Ireland October 13-19, 2019 7 nights/8 days Approximate Cost $2,015 Double / $2,090 Single We need to have at least 15 people signed up for the trip by May 15 th or the trip maybe cancelled. Day 1: Dublin Arrival to the hotel (transfers not included). This afternoon you will be met by your local city guide at your hotel for a tour of this wonderful capital city. Founded as a Viking settlement, it takes its name Dublin from the Gaelic Dubh Linn meaning black pool and refers to a dark tidal pool where the River Poddle entered the Liffey on the site of the castle gardens at the rear of Dublin Castle. This modern European city has much to offer. It is celebrated for its elegant 18th century Georgian architecture, it s left bank - Temple Bar, and its broad thoroughfare of O Connell Street which divides the River Liffey and the city between the north and south side. The city is also famous for its easy-going people, hospitality and cultural heritage. The tour includes some of Dublin s most renowned sites, such as St Patrick s Cathedral and the Book of Kells. St Patrick s Cathedral is the national cathedral of Ireland and it is also the largest cathedral in the country. Traditionally the place where the cathedral lies today was the place where St. Patrick baptized the pagans to Christianity in the 5th century and there has been a church there since. The cathedral was badly damaged during the Cromwellian invasion in Ireland and it was eventually completely re-furbished by the Guinness family in the 19th century. Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver s' Travellers was dean of the cathedral for 32 years and his remains are buried within the cathedral. Trinity College is a residential college in the heart of the city. Here you will visit the Colonnades, which houses the college s greatest treasures, of which the most famous is the Book Of Kells. The book is a magnificently illustrated, in Celtic design, version of the Gospels designed by unknown hands in the monastery of Kells in Meath about 800. It was presented to Trinity College in the mid-17th Century in order to save it from Cromwell s army. The afternoon is free for some more sightseeing or shopping in some the city s Irish and international stores before a late afternoon transfer to your hotel or you may decide to stay in town to dine this evening.
Return to your hotel where you are free to explore the city further at leisure. Overnight: Dublin Day 2: Dublin to Galway Enjoy your Irish breakfast before departing the capitol city. Your first stop today will be at Kilbeggan Distillery. From our creaking timber water wheel, to the giant steam engine you will be transported back two centuries and you will hear, see, smell and taste Ireland s oldest distillery still producing their world famous Kilbeggan whiskey. The Kilbeggan Distillery is the oldest licenced distillery in Ireland dating back to 1757 and this visit today lets you discover real artisanal Irish whiskey distilling at its finest. You will start your tour in 1757 discovering how whiskey was made in the past. Then discover the families that owned the distillery and the importance the local community had on what you see today. You will see old mash tuns and fermenters, still in their original positions and get close to the iconic waterwheel which once powered the whole distillery and kept whiskey flowing through Kilbeggan! Then a stroll across the courtyard takes you to the present day, where whiskey is being still being produced in the traditional way using ancient traditions which have been passed on from generation to generation. And of course no visit would be complete without a taste of Kilbeggan s finest. A visit to Kilbeggan Distillery is a unique experience not to be missed! Making your way west across the midlands of Ireland you will next visit the monastic site at Clonmacnoise. Clonmacnoise is situated at the crossroads of Ireland in County Offaly and dates back almost 1,500 years. St. Ciaran, the son of an Ulsterman who had settled in Connaught, chose the site in 545 AD because of its ideal location at the junction of river and road travel in Celtic Ireland. The location borders the three provinces of Connaught, Munster and Leinster. The monastery is on the east side of the River Shannon, in what was then the Kingdom of Meath, but occupying a position so central it was the burial-place of many of the kings of Connaught as well as those of Tara. Saint Ciaran was educated by St. Diarmuid of Clonard and St. Finian - tutor of the ancient Saints of Ireland. His last place of formal learning before establishing his own monastery in Clonmacnoise was with St. Enda on the island of Inís Mór off the coast of Galway. Here, under the tutelage of the strict disciplinarian Enda, he learned Sacred Studies, Prayer and labour. Continue on to Galway city. Galway is known as the City of the Tribes, after the 14 affluent tribes who ruled during the middle ages, this thriving city is the most westerly in Europe and enjoys a strong artistic heritage and a flourishing arts, music, theatre and film scene. Galway City is the focal point of Co. Galway and the west of Ireland and nestles at the neck of Galway Bay and is reputed to have been Columbus final point of departure on his voyage of discovery. Galway city is both a picturesque and lively city with a wonderful avant-garde culture and a fascinating mixture of locally owned specialty shops, often featuring locally made crafts such as hand knits, pottery, glass, jewelry and woodwork. This evening enjoy dinner at your hotel Overnight: The Park House Hotel, Galway (Breakfast, Dinner) Day 3: Connemara Excursion Breakfast at your hotel and then board your coach for your full day excursion to the Connemara regions. This is a wild and beautiful region of mountains, lakes, tumbling streams undulating bog, unspoiled
beaches and panoramic views. It takes you through some of the strangest and most beautiful scenery in the far west of Ireland, a region with an unsurpassed sense of remoteness. To one person s eye, the hallmarks are its shapes and colors; the varying pewters of over-present water and stone; walls and rocky outcrops swelling out in lumps and bumps from an intense green turf, occasionally splashed white by a solitary cottage. To others it may be the variety of russets on the slopes of the rugged peaks of the Maamturk Mountains cut by so many valleys, lakes and rivers; of the flat, saw-toothed coastline of rocky promontories joined by sandy, shell-filled coves. The center of Connemara is composed of mountain peaks, the Twelve Bens or Pins, which culminate in Benbaun. The sharp grey peaks of quartzite rock which is resistant to weathering are too steep and hard to be clothed in blanket bog. The region is now largely uninhabited, although in the past the more fertile lowlands were cultivated and the uplands were used as pasture for cattle and sheep. Your tour today will include a visit to Kylemore Abbey. Kylemore Abbey is home to Ireland's only Benedictine community of nuns since 1920. Set in a dramatic landscape, and originally built as a castle in 1867 as a romantic gift, Kylemore is steeped in history and tales of tragedy and romance, engineering initiatives, model farms, royal visits, spirituality and education, is the only home of the Benedictine nuns in Ireland. It is now a girl s boarding school run by the nuns whose order fled to Ireland after the First World War. Set in the heart of Connemara experience the beauty and tranquility of the 1000 acre estate and the unique warmth and hospitality of its peaceful environs. Its enchanting history is interpreted in detail in rooms at the Abbey. It was originally built by Mitchell Henry, M.P. for County Galway, (a native of Manchester city) 1864-1868 as a gift for his wife, who fell in love with the site overlooking Loch Na Coille Moire (the lake of the big wood) when they came here on their honeymoon in 1860s. The Gothic Church, set in the grounds of the Abbey, is the jewel in the crown of Kylemore. It has been lovingly restored and any visit would not be complete without seeing it. Kylemore is steeped in history and tales of tragedy and romance, engineering initiatives, model farms, royal visits, spirituality and education. Explore the walled garden where only Victorian varieties of flowers and vegetables are grown and visit the Head Gardener s House. You can avail of the nun s excellent traditional home cooking in the cafe where food is prepared with vegetables and herbs from the garden. Return to your Galway hotel this evening where you are free to explore this lively city. Overnight: The Park House Hotel, Galway (Breakfast) Day 4: Galway to Killarney Breakfast at the hotel. Leaving Galway this morning you will travel via The Burren on your journey to County Kerry. The Burren takes its name from the Irish word 'bhoireann' meaning, 'a stony place' or 'a rocky place', which is a good description for this 350sq kilometers limestone plateau in North Clare. This is an area of vast, bare, eerie limestone plateau which covers much of Co Clare and is gradually being established as a national park. The limestone is deeply fissured and most of the rivers have gone underground creating an extensive cave system. The rough, intriguing and attractive landscape was formed 320 million years ago under a tropical sea. Later it was shaped by ice, hard weather and, of course, man and his beasts. The many wedge tombs and megalithic tombs prove that people have been living in the Burren for more than 5000 years. One of the more famous megalithic tombs is the portal dolmen - Poulnabrone Dolmen - The name Poulnabrone literally means 'the hole of the sorrows' and it is one of the most famous Irish dolmens. The thin capstone sits on two high portal stones to create a chamber and a low cairn. This site dates back to about 2,500 BC. and thousands of years of farming has largely denuded the country of trees and vegetation but the Burren is noted for the "opposite" contrasts of its flower population with Mediterranean and Alpine species flourishing side by side. There are seaside resorts at Liscannor, Lahinch and Milltown Malbay. The
coast road south of Black Head provides a fine view of the huge boulders, deposited at the end of the Ice Age and which rest on the bare limestone pavement and in fine weather the Aran Islands are visible offshore. Some of the many megalithic tombs in the Burren lie on the east side of the road between Aillwee and Leamaneh. Over the ages running water burrowing through the soft limestone of the Burren has created miles of dark caves and underground passages. On route will visit The Cliffs of Moher - Ireland s most visited natural attraction with a magical vista that captures the hearts of up to 1 million visitors each year. The Cliffs rise up to 214 (700 feet) at the highest point and range for 8km over the Atlantic Ocean on the Western seaboard of Co. Clare. Visit the eco- friendly visitor center which operates using environmental best practices & features a state-of-the-art Cliff s exhibition. Then cross the Shannon estuary by ferry arriving in to County Kerry and finish your journey today in the county town of Killarney where you will enjoy dinner at your hotel this evening. Return to your hotel this evening where you are free for further exploration on the town on your own. Overnight: The Muckross Park Hotel, Killarney (Breakfast, Dinner) Day 5: Ring of Kerry Today after a leisurely start, you will have a tour of the Ring of Kerry, which takes you through spectacular coastal and mountainous scenery along the base of the highest mountain range in Ireland, the MacGillycuddy Reeks. The journey takes you through villages and towns depicting typical rural life in Ireland. It is really hard to explain the true beauty of the Ring of Kerry, except to say that it should not be missed. Perhaps visit Muckross House and Gardens. Muckross House is a 19th century manor house, beautifully situated close to Muckross Lake, second largest of Killarney's three lakes. Now a major visitor center, the House has two main themes, the environment of the National Park and the folklore of County Kerry in the 19th and 20th centuries. Skilled craft workers carry on some of the traditional crafts of Kerry as their predecessors did in bygone days. The gardens informal in size are noted for their fine collection of rhododendrons and azaleas, extensive water gardens and an outstanding rock garden of natural limestone. This evening take your time and find the perfect place in Killarney town to enjoy a beer, some food or even some music in a local pub. Overnight: The Muckross Park Hotel, Killarney (Breakfast) Day 6: Killarney to Kilkenny Breakfast at the hotel. Enjoy breakfast at your hotel before you travel to County Cork and to Blarney Castle. Blarney is of course famous for its castle and the Blarney Stone, which has the traditional power of conferring eloquence on all who kiss it. What remains of this impressive castle today is a massive square tower, with a parapet rising 83 feet. Having climbed more than 100 steps, the famous Stone is set in the wall below the parapet, and to kiss it, one has to lean backwards from the parapet walk of the battlements. This infamous Blarney Stone is wedged far enough underneath the battlements to make it uncomfortable to reach, but not far enough that countless people don t, for reasons inexplicable, abandon all concern for health to kiss it! The word 'Blarney' means pleasant talk, intended to deceive without offending. You may like to visit the Blarney Woolen Mills located close to Blarney Castle; this Kelleher family enterprise is housed in an old mill dating from 1824. It is a one-stop source for all kinds of Irish products, from cashmeres to crystal glassware, hats to
heraldry, and tweeds to tee shirts, as well as the distinctive Kelly green Blarney Castle-design wool sweaters, made on the premises. After lunch continue to visit Cahir Castle. Appearing to grow from the actual rock beneath it, Cahir Castle was once stronghold of the powerful Butler family. The castle still retains its impressive keep, tower and much of its original defensive structure and is one of Ireland's largest and best preserved castles situated on a rocky island on the River Suir. Cahir Castle was skillfully designed by Conor O Brien to be a state-of- the-art defensive castle. You will enjoy time to explore the castle and watch an audio visual presentation on the history of the castle and the people who lived there. End your journey today in medieval city of Kilkenny where you will overnight and where dinner is included this evening. Overnight: Hotel Kilkenny, Kilkenny (Breakfast, Dinner) Day 7: Kilkenny to Dublin This morning after breakfast you will enjoy a walking tour of Killenny. Kilkenny is a medieval town with deep religious roots and many well-preserved churches and monasteries, including imposing St. Canice s Cathedral and the Black Abbey Dominican priory, both from the 13th century. Kilkenny is built from dark- grey limestone flecked with fossil seashells, Kilkenny (from the Gaelic 'Cill Chainnigh', meaning the Church of St Canice) is also known as 'the marble city'. Its picturesque 'Medieval Mile' consists of narrow lanes and historic buildings strung between castle and cathedral along the bank of the River Nore. It is also a crafts hub, selling pottery, paintings and jewelry and home to a host of fine restaurants, cafes, pubs and shops. Your morning stroll will include a visit to Kilkenny Castle. The magnificent Kilkenny Castle overlooks the River Nore and has guarded this important river crossing for more than 900 years. The gardens, with extensive woodland paths, rose garden and ornamental lake, create the setting for a beautiful stroll. Two wings of the castle have been restored to their 19th Century splendor and include a library, drawing room and the noted Long Gallery. A suite of former servant s rooms now houses the Butler Art Gallery, which mounts frequently changing exhibitions of contemporary art. After lunch board your coach for you journey back to Dublin with some free time this evening for your own exploration of the city. Overnight: The Gresham Hotel, Dublin (Breakfast) Day 8: Dublin This morning after breakfast you depart for Dublin airport and your flight home. Transfers not included.