ADMISSIONS: October 6 Saturday DUBLIN S FAIR CITY While at Dublin Castle be sure to purchase the Heritage Card.

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1 ADMISSIONS: Many of the sites mentioned in the itinerary are (OPW) Office of Public Works sites and you can purchase a Heritage Card at the first site, perhaps in Dublin at Dublin Castle or Kilmainham Gaol. The card cost is 21 for adults and is good for one year from date of issue and includes admission and guided tour to over 100 sites in Ireland. The Heritage Card will come in handy for visits to National Botanical Gardens, Dublin Castle & the State Apartments, Kilmainham Gaol, Clonmacnoise, Connemara National Park, Muckross House, Ross Castle, Blasket Island Center, Gallorus Oratory, Trim Castle, Boyne Valley Center (Bru na Boinne), plus many more! October 6 Saturday DUBLIN S FAIR CITY Welcome to Dublin, Ireland's Capital. Be sure to arrange with Fintan Murray to provide a Meet & Transfer service from Dublin Airport to your hotel. I recommend the Mespil Hotel located along the banks of the Grand Canal or the Alexander Hotel at Merrion Square and near Fitzwilliam Square and on St. Stephen s Green. Both are well situated for exploring Dublin After you get situated you can explore Dublin City. You should use the Dublin Bus Hop-On Hop-Off Dublin sightseeing tour 72 hour ticket. The tour makes 21 stops in its circuit of Dublin. It runs every 15 minutes during the day and provides running commentary of the sites of Dublin. You can hop-on and then hop-off at a stop and visit a historic site and then hop-on again. You can purchase the ticket from their website. See the historic buildings, Georgian Squares and landmarks of Dublin on your city tour. You have the entire day to explore this 1000 year old city. You may wish to visit Dublin Castle, seat of British rule for 800 years, and tour the State Apartments. While at Dublin Castle be sure to purchase the Heritage Card. Do some shopping on fashionable Grafton Street. If you wish to visit the National Botanical Gardens at Glasnevin they are in the north side of the city. The Chester Beatty Library is located within Dublin Castle, so if you stop there on your Hop-On Hop-Off tour you can stay and visit that as well. This evening you can enjoy the nightlife of Dublin and find some Irish music at one of the nearby pubs.

2 October 7 Sunday DUBLIN S FAIR CITY Use the Dublin Hop-On Hop-Off ticket again today. Visit the museums today as they are all open. You may wish to visit the National Gallery, the National Museum, the Writer s Museum or any of the many museums of Dublin. This evening you may wish to enjoy the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl. A two hour tour lead by actors that take you to the haunts of the famous Dublin literary figures of Beckett, Joyce, Wilde, Behan and others. You visit three pubs they used to frequent and hear stories about them not in their biographies. You can buy tickets at the door. It is GREAT FUN! It starts at the Duke Pub on Duke Street. October 8 Monday DUBLIN S FAIR CITY Use the Dublin Hop-On Hop-Off ticket again today. The museums are closed today. You should visit Trinity College and view the Book of Kells, St. Patrick s Cathedral, and Kilmainham Gaol, full of history of the political prisoners who were held here over the centuries. Complete day to explore Dublin on Your own. October 9 Tuesday TO WESTPORT Be sure to arrange for Fintan Murray this morning for his Transfer & Pilot Service. He will come to your hotel and transfer you to the Hertz city center location. Take delivery of your Hertz rental car, and once the car is assigned Fintan Murray will transfer your luggage and go over the instrumentation of the car and then you will follow him to the N4 where you will start your driving tour to Westport, County Mayo. Tour across the midlands of Ireland. You exit from the M50 onto the N4 (M4) and continue to the junction that exits onto the N5 which will take you to Westport in County Mayo. Westport is situated on Clew Bay. You might wish to stop and visit Westport House, whose estate adjoins the town. It was designed by Richard Cassels. It's one of Ireland's noblest mansions, with a really exquisite interior. It is owned by the Marquess of Sligo, a direct descendant of Grace O'Malley. If you re familiar with Irish music you may have heard of the Chieftains. Matt Molloy of the Chieftains has a pub here. I have suggested that you stay at the Clew Bay Hotel which is centrally located.

3 October 10 Wednesday ACHILL ISLAND Tour along Clew Bay to Newport and on to Mulrany and on to Achill Island, the largest island off the Irish coast. It is covered with heather and three great mountains and the impressive Minaun Cliffs, which fall 800 feet sheer drop to the sea. The scenery today is spectacular! Return to Westport and explore the town. October 11 Thursday CEIDE FIELDS & DOWNPATRICK HEAD Tour to Castlebar. There is a story about the Castlebar Races. No, not a horse race, but the routing of the British Army during the 1798 Uprising. Tour north along the shores of Lough Conn to the town of Ballina situated on the Moy River. Continue north via Killala Bay where the French General Humbert landed his forces during the 1798 Uprising. On to Ballycastle and then on to Downpatrick Head. It is said that St. Patrick banished all the snakes from Ireland at this point by severing Downpatrick Head from the mainland after driving the snakes to the edge. Visit nearby Ceide Fields, a 5000 year old farming community that was discovered under a blanket bog. The visitor center is fascinating! Return to Westport. October 12 Friday CONNEMARA & GALWAY Tour south from Westport. In the distance, to the west, you will see Croagh Patrick. Ireland s Holy Mountain where St. Patrick spent 40 days fasting. There is an annual pilgrimage every July to the top of the mountain and Mass is said to the gathered faithful. Tour south to Leenane and make a stop at Gaynor s Pub where they make the best Irish Coffees. Travel along Killary Harbor, Ireland s only fjord! Continue to Letterfrack and visit Kylemore Abbey a former Benedictine Abbey, and recently a private school for girls. Travel through the Connemara region which is known for its mountains, the Twelve Bens and the beauty of the landscape with its changing colors. Make a visit to Celtic Crystal in Moycullen before continuing on to Galway City. Enjoy a stroll around Galway City on the pedestrianized streets lined with pubs, restaurants, boutiques, book stores and see the Claddagh District and Spanish Arch. Christopher Columbus stopped here on his way to the New World. Galway Cathedral is magnificent. Built on the site of an old prison on an island in the middle of the Corrib River. Depart Galway and tour through the picturesque village of Kinvara to the village of Ballyvaughan. You can stay at the Hylands Burren Hotel in the center of the village.

4 October 13 Saturday CLARE COAST & BURREN On through the Burren, an eerie expanse of land scraped bare by the glaciers during the Ice Age and where exotic plants grow. Take the drive around Black Head and enjoy the views of Galway Bay and the Aran Islands. You may wish to visit Poulnabrone Dolmen, a portal tomb that dates back 2500 years. On to the the Cliffs of Moher, a geological marvel of 700 foot high cliffs that stretch for five miles along the Atlantic Ocean. Return by the village of Doolin. Stay in Ballyvaughan October 14 Sunday BUNRATTY AND ADARE Tour to Lahinch, famous for golf, then on to Ennis towards Limerick City, stopping in Bunratty at Durty Nelly s Pub, one of the oldest pubs in Ireland (1620) where you may wish to enjoy a pint of Guinness! You may wish to visit the Bunratty Folk Park, a recreated 19th century Irish village. Admission to the folk park also includes admission into 15th century Bunratty Castle. Continue south through the picturesque village of Adare with its thatch-roofed cottages lining the main street. On to Killarney Town situated on the shores of the Lakes of Killarney and at the foot of the mountains. 'Heaven's Reflex' it is called for its natural beauty. Stay at the Killarney Lodge in the heart of town. You may wish to enjoy an Irish Jaunting Cart ride through the Killarney National Park, to Muckross House where you may wish to visit this wonderful museum of Irish life in the 19th century. The balance of the day is at leisure to explore the Killarney National Park's 24,000 acres or do some shopping or just relax. You can stay in Killarney at Killarney Lodge which is centrally located for exploring the town. October 15 Monday SLEA HEAD DRIVE & DINGLE TOWN Tour from Killarney via Castlemaine and down the spectacular Dingle Peninsula to the fishing town of Dingle, one of Ireland's most picturesque spots. Take the Slea Head Drive stopping to view the Bee Hive stone huts that were used by pilgrims centuries ago on their way to Mount Brandon and to Skellig Michael. Continue via Dunquin and visit the Blasket Island Center which provides a history of life on the Blasket Islands that is no more. Stop at the 7th century Gallorus Oratory, a 7th century stone chapel used by the pilgrims. Return to Dingle town and on to Annascaul, the home town of Tom Crean, an Antarctic explorer. View the South Pole Inn. Continue up the northern side of the Dingle Peninsula to the village of Camp and stop at one of the oldest pubs in Ireland, Ashes. Continue via Tralee and hear the sad, romantic story of the Rose of Tralee. Return to Killarney.

5 October 16 Tuesday TRIM CASTLE & BOYNE VALLEY Tour across the midlands of Ireland to the village of Trim where you can view or visit the oldest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland. Mel Gibson filmed his Braveheart movie here. Nearby you can visit Bru na Boinne - Boyne Valley Visitor Center. Learn about the 5,000 years old neolithic passage tombs of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth. These burial tombs predate the pyramids of Egypt. Continue to Dublin Airport where I recommend that you stay this evening at the Radisson BLU Hotel at Dublin Airport. They have a delightful restaurant and bar for you to relax in on your last night in Ireland. Check into the hotel first and then drive to the car hire return and turn your Hertz car in at the Dublin Airport location. October 17 Wednesday DEPART FOR HOME Transfer by hotel courtesy van to Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport this morning. Check-in for your flight home. You clear US Immigration, Customs and TSA before you board your aircraft. Slan Leat!