Come and discover the best of Ireland on this itinerary which offers a balanced program of sightseeing, touring, golf and leisure time. Sit back and relax in a comfort while your Irish driver/guide will relate history, stories and legends, and direct you to the best shops and pubs to visit. Enjoy Ireland's great natural beauty as you travel past mountains and glens, seascapes and lakes and learn about the history of the country through visits to castles and other historic places. Superb meals, lively entertainment, and friendly, first class accommodation all await you. The tour has been designed to take in some of the greatest "Wow!" sites of Ireland as well as sites designed to be especially sensory.
This comprehensive tour of Ireland offers an enticing itinerary around the varied Irish coastline. Enjoy unspoiled natural features from the Cliffs of Moher to the Giant's Causeway and visit historic places including Glendalough, Thoor Ballylee and Mount Stewart House. Learn about traditional livelihoods and the Irish emigrations. An optional special evening include a jovial medieval banquet in Shannon - fun if a tad touristy. Of course, your driver/guide will be on hand at all times to ensure that your Irish tour gives you a perfect travel experience.
For details on the accommodation click here
Your Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1:
Shannon & Bunratty
Arrive at Shannon Airport and after picking up your baggage, meet your driver/guide and transfer to your hotel. . In the afternoon tour the Bunratty Folk Park, which features cottages from various parts of Ireland and a 19th Century street capturing the atmosphere of a bygone era. For accommodation we would suggest either Dromoland Castle or Thomond House.
Day 2: Cliffs of Moher & Galway Bay
Drive through Ennis and along the Atlantic coast of County Clare. Stop to view the Cliffs of Moher, an impressive wall of rock that rises 700 feet above the pounding waves. Journey through the Burren country, an area of barren limestone hills full of the remains of an ancient civilization, to Gort. Visit Thoor Ballylee, a 16th Century tower house owned by the poet, W.B. Yeats, who wrote many works here stimulated by his surroundings and visit Coole Park, home to lady Gregory who founded Dublin's Abbey Theatre. Overnight Thomond or Dromoland A possibility tonight would be the medieval-style banquet with spirited entertainment at Knappogue Castle.
Day 3: Connemara & Galway City
Travel around Galway Bay, made famous by song, and tour the city center. See Galway Cathedral and the Spanish Arch. Carry on through the heart of Connemara to travel through the remote Maam Valley and along the shore of Lough Corrib. Visit the ancient stone circle at Cong and check into Ashford Castle Hotel.
Day 4: Connemara & Kylemore Abbey
Westport is an attractive seaside heritage town with a central mall, Georgian houses and tree-lined streets, a pleasant place to spend a little time. You might wish to visit Lord Altamount's Westport House, which dates from the 18th Century to see the once elegantly furnished rooms and splendid plasterwork. From here on into North Connemara which is renowned for its misty mountains, the Twelve Bens. Through Leenane, for a stop in the village where the movie "The Field" was made in 1990. Drive through villages where the Irish language is still spoken. Visit the romantic 19th Century Kylemore Abbey, now a girls' school. Travel on to Clifden on the Atlantic coast. Return to Ashford Castle.
Day
5: Foxford Woollen Mills & Belleek
Near Castlebar visit the Foxford Woollen Mills, founded in 1892 by the Sisters of Charity to provide income for the local people & the National Museum of Country Life, set in the impressive Victorian mansion of the Fitzgeralds at Turlough Park. Travel through Sligo, which is known as "Yeats' Country," as the Nobel-winning poet found great inspiration from the attractive landscapes. Drive around Lough Gill to Manor Hamilton to see the Rossinver Sensory Garden. Journey north to Donegal town to overnight in St Ernans, a pleasant manor house hotel on an island
Day 6 The Hidden Secrets of Donegal
Today
tour Donegal Town and take a look at Donegal Castle, an O'Donnell fortress. The O'Donnells were the last of
the native Irish aristocracy to capitulate and flee Ireland in 1607. Magnificent scenery surrounds
you as you travel west along the rugged coast, through Killybegs, a busy and colorful fishing village, home of one of Ireland's largest fishing fleets. Craggy
cliffs protect Glencolumbkille where St. Columbkille founded a Church in the 6th century on the remote western edge of the
Atlantic. Visit the Folk Museum where 19th century Irish life is portrayed. The cliffs at nearby Slieve League are among
the highest in Europe, dropping a sheer 2,000 feet into the ocean - definitely not for the fainthearted, or anyone suffering from
vertigo! Sweater & tweed shopping can be found in in Ardara as well
as a chance to see the weaving process first hand.
Day 7: Donegal & Derry
From Donegal
the route one should take depends on the weather,
how tired you are and for how long you want to travel. Take the Inishowen
100, a scenic drive around the most northerly part of Ireland and then cross by
ferry to Magillan Strand.to overnight at the Bushmills Inn, or explore the
Stone Cirlcles and ancient monuments around Strabane and vist the city walls of
Derry to overnight at Ardtara house in the Sperrin Mountains
Day 8 The Beauties of The North
You could go via
Lough Erne and Enniskillen,d with very beautiful scenery
as well as some splendid National Trust stately homes; You could travel via
Omagh to visit the Ulster American Folk Park. The Park is
located on the farm of Thomas Mellon, whose cottage home has been preserved to
form a rural museum together with other cottages.
Exhibits trace the strong
connections between Ulster and colonial America and at least twelve U.S.
presidents have had Ulster ancestry.
You could vist the Bushmills Distillery to see the manufacture of whiskey and enjoy a sample, The Giant's Causeway whose hexagonal columns which were formed over 60 million years ago, & Glens of Antrim which offer wonderful views of mountains, valleys and coastline, on the way to Belfast. Overnight at The Merchant, in the heart of Belfast.
Day
9: Mount Stewart, & Downpatrick
Drive a short distance to Mount Stewart House and Gardens to visit the superb estate, containing shrubs and trees from all over the world. Driving south by Downpatrick Cathedral, the reputed burial place of St. Patrick. On through the gentle slopes of the Mourne Mountains to return to Belfast for the night.
Day 10: Dublin
On the way down to Dublin it would be possible to divert off the route to see
Newgrange, a 5000 year old passage tomb and one of the most important buildings
in Ireland. A sightseeing tour of Dublin - elegant 18th Century Georgian houses
and squares and many of the public buildings in different architectural styles.
Visit the historic St. Patrick's Cathedral which is associated with Dean
Jonathan Swift, author of "Gulliver's Travels.". Overnight at
The Four Seasons Hotel or The Merrion Hotel
Day 11: Glendalough & Waterford Crystal
Drive south through the Wicklow Mountains to visit the 6th Century monastic
remains of Glendalough, nestled in a deep valley. The Visitor Centre relates the
history of the settlement and view the round tower, churches and Celtic crosses.
Travel on through Wexford to Waterford. Overnight at either Mount Juliet,
Waterford Castle, or at Dunbrody House, which is actually a more luxurious and
personal hotel.
Day
12: Kilkenny and the River Valleys
Tour the Waterford Crystal Factory where you can watch how skilled craftspeople blow and cut the glass. Also see the huge display of trophies and tableware in the showrooms. Follow the River Barrow through charming picture book villages, visiting, if you so choose, some of the craft workers studios that proliferate in this area. Kilkenny is a city worth exploring, full of medieval laneways, inns with tales of witches, a great castle and of course lots of shops. Return to Waterford, Mount Juliet or Dunbrody.
Day
13: Cork & Blarney
Head south to the coast to tour the Cobh Heritage Centre, which traces the history of emigration from this port to the United States. Then drive to Blarney where you may climb to the battlements of Blarney Castle to kiss the famous stone. Leave the farmlands of Cork for the hilly countryside of Kerry. Either divert off the main road at Macroom to visit The Sensory Garden at Millstreet: Designed specifically for the visually impaired and enjoyed by everyone this garden is full of perfumed flowers and aromatic foliage, raised beds and wide paths make it accessible to everyone. Or head straight to Kenmare and arrive by late afternoon so that you can enjoy some leisure time to look around the town.
Day
14: Ring of Kerry Tour
Today journey around the Ring of Kerry, a full day tour of constantly
changing mountain and coastline scenery with plenty of stops to admire the
lovely views. Travel through Caherdaniel and Waterville at the western end of
the peninsula and enjoy the bracing Atlantic breezes. Continue your drive
through the colorful village 
of Sneem and the vantage point of Moll's Gap. Take
a tour of the gracious 19th Century Muckross House that is filled with antiques
and memorabilia. Return to Kenmare in time to relax or walk around the town
before dinner.
Day 15: Limerick and Shannon
Tour up through the enchanting village of Adare, well worth a stop. There are three abbeys here as well as the Desmond Castle and 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. Overnight at Glin Castle, Echo Lodge, Thomond House or Dromoland.
Day 16: Depart
