The Very Best of Ireland

This tour takes in some stunningly unspoilt parts of the Irish countryside and goes through mountainous areas, the rolling landscape of river valleys, and seascapes. 

You will be able to visit some of the finest gardens, historic mansions and splendid medieval ruins, as well as museums art galleries and wonderful little shops in the cities of Dublin, Kilkenny, Cork and Galway. 

You will be in places where some of the best golfing, walking, fishing and riding is available and there are really outstanding restaurants in the areas that we would suggest for overnights.   With a pub to every 300 of the population you are never far from a convivial meeting place, often with impromptu music sessions. :-Ireland is full of unexpected pleasures and hidden delights. 

Day 1 Arrive Dublin PM   Dinner in an Irish Tavern

Day 2  Explore Dublin.  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 artifacts 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! Dinner B&B

Day 3 Tour to Kilkenny in the South East

The to Kilkenny  where you should first explore the city, full of medieval laneways, inns with tales of witches, a great castle and of course lots of shops.  Stop for a tour of Waterford Crystal.  Overnight in Waterford.  Dinner B&B

Day 4 From Waterford to Kerry

 The Cobh Heritage centre presents a fascinating story of Irish emigration.  As you rejoin the main road to Cork the gardens of Fota Island and Barryscourt Castle should not be missed. Lunch at Blarney Castle and then on to Killarney in County Kerry.  Dinner B&B

Day 5 The Ring of Kerry

From Killarney  you'll explore the  famous peninsula of Kerry - The Ring of Kerry. Over 100 miles of stunning seaside with the mountains always beside you. Kerry is a land of contrasts - velvet green golf courses, empty golden beaches, rugged cliffs, exotic gardens, wild scenery, unchanged since the ice age, hidden communes of artists and writers, stone age monuments, and fish filled rivers and lakes.  Stop for a fascinating demonstration of working sheep dogs.   You'll also see The Bog Village, a serene and beautiful place with bog ponies to see, Irish music always being played, a great gift shop, and the best Irish coffee in the world at the Red Fox Inn next door. Best of all is the wonderful smell of peat burning in the fireplaces.  Our final stop will be Muckross House.  Muckross House is a magnificent Victorian mansion completed in 1843 for Henry Arthur Herbert. It is the last in a series of large houses constructed by the Herbert family on their lands at Muckross. The location of the House is spectacular, close to the eastern shore of Muckross Lake and set beneath the impressive backdrop of Torc and Mangerton Mountains.  The gardens are quite outstanding.  Dinner B&B

Day 6 Tour to  County Galway

From Kerry you'll head up through Limerick, passing Rathkeale and Adare, a very pretty village and well worth a stop. There are three abbeys here as well as the Desmond Castle and the Trent Jones golf course surrounding the neo-gothick Adare Manor.  Limerick is a busy city and has several major attractions - the Hunt Museum in the 18th century customs house, King John's Castle, St Mary's Cathedral and the Georgian House on Pery Square. After Limerick head out towards Shannon, stopping off at Bunratty Castle and folk park on the way.  the sulphur Spa at Lisdoonvarna, St Bridget's Well at the Cliffs of Moher, the Doolin Craft Gallery, the internationally renowned karst limestone habitat of the Burren, with its orchids, gentians and ragged robin, and stop for the night in Kinvara, home of the Galway Hooker and of King Guaire the Generous, whose right arm was longer than his left from so much giving.   Dinner B&B

Day7 Connemara  From Galway explore Connemara. On the east side of Lough Corrib are the impressive remains of Ross Friary. Cong where Pierce Brosnan was married, was also the setting for the movie The Quiet Man. Nearby are the stone circle of Cong and the Gods of the Neale. On the way back towards Galway, travelling through the heart of Connemara, you'll pass Gowla Mine, where you can actually go down a mine shaft;  In Galway itself you should explore Shop Street and Quay Street (being sure to visit the Kenny Gallery), have a look at the old city wall in the Eyre Square shopping centre and, like Columbus, visit the church of St Nicholas.  Tonight have a farewell banquet in Dunguaire Castle.  Banquet B&B

Day 8  Tour through Loughrea and Athlone, visiting Clonmacnoise and on to Dublin Airport for a late departure

INCLUDED

7 dinners, 1  with entertainment at a traditional Irish pub, and 1 as a banquet at a castle

7 nights accommodation with a full breakfast each day

Luxury a/c coach

Fully qualified professional guide

Admissions and visits to: