, and many fine small private collections. The range of art and artefacts is enormous, and you will have no problem spending many hours enthralled. The city is over a thousand years old, and many of the towns and settlements that surround it are equally ancient. Successive centuries have left their distinctive overlays of character and architecture which means that Dublin has a wealth of historically significant and fascinating sights to explore such as Dublin Castle, where the Normans ruled from the 12 th Century, St Patrick's Cathedral, of which Jonathan Swift was Dean, and Trinity College, famous for The Book of Kells and for its alumni who include Oscar Wilde and Oliver Goldsmith. To the North is Newbridge House, a Georgian manor with a delightful farmyard, and the haunted Malahide Castle, which is also home to a huge model railway and collection of dolls' houses. The valley of the River Boyne, where the world famous Brugh na Boyne monuments (Newgrange, Knowth & Dowth) have stood for over 5,000 years, is about 1 hour. Nearby are the early Christian sites of Mellifont Abbey and Monasterboice. Following the Boyne towards its source you could visit the Hill of Tara, ancient seat of Ireland's High Kings, and Trim with is great castle. Day 14 Depart