Cultural Ireland Tour

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This 7 night Cultural tour includes the heritage, history and culture of Ireland.

The Cultural Tour starts in Dublin where you will be able to take a Literary tour based on the Irish most famous wordsmiths such as Yeats, Joyce and Patrick Kavanagh. From there travel through southern Ireland and experience the rich heritage , culture and heritage this ancient land has to offer. Visit the famous institutions, galleries, and towns that celebrate Ireland’s proud literary history.

Overnight Locations :

Night 1 & 2 : Dublin
Night 3 : Kilkenny
Night 4 & 5: Killarney , Kerry
Night 6 : Dingle
Night 7 : Doolin, Clare

National Portrait Gallery

 

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Low Season B&Bs 3 * Hotel 4* Hotel
Bed & Breakfast for 7 nights and Rental of an Economy Manual car  €435 pps  €595 pps  €745 pps
High Season B&BS 3* Hotel 4*Hotel
Bed & Breakfast for 7 nights and Rental of an Economy Manual car  €575 pps  €775 pps  €945 pps

*pps=per person sharing

Tour package Includes :

  • Economy Manual vehicle eg., Ford Fiesta  with unlimited mileage based on a minimum of 2 people travelling together. Inclusive of: Collision Damage Waiver (CDW), theft protection (TP), government tax (VAT) and Location Service Charge (upgrade rates for larger or automatic transmissions are available on request).
  • Full breakfast daily except on day one
  • All local taxes and hotel service charges
  • Confirmation documents for each of your accommodations including driving directions
    • All rates above are per adult sharing, child and single supplements apply
    • Low Season- November-March
    • High Season- April-October

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Day 1 – Arrival Dublin, Ireland’s Capital City

Dublin city centre is a compact area, with all points of interest being easily accessible on foot. As a result you will find a large number of walking tours available, the most popular of which include the “Historical Walking Tour” and the “Literary Pub Crawl”. Discover Dublin’s Literary quarter, an area loved and frequented by literary greats such as James Joyce, W.B. Yeats, Brendan Behan and Patrick Kavanagh .

Overnight in Dublin.

Day 2 – Dublin City Highlights

Today continue your sightseeing in Dublin as there is an abundance of wonderful visitor attractions to discover – from the most majestic museums to more modern centres of entertainment.
The Dublin Hop on Hop Off Bus is an excellent way of visiting many of Dublin’s most historic locations .The all day ticket means you can hop on and off as often as you wish throughout the day allowing you explore the history and culture of Dublin at your leisure. Make sure you visit Trinity College and the Book of Kells , St. Patricks Cathedral, Christ Church/Dublinia & Guinness Storehouse at St. James Gate.
This evening, why not spend some time in the Temple Bar area. This small area boasts a dazzling choice of restaurants, cafes, bars and shops to suit all tastes and pockets, all within easy walking distance of Temple Bar’s many cultural centres and galleries. Its narrow cobbled streets are pedestrianised and are ideally suited to a leisurely stroll through the quarter.
There is also the opportunity to experience an evening’s entertainment at any one of a number of excellent traditional Irish shows.

Overnight in Dublin

Day 3 – Garden County of Ireland

Today we head south through the Garden County of Ireland and you will arrive at the ancient monastic settlement at Glendalough. Glendalough “the glen of the two lakes” is a truly spellbinding place – an ancient monastic settlement and two clear water lakes beneath the sheer cliffs of a deep valley, which was carved out by glaciers during the Ice Age. The monastic settlement has been a centre for pilgrims and visitors since its foundation by St. Kevin in the 6th century. From here, follow the signs for Avondale House. Built in 1779 Avondale House is set in the spectacular surroundings of Avondale Forest Park, now a museum to the memory of one of the greatest political leaders of modern Irish history, Charles Stewart Parnell, who was born in Avondale on 27th June, 1846. Continue on to Avoca where you will find the Avoca Handweavers factory, famed worldwide for the quality of its woven fabrics. As well as visiting its shop, you will be able to take a tour of the factory in this most picturesque of villages. The village was also the setting for the top television series “Ballykissangel”. – this little village has been used extensively over the last 100 years as a film location for films such as Braveheart, Michael Collins, Excalibur, Far and Away and Angela’s Ashes. It is of course home to Ireland’s oldest handweaving mill – Avoca. We then head to the medieval city of Kilkenny to overnight.

Overnight in Kilkenny

Day 4 – Kilkenny Castle, Rock of Cashel and Blarney Castle

Kilkenny is long renowned as Ireland’s Medieval Capital, the city’s origins date back more than 1,500 years. Characterized by beautifully restored old buildings, Kilkenny City is small and compact enough to explore on foot, yet full of fascinating, historical buildings. Kilkenny Castle is a 12th century castle remodelled in Victorian times and set in extensive parklands. Also in Kilkenny is Saint Canice’s Cathedral, the second longest of Ireland’s medieval cathedrals. Built on the site of an earlier church, the major portion of the work that produced the beautiful Gothic structure was carried out in the middle of the 13th Century. Your first stop today enroute to Killarney is the Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary. Cashel was once the seat of the Kings of Munster and capital of this southern province. The Rock, which rears above the plain, dominated the land routes southwards. Kings of Ireland as well as Munster came to this spot and St. Patrick is known to have preached on the rock and converted the local King, Aenghus, here in the 5th Century.
Onwards to Killarney. With its three famous lakes and majestic mountain ranges, Killarney has been the inspiration of poets and painters over many centuries.

Overnight in Killarney

Day 5 – Killarney National Park, Lakes & Islands

Today take time out to enjoy the outdoors and discover the natural beauty of Killarney National Park . Today set off on a wonderful trail linking places of culture and heritage and visit the 14th century Ross Castle standing on the shores of Lough Leane which featured prominently in the Cromwellian Wars. Take a short stroll around Ross Island and its 4000 year old copper mines before boarding a traditional boat to the famous Innisfallen Island. There discover the ruins of Innisfallen Abbey founded circa AD600. You can continue across the Lakes of Killarney to Dinis Cottage (the perfect lunch stop) and the meeting of the Waters. Finish the day with a visit to the Victorian Muckross House & Abbey. Maybe rest the legs and travel back to the hotel in a traditional Irish Jaunting Car. One of the newest  attractions in Killarney is the Irish Whiskey experience. The Irish Whiskey Experience has been developed by whiskey lovers as a first class destination for whiskey enthusiasts and novices alike. It is a sensory and interactive experience that guides visitors through the history of Irish Whiskey, the distilling process and a comparative tasting of delicious Irish whiskeys. There are numerous masterclasses to choose from, to suit all occasions and palates.
Enjoy an evening of Irish music and song in one of the many traditional bars in Killarney.

Overnight in Killarney.

Day 6 – Dingle

We travel to the fishing town of Dingle today as well as the dramatic Dingle Peninsula. The Dingle Peninsula has more interesting antiquities, historic sites and varied mountain scenery than any other part of Ireland. Dingle is the most westerly town in Europe and attracts large numbers of visitors each year, many of whom come to learn the Irish language in the surrounding ‘A Flor-Gaeltacht’ – Irish speaking district. On route stop in the village of Annascaul, the birth place of Jerome Connor, the famous sculptor, and Tom Crean, a local hero who accompanied Scott and Shackleton on three Antarctic expeditions, including Scott’s doomed attempt to reach the South Pole. On his return to Annascaul Crean opened the “South Pole Inn”, which is still in business today. Minard Castle is also well worth a visit. The castle is said to have been built by the Knight of Kerry and is the largest fortress on the peninsula. Continue on past Dingle and visit Dunbeag Promontory Fort. What makes it one of the most dramatic archaeological sites on the peninsula is that results show that it was begun in the late Bronze Age, 800 BC. Continue on to Slea Head and here you will see Dun An Oir (Fort of Gold. Here in 1580, after three days siege, over 600 Irish and Spanish soldiers surrendered to Lord Grey only to be massacred by his troops. Nearby is the Gallarus Oratory, one of the best preserved early Christian church buildings in Ireland. Back to Dingle for the evening. Here you will find among other great pubs and restaurants, Dick Macks, possibly Dingle’s most famous pub, which is half a leather shop and half a pub so you can buy a pint and a purse at the same time! Foxy John’s is a hardware store and pub combined – an unusual arrangement to say the least.

Overnight in Dingle

Day 7 – Doolin, Clare via Cliffs of Moher

After an early breakfast depart Dingle in the direction of Brandon to drive over the renowned Conor Pass, Ireland’s highest mountain pass. At the summit Brandon and Tralee Bays can be seen to the north, with the sandy Castlegregory peninsula separating them and to the south lies Dingle Bay. Continue to Tralee and Tarbert where you will take a ferry crossing on the Shannon Estuary to County Clare. Continue north to the Cliffs of Moher. The majestic Cliffs of Moher are without doubt one of Ireland’s most spectacular sights and overlook the Atlantic Ocean on the coast of West Clare. You then arrive at the village of Doolin. Doolin is world-famous for its wealth of Irish folk music and in recent years has been attracting crowds to spontaneous sessions in any one of its excellent pubs.
A visit to this County would not be complete without visiting the Burren which is a remarkable area of more than 100 square miles of limestone landscape where a rich variety of plants thrive in the cracks and crevices.

Overnight in Doolin

Day 8 – Depart from Shannon

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Cliffs of Moher Cliffs of moher 2
The Cliffs of Moher, one of Ireland’s top visitor attractions, loom high over County Clare’s west coast. Standing 214 metres at their highest point, the cliffs stretch for 8km along the Atlantic coastline. From the cliffs, one can see the Aran Islands, Galway Bay, The Twelve Bens, the Maam Turk Mountains in Connemara and Loop Head to the south. O’Brien’s Tower, another of Ireland’s most photographed landmarks, guards one prominent headland of these majestic cliffs. The Burren and Cliffs of Moher region of north Clare has been awarded the prestigious designation of membership of the UNESCO supported Global Geopark network at the 10th European Geoparks Conference in Langesund, Norway. This iconic location attracts close to one million visitors per year. The unusual, underground visitor centre also houses the exciting Atlantic Edge display. This huge, domed cave contains images, exhibits and displays. The centre also has a gift shop stocking official Cliffs of Moher products, maps, guides, books and DVDs, visitor information and an accommodation booking service. Other facilities of this fully wheelchair accessible premises include a baggage store and ATM. Friendly staff will answer questions, provide assistance, give information on and directions to other attractions in the area

Glendalough     Glendalough

Glendalough is known for its spectacular scenery, rich history, archaeology and abundant wildlife. It  is a remarkable place that will still your mind, inspire your heart and fill your soul. This early Christian ecclesiastical settlement was founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century. Set in a glaciated valley with two lakes, the monastic remains include a superb round tower, stone churches and decorated crosses. The Visitor Centre has an interesting exhibition and an audio-visual show.

 

Blarney Castle   Blarney Castle 2

This historic castle is most famous for its stone, which has the power of conferring eloquence on all who kiss it. The word blarney was introduced into the English language by Queen Elizabeth I and is described as pleasant talk, intended to deceive without offending. The stone is set in the wall below the battlements and to kiss it, one has to lean backwards, (grasping an iron railing) from the parapet walk. Blarney Castle has long been famous because of the Blarney Stone but the less known Rock Close and castle grounds are well worth a visit in their own right. Many different gardens are to be found around the estat and exploration will be rewarded. There is a fern garden with the atmosphere of a tropical jungle to be found deep in the woods. The Poison Garden, adjacent to the battlements, contains an interesting and educational collection of deadly and dangerous plants from around the world, including caged specimens of deadly nightshade, wolfsbane and poison ivy. The Rock Close is a mystical place where majestic yew and oak trees grow around an ancient druidic settlement. Follow the trail through giant gunnera leaves and bamboo and you will find such features as a dolmen, wishing steps and a witch’s kitchen. A water garden with waterfalls adds the soothing sound of water to the visitor’s experience. There are pleasant walks along the riverbanks where you can sit and contemplate the reflections of the castle. In springtime the castle grounds are filled with thousands of bulbs and the ‘Belgian beds’, full of hybrid azaleas are in full flower. In autumn the whole place glows as the leaves turn red, amber and gold.

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