9 Day Irish Welcome 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.
Passengers arriving later will transfer to the hotel at their own expense. At 2:00 pm a local tour guide
will introduce you to Dublin’s River Liffey, wide O’Connell Street, tranquil St. Stephen’s Green, the Irish
Famine Memorial, Leinster House and other public buildings. See some of the elegant Georgian houses and visit
Kilmainham Gaol to see where many of Ireland’s leaders, including Robert Emmett, Eamon DeValera and Padraig Pearse,
were imprisoned while striving to create an independent nation.
Enjoy a welcome get-together drink with your tour director and discuss your itinerary.
Day 2 : Glendalough & Abbey Tavern Dinner
This morning see the delightful scenery of the Wicklow Mountains on the way to Glendalough.
Learn about St. Kevin’s 6th century monastery in the Glendalough Visitor Centre and walk through the
site to see its round tower, church ruins and Celtic crosses. The afternoon is at leisure and you may use your
voucher for an independent open-top bus tour with a visit to Guinness or Jameson included.
Drive to the Abbey Tavern in Howth for a traditional dinner followed by a great show with plenty
of Irish music and intricate step dancing.
(B, D)
Day 3 : Kilbeggan Distillery & Westport
Drive through central Ireland to tour the Kilbeggan Distillery Experience, which dates back to 1757
making it the world’s oldest. View modern production methods in the historic building and sample some whiskey.
Continue to Westport, an attractive estate town built in 1780, and check in to your hotel. Spend some free time to
take a look around on your own as Westport is a great town with lots of interesting shops and
traditional pubs, many with live music.
(B, D)
Day 4 : Westport House & Catamaran Cruise
A few miles outside Westport visit Westport House, an 18th century mansion, set in superb parkland with magnificent
views overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and Achill Island. See stunning rooms with priceless furnishings, paintings,
books, silver and Waterford Crystal. Travel south past the pilgrimage mountain of Croaghpatrick and around the lovely
Atlantic shoreline. Take a short catamaran cruise to see pristine mountain areas. You can see traces of
pre-Famine fields on the hilly slopes and also thriving salmon and mussel farming.
(B, D)
Day 5 : Connemara & Cliffs of Moher
Today explore another of Ireland’s famous scenic regions, Connemara. Here the constantly-changing cloud
formations give granite hills, sparkling lakes and peat bogs an added dimension. Take a panoramic tour around the
main areas of Galway city and enjoy a browse around on your own. View the dramatic Cliffs of Moher, which rise to almost
700 feet above the wild Atlantic breakers and stretch along the coast for five miles.
Then head south for a short ferry ride across the River Shannon. In Killarney meet your Irish family at your country home.
Enjoy a pub dinner with entertainment at Kate Kearney’s Cottage.
(B, D)
Day 6 : Dingle Peninsula & Brewery
Discover the glorious Dingle Peninsula with heathery mountains and sandy beaches.
Drive to Slea Head at the westernmost tip of the peninsula to view spectacular vistas and early
Christian monastic beehive huts. Stop in the town of Dingle and visit the Dingle Brewing Company to
walk through the working brewery and sample the product. Return to Killarney and enjoy free time to
relax with your host family as you dine in their home.
(B, D)
Day 7 : Blarney Castle & Waterford Crystall
Drive through County Cork and climb to the top of Blarney Castle to kiss the “Stone of Eloquence.”
You will also have time to shop at the Blarney Woollen Mills where you can find excellent Irish merchandise.
Drive to Cobh, the last port of call for the Titanic. Take a guided walk around this picturesque town and dockside with a
local historian to see places relating to the Titanic’s last scheduled stop. In Waterford visit the House of Waterford Crystal
to see how molten glass is transformed into elegant tableware and magnificent trophies and browse around the shop and showrooms.
(B, D)
Day 8 : Kilkenny Castle & National Stud
This morning tour the massive Kilkenny Castle, home of the Butlers, Earls and Dukes of Ormonde,
who held power over the region for centuries. The castle was first built in 1192 and you will learn
about the region as you see wonderful paintings and furniture. Tour the Irish National Stud to learn about
horse breeding and walk through the Japanese Gardens. Drive to the village of Dunboyne, on the outskirts of Dublin.
Check in to Dunboyne Castle Hotel and relax for a while before a farewell dinner with entertainment.
(B, D)
Day 9 : Return Home from Dublin
Complimentary group transfers to Dublin Airport are provided to arrive at 6:00 am, 9:00 am
or 12:00 noon so that you can check in for your flight home.
(B)
B: Breakfast; D: Dinner; L: Lunch