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Irish Tradition
Deluxe
&Superior First Class Hotels:
12 Day Coach Tour
Tour
Highlights:
Bunratty Castle Medieval Banquet
Merry Ploughboy Pub Traditional Dinner/Show
Historic Ennis & Derry Walking Tours
Trinity College’s Book of Kells
Battle of the
Boyne Centre
Giant’s Causeway
Tour Belfast & Dublin
Killary Fjord Catamaran Cruise
Day 1: Shannon
Arrival & Ennis Walking Tour
Land at Shannon
Airport and locate the CIE Tours
desk in the Arrivals Hall for a group transfer to the charming marketing town
of Ennis.
Complimentary transfers are available between 7:00 am and 12:00 noon. If your
flight arrives later than 12:00 noon, transfer to the hotel at your own
expense. At 2:00 pm join a local guide for a walking tour around the main
points of interest, including Ennis Friary. Meet your fellow travellers and tour director over a welcome drink, before
enjoying dinner with some informal entertainment in your hotel. (B,D)
Day 2: Cliffs of Moher
& Galway
Travel to the coast to view the Cliffs of Moher, a five-mile wall of limestone rising
above the foaming Atlantic breakers. See the rounded limestone hills of the Burren and the Poulnabrone Dolmen,
a huge stone monument marking a Neolithic burial place. Stop in the
attractive village of Ballyvaughan for a stroll
and continue your journey to Moycullen, just north
of Galway. Visit the Connemara Celtic Crystal Factory,
which specializes in intricate designs in collared crystal, before heading to
Galway. Enjoy some time on your own before
dinner. (B,D)
Day 3: Connemara & Catamaran
Cruise
Today explore Connemara,
a scenic region of misty hills and shimmering lakes. At Leenane
embark on a catamaran
cruise through Killary Harbour, Ireland’s only fjord. See
steep hills where reminders of the 1840’s Famine, ridges of potato
fields, are still visible. Learn about mussel and salmon farming in the clear
waters. Drive to Cong, a charming village that was the location for the 1952
movie, “The Quiet Man.” A short walking tour will show
you movie locations as well as Cong Abbey and the Quiet Man Cottage. (B,D)
Day 4: Yeats’ Grave & Belleek China
Outside Castlebar
tour the Museum
of Country Life to see collections of domestic goods, used when
most Irish people made a living by farming. Stop briefly at Knock Shrine
to see the church where locals saw an apparition of the Virgin Mary in 1879.
Cross into County
Sligo
and stop at the grave
of W. B. Yeats before continuing to the Belleek Pottery Factory.
Watch skilled craftspeople create intricate basket-weave designs in delicate
china. Continue your journey past the hazy Blue Stack
Mountains to Stranorlar. (B,D)
Day 5: Glenveagh Castle & Grand Atlantic Drive
Travel into the heart of Donegal to Glenveagh National Park. Captain
Adair evicted 225 tenants in order to build Glenveagh Castle
in 1870. Learn about the history of the mansion, owners and guests as you
tour the many rooms and walk around the many different gardens filled with
exotic plants. Then head north to experience the glorious natural beauty of
the Grand Atlantic Drive,
which winds through Downings and Rosapenna and around the coastline. Pass Letterkenny on your return to Stranorlar
in ample time for dinner. (B,D)
Day 6: Giant’s
Causeway & 17th Century Ballygally
Castle Hotel
Travel to Derry
to join a local guide for a walking tour to see medieval city walls, the Diamond
and St. Columb’s Cathedral. Next, drive along
the north coast, pausing for photos at Dunluce Castle. Explore the Giant’s
Causeway, enormous hexagonal columns formed by
volcanic activity over 60 million years ago. Experience wonderful views of
mountains, valleys and bays along the “Nine Glens of Antrim”
route. Check in to Ballygally
Castle, overlooking Ballygally
Bay. It is Northern Ireland’s
only 17th century building still used as a residence – ask
to see “The Ghost Room.” (B,D)
Day 7: Belfast
& Dublin’s
Merry Ploughboy Pub
Tour Belfast with a local guide to see Victorian
buildings, the Harland & Wolff shipyards where the Titanic was built and
the Falls Road and Shankill residential areas.
Drive south to visit the Battle of the Boyne Centre. Learn about the 1690
conflict between King William III and his father-in-law, King James II for
dominance over the British throne and religious power in Ireland. Travel into Dublin and check in to
your city centre hotel. In the evening head to the Merry Ploughboy Pub for
dinner, which is followed by a show of traditional music
and step-dancing. (B,D)
Day 8: Dublin Tour & Book of Kells
This morning tour Dublin city centre
to see elegant Georgian squares with the famous colourful
doorways; pass the peaceful St. Stephen’s Green and the bustling
shopping areas around Nassau Street; cross the River Liffey
to O’Connell Street and view the General Post Office where the 1916
Rebellion started. Visit
Trinity College’s
Old Library to view the 8th century manuscript
of the Book of Kells and learn about its creation. The
afternoon is free for independent activities and your open-top bus tour voucher
will help you to get around and also visit either Guinness or Jameson. (B)
Day 9: Farmhouse Tea &
Blarney Castle
Drive south through prime
agricultural country and pause for photos at the Rock of Cashel,
a limestone outcrop topped with medieval ruins. Visit a nearby sheep farm to
sample freshly-baked
scones with tea and find out about country living. Continue south to Blarney and climb to the
top of Blarney Castle to kiss the
famous “Stone of Eloquence.” Shop at the Blarney Woollen
Mills or take a look around the village green. Continue your
journey to Killarney, famous for its beauty and check in to your deluxe hotel
overlooking the mountains and lakes. (B,D)
Day 10: Jaunting Car Ride & Muckross Gardens
Travel at a leisurely pace by
traditional horse-drawn
jaunting car to Ross Castle for views of Killarney’s
largest lake, Lough Leane. Drive to the delightful town of Kenmare where
traditional buildings are gaily painted and enhanced with flowers. Pass
through Moll’s Gap, a wonderful vantage point on the Ring of Kerry and
stop at Ladies’ View. Take a walk around the charming Muckross Gardens,
which were laid out in the 19th century on the shores of Muckross
Lake. See a variety of
mature trees and colourful plants before returning
to Killarney. (B)
Day 11: Dingle Peninsula
& Bunratty Banquet
Drive along the Dingle Peninsula
to admire views of heathery mountains, sandy stretches of beach and rocky
headlands. Stop in Dingle and travel up to the Connor Pass
for panoramic views. In Foynes learn about the
early days of flight at the Flying Boat Museum, when Pam Am Clippers from the United States and Europe
landed here. This is the birthplace of Irish coffee so watch a
demonstration on its creation and then enjoy one. Drive to Bunratty and check in to your hotel. This evening head to
15th century Bunratty Castle’s Great
Hall for an excellent medieval-style banquet with wine and music to carry you
to the Middle Ages in spirit. (B,D)
Day 12: Home from Shannon
Complimentary group transfers are
provided to Shannon
Airport to arrive at
6:00 am, 9:00 am or 12:00 noon. After check-in, you’ll have time to
shop at the duty-free stores boarding your flight for the journey home. (B)
Tour
runs 4 April – 31 October
Departure
days Sunday
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Tour Dates
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Prices
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4 April > 25 April
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$2820
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2 May > 26 September
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$3135
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3 October > 31
October
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$2945
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All
rates are in Australian dollars per person twin share basis
Single
supplement $815
YOUR
TOUR INCLUDES
• Group transfers
on arrival and departure
• Sightseeing
by luxury coach throughout
• Dublin open-top bus tour
• Visit and a
drink at Guinness Storehouse or Old Jameson Distillery
• Services of
a professional Irish tour director
• Deluxe
& superior first class hotels with private bath/shower for 11 nights
• 11 full
Irish breakfasts (B)
• 10 dinners
(D) including
- Welcome dinner with music at the Temple
Gate Hotel in Ennis
- Dinner and traditional Irish show at the
Merry Ploughboy Pub
- Medieval Banquet and entertainment in Bunratty
Castle
- 7 table d’hôte dinners
• Welcome
get-together drink
• Walking
tours of Ennis and Derry with local guides
• Catamaran
cruise of Killary Fjord
• “The
Quiet Man” walking tour of Cong
• Tours of Belfast and Dublin
with local guides
• Tea and
scones at a sheep farm
• Horse-drawn
jaunting car ride in Killarney
• Foynes
Flying Boat
Museum and an Irish
Coffee
• Visits and
admissions to Cliffs of Moher, Poulnabrone
Dolmen, Connemara Celtic Crystal Factory, Museum of Country Life, Knock
Shrine, W. B. Yeats’ Grave, Belleek Pottery
Factory, Glenveagh Castle, Giant’s Causeway,
Battle of the Boyne Centre, Book of Kells at
Trinity College, Blarney Castle, Blarney Woollen
Mills and Muckross Gardens
• Deluxe flight bag, ticket
wallet, luggage tags & strap
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All local taxes, hotel service charges & porterage
for one suitcase per person
YOUR HOTELS
Stay
at the following (or similar):
Temple
Gate Hotel, Ennis (1 night)
Galway
Bay Hotel, Galway (2 nights)
Kee’s Hotel, Stranorlar (2 nights)
Ballygally Castle, Ballygally (1 night)
Radisson
Royal SAS Hotel, Dublin (2 nights)
Brehon Hotel, Killarney
(2 nights)
Bunratty Castle Hotel, Bunratty (1 night)
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