BEST OF IRELAND

• Write your own lively tale of legends and iconic landscapes during this epic encounter with Ireland’s treasures.
• We begin our journey in the whimsical capital of Dublin, joining a Local Specialist to see the sights.
• This evening sees you visiting EPIC – The Irish Emigration Museum, for some drinks and canapes.

Arrival Transfer: Depart the airport at 08:30, 11:00, 13:00

Included Experience: Dublin City Tour

• Journey through the scenic countryside of County Wicklow, ‘The Garden of Ireland’, and on to New Ross – the ancestral home town of John F. Kennedy.
• Dive Into Culture and gain insights into the plight of the starving Irish emigrants who boarded the Dunbrody Famine Ship to flee the potato famine.
•  We continue to Waterford.
• This afternoon, we celebrate the centuries-old craft of flint glass creations, as we Dive Into Culture at the House of Waterford Crystal and witness talented master crafters at work.
• Arrive in Kilkenny where we will stay for the night.

Included Experience: Discover the tragic history of Dunbrody Famine Ship and Tour the House of Waterford Crystal Workshop

Optional Experience: Explore Waterford’s History / Irish Folk Fun

• Today, pursue the ‘gift of the gab’ at Blarney Castle, where you’ll have a chance to kiss the famous stone.
• Consider joining an Optional Experience for a traditional pony and trap ride through the beautiful Bourn-Vincent National Park. Arrive in Killarney for a two-night stay.
• During your journey, your Local Specialist will share fascinating anecdotes about the area and Ireland.
• In the evening perhaps join an optional Gaelic Roots show.
• Using traditional instruments, Irish dance and time-honoured folk songs, this energetic show will have you tapping your feet and singing along in no time.

Included Experience: Visit Blarney Castle

Optional Experience: Experience a Jaunting Cart Ride / Gaelic Roots / Celtic Steps

• Ireland’s soul-stirring Ring of Kerry takes centre stage today as we embark on a scenic drive past its mountains, lakes and lush green countryside – unquestionably one of the most scenic routes in Ireland.
• We’ll see Daniel O’Connell’s Cahirciveen, the fishing village of Waterville, Moll’s Gap and the Black Valley, whose remoteness saw it become the last area in Ireland to receive electricity.

Optional Experience: Visit Muckross House and its Garden / Irish Ceilidh Evening

• We continue through the windswept countryside, arriving in Adare, one of the prettiest villages in Ireland.
• On arrival in Limerick, we will enjoy views of St. Mary’s Cathedral, the Treaty Stone and the 13th-century King John’s Castle during an orientation tour.
• Delve into an Ireland of old, as you discover the day-to-day life of the Irish during the 18th and 19th centuries on your included visit to Bunratty Castle and Folk Park this afternoon.

Included Experience: Adare Orientation, Limerick Orientation, and Bunratty Castle and Folk Park Visit

Optional Experience: Medieval Castle Banquet

• The sheer Cliffs of Moher plunge dramatically into the Atlantic Ocean, providing endless ocean views and wonderful photographic opportunities during your experience at this UNESCO-listed highlight along the Wild Atlantic Way.
• You’ll be enchanted by its irresistible landscapes, but more so the interactive visitor centre which will bring the whole experience to life from the perspective of the resident wildlife that find sanctuary here.
• Later, we arrive in Galway with some time at leisure to see its beautiful stone Cathedral or stroll through Eyre Square.

Optional Experience: City of Tribes Walk and Dinner / Trad on the Prom

• Connemara’s ‘savage beauty’ is yours to explore today as we tread in the footsteps of Oscar Wilde who described its ‘wild and mountainous splendor’ as magnificent.
• Stop at Brigit’s Garden, a Celtic heritage garden, on a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience.
• Admire the views on the scenic drive to Kylemore Abbey, now a Benedictine monastery, where we will embark on an included visit to the country’s most romantic castle and walk through its exquisite Victorian Walled Garden.

Included Experience: Visit Kylemore Abbey and Brigit’s Garden

• Our journey takes us to Westport House where we’ll Connect With Locals and indulge in a memorable Be My Guest experience with tales of the Pirate Queen, and enjoy Banoffee and Baileys flavours in the Drawing Room of this stately 18th-century home.
• Heading north, we stop in the pilgrimage town of Knock to view the Marian Shrine where villagers witnessed an apparition of Our Lady in 1879.
• We arrive in Sligo this evening, our home for the night.

Included Experience: Enjoy a Traditional High Tea Hosted in the Drawing Room of a Stately 18th-Century Home near Westport and Knock Marian Shrine Visit

Optional Experience: Scenic Drive and Dinner

• Our journey continues south to Dublin.
• Here we’ll enjoy some free time to take a walk down Grafton Street or stroll along the Liffey.
• This evening, we close the chapter on an epic journey through Ireland, joining our fellow travellers for a memorable Farewell Dinner.

Optional Experience: Luxurious River Shannon Cruise

• After a hearty Irish breakfast, we bid our Travel Director and fellow travellers a fond farewell as our Irish holiday comes to an end.

Departure Transfer: Arrive at the airport at 07:00, 09:00, 11:00