10 Day Emerald Isle

Tour Description

Enjoy an incredible journey through Ireland’s bustling cities and lush green countryside. First, see the famous sights of Dublin and take an excursion to the fascinating passage graves in the Boyne Valley. Then visit Strokestown House and learn about the Great Famine of the 1840′s. Experience beautiful Donegal on the Atlantic Coast, visit Kylemore Abbey, and at Rathbaun Farm hear all about sheep shearing and dog whistling. For another unique experience, take a short ferry ride to the Gaelic-speaking Aran Islands to hear from your Local Guide about island community life. The Cliffs of Moher, Limerick, Killarney, the scenic Ring of Kerry, Blarney, the Waterford Crystal Factory and Powerscourt House and Gardens are all on your agenda before returning to Dublin.

Your Hotels

Stay at the following (or similar):

• Hilton Hotel  ,Dublin (SF)
• Clarion , Dublin (SF)
• Radisson Blu (SF)
• Strand (SF)
• Holiday Inn , Killarney(F)
• Granville , Waterford (F)
• Hilton Kilmainham , Dublin(SF)

Hotel Classifications: Deluxe (D), Superior First Class (SF), First Class (F)

Tour Includes

• DUBLIN: Welcome dinner; orientation drive.
• KILDARE: Guided tour of the Irish National Stud.
• STROKESTOWN HOUSE: Guided tour of the house and Famine Museum, and visit the gardens.
• BOYLE: Take pictures of the Cistercian Abbey ruins.
• KNOCK: Visit the religious site.
• KYLEMORE: Visit the Benedictine abbey.
• CONNEMARA: Visit a marble workshop.
• GALWAY: Orientation.
• ARAN ISLANDS: Ferry to and from Inishmore, hear a presentation on life on the island by a local historian, take a minibus tour with a driver-guide, visit Dun Aengus.
• RATHBAUN FARM: See the farmer at work, bake your own scones, and enjoy morning coffee in the farmhouse.
• KILFENORA: Visit The Burren Centre.
• CLIFFS OF MOHER: Savour the spectacular views.
• LIMERICK: Orientation drive, visit King John’s Castle.
• ADARE: Admire the thatched cottages.
• RING OF KERRY: Scenic peninsula drive.
• KILLARNEY: Horse-drawn jaunting car ride.
• BLARNEY: Visit the famous woollen mills.
• WATERFORD: Guided tour of the Waterford Crystal factory showrooms.
• AVOCA: Guided tour of the handweaving mill.
• GLENDALOUGH: Guided tour of St. Kevin’s centre of Irish Christianity.

10 Day Itinerary

Day 1:Dublin, Ireland.

Check into your hotel. At 3 pm, meet your Tour Director and travelling companions for an afternoon orientation drive through statue-lined O’Connell Street, elegant Georgian squares, and past St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Oscar Wilde’s Trinity College. Tonight, enjoy a welcome dinner at your hotel. (D)

Day 2: Dublin – Kildare – Boyle – Sligo.

Horse-racing country this morning. Drive across the Curragh to the IRISH NATIONAL STUD at Kildare, whose thoroughbreds command respect on the racecourses of the world. Then, north to Longford for a visit to STROKESTOWN HOUSE for a guided tour of the restored 1740s mansion, a stroll through its fine gardens, and at the Famine Museum, an insight into the circumstances of the Great Irish Famine of the 1840s. On the way to Sligo, stop at Boyle for photos of the Cistercian Abbey ruins. (B/D)

Day 3: Sligo – Knock – Galway.

South to Knock, a village that attracts pilgrims from all over the world since townsfolk saw apparitions. Via Westport, head for the unspoiled region of Connemara, an area known for its hardy breed of ponies. Visit KYLEMORE ABBEY, a massive yet graceful castle acquired by Benedictine nuns as a precious heirloom for Ireland. At Moycullen, visit the Joyce family at their MARBLE WORKSHOP before arriving in the port city of Galway. Tonight’s recommendation: join your Tour Director for an optional evening at Dunguaire Castle, where the intimate banquet has an enlightening literary theme. (B)

Day 4: Galway. Excursion To The Aran Islands.

At Rossaveal, board a comfortable, modern FERRY for the 45-minute crossing to Kilronan on Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands and where Gaelic is the first language of the islanders. Your fascinating day continues with a presentation on life on Inishmore by an island historian. After a lunch break, board a minibus to enjoy your local driver-guide’s commentary on a tour of the island, ending with a visit to clifftop DUN AENGUS, one of the most spectacular and dramatic prehistoric stone forts in Europe. Back in Kilronan, there is time to shop for unique hand-knitted Aran sweaters before boarding your ferry back to the mainland. There are plenty of dining options in Galway this evening. (B)

Day 5: Galway – Kilfenora – Cliffs Of Moher – Limerick.

A real Irish farm experience at RATHBAUN FARM this morning. Try your hand at scone making, and learn from the farmer about sheep shearing and dog whistling. Afterwards, enjoy coffee and your scones fresh from the oven. Take the scenic route across the desolate limestone plateau known as The Burren, and stop for photos of prehistoric Poulnabrone Dolmen. At Kilfenora, take in THE BURREN CENTRE and learn about the time when this area lay beneath a warm tropical sea. In the nearby churchyard of the ancient cathedral, see the greatest concentration of high crosses in Ireland. At the CLIFFS OF MOHER, rising 668 feet above the Atlantic Ocean, savor the breathtaking panorama of the Clare coast. Tonight, why not join your Tour Director for a traditional Irish night, a fun ceili of song and dance in the setting of a village barn at Bunratty. (B)

Day 6: Limerick – Adare – Killarney.

On this morning’s Limerick city tour, view the Treaty Stone and St. Mary’s Cathedral, and visit KING JOHN’S CASTLE in the medieval heritage precinct. South now via quaint Adare with its thatched cottages to the popular resort of Killarney, your destination for the next two nights. (B/D)

Day 7: Killarney. Ring Of Kerry Excursion.

Join the famed RING OF KERRY for a 100-mile panoramic drive around the island’s southwestern tip. Plenty on which to focus your camera here: sparkling seascapes, mountains dotted with brightly coloured farmhouses, winding lanes bordered with subtropical vegetation, and the breathtaking panorama of the Lakes of Killarney from Ladies View. Back in Killarney, a special treat: a fun-filled horse-drawn JAUNTING CAR RIDE through the national park with glorious vistas of the Lakes of Killarney and ancient Ross Castle. Tonight, an entertaining optional evening in Tralee with dinner followed by tickets for Siamsa Tire National Folk Theatre. (B)

Day 8: Killarney – Blarney – Waterford.

Across the Kerry Mountains, drive into County Cork for a visit to Blarney, renowned for its castle and magical Kissing Stone. Time for lunch, to walk up to the castle, and to shop for traditional Irish handicrafts. In the afternoon, proceed via Cork, Youghal, and Dungarvan to Waterford, a stronghold founded by the Danish Vikings in 853. Here, enjoy a visit to the world-famous WATERFORD CRYSTAL FACTORY SHOWROOMS. (B/D) PLEASE NOTE: Facilities at the Waterford Crystal Factory are currently under redevelopment. If the factory showrooms are unavailable, the visit will be replaced by a walking tour of Waterford with a local guide.

Day 9: Waterford – Avoca – Glendalough – Dublin.

Today’s agenda: Enniscorthy, site of the final battle of the Great Rebellion of 1798; Ireland?s oldest HANDWEAVING MILL at Avoca; and GLENDALOUGH, the early Christian monastic site founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century. See the engaging audiovisual Ireland of the Monasteries, then let your Local Guide show you the remains of this ecclesiastical settlement. Back in Dublin tonight, your Tour Director will have recommendations for a fitting farewell to Ireland. (B)

Day 10: Dublin.

Your holiday ends with breakfast this morning. (B)

Full Irish breakfast (B); 4 three-course dinners (D) with choice of menus, including a welcome dinner in Dublin.

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Accommodation rating Represents the standard of hotel used most frequently throughout this tour

Extras Represents the individual operators suggested budget to pay for additional activities on tour (dinners,entertainment,excursions etc) NOT included in base tour price

Hotel legend:
D deluxe | SF superior first | F first | MF moderate first | ST superior tourist | T Tourist