All World Travel
5200 Eubank NE Suite C-1
Albuquerque NM 87111
505-294-5031

Ireland September 2007

for 

Vincent and Melanie Pizzonia

 

Day 1 Thursday 6th    Arrive Shannon. Transfer to Gregans Castle Hotel


It would be difficult to find a more beautiful place on the West Coast of Ireland in which to wake up. 

The Burren is a special area with treasures to uncover for both the botanist and the explorer of historic ruins. Giving breathtaking views across Galway Bay and the visually surprising and unique Burren limestone landscape, Gregans Castle Hotel is a delightful hideaway.

Owner Simon Haden manages this oasis of comfort together with his attentive staff. Irish hospitality, good food from excellent local produce and peace and quiet are the themes. Bedrooms are individually & elegantly decorated without the intrusion of televisions.  A garden sensitively borrowed from the landscape and the rural setting ensure a peaceful co-existence with nature.

Opportunity to ride on the beach at Fanore this afternoon

Day 2 Friday 7th        Explore the Burren of County Clare by foot, horse or bicycle

 

  

Day 3 Saturday 8th

Head into Galway city. Late lunch in Morans of The Weir ( thatched oyster bar on Galway Bay, a favourite of Noel Coward, John Wayne & Seamus Heaney)  followed by a visit to Thoor Ballylee and Coole Park, centres of Ireland’s literary history. Return to Gregans for dinner, unless the fun and games of the Clarinbridge Oyster Festival detain you. 

     

Day 4 Sunday 9th

By way of the Irish Horse Museum at Dartfield.  

Spend the afternoon at The Galway Races - This is the biggest annual racing festival in the west of Ireland
2.50 pm Ryans Event Cleaners Novice  H'dle
3.20 pm Galway Bay FM M'dn H'dle
3.55 pm Kenny Development Group H'cap H'dle
4.25 pm Cunningham Higgins Specialist Cars H'cap H'dle
5.00 pm Smirnoff H'cap S'chase
5.35 pm Deacy & Associates Novice S'chase
6.05 pm J.J. Rhatigan & Co. Flat Race

Dinner at Dunguaire Castle.  Overnight at Gregans Castle

Day 5 Monday 10th            Tour to Dublin by way Athlone

Visit  Clonmacnoise  An early Christian site founded by Saint Ciaran in the 6th century on the banks of the River Shannon. The site includes the ruins of a cathedral, eight churches (10th-13th century), two round towers, three high crosses and a large collection of early Christian grave slabs.  Pub lunch in The Wolftrap in Tullamore or The Pantry in Locke's Distillery in Kilbeggan.  Aim to arrive in Dublin before the Rush Hour!  Overnight at The Merrion Hotel.


Day 6 Tuesday 11th

 

A Tour of Dublin's Fair City

 

Dublin has long been a centre of art and culture. Stroll through the elegant Georgian streets of Merrion and Fitzwilliam Squares, shop in the elegant emporiums of Grafton Street and Powerscourt Townhouse, explore the collections of the National Museum and National Gallery, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, and many fine small private collections. The range of art and artefacts is enormous, and you will have no problem spending many hours enthralled.. The city is over a thousand years old, and many of the towns and settlements that surround it are equally ancient. Successive centuries have left their distinctive overlays of character and architecture which means that Dublin has a wealth of historically significant and fascinating sights to explore such as Dublin Castle, where the Normans ruled from the 12th Century, St Patrick's Cathedral, of which Jonathan Swift was Dean, and Trinity College, famous for The Book of Kells and for its alumni who include Oscar Wilde and Oliver Goldsmith. And no visit to Dublin could be complete without visiting either the Old Whiskey Distillery or the Guinness Storehouse! Tonight maybe visit the theatre, or try a pub evening of traditional music and dance.

Day 7 Wednesday 12th

Today use Land Rovers to go on an eco-safari. You'll leave the road behind and drive along beaches, through rivers or up muddy tracks; You'll retrace the steps of pilgrims & explore breathtaking scenery & local culture.  Lunch will be at a pub in the mountains above Dublin.  Dine in hotel or at a nearby restaurant

Day 8 Thursday 13th

A serious mountain walk will take you to the early Christian site of Glendalough, "the glen of the two lakes", which overwhelms you with its peace and isolation. Its setting is unforgettable, between two lakes in a spectacular valley with high-sided cliffs. Nestled in this spot is a complete round tower and a church, known as St Kevin's Kitchen.  Dine in hotel or at a nearby restaurant

Day 9 Friday 14th

Leave Hotel and head to The Irish National Stud in Kildare.   The National Stud  covers almost a thousand acres and is a busy working stud farm with a renowned training centre for stud management attached. But horses are not all you will enjoy on a visit, there are also two very fine gardens to be explored and this is a destination enjoyed by gardeners as much as horse lovers.  Carry on to lunch at the Curragh. The Curragh Racecourse in Kildare is the head quarters of horse racing in Ireland since the first race took place in 1741 and one of Ireland's premier sporting venues.  The first race is at 2.00, but aim to leave at 4.00, before the last race so as to beat the traffic.  A 2 hour drive will bring you back to the wildness of the west, but this time in county Limerick.   Stay at either Adare Manor or Echo Lodge.   

Echo Lodge is a charming 20 bedroomed countryhouse run by decorator and restaurateur Dan Mullane.  Adare Manor is a 90 bedroomed 5* Castle resort, with a Trent Jones golf course and leisure centre,  which belongs to a New Jersey based financier.  Both are excellent, but offer different advantages and delights.  

Day 10 Saturday 15th

Riding at Clonshire, or walking in the Ballyhoura mountains,   Try a section of the Ballyhoura Way, a 90km way-marked trail. It follows the route of the Irish Chieftain O'Sullivan Beare who marched from Castletownbere to Leitrim between December 1602 and January 1603. You can retrace their steps across the pastures and highlands of Ballyhoura, with views of the rolling acres of the Golden Vale and the six counties of Munster. The scene from the summit of Slievenamuc sweeps from the majestic Galtee Mountains to the rich Glen of Aherlow. It is an attractive and varied walking route including lowlands, mountains and riverbanks.

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Day 11 Sunday 16th

  Tour to Askeaton.  Underlining the status of the town for more than five centuries is the showpiece 15th-century banqueting hall within the castle of the Fitzgerald lords set on a rocky island in the river Deel. Matching the historic value of the banqueting hall is the almost perfectly preserved cloister within the ruins of the Franciscan Friary dating from 1389. Remains of a 13th century church are near the town's Protestant church where the remains of the poet, Aubrey de Vere are buried.  His nearby estate, the house now an empty shell,  offers wonderful walks through the 18th century demesne. 

Foynes is home of the Irish Coffee brew which warmed flying boat passengers when the Shannon estuary port of Foynes became the stepping stone between Europe and North America in the pioneering days of transatlantic aviation from the 1930s. The old terminal building now houses the Flying Boat Museum and a Clipper Flying Boat.

A special private visit can be arranged to the gardens of Glin Castle. Glin Castle, home of the Knight of Glin, his wife Madam FitzGerald, stands on the banks of the River Shannon amidst a 500 acre demesne, and has been the home of the Fitzgeralds since the 13th century.
This afternoon there is a last chance to win a fortune from the bookmakers at Listowel Races. 

Day 12 Monday 17th  Depart Shannon