10 Day Irish Explorer
Tour Itinerary
Day 1 : Dublin Touring & Book of Kells
Start your tour at Dublin Airport with a group transfer to your hotel between
7:00 am and 12:00 noon. If your flight arrives later than noon, transfer to the
hotel at your own expense. At 2:00 pm tour the city with a local guide to see
elegant Georgian squares, public buildings and monuments such as the Famine
Memorial. Visit Trinity College's Old Library to view the priceless 8th century
Book of Kells. Enjoy a welcome drink with your tour director and talk about your
trip.
Day 2 : Glendalough Monastic Site & Merry Ploughboy Irish
Night
Drive south from Dublin across the delightful Wicklow Mountains. Visit the
Glendalough Visitor Centre to learn about St. Kevin's 6th century
monastery and walk through the site to see its round tower, church ruins and
Celtic crosses. Return to Dublin where the afternoon is free for you to take an
open-top bus tour all around the city. Use your voucher for the Guinness
Storehouse and sip a creamy pint of stout or visit the Old Jameson Distillery to
see how whiskey is distilled and sample the finished product. In the evening
head to the Merry Ploughboy Pub for Irish cuisine and a lively session of
traditional songs. (B, D)
Day 3 : Boyne Valley Neolithic Tombs &
Donegal
This morning visit the Boyne Valley Visitor Centre to learn about the passage
burial tombs of Newgrange and Knowth, both of which are over 5,000 years old.
Visit one of the tombs to see how primitive people managed to align these
buildings precisely with the sun or the moon. Drive through the lakeland region
of County Cavan and along the scenic shores of Lower Lough Erne to your hotel on
the outskirts of Donegal town where you will have time to relax or use the
leisure facilities before dinner. (B, D)
Day 4 : Slieve League Cliffs & Glengesh Pass
Head to the fishing port of Killybegs and on to Teelin to view Slieve League
sea cliffs, where the highest point reaches 1,972 feet making them the highest
in Europe. Enjoy breathtaking vistas as they drop to the wild Atlantic waves
below. Sample home-baked scones with coffee or tea before continuing through the
majestic Glengesh Pass. In Ardara visit Triona Design to see demonstrations of
spinning, weaving and knitting as Donegal is renowned for wool production. Drive
to Donegal town for free time before returning to your nearby hotel. (B, D)
Day 5 : Belleek & Museum of Country Life
Visit the Belleek Pottery Factory to see how the craftspeople shape and
decorate clay, creating the world-famous fine china. Pause at Drumcliffe
Churchyard to view the grave of W. B. Yeats, the Nobel prize-winning poet, who
based many poems on the delightful countryside around Sligo. Continue through
County Mayo to Castlebar to visit the Museum of Country Life. See collections of
domestic goods in daily use from 1850 to 1950. Exhibits and a movie explain how
rural people made a living from the soil. Drive to Galway and check in to your
hotel. (B, D)
Day 6 : Catamaran Cruise & Kylemore
Abbey
Explore the heart of Connemara, passing granite hills and sparkling lakes on
the way to Leenane for a short cruise of Killary Harbour, a 9-mile fjord. Enjoy
views of hills where traces of pre-Famine “lazy beds” of potato ridges can still
be seen. Rejoin your coach and stop for photos at the Kylemore Abbey Visitor
Centre. Drive through lovely countryside where sheep graze freely and stop in
Clifden, the principal town of the region. In Moycullen visit the Connemara
Celtic Crystal Factory, which creates intricate designs in crystal, and return
to Galway. (B, D)
Day 7 : Cliffs of Moher & Flying Boat Museum
Travel around Galway Bay to view the Cliffs of Moher, an impressive wall of
rock that plunges to the Atlantic Ocean. Continue to Bunratty for a brief stop
at Durty Nelly's Pub or the Bunratty Woollen Mills before driving through
Limerick and along the Shannon Estuary. Visit the Foynes Flying Boat Museum,
which recalls the early days of air travel, during the 1930's and early 1940's.
Arrive in Killarney, check in to your hotel and relax before dinner. (B, D)
Day 8 : Ring of Kerry & Skellig
Experience
Take a drive around the Ring of Kerry where every bend in 100 miles of road
reveals breathtaking views. Meet a local farmer, Brendan Ferris, for a taste of
farm life with a sheepdog demonstration of herding flocks. At the tip of the
peninsula visit the Skellig Experience, which explains the history, flora and
fauna on the nearby rocky islands. Return through the attractive village of
Sneem and pause at Moll's Gap for panoramic views of Killarney and its lakes.
(B, D)
Day 9 : Blarney & Clontarf Castle Hotel
Drive through County Cork to the Blarney Woollen Mills where quality
Irish-made products are gathered under one roof. If you wish, you may climb
Blarney Castle independently to kiss the famous stone. Drive north to visit the
stately Rock of Cashel, a limestone outcrop containing 12th century
church ruins. Continue to Dublin once more and check in to luxurious Clontarf
Castle, which traces its origins to 1172. Enjoy a special farewell dinner in the
hotel's old-world dining room. (B, D)
Day 10 : Tour Ends Dublin Airport
Group transfers are provided to Dublin Airport to arrive at 6:00 am, 9:00 am
or 12:00 noon to check in for your flight home. (B)