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Day 1: Arrive Dublin
After customs formalities and luggage reclamation, head to the CIE Tours desk in the Arrivals Hall to arrange a group transfer to your hotel between 7:00 am and 12:00 noon. Passengers arriving later will transfer to the hotel at their own. Check into your hotel, located on the north side of the city. The evening is free for independent dining and hotel personnel or your tour escort will assist in finding an appealing restaurant.
Day 2: Book of Kells & Shindig Evening
This morning tour Dublin city centre in the company of a local guide to see public buildings, delightful gardens and lively shopping streets. View elegant Georgian squares lined with townhouses boasting collared doors. Enter Trinity College to view the 8th century illuminated gospel manuscript of the Book of Kells in the Old Library. The afternoon is at leisure when you may take an open-top bus tour with a Guinness or Jameson visit. In the evening attend a “Shindig” at the Old Jameson Distillery. See whiskey-making processes before dining on Irish specialties, followed by a festive entertainment program. (B,D)
Day 3: Blarney Castle & Killarney
Depart Dublin and view the green countryside as you travel through the centre of Ireland, which has many mixed farms. Stop to view the stately church ruins atop the Rock of Cashel, which rises high above the surrounding plain. Continue your drive south and just a few miles outside Cork, visit Blarney Castle to kiss the famous “Stone of Eloquence.” Also visit the Blarney Woollen Mills before driving through Macroom and into County Kerry, where the scenery becomes more mountainous. Check into your hotel in Killarney and relax before dinner. (B,D)
Day 4: Dingle Peninsula & Blasket Experience
Today discover the scenic Dingle Peninsula, made famous by two movies – “Ryan’s Daughter” and “Far & Away.” Drive along the south shore and stop to admire views of heathery mountains and the sandy stretches of Inch Beach. Pause in Dingle before continuing to the western tip of the peninsula. Tour the Blasket Centre in Dunquin to learn about the Blasket Islands, inhabited until 1953 by hardy families who eked out a living by farming and fishing. Return to Killarney and enjoy free time to relax or take a walk. After dinner in your hotel you may like to visit some of the cosy pubs featuring live music. (B,D)
Day 5: Flying Boat Museum & Cliffs of Moher
Travel north to Foynes on the River Shannon Estuary to learn about the early days of flight at the Flying Boat Museum. This was the landing place for Pam Am Clippers from the United States and Europe. Drive to the village of Bunratty and look around Durty Nelly’s Pub or the Bunratty Folk Park. Head to the coast to view the Cliffs of Moher, an impressive wall of rock that rises 700 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. Continue to Galway for a panoramic drive before checking in to your hotel, which overlooks Galway Bay. (B,D)
Day 6: 6th Century Clonmacnoise & Dunboyne Castle
Leave Galway and drive to the centre of the country to visit Clonmacnoise, a monastic settlement founded in 545 AD by St. Ciaran. See round towers, elaborately decorated Celtic crosses and the ruins of many churches picturesquely set on the banks of the tranquil River Shannon. Continue your drive eastward to your elegant hotel, just outside Dublin. Enjoy the facilities and relax for a while before joining in a farewell dinner with your group. Savour great food followed by some local entertainment. (B,D)
Day 7: Depart Dublin
Complimentary group transfers are provided to Dublin 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 before the journey home. (B)
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