The Highlights of Ireland

Day 2  A tour of the Ring of Kerry with a lunch at Cill Rialaig artists' retreat,  run by former magazine publisher and socialite Noelle Campbell-Sharpe. This is a place where artists are invited to spend a residency period, contributing some piece of their work to the centre afterwards, and also combines a shop, café and gallery. 

Day 3  Either

Tour The Dingle Peninsula  - Dingle is the main town on the Dingle Peninsula, the westernmost point in Ireland. It is just big enough to have all the necessary services for tourists, and a steady night time beat for Irish traditional music.Dingle is traditionally Irish, being in theheart of the Chorca Dhuibhne Gealtacht. The main industries here are farming and fishing.The harbour is always busy with fishing boats and yachts, and its few streets are lined with brightly painted shops, pubs and restaurants. In 1970, Dingle was introduced to the world through the film Ryans Daughter, and Dingle fans from all over the world flock to the small town every year. In the 1990's, the town has gained fame in the world of music, history, gastronomy, scenery and not least it's friendly dolphin. From Dingle travel on and visit Slea Head, Dunquin, Ballyferriter and back into Dingle. You now take the northern route via the lovely Conor Pass, to Stradbally, Camp and Tralee. There is magnificent coastal scenery at the Western end of the peninsula. The Dingle Peninsula – has been inhabited for almost 6,000 years. The first settlers on the peninsula were nomadic hunters and gatherers who foraged on the coast for their food. Later Stone Age man and Bronze Age man were to build their tombs, erect their standing stones, and toil the land for the first time. The Celtic population arrived in the couple of hundred years before the birth of Christ and brought their ancestoral goddess "Duibhne", after which the Dingle Peninsula has been named in Gaelic: Corca Dhuibhne, the seed or tribe of Duibhne. In the centuries that followed, the peninsula was to be visited by Vikings, Normans and English. It is also a centre of craft workers, some inspired by the talented Mulcahy family

Each wave of settlers left their mark on the locality and it may be said that the locality left its mark on them. They sustained life here only with great difficulty. Sometimes they warred with each other; at other times they lived side by side in peace and in neighbourliness. They intermarried until with the passage of time they became fused into one people – the people of Corca Dhuibhne of the present day, a people who still speak the Irish language and foster the native culture and who in their daily lives bear witness to indigenous values.

It is certain, then, that the settlers have been of different racial strains. There are very few written accounts of their doings, but they have left behind them a great number of material remains as proof of their journeying and their settling here.

This is one of the richest areas in archaeological remains on the west coast of Europe, with almost 2,000 sites. Here are the largest collections in the world of clocháns or beehive huts, of the stones with the unique ogham writing, of dúnta or ring forts. These remains, including the Oratory at Gallarus and the cross stone of Reasc, give evidence of skilled craftsmanship.

Or

Spend a relaxed day visiting Muckross House and gardens, the lakes of Killarney and the Gap of Dunloe.

Day 4 Via Blarney Castle, one of Ireland's oldest and most historic castles, built around 1446. An ancient stronghold of the MacCarthys, Lords of Muskerry and one of the strongest fortresses in Munster, its walls are eighteen feet thick in places. Located on the parapet of the castle is the famous "Blarney Stone". According to local legend, after kissing this stone, you will have the gift of eternal eloquence, or "the gift of the gab". To kiss the stone, you must first lie on your back, then leaning your head backwards and downwards, you kiss the underside of the stone.   Via Cork City to Youghal, and visit Sir Walter Raleigh's old church.  On along the "Gold Coast"  to the Waterford Crystal Factory.  At Waterford Crystal tours are given of the production areas and take approximately forty five minutes. Tours leave every 15 minutes.  Overnight at The Mount Juliet Hotel

Day 5 

 A morning visit to the medieval city of  Kilkenny for Lunch. Long renowned as Ireland's Medieval Capital, the city's origins date back to more than 1,500 years ago. The great building prowess of the Normans is very evident in the 11th and 12th century building they bestowed on the city. Not alone in the large "set piece" buildings, such as Saint Canice's Cathedral, the great Butler Castle and the four medieval abbeys, but also the streetscape, especially the attractive covered slipways.  return to Thomastown via  Kells Priory. On 10 acres, they are biggest monastic ruins complex in Ireland. Known locally as the castles, that is exactly what they resemble. The initial area covered by the priory complex was less than half that of the present ruins. The burgess was probably added during the 15th and 16th Century when the lack of a resident strong overload and a decline in security in the Kells area made this large enclosure essential. It was used to protect the lives, livestock and other valuables belonging to the Priory and its many tenants. The older part of the Priory is in a smaller more densely built area nearer the the Kings River.  There will also be the opportunities to vist craft workers studios in the valley areas of the Barrow and the Nore for which the area is so famous - potters, glass blowers and the like.  Bloomingdale's, Bergdorf Goodman, Isetan, Nieman Marcus and David Jones are only some of the top stores worldwide who have found inspiration in these small, high quality Irish workshops.. Visit Nicholas Mosse Pottery who has been a potter since he was 7. Chesneau Leather Goods, a small and dynamic company that has a strong tradition in the production of high quality leather goods, particularly handbags with original designs. Stoneware Jackson Pottery. the pottery and showrooms are situated amongst pleasant gardens where the visitors can relax and see the pots being created by a team of skilled craftsmen.

Day 6

Explore Wexford - visit Woodstock Gardens and the village of Inistioge, a charming village with a tree-lined square, lying in a pretty part of the Nore valley where the river winds between wooded banks flanked by hills. An Augustinian priory was founded here in 1210 by Thomas Fitzgerald, and the nave, tower and adjoining Lady Chapel remain. Some monuments of the Tighe family are in the tower, including an effigy by Flaxman of Mrs Mary Tighe the authoress of Psyche. The former home of the Tighes, Woodstock House, is in a wooded demesne south of the village. The house was damaged by fire in 1922, but the fine formal gardens can still be enjoyed. 

In New Ross the sailing ship JFK Dunbrody. Dunbrody is a full scale replica of the original ship which was built in 1845 and carried thousands of emigrants from Ireland to North America over a period of thirty years, trading extensively all over the world. The ship itself is a beautiful authentic recreation and visitors will experience the sights, smells and sounds of a tall ship crossing the ocean as well as meeting the captain and crew, and encountering emigrants telling their stories.  Kilmokea Gardens are situated on the joint estuary of the Nore and the Barrow. The gardens, which cover almost 3ha, fall into two distinct parts. Around the house are the formal walled gardens and set into the stone wall a heavy wooden door leads you into the magical world of the lower garden. These gardens host a wide selection of rare and tender tress and shrubs. Within the walled garden its rooms lead from one design feature to the next. The Italian loggia and pool with its fine stone pillars looks across to the quarter garden brimming with iris and roses. The acid soil of the woodland garden provides the perfect environment for rhododendrons, tender camellias, eucryphias and magnolias as well as echiums. Tintern Abbey, is a Cistercian abbey, founded c.1200 by William, the Earl Marshal, and named after Tintern in Wales. The remains consist of nave, chancel, tower, chapel and cloister. It was partly converted into living quarters after 1541 and further adapted over the centuries. Johnstown Castle, a fine example of 19th century Gothic Revival architecture, was designed by Daniel Robertson, who was also responsible for the layout of the ornamental grounds. The Castle itself is not open to the public There are three lakes, the ruins of a medieval tower house, walled gardens and hothouses. Rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias abound. The Irish Agricultural Museum is located in the old estate farm. Return via the picturesque village of St. Mullins in South Carlow is situated on the River Barrow, nestling between the Blackstairs Mountains on one side and Brandon Hill on the other. The locality acquired its name from St. Moling, a 7th century cleric who built amonastery here with the help of "Gobban Saor", the legendary Irish builder. The complex includes a medieval church ruin, the base of a round tower and the former Church of Ireland church, built in 1811 

Day 7

Tour Via the National Stud and Japanese Gardens in Kildare.  The Japanese Gardens at Tully were created between the years 1906-1910. Devised by Colonel William Hall-Walker (later Lord Wavertree), a wealthy Scotsman of a famous brewery family and laid out by the Japanese Eida and his son Minoru. to Dublin.  Overnight the Four Seasons Hotel,

Day 8  A day touring  the city centre, visiting its ancient highlights. 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 12^th 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 you could visit the theatre or a  pub night of traditional entertainment. 

Day 9  A day at rest in Dublin. 

Day 10

Explore either South of Dublin, into the Wicklow mountains, visiting Powerscourt Gardens, just 24km south of Dublin in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains. Its 47 acres of garden are famous the world over. They were begun in the 1740s by Richard Castle and continued by Daniel Robertson. During the middle years of the last century he directed an army of 100 men with barrows, horses and carts in carving out terraces from the hillside and enlarging the lake. The resulting Italian gardens contain beautiful statues and urns collected by the Powerscourt Lords. The Estate contains the highest waterfall in Ireland at 398 feet set in a wooded deerpark where Lord Powerscourt introduced the first herd of Japanese Sika deer to Europe..  Also worth visiting is the Earl of Meath's  Kilruddery House.   Killruddery is unique in having the most extensive early formal gardens, still in their original style, surviving in Ireland. Dating from the 1680s they are amongst the most important gardens of their type in these islands and should be regarded as mainly the work of the 4th and 6th Earls of Meath. Killruddery Estate has been in the ownership of the Brabazon family (the Earls of Meath) since 1618. The core of the gardens is a pair of canals (550 feet long) which focus on the House at one end and on an avenue of lime trees at the other.  Return to Dublin via Glendalough and Russborough. At Glendalough the early Christian monastic site 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. French, Italian and Spanish guided tours are available all year by advance booking. The Visitor Centre is fully accessible for visitors with disabilities. Access to the site is very difficult for wheelchair users.  The road leads through the Wicklow Mountains to Blessington where Russborough House stands.  Russborough was built for Joseph Leeson, later Earl of Milltown. Building began in 1741 and took ten years to complete. The architect was Richard Castle (Cassells). The house is built of granite and is in the Palladian style. Important features in the house include stucco ceilings by the Lafranchini brothers, marble mantelpieces, inlaid floors and lavish use of mahogany in doors, dados and staircase. . The house which is beautifully maintained also contains fine displays of silver, bronze, porcelain and fine furniture collected by the Beit family of de Beers diamond mines.

Alternatively head north to the valley of the river Boyne.  Leaving Dublin by way way of Newbridge House at Donabate to Drogheda to vist Brugh na Boyne.  Newbridge house was designed by George Semple, built in 1737 for Charles Cobbe later Archbishop of Dublin, was sold by Dublin County Council complete with much of the contents. The house and its furniture now provide an intimate insight into the past. In 1760 the Archbishop's fashionable daughter-in-law, Lady Elizabeth Beresford, added a large wing to the back of the classical mansion containing the magnificent red drawing-room. One of the finest Georgian rooms in Ireland, it was designed to display her husband's collection of 17th and 18th century paintings. The unique museum of curiosities dating to 1790 is full of weird and wonderful objects brought back by the widely travelled Cobbes.   The Bru na Boinne Visitor Centre interprets the Neolithic monuments of Newgrange, Knowth and Downth. The extensive exhibition includes a full scale replica of the chamber at Newgrange as well as fully model of one of the smaller tombs at Knowth. Newgrange, one of the world's most famous ancient monuments, was built around 3150BC. It is surrounded by giant standing stones and has a kerb of 97 stones. At Winter Solstice, the sun shines into the passage and chamber through the roofbox. Knowth was built around 3300BC and has two passages facing towards the east and west. The carved stones contain a quarter of Western European neolithic art. An extensive excavation has revealed a wealth of information about the site.  At the nearby Oldbridge Estate was fought The Battle of the Boyne, between King William III and his father-in-law, King James II, on 1 July 1690 (11 July according to our modern calendar). Both Kings commanded their armies in person, 36,000 on the Williamite side and 25,000 on the Jacobite side - the largest number of troops ever deployed on an Irish battlefield. At stake were the British throne, French dominance in Europe and Protestant power in Ireland. Return to Dublin

Day 11 Depart