Ireland

Exploring the Land of the Celts

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.

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.

Dublin Four Courts and the River Liffey

Dublin Four Courts and the River Liffey

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.

Cutting Turf from a Peat Bog

Cutting Turf from a Peat Bog

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.

 Kylemore Abbey in Connemara

Kylemore Abbey in Connemara

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.

 Dungaire Castle in Co. Galway

Dungaire Castle in Co. Galway

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.

Cliffs of Moher on the West Coast

Cliffs of Moher on the West Coast

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.

Muckross House in Killarney National Park

Muckross House in Killarney National Park

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.

Rock of Cashel in Tipperary Co.

Rock of Cashel in Tipperary Co.

Glendalough in the Wicklow Mts.

Glendalough in the Wicklow Mts.

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.