The Heart of Ireland
By Celtic Tours World Vacations
05/19/2008
The Heart of Ireland, a superior first class tour where you will discover the history, art and culture of the Irish people. See the Arts and Crafts of the Celtic Revival at St. Brendan’s Cathedral, visit Rathbaun Farm and Blarney Woollen Mills. Enjoy the South and West Coasts of Ireland, historic Galway and the breathtaking Dingle Peninsula. In Dublin, enjoy visits to the famed Guinness Brewery and Kilmainham Jail. Features full Irish Breakfast daily and five dinners.
Contact Information:
t: view phone 800-833-4373
e: view email operations@celtictours.com
w: view URL http://www.celtictours.com
i: view contact details
- Castle Stay – Stay 2 nights in an Irish Castle
- Killarney & the Dingle Peninsula
- Kilmainham Jail & the Guinness Brewery in Dublin
- Rathbaun Farm where you enjoy tea/coffee and scones
- Galway
Tour Dates:
Start Tour Date: 10/15/2008
End Tour Date: 04/22/2009
Number of Days: 8
DAY 1: U.S. to Ireland
Depart the U.S. for our overnight flight to Ireland. Dinner served on
board.
DAY 2: Dublin
Early morning arrival in Dublin where we are met by our Celtic Tours
driver/guide after clearing customs. Depart Dublin Airport and transfer
to our Dublin hotel. Some free time to rest. Perhaps later enjoy the
city center attractions and stores. Overnight in Dublin.
DAY 3: Dublin – Cashel – Blarney – Killarney
Morning departure from Dublin. We travel southwest via the horse racing
and breeding County of Kildare to County Tipperary and the historic
Rock of Cashel, an ancient castle fortress of the Kings of Ireland.
After a photo stop we continue on to Blarney. Optional visit to
Blarney Castle to kiss the famed Blarney Stone or shop at Blarney
Woollen Mills for tweeds, knitwear, crystal and china. Continue on to
Killarney for dinner and overnight. Optional pub entertainment tonight
in Killarney. [B,D]
DAY 4: Killarney – Dingle Peninsula Tour
A delightful day takes us along the Kerry coast to the Dingle Peninsula,
which offers magnificent coastal scenery. Beyond Slea Head, we see
the Blasket Island, the last outpost of Europe. A full day tour returning
to Killarney for dinner and overnight. [B,D]
DAY 5: Killarney – Galway
Morning departure from Killarney. We travel via Ennis to Ardrahan in
County Galway where we pause for tea/coffee and scones at Rathbaun
Farm. Here we will see a farming family carry out everyday chores
including sheep shearing and watch as the sheepdog maneuvers the
flock. We continue on to our Galway hotel for dinner and overnight.
Optional pub entertainment tonight in Galway. [B,D]
DAY 6: Galway – Athlone – Kells – Kingscourt
Departing Galway, we travel via Loughrea, where we visit St. Brendan’s
Cathedral. Constructed in 1897, it contains outstanding examples of
stained glass by various Irish artists. We travel onwards via County
Meath and Kells to our hotel for dinner and overnight. [B,D]
DAY 7: Kingscourt – Dublin – Kingscourt
Today we travel south to Dublin where we take a tour of historic
Kilmainham Jail, which covers some of the most heroic and tragic
events in Irish history from 1780 to the 1920’s. We visit nearby Guinness
Brewery Storehouse for a short tour and a sample brew. Our tour
ends approximately 12:45 p.m. Free time in downtown Dublin. At
3:30 p.m. we board our coach and return to our hotel in Kingscourt
arriving at our hotel approximately 5:00 p.m. Diner and overnight at
our hotel. [B,D]
DAY 8: Dublin Airport – Home
Morning departure for Dublin Airport where our tour ends at approximately
8:30am for our return flight home. Ample time allowed for last
minute duty free shopping before boarding our flight. We arrive home
the same day. [B
