12 Day Irish Odyssey Tour Itinerary
Day 1 : Dublin Tour & Kilmainham Gaol
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, transfer to the hotel at your own expense. At 2:00 pm join a local guide on a tour of
Dublin’s highlights to view Trinity College, General Post Office, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the Famine Memorial.
Visit Kilmainham Gaol where many of Ireland’s leaders, including Robert Emmett, Eamon DeValera and Padraig
Pearse, were imprisoned during the 19th and early 20th centuries. In the evening meet your tour director and
travel companions over a welcome drink.
Day 2 : Russborough House & Abbey Tavern
This morning drive through the delightful scenery of the Wicklow Mountains to Blessington for a
guided tour of stately Russborough House, a Palladian mansion filled with interesting treasures as
well as noted works of art and early photographic collections. The afternoon is free so that you may
use your independent open-top bus tour voucher with a visit to Guinness or Jameson. Drive to the
Abbey Tavern in Howth for a traditional dinner followed by a great show with Irish music and intricate
step dancing.
(B, D)
Day 3 : Dunbrody Famine Ship & House of Waterford Crystal
Drive to New Ross to visit the Dunbrody Famine Ship, a replica of a sailing vessel built in 1845 to
transport emigrants from Ireland. The visit will give you an insight as to what life on board ship was
like as well as giving you the history of the 1840’s Famine. In nearby Waterford tour the House of
Waterford Crystal to watch glass blowing and cutting and see some magnificent trophies. Continue
along the south coast to Cork and take a brief walking tour of the city with a local guide.
(B, D)
Day 4 : Blarney Castle & West Cork
A few miles outside Cork, visit Blarney Castle and climb to the battlements to kiss the famous
“Stone of Eloquence.” Also visit the Blarney Woollen Mills where you can find quality Irish-made goods
of all types, conveniently displayed under one roof. Drive along the lovely coast of Cork via the towns of
Clonakilty and Skibbereen to Kenmare. Stop at Moll’s Gap for great views and continue along part of the
Ring of Kerry route into Killarney. Check in to your hotel and relax before dinner.
(B, D)
Day 5 : Dingle Peninsula Tour & Killarney
Take a traditional horse-drawn jaunting car ride to Ross Castle to view Lough Leane, largest of
Killarney’s lakes. Explore the scenic Dingle Peninsula to experience views of heathery mountains,
sandy beaches and rocky headlands. Stop in the town of Dingle before continuing to the Blasket
Centre in Dunquin to learn about the offshore Blasket Islands, inhabited until 1953 by hardy farming
and fishing families. Return to Killarney and have time to relax or shop.
(B, D)
Day 6 : Adare Village & Cliffs of Moher
Travel north to Adare and enjoy a stroll along the main street to take photographs of the charming
thatched cottages with brightly-colored flowers in window boxes and gardens. Drive through the
outskirts of Limerick and past Bunratty to the coast of County Clare. Here view the famous Cliffs of
Moher, an impressive wall of rock that rises 700 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. Continue to Galway
for a panoramic tour and check in to your hotel, which overlooks Galway Bay.
(B, D)
Day 7 : “Quiet Man” Walk & Connemara
Drive to Cong where “The Quiet Man” movie was made in 1952. A guided walk will show you places
featured in the production. Travel through Connemara for sweeping views of misty mountains and shimmering
lakes. Stop briefly at Kylemore Abbey Visitor Centre before continuing to Clifden, a delightful market town set
between the Twelve Pins Mountains and sandy bays. Return to your hotel to relax before dinner.
(B, D)
Day 8 : Country Life Museum & Belleek China
Travel north to Castlebar to the Museum of Country Life which displays articles used in everyday life during the
19th and early 20th centuries. Continue to County Sligo and pause in Drumcliffe Churchyard at the grave of the
writer, W. B. Yeats. Follow the shoreline of Donegal Bay to visit the Belleek Pottery Factory where craftspeople
shape and decorate clay into delicate pieces. Continue your drive through the majestic Barnesmore Gap to Derry.
(B, D)
Day 9 : Derry Walk & Giant’s Causeway
Join a local guide for a walking tour around the ancient city of Derry to see the Guildhall, St. Columb’s Cathedral,
the Diamond and the 16th century walls. Visit the award-winning Tower Museum. Stop for photos at the ruined Dunluce
Castle and explore the Giant’s Causeway, huge hexagonal basalt columns formed over 60 million years ago. The oversized
rocks have given rise to many legends. Return to Derry for leisure time.
(B, D)
Day 10 : Titanic Belfast & Cabra Castle
Drive to Belfast for a panoramic city tour followed by a visit to Titanic Belfast to learn about this famous
liner through state-of-the-art displays. Travel to Kingscourt and your castle hotel, built in 1760. Arrive mid-afternoon
so that you can enjoy this lovely property and maybe play the 9-hole golf course. After dinner in the Court Restaurant,
enjoy a display of Irish step-dancing.
(B, D)
Day 11 : Megalithic Tombs & Historic Drogheda Walk
Visit the Boyne Valley Visitor Centre to learn about the 5,000-year-old burial tombs of Newgrange and Knowth.
Tour one of them to see how primitive people managed to align huge boulders precisely. Continue to Drogheda,
a town that Oliver Cromwell besieged in 1649 and killed 2,000 people, making his name the most hated in Irish history.
Join a local guide for a walking tour to see the head of St. Oliver Plunkett, the first Irishman to be canonized in 700 years,
and 14th century St. Laurence Gate in the medieval walls. In the evening enjoy a farewell dinner with live music at Wm
Cairnes Gastropub, located in a former brewery.
(B, D)
Day 12 : Tour Ends Dublin Airport
Take a 30-minute group transfer to Dublin Airport to arrive at 6:00 am, 9:00 am or 12:00 noon.
(B)
B: Breakfast; D: Dinner