Accommodation in Inns and Manor Houses, a self drive car or driver guidea and a medieval banquet
from
$185 per person per day self drive - this tour can be tailored to your exact
budget and interests -
Call +353-1-2889355 Fax +353-1-2889282 US Canada & US Toll Free 1-800-8945712
e-mail ireland@irishluxury.com
Day 1 Arrive Dublin
Airport. Transfer to your hotel for the next two nights. A
walking tour of Dublin's historic center - visit some of the glitzy stores on
Dublin's Grafton Street, explore the elegant Georgian interiors of the
Powerscourt townhouse and grab a coffee in Bewley's famous coffee house or a
pint of Guinness in Davy Byrnes - James Joyce's moral pub. Overnight at a
4* city centre hotel.
Day 2 A tour of the city
with a specialist guide - visit the 17th Century Royal Hospital, overlooking the Phoenix
Park. See Lord Charlemont's townhouse, now the Hugh Lane Gallery of Modern
Art. Dublin
has long been a centre of art and culture. A local expert
will stroll with you through the elegant Georgian streets and
Squares, explore the collections of the
Day 3
Transfer by way of the thatched cottages of Adare, to the wilds of County Kerry to sleep in Ballyseede Castle, at the head of The Dingle Peninsula and close to Killarney and Tralee at Ballyseede Castle.
Day 4
Tour Dingle, The Ring of Kerry or The Lakes of Killarney and return to your fortress for the night. The most beautiful scenery in the world awaits you.
Day 5
Explore Listowel, the literary capital of the west. Take a ferry across the mouth of the Shannon and visit the Vandaleur Walled Gardens near the heritage town of Kilrush, and try a pint of Guinness in Crotty's Bar, the famous tabernacle of traditional music. Carry on to the Cliffs of Moher and overnight on the edge of the Burren.
Stay in
| Ballinalacken Castle | or | The Merriman Inn |
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Day 6
Cross the Burren visiting hidden delights such as the Burren Perfumery and Dunguaire Castle. Follow the coast of Galway Bay past Noel Coward's and John Wayne's favourite pub, Morans of The Weir, to Galway City for lunch. Explore the city's delightful shopping streets
Carry on through the wilds of Connemara to your battlemented bed chamber at
| Ballynahinch Castle | or | Abbeyglen Castle |
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| Or | ||
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Lisloughrey Lodge on the Ashford Castle Estate |
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Day 7
Explore Connemara - Visit little fishing villages, meet Ducal art gallery owners, discover deserted coral beaches, see the gothic glories of Kylemore Abbey and finally return to your castle for the night.
Day 8
Via Leenane, where the Field was filmed, (you could cruise the Fjord here on the Killary Cruiser) to Westport, a harbour town miostly built in the 18th century by the Marquis of Sligo, kinsman of Grace Kelly, whose house is open to public viewing. Wesport has several excellent craft shops and restaurants. From Westport to Turlough Park, just outside Castlebar. Ancestral home of the notorious duellist Fighting Fitzgerald, it is now the National Museum of Country Life. Back roads would lead you through Pontoon by Lough Conn to Ballina & then along the coast to Enniscrone - where the seaweed baths would give the driver a new lease of life. Overnight near the town of Sligo
Day 9
Tour via Lough Gill, with its fabled Lake Isle of Inisfree, to Drumcliffe, the ancient Christian site where Yeats' lies, Lissadell house, where the Gore Booth sisters lived, Yeats' inspiration, and Ben Bulben Mountain. Walking tour of Sligo. Or head south and explore Lough Arrow and the town of Boyle, which has two historic houses open to view - King House and Frybrook. The energetic archaeologist would want to check out the Kesh Caves. Just over 6km south of Ballymote, these caves have associations reaching back to mythology. Human remains, and those of animals such as the cave bear, the arctic lemming, the reindeer and the Irish elk were found here. Keshcorran, the mountain containing the caves, affords spectacular views of the countryside. Overnight as before.
in either Coopershill House, the ancestral home of the O'Hara family, Markree Castle Hotel, home of the Cooper family, or the delightful Kingsfort House, an old courthouse.
Day 10
By way of Enniskillen, passing the lovely estate of Florence Court and Castle Coole, the seat of the Earl of Erne. Learn a little about the linen industry as you pass through Lurgan and Lisburn on the way to Belfast, where the shipyard cranes dominate the skyline. Overnight either in the city or at a country inn on the outskirts.
Day 11
Today is a day to pack a good coat, as you'll be exploring the Atlantic Coastline. First through the Glens of Antrim. Visit the gardens of Glenarm Castle. On to Carrick-a-rede. To reach the actual bridge, you have a 20-minute walk down to the cliff edge; then, if you're brave enough, you can walk across a 65-foot bridge made of planks and wire, strung above an 80-foot deep chasm over the sea. This takes you to a small island that has a small salmon fishery on it. The views are spectacular. The Giant's Causeway is a World Heritage site. Legend has it that the giant Finn MacCool began the causeway as a path across the sea to see his girlfriend giant, who lived on the Scottish island of Staffa, where similar formations are found. In actuality these formations were caused by volcanic lava 61 million years ago and by the Ice Age 15,000 years ago. What is so amazing is the mathematical precision with which the columns seem to have been formed; most are hexagonal but some have more or fewer sides and most measure about 12 inches across. It's a fantastic sight to see nearly 37,000 basalt columns spread out along the ocean's edge. Head back by way of Bushmills, with a visit to the oldest distillery in Britain or Ireland.
Alternatively Spend the morning exploring Belfast - The Linen Hall Library, City Hall, The Ulster Museum & Botanical Gardens, the Victorian pubs and the folk park at Cultra. In the afternoon discover some lovely towns on The Ards Peninsula - Grey Abbey with its antique shops and Cistercian ruins, the harbour town of Portaferry. The house and gardens of Lord Londonderry at Mount Stewart will take up most of the morning. Lunch at the National Trust cafe in Castle Ward might be a good place. Downpatrick is the burial place of St Patrick and well worth visiting. Gardeners will enjoy the collection at Rowallane. From here it is an easy drive back to Belfast.
Day 12
Head to Dublin on the M1. The airport is just over 2 hours. If your flight is not until the afternoon turn off before Drogheda to visit the High Crosses at Monasterboice and the abbey at Mellifont. Cross the river in Drogheda to Donore to the Brú na Boinne Vistor Centre, which shows the archaeological heritage of the Boyne Valley & includes the megalithic passage tombs of Newgrange and Knowth. The Centre is the starting point for all visits to both monuments, and contains extensive interpretative displays and viewing areas.
Day 13
Depart from Dublin Airport
Adams & Butler - Luxury Travel Experts
Specialists in Ireland, Scotland, England, Aspen, South Africa & Kenya
The Carriage House,58 Foster Avenue
Mount Merrion, Co. Dublin, Ireland
Tel +353-1-2889355 Fax 353-1-2889282
book@irishluxury.com
Canada & US Toll Free 1-800-8945712
www.privateluxurytravel.com
www.irishluxury.com
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