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Irish Welcome
Superior & First Class
Hotels/B&Bs: 7 or 8 Day Coach Tour
Tour
Highlights:
Medieval Banquet with Entertainment
Kate Kearney’s Cottage Dinner & Music
Abbey Tavern Dinner & Traditional Show
Stay with an Irish Family in Killarney
“Titanic” History Walk around Cobh
Guided Tour of Dublin
6th Century Clonmacnoise
Monastery
Day 1: Bunratty
& Medieval Banquet
Land in Shannon Airport!
After immigration control and picking up your baggage, proceed to the CIE
Tours desk in the Arrivals Hall. CIE Tours staff will arrange a group
transfer to your Bunratty hotel. 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.
Spend the day at leisure in Bunratty. There’s
plenty to do right beside your hotel – Bunratty Folk Park,
Durty Nelly’s Pub and shopping. This evening
meet your fellow travelers over a welcome drink and join in the
fun of a medieval banquet at nearby Bunratty Castle.
(D)
Day 2: Cliffs of Moher
& Killarney
Drive to the coast to view the
dramatic Cliffs
of Moher, which rise to almost 700
feet above the wild Atlantic breakers and stretch along the coast for five
miles. Then head south for a short ferry ride across the River Shannon. Stop in the charming village of Listowel for
a stroll around before continuing through the mountainous countryside to
Killarney. Take a look around this bustling and compact town before checking
in to your country home and meeting your Irish family. In the evening drive
to the Gap of Dunloe to Kate Kearney’s Cottage
for dinner. Afterwards sit back and enjoy traditional Irish entertainment
with popular songs, dances and a lot of laughs. (B,D)
Day 3: Ring of Kerry
Admire breathtaking vistas of
mountains, cliffs and beaches on Ireland’s most popular
drive – the 100-mile Ring of Kerry. Enjoy the variety of scenery as you
travel to the westernmost part of the Iveragh Peninsula. Stop at the Gap of Dunloe to view the Essence of Kerry, an audiovisual show
that highlights the region. Cross to Valencia Island
by bridge to visit the Skellig Experience,
which explains how early monks lived in harsh conditions on the rocky
offshore islands. Today the islands form a haven for seabirds. Take a brief
walk around the colorful village of Sneem and pause at
Moll’s Gap for stunning views of the Lakes of
Killarney. Return to Killarney and enjoy a home-style dinner
with your host family this evening. (B,D)
Day 4: Blarney & Titanic Walk
Leaving Killarney, head to the Blarney Woollen Mills where you can find excellent
Irish merchandise. You will have time to walk around the village green or, if
you feel energetic, you will have the opportunity to climb Blarney Castle
to kiss the “Stone of Eloquence.” Drive through the outskirts of Cork to the harbor town of Cobh, the last port of call for the
Titanic. Take a guided
walk around this picturesque town and the dockside with a local
historian to see places relating to the Titanic’s last scheduled stop.
Travel north past the Galtee
Mountains and stop for photos at the
Rock of Cashel on the way to the charming little
city of Kilkenny.
(B,D)
Day 5: Kilkenny Castle & Abbey Tavern
This morning tour the massive Kilkenny Castle,
home of the Butlers,
Earls and Dukes of Ormonde, who held power over the
region for centuries. The castle was first built in 1192 and was constantly
remodeled until the 19th century. See wonderful paintings and
furniture as you learn about the history of the region. Travel into the
metropolitan area of Dublin
to your hotel in the up market area of Ballsbridge.
Drive to Howth on the north side of Dublin to the Abbey Tavern.
Here sit down to a traditional dinner followed by a great show with plenty of
Irish music and intricate step dancing. (B,D)
Day 6: Dublin Tour & Dublinia
Take a half-day guided tour of Dublin, founded by
Vikings over 1,000 years ago. See elegant Georgian squares with townhouses
and their famous brightly-painted doors, view the lush vegetation of St.
Stephen’s Green and the stark figures of the Famine Memorial on the
banks of the River Liffey, drive along O’Connell Street
and pass the General Post Office where the 1916 Rebellion started. Finally
visit Dublinia and the Viking World, which
explains the Viking and Norman influences on the development of Dublin and shows how
people lived during the 13th to the 16th centuries. The balance of the day is
at leisure and you may choose to return to your hotel or use your voucher for
an open-top bus
tour and visit Guinness or Jameson. (B)
Day 7: Depart for Home or Clonmacnoise
& Galway Bay
For clients on our 7-day Holiday,
your tour ends today with a group coach transfer to Dublin Airport.
Lucky clients on the 8-day program will leave Dublin
and journey across the rolling pastures of Ireland’s heartland to
visit Clonmacnoise. This monastic settlement was
founded in 545 AD by St. Ciaran and is set on the
banks of the tranquil River Shannon. Drive to Galway
city and take a panoramic tour around the city center to see Eyre Square,
Galway Cathedral and the Spanish Arch. Then spend some time on your own
before driving to your hotel, which is set on the shores of the famous Galway Bay,
from where you can see the Aran
Islands and the hills of the Burren
country. (B,D)
Day 8: Homeward bound from Shannon
Bid farewell to Galway and take a
group transfer to Shannon
Airport where your tour
concludes at 10:30 am. Check in for your flight in good time and you may like
to shop at the duty-free shops. If you need to arrive at Shannon Airport
before 10:30 am, your tour director will coordinate an early group transfer
once you are on tour. When booking your flights home, it is important to
remember that Galway is 60 miles from Shannon
and the drive takes 1½ hours. Do not spoil your last night in Ireland
by booking too early a flight. (B)
Tour
runs 2 April – 29 October 2010
Tour
operates every Friday all year
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Tour Dates
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Prices
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2 April > 23 April
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$1605
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30 April > 28 May
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$1740
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4 June > 24 Sept
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$1755
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1 October > 29
October
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$1650
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Rate
is in Australian dollars per person twin share basis
Single
supplement $375
To
extend this tour to 8 days add an extra $270 per person twin share and an
additional $62AUD to the single supplement
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 driver/guide
•
Accommodation with private bath/shower for 6 or 7 nights – Superior & first class hotels in Bunratty,
Kilkenny, Dublin and
Galway; country homes in Killarney
• Full Irish
breakfast daily (B)
• 5 or 6
dinners (D) including
- Medieval banquet and entertainment in Bunratty
Castle
- Dinner and show at Kate Kearney’s
Cottage
- Traditional Irish evening with dinner and
entertainment at the Abbey Tavern
- 1 home-style dinner in Killarney
- Table d’hote
dinner in Kilkenny
- Table d’hote
dinner in Galway (8-day tour only)
• Welcome
get-together drink
• Ferry ride
across the River Shannon
• Essence of
Kerry audiovisual show
•
“Titanic” walking tour of Cobh
• Tour of Dublin with a local
guide
• Visits and
admissions to Cliffs of Moher, Skellig
Experience, Blarney Woollen Mills, Kilkenny Castle, Dublinia and
Viking World and Clonmacnoise (8 day tour only)
• Deluxe flight bag, ticket
wallet, luggage tags & strap
•
All local taxes, hotel service charges & porterage
for one suitcase per person
YOUR ACCOMMODATION
Stay
at the following (or similar):
Bunratty Castle Hotel, Bunratty (1 night)
Town
& Country Homes, Killarney (2
nights)
Ormonde Hotel, Kilkenny (1 night)
Bewley’s Ballsbridge Hotel, Dublin (2 nights)
Galway
Bay Hotel, Galway (1 night – 8-day tour only)
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