Irish Odyssey Tour 12 Day
Itinerary
Day 1 - Fri: Dublin City Tour & Kilmainham
Gaol
Arrive in Dublin Airport, complete immigration formalities
and pick up your luggage. Go to the CIE Tours desk in the Arrivals Hall to
arrange a group transfer to your city-centre hotel between 7:00 am and 12:00
noon. If your flight arrives later, you will need to transfer to the hotel at
your own expense. At 2:00 pm join a local guide on a city centre tour to see
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
fellow travellers over a welcome drink.
Day 2 - Sat: Megalithic Tombs &
Abbey Tavern
This morning
visit the Boyne Valley Visitor Centre to learn about the passage burial tombs of Newgrange and Knowth, both
over 5,000 years old. Tour one of the tombs to see how primitive people managed
to align huge boulders precisely with the sun or the moon. Return to Dublin for a boat ride on the River Liffey to see the
elegant Custom House, Dublin's new financial centre and much more.
Drive to the Abbey Tavern for dinner with Irish specialties and an Irish coffee
followed by a lively show of music, songs and step-dancing. (B, D)
Day 3 - Sun: Rock of Cashel &
"Titanic" Walk
Head south to visit the Rock of
Cashel, a stately limestone outcrop topped with the 12th century
highly-decorated Cormac's Chapel, the large cathedral and a round tower.
Continue to Cobh for a walking tour with a
local historian to see places relating to the Titanic's last port of call. Drive
to the Blarney Woollen Mills, offering excellent Irish-made products under one
roof. If you wish, you may climb to the top of Blarney Castle independently before heading to your hotel in
Cork. (B, D)
Day 4 - Mon: Bantry House &
Killarney
Explore Kinsale, an old fishing
port that is popular for sailing and gourmet restaurants. Discover County Cork's coastline with great scenery and
cosy towns such as Clonakilty and Skibbereen. Visit Bantry House, a stately
Georgian mansion built in 1740 to see furnishings collected from all around
Europe and walk through delightful gardens.
Continue to Glengarriff, renowned for its palm trees, Kenmare and along part of the Ring of Kerry route via
Moll's Gap to Killarney. (B, D)
Day 5 - Tue:
Dingle
Peninsula
Tour
Explore the scenic Dingle Peninsula, made famous by two movies -
"Ryan's Daughter" and "Far & Away." Admire views of heathery mountains,
sandy beaches and rocky headlands. Pause in 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 enjoy some free time.
After dinner you may like to visit local pubs featuring live music. (B, D)
Day 6 - Wed: Flying Boat Museum &
Cliffs of Moher
Travel north to Foynes Flying Boat
Museum to learn about the
early days of flight when Pam Am Clippers landed on the River Shannon Estuary.
Drive to the village of Bunratty and look around Durty Nelly's Pub or the
Bunratty
Folk Park. Head to the coast to view the Cliffs
of Moher, an impressive wall of rock that rises 700 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. Continue to Galway for a panoramic drive
before checking in to your hotel, which overlooks Galway Bay. (B, D)
Day 7 - Thu: "Quiet Man" Walking Tour
& 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. In Moycullen
watch skilled craftsmen cutting fine crystal at the Connemara Celtic Crystal
Factory. (B, D)
Day 8 - Fri: Yeats' Grave & Belleek
China
Travel through County Mayo
to Knock Shrine, a popular place of pilgrimage and on to County Sligo to 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 mould, shape and decorate clay, creating the world-famous
fine china. Continue your drive through the majestic Barnesmore Gap to
Derry. Enjoy free time to relax or take a walk
before dinner. (B, D)
Day 9 - Sat: Derry Walk
& Giant's Causeway
Join a local guide for a walking tour around Derry's ancient city centre including the Guildhall, St.
Columb's Cathedral, the Diamond and the 16th century walls. Visit the
award-winning Tower Museum. Drive along the north coast,
stopping 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 - Sun: Ulster American Folk
Park & Cabra Castle
Stay
Near Omagh visit the Ulster American Folk
Park, which traces the story of
Ulster emigrants and shows
rural lifestyles in Ireland. Travel south to Kingscourt
to arrive mid-afternoon so you may relax and enjoy the facilities at your castle
hotel, built in 1760. After dinner in the Court Restaurant, youthful dancers
display intricate Irish step-dancing. (B, D)
Day 11 - Mon:
Dublin at
Leisure & Open-Top Bus
After a leisurely breakfast,
drive to a different Dublin hotel, this time overlooking the River
Liffey. You will have most of the day at leisure so you may take an open-top bus
tour and stop off at various attractions throughout the city centre. Also visit
either Guinness or Jameson to see how their products are made and enjoy a
complimentary drink. (B)
Day 12 - Tue: Depart from Dublin Airport
Your hotel offers a shuttle
service to Dublin
Airport every two hours
starting at 7:20 am. So choose a suitable transfer time to arrive at the airport
to check in for your flight. If you need an earlier transfer, your tour escort
will arrange one for you. (B)
Breakfast ( B) Dinner (D)