Check out our recipes for St Patrick's Day

St Patrick's Week 2010 - Dates are Flexible, but suggested arrival Fri 12th March

Special price - *from $699*  per person land only
To book email ireland@irishluxury.com or call 1-800-8945712 or +353 1 2889355

Pick up your car from the Car Hire desk is in the Arrivals Hall at Dublin Airport - from the airport it is a 30 minute drive to your hotel.  Check in and then let the fun begin!  Your concierge will have details on everything from local casinos to the theatre programmes, concerts, night clubs, entertainment, and shopping discounts.  

You will be staying in a top range 4* hotel in the Dublin 4 area of the town. This is a 20 minute walk or 5 minute bus or taxi ride from Temple Bar and Trinity, but is quieter and more elegant than the city center. Your neigbours are embassies and billionaires, but there is still a lovely neighbourhood feel, with bars galore (and great music), restaurants, street cafes and shops. Or upgrade to Luxury 5* at the uttely amazing Dylan Hotel in Dublin and the refined elegance of Hayfield Manor in Cork for an extra €399 per person.

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 museums and galleries.  You'll have no problem spending many hours enthralled. The city is over a thousand years old.   Successive centuries have left their distinctive overlays of character and architecture which means that Dublin has hundreds of 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 trip to Ireland would be complete without visiting the Old Whiskey Distillery or the Guinness Storehouse.

Day 1 Transfer from the airport to the city centre. 
Start the day with a 2 hour walking tour of the historic centre of the city (departs10 am, Noon & 2 pm).  Then wander up to the Chester Beatty Library, a museum behind Dublin Castle which houses the great collection of manuscripts, miniature paintings, prints, drawings, rare books and some decorative arts. The Library's exhibitions open a window on the artistic treasures of the great  cultures and religions of the world. Its rich collection from countries across Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. Lunch here - the cafe is excellent.  For the rest of the afternoon shop, or visit the parks, gardens museums, and galleries of the city. Tonight you can enjoy traditional Irish Cabaret – a night of music and dance (book seperately in advance).  

  We think the top 10 hidden delights of Dublin are:- 

1. The Iveagh Gardens (aka The Secret Garden) hidden behind the National Concert Hall on Earlsfort Terrace off St Stephen's Green. 

2. The prehistoric gold at The National Museum in Kildare Street. 

3. The Jewish Museum, off Synge Street near the Grand Canal 

4. The Chester Beatty Library, hidden behind Dublin Castle - great cafe here as well. 

5. The Francis Bacon Studio at The Hugh Lane Gallery in Parnell Square 

6. The Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin (the 13 bus from Merrion Square or a 10 minute taxi ride from the city centre) 

7. To get the flavour of the real city get up early and go the the Cafe on Little Mary Street, off Capel Street, a greasy spoon frequented by the porters from the Fruit and Vegetable market. 

8. Take the Spirit of the Liffey cruise along the River from near O'Connell Bridge 

9. Lord Newton's 1730 charity - bread for the needy, even today to be seen at St Anne's Church on Dawson Street. 

10. Louise Kennedy's Salon - a meticulously restored house at 56 Merrion Square, with stunning clothes and home decorating.

 Day 2   (Saturday) Explore the countryside around Dublin. 
Consider exploring the treasures of the Boyne Valley. The Boyne Valley is Irelands "Valley of the Kings". Visit the new Brú na Boinne Visitor Centre which allows you to explore the history and monuments of one of the most historic areas in Ireland , which is one of UNESCO's World Heritage sites.  Over 5000 years old, it is older than Stonehenge by about 1000 years and the Egyptian Pyramids by nearly 500 years. Return to Dublin.  This evening enjoy the Sky Fest or take in the special Patrick's Night at The Laughter Lounge on Eden Quay

Alternatively a  favourite  tour is South into the Wicklow Mountains to visit one of Ireland’s great stately mansions, surrounded by stunning gardens.  This is an unforgettable tour which takes you along the south coast of Dublin, past Dublin’s “Beverly Hills” where the likes of Bono, Neil Jordan and Enya live, and on to Powerscourt Gardens, situated in the foothills of the Dublin Mountains.  

Powerscourt Gardens were begun in the 1740’s and stretch out over 45 acres including a blend of formal gardens, sweeping terraces, statuary and ornamental lakes, walled gardens and over 200 variations of trees and shrubs. Powerscourt has been described as One of Europe's Greatest Gardens and One of Ireland's Greatest Treasures. The tour includes entry into the gardens for one of the mapped walks and a short time for the really special Powerscourt shops and tearooms. A wonderful experience.

A longer tour is possible travelling onwards through the picturesque countryside of Roundwood (home of Daniel Day Lews) and Laragh, to another highlight  – Glendalough. The Celtic Monastic System derived from the early monasteries of Egypt, and Glendalough was one of the oldest and most important of the early Irish monasteries. Situated in an idyllic valley with two lakes, hence the name. Founded by St Kevin in the 6th century, it has a High Tower which is one of the most famous images of Ireland, that was used by the monks to store and protect precious manuscripts and artefacts, and also some of the finest architecture of the early church. It is a magical, beautiful and spiritual place. Return to Dublin. 

An alternative this evening would be a night at the Races – greyhound racing is one of the most popular sports in Dublin with five or six meetings a week. No prebooking is necessary, and the restaurant serves a delightful dinner whilst you try and win a fortune and wathch the dogs positively flying around the track.  This is a great place to meet the people of Dublin.

Day 3  (Sunday)

Set off for Cork. The first 60 miles are all on highways.  A good place to stop for coffee and a stretch on this first part of the road would be Kildare Village, a luxury retail outlet village, just beside Ireland’s National Stud, home of the racehorse industry.

You could also divert to see Emo Court, one of the finest neo-classical mansions in Ireland.  The rugged outline of the 13th C Rock of Dunamase Castle is visible to the South of the Motorway. It was here that McMurrough, the King of Leinster, seduced Dervla, the wife of the Prince of Breffni, an action that lead to 800 years of British misrule!  You will pass through the village of Abbeyleix, famed for Morrisey’s bar, whose interior has not changed for over 100 years.  Abbeyleix is also the village in which the carpets for the Titanic were manufactured. The gardens of the nearby Heywood House were designed by Luteyns, who also designed New Delhi.  

Follow the main road to Cashel, a limestone outcrop rising from the plain and crowned by the cathedral and round tower.  Sheltering at its foot is Bru Boru, a entertainment of Irish music and dance.  The back road to Cahir, through Golden, will bring you past the riverside ruins of Athassel Abbey and the legendary Motte of Knockgraffon.  Cahir has a huge castle in a fine state of repair and a wonderful "Swiss Cottage" built as a folly in the Regency period.  It is also a centre of antique shopping.  From Cahir the main road will bring you by way of Michelstown  and Fermoy to Cork,  but depending on time and weather you might prefer to follow the beautiful road over the Vee, climbing high up into the Knockmealdown mountains (watch out for the sheep & the monster of Bay Lough!) and coming down into Lismore whose castle was for many years home to Fred Astaire's sister Adele.  From Lismore follow the Blackwater to Fermoy pausing to visit the Barry mausoleum at Castlelyons on the way into Cork.  If you drove without stopping you could complete the journey in 3 hours and have time to enjoy  a visit to Blarney Castle where you might earn the "gift of Blarney" - verbal persuasiveness (or "gift of the gab") - by kissing the famous Blarney Stone (not so easy).  At the Cork roundabout at the end of the N8 take the tunnel under Cork Harbour and at the Kinsale Road Roundabout turn left towards Kinsale.  Your hotel is at the top of the hill, beside Cork Airport.

Day 4  (Monday)

You could spend a week exploring the Cork area and still not have seen all the highlights. The bells of Shandon, The English Market, St Finbarre's Cathedral, The new Gluckmann Gallery, The Crawford Gallery are a few of the highlights of the city. Blarney Castle, with its eloquent stone is a short drive to the north. The town of Kinsale, gourmet capital of Ireland, is a place to spend a day.  Once a sleepy fishing village, it is now referred to as the gourmet capital of Ireland , so you can imagine the assortment of fine restaurants here. The 17th-century courthouse is now home to the Kinsale Regional Museum includes an exhibit on the Lusitania , which was torpeoded just off the Kinsale coast. It was this tragedy that drew the United States into World War I. Other 17th and 18th-century treasures are worth a visit, among them Desmond Castle , St. Multrose Church, and Charles Fort. Sample the history of the "Wine Geese" in Ireland's only international Wine Museum.

 The Old Head golf course, south of Kinsale, is uniquely challenging being surrounded by cliffs that fall steeply down to the sea. Touring to the west you will find brightly painted villages, mad folk museums, amazing sub tropical gardens and host of craft workers, farmhouse cheese producers and enchanting cafes, bars and restaurants. As you carry on down the coast the golden beaches begin to disappear. By the time you reach Mizen Head the seascape is as wild as anywhere in the world with the Fastnet light flashing its warning in the distance. To the North are Mallow Castle, the gardens of Annesgrove, the forest park of Doneraile, and the remote Boggeragh Mountains.    At the Cobh Heritage Centre, housed in the restored Victorian Railway station,  you can retrace the steps of the 2.5 million adults and children who emigrated from Ireland via Cobh on coffin ships, early steamers and finally on the great ocean liners. Explore the conditions on board the early emigrant vessels, including the dreaded coffin ship. Experience life on board a convict ship leaving Cobh for Australia in 1801.  Discover Cobh's special connections with the ill fated Titanic which sank on her maiden voyage - Cobh was her last port of call.  Fota Arboretum contains an extensive collection of trees and shrubs extending over an area of approximately 11 hectares and includes features such as an ornamental pond, Italian and walled gardens.  A tour of The Old Midleton Distillery is a journey through the story of Irish whiskey via an audio-visual presentation. Follow the old distillery trail through mills, maltings, corn stores, stillhouse, warehouses and kilns. View the largest pot in the world prior to sampling the renowned Jameson Whiskey in the bar.  Barryscourt Castles is the 16th century seat of the Barry family. The present castle, with its largely intact bawn wall and corner towers, is a fine example of an Irish tower house. Both the Main Hall (1st floor) and the Great Hall (2nd floor) have been extensively restored and are now open to the public.

Day 5 (Tuesday)

Tour back to Dublin by way of Waterford and Kilkenny.

See the church in Youghal, where Sir Walter Raleigh worshipped, the church and holy well at Ardmore, the scenic road follows "The Gold Coast" from Dungarvan through  Annestown and Tramore to  Waterford. Follow the valley of the River Nore to Thomastown with the Cistercian abbey of Jerpoint and the Jack Niclaus golf course on the rolling estate of the Earl of Carrick's mansion, Mount Juliet and Bennetsbridge, with its many craft workers studios,   In Kilkenny you should first explore the city, full of medieval laneways, inns with tales of witches, a great castle and of course lots of shops.  Then head on back to Dublin.  Arrive in time to experience and take part in one of the largest outdoor Céilís in Ireland on St Stephen's Green! No better way to celebrate the national holiday than by taking part in this celebration of Irish traditional music and dance with Ireland’s leading dancers, instructors and musicians. With this dynamic trad team, you will be stepping out to The Siege of Ennis and The Walls of Limerick in no time. So you’ve been warned… get ready for the high kicks and the “one-two-threes…”. 

Day 6 Wednesday - St Patrick's Day

With the Parade theme in 2010 being ‘Extraordinary World’, the much anticipated annual favourite, the festival Parade features newly commissioned, highly original and inventive street theatre troupes, artists, giant puppetry, dancers and marching bands from Ireland and across the globe. Thousands are anticipated to be cheering on the city streets 

This evening consider a literary pub crawl around the city or head to the Natioanl Concert Hall where to mark the evening of St. Patrick's Festival, renowned Irish trad folk musician Donal Lunny will curate, and participate in, A Celebration of Irish Voices.

A Celebration of Irish Voices, Glór Tire, is an opportunity to hear two of Ireland's most important choirs, each of which has its own distinctive style, each of which draws directly from the great well of the Sean-Nós singing tradition. Cór Taobh A' Leithéid is led by Dominic Mac Giolla Bhríde, who himself won the Corn Uí Riada for solo Sean-Nós singing at this year's Oireachtas. The beloved Cór Cúl Aodh will be led by Peadar Ó Riada. Along with solo singers Róisin Elsafty and Eithne Ní Chatháin.  Expect a colourful and uplifting Irish traditional music experience and an unforgettable night of music and song.

Day 7 Thursday
Depart Dublin Airport