Ireland
Exploring the Land of the Celts
Experience the Ireland of today in the context of the rich history and stirring words of the indomitable Irish.
- Visit prehistoric sites, see remnants of the 1,000-year culture of the Celts and learn about the 700+ years Ireland was under English rule
- Learn about the plight of the Irish Catholics and the Irish rebels who fought their English landlords
- Hear about Irish pirates and priests, martyrs and monks, and the writers who fought injustices with their pens instead of with swords and guns
- Explore all aspects of Ireland: bogs, mountains, cliffs, valleys, islands, gardens and the bleak Burren
- Visit famine cottages to ancient castles to the “Big Houses” of the Anglo-Irish landlords
- Have opportunities to buy Irish arts and crafts, sample Irish cuisine, and of course explore the Irish pub culture, with its traditional Irish songs and dances
Highlights: Dublin, Trinity College and the Book of Kells, Newgrange passage tomb, Kylemore Abbey in Connemara, a journey to the Aran Island of Inishmore, Galway, a medieval dinner at Dunguaire Castle, the Cliffs of Moher, the Dingle Peninsula, Muckross House, Kinsale, the Rock of Cashel, Glendalough, Powerscourt, and the Abbey Theatre.
Overnights: Our 15-day/14-night odyssey begins and ends in Dublin with additional overnights in Cong, Inishmore, Galway, Dingle, Kinsale and Glendalough.
Included in your tour: 14 nights hotel accommodations based on two people sharing a room, Irish breakfast daily and three dinners, admission to group sightseeing excursions, services of an Irish driver-guide, transportation as it applies to the tour including airport transfers and group travel trip cancellation, interruption, and medical insurance. Airfare not included.
Ireland
Day-by-Day Itinerary with Suggested Books
Day 1: Depart for Ireland.
Day 2: Arrive in Dublin.
Check into our hotel in the heart of the city. Stroll around the neighborhood to stretch our legs and familiarize ourselves with Dublin. Tonight: a neighborhood meal and an early night. Ireland by Frank Delaney
Day 3: Explore the history of Dublin to set the stage for our Irish adventure.
Visit Trinity College and the Book of Kells. Take a walking tour of Dublin focusing on the history of the city and Ireland. Visit Dublin Castle, Christchurch Cathedral, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and the General Post Office, scene of the 1916 Easter Rising against British rule. Tonight: our welcome dinner and a plunge into the pub scene, with its traditional Irish music. The Princes of Ireland: the Dublin Saga by Edward Rutherfurd
Day 4: Head north to the beautiful Boyne Valley.
Pass through the area of the Battle of the Boyne of 1690 and tour the 5,000-year-old passage grave at Newgrange. Journey west through the middle of Ireland, an area where preserved “bog bodies” are sometimes discovered, to Cong, a quaint village made famous in the movie, The Quiet Man. Tonight: explore the area’s nightlife. Haunted Ground by Erin Hart
Day 5: Drive through Connemara’s rugged mountains and dramatic scenery.
Visit Kylemore Abbey, with its extensive gardens. From majestic Ashford Castle, cruise Lough Corrib, with a stop at Inchagoil Island, the site to which St. Patrick was banished. Tonight: check out the music in the Cong area. The Year of the French by Thomas Flanagan
Day 6: Ferry to Inishmore, the largest Aran Island.
Hike to dramatic Dun Aengus, a 4,000-year-old cliffside stone fort. See the island’s rock walls, ruins of ancient churches, and thatched cottages. Tonight: sample Aran’s traditional music. Collected Plays and Poems and the Aran Islands by J.M. Synge
Day 7: Catch the early-morning ferry to the mainland.
In Galway, situated on famed Galway Bay, take a walking tour to explore the history of this ancient city, with a stop at an Irish bookshop. The rest of the day is yours to explore. Tonight: check out Galway’s arts scene or lively pubs.
Celtic Journeys: A Traveler’s Guide to Ireland’s Spiritual Legacy by Steve and Lois Rabey
Day 8: Visit historic sites in the countryside.
Visit Thoor Ballylee, a 14th century tower, converted to a residence by W. B. Yeats in 1917, and now devoted to the writers of the Irish Literary Revival. Explore beautiful Coole Park, home of Lady Gregory, a founder of the Abbey Theatre. Tonight: a medieval dinner at Dungaire Castle. The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats
Day 9: View spectacular Irish scenery.
Explore the Burren, the unique limestone area along the west coast. Visit the Cliffs of Moher, which rise 700 feet up from the sea. Ferry across the River Shannon and enter the Dingle Peninsula. Walk around Dingle Town and sample the fresh seafood. Tonight: check out the pub scene in this Irish-speaking center of traditional music. My Lady Judge by Cora Harrison
Day 10: Explore the Dingle Peninsula.
Explore Dingle: prehistoric cliff top forts, beehive huts, lovely beaches, and dramatic scenery. Visit the cottages of the victims of the potato famine. Stroll through the Blasket Centre devoted to the hardy people who lived on these now largely abandoned bleak islands. The rest of the day is yours to explore or shop. Tonight: another pub jaunt. Master of Souls by Peter Tremayne
Day 11: Journey to Killarney National Park and Muckross House.
Tour Muckross, a huge 19th century manor house, which shows how both the “upstairs” and “downstairs” folks lived. Stop at Gougane Barra, an atmospheric hermitage with a tiny church on an inlet of a lake. Arrive in Kinsale, an historic seaport. Tonight: explore Kinsale. The Last September by Elizabeth Bowen
Day 12: Travel to picturesque Cobh, on an island in Cork Harbour.
Cobh was the ill-fated Titanic’s last port of call and the port from which many Irish emigrated to America in “coffin ships.” Experience the stories of Cobh at The Queenstown Story heritage center. Return to Kinsale for lunch and a free afternoon. Tonight: take to the darkened streets of Kinsale for an entertaining “Ghost Walk.” Tonight: sample the fantastic seafood of Kinsale. Trinity by Leon Uris
Day 13: Wander the atmospheric ruins on the Rock of Cashel.
Explore Cashel, seat of early Celtic Kings, where St. Patrick converted Ireland’s first Christian ruler in 432 A.D. Tour the castle in the medieval city of Kilkenny. Drive through the scenic Wicklow Mountains to Glendalough, a 6th century monastery. Tonight: wander through the atmospheric ruins of the monastery buildings. How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill
Day 14: Visit Powerscourt’s magnificent gardens.
Stroll around the lakes, fountains and statuary. Lunch at Avoca, home of the Avoca Handweavers. Both Powerscourt and Avoca offer an opportunity to view and buy traditional Irish crafts. Stop at Sandycove at the Martello defensive tower, now home to the James Joyce museum. Tonight: an Irish play at Dublin’s Abbey Theatre. Death of a Joyce Scholar by Bartholomew Gill
Day 15: Spend your last day in Dublin however you please.
Tour the Dublin Writers Museum. Visit the National Museum of Archaeology and History with its Irish treasures and collection of “bog bodies.” Join a tour of the Guinness Brewery. Shop for souvenirs of Ireland. Tonight: our farewell dinner, a fitting way to end our Irish adventure! The Dubliners by James Joyce
Day 16: Depart for home or head on to more adventures!
For more Information or to Reserve Your Place on this tour, contact us.
Want to go on other BookLover’s tours? See Maui, Italy, Israel and The Coastal South.