Shades of Ireland | July 23-Aug 3

Jul 23 | US | Ireland

Today transfer to the airport and board your overnight flight bound for Dublin, Ireland.

Jul 24 | Dublin | Waterford Crystal Factory

This morning you arrive in Dublin, where you are met by your private driver/guide. Your journey begins as you board your private motorcoach and travel to Waterford. Your first stop is the world-famous Waterford Crystal Factory. On your guided tour watch craftsman transform glowing balls of molten crystal into elegant shapes with skills that have made two hundred years of perfection clearly visible in every piece. Learn how the Master Sculptor works 3-dimensionally, using his skill to sculpt the desired piece from a solid block of crystal. Days, weeks, and even months can pass before a sculpted piece is completed. This afternoon enjoy a walking tour with a local guide in the country’s oldest city. Waterford was founded by Vikings in 914 A.D., and parts of its ancient walled core remain. Tonight’s dinner will be served in the hotel’s dining room.

Overnight:  Waterford        (B,D)

Jul 25 | Cobh Heritage Center | Blarney Castle

Travel south to Cobh today, the last port of call of the Titanic. An included tour at the Cobh Heritage Centre will reveal many of the places that still remain over a century after travelers embarked on that fateful voyage. Next, visit Blarney Castle to kiss the famous “Stone of Eloquence” or explore the tranquil gardens. Treat yourself to quality Irish-made goods at Blarney Woolen Mills. After free time for lunch on your own, journey to Killarney and check into your hotel for the next two nights. This evening, dinner is served in the hotel’s dining room.

Overnight: Killarney       (B,D)

Jul 26 | Ring of Kerry & Sheep Dog demonstration.

Today after breakfast discover the natural beauty of the Emerald Isle on Ireland’s most popular scenic drive, the Ring of Kerry, with plenty of photo stops along the rugged coastline. This afternoon is border collies in action during a traditional sheepdog demonstration at a family-run farm before returning back to the hotel. Enjoy the evening in Killarney for dinner on your own.

Overnight: Killarney     (B)

July 27 | Dingle Peninsula | Adare

After a leisurely breakfast and checking out of your hotel, depart for the famous Dingle Peninsula loop. Discover the glorious Dingle Peninsula, made famous in the movies “Ryan’s Daughter”, “Far & Away”, and “The Last Jedi”, which showcased the wonderful scenery found here. The Peninsula is 10 miles wide and runs 40 miles from Tralee to Slea Head. The top of its mountainous spine is Mount  Brandon, at 3,130 feet, the second-tallest mountain in Ireland. While only tiny villages lie west of Dingle town, the Peninsula is home to 500,000 sheep. After some free time for lunch and shopping in Dingle, travel northeast and arrive in one of Ireland’s prettiest villages, Adare. With its picture postcard main street of thatched cottages and medieval buildings, Adare village is rich in ancient and archaeological remains with a history dating back to 1200 A.D.  Tonight’s dinner will be served at the hotel’s dining room.

Overnight: Dunraven Arms Hotel      (B,D)

Jul 28 | Cliffs of Moher | Galway

After a full Irish breakfast, head to the famous Cliffs of Moher, stunning rock formations that soar 700 feet above the churning Atlantic Ocean and extend for 9 miles. The Cliffs are home to thousands of seabirds, including puffins. On a clear day, you can see the Aran Islands and Galway Bay. At the visitor center, enjoy free time for lunch and shopping. Next, travel on to Galway, through the austere beauty of the Burren, a distinctive limestone landscape formed by glaciers. It’s like no other place in Ireland with its karst landscape of bedrock incorporating a vast cracked pavement of glacial-era limestone. From here you enter Galway and after a brief city tour and free time for shopping in town, check into your hotel. Dinner is at the hotel this evening.

Overnight: Galway             (B,D)

Jul 29 | Connemara, Kylemore Abbey & Donegal

After breakfast, you will visit Connemara National Park, a place of contrasts, colors, wilderness, and warm welcomes on the west coast of Ireland. From the bogs and lakes of the Gaelic-speaking South Connemara to the mountain vistas of North and West Connemara, the diversity of the landscape and the people who populate it offers much to the visitor. Next, head to Kylemore Abbey, a Benedictine Monastery founded in 1920 on the grounds of Kylemore Castle. Nestled in the heart of Connemara, on the Wild Atlantic Way, Kylemore Abbey is a haven of history, beauty, and serenity. Home to a Benedictine order of Nuns for the past 100 years, Kylemore Abbey welcomes visitors from all over the world each year to embrace the magic of the magnificent 1,000-acre estate. On your guided tour, you will see the Abbey’s beautifully restored period rooms and fascinating Visitor Experience and learn about its history of tragedy, romance, education, and spirituality. Explore the 6-acre Victorian Walled Garden with its delightfully restored garden buildings, and formal flower, vegetable, and herb gardens. From here you travel north to Donegal and check in to your hotel for a two-night stay later this afternoon. Dinner tonight is served in the hotel’s dining room.

Overnight: Donegal      (B,D)

Jul 30 | Ardara Tweed Visitor Center & Slieve League

After a hearty breakfast, you leave for the Trinona Donegal Tweed Visitor Centre, nestled in the picturesque town of Ardara, Co. Donegal. Experience the history and witness Master Weavers working on looms with techniques that have been used for centuries. From here, travel to Killybegs for lunch on your own before visiting Slieve League, known as one of the highest sea cliffs in Europe, rising almost 2000 ft. from the Atlantic Ocean. After a full day of sightseeing, you return to your hotel overnight.

Overnight: Donegal               (B)

Jul 31 | Derry | Bogside | Ulster American Folk Park

After breakfast check out of the hotel and head to Derry in Northern Ireland. Upon arrival enjoy a brief panoramic city tour including the famous Peace Bridge. Next, visit Bogside and see the 12 Murals, the striking artworks that have become central to the neighborhood’s identity. Discover the site of the Bloody Sunday Massacre, the controversial moment when British Soldiers fired into protestors in 1972, and pause at the memorial to the massacre, looking over the Derry Walls. Later this morning, visit the Ulster American Folk Park, an open-air museum in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Board a full-scale emigrant ship to experience the conditions faced by many as they set sail for a new life in America. With 30 buildings and exhibits to explore, the Park is a wonderfully unique experience. Immerse yourself in the story of the brave emigrants who made the journey across the Atlantic to America hundreds of years ago. Wander through the thatched cottages and log cabins and meet costumed characters who will show you traditional crafts, tell you a few stories, and maybe even share a bit of their good food. After lunch on your own, your journey continues to Belfast (Northern Ireland’s capital), where you check into your hotel for another two-night stay. Tonight’s dinner will be served at the hotel’s restaurant.

Overnight: Belfast          (B,D)

Aug 1 | Giant’s Causeway |Titanic Museum

This morning you leave for Giant’s Causeway, the country’s first UNESCO World Heritage site, discovered in 1693. Admire the enormous hexagonal columns formed by volcanic activity over 60 million years ago. Continue your journey of the Emerald Island as you travel along the spectacular Antrim Coastline. Back in Belfast, enjoy a self-guided tour of the award-winning Titanic Belfast Museum. The museum opened in 2012 on the centenary of the sinking and has become the most popular attraction in Northern Ireland. The late afternoon/evening is yours to explore this bustling city at leisure.

Overnight: Belfast         (B)

Aug 2 | Belfast to Dublin

After breakfast and checking out of your hotel, you will meet your local step-on guide for a panoramic city tour of Belfast. Take in some of the city’s most impressive sights including City Hall, Titanic Quarter, Stormont, the wall murals, and the Queen’s Quarters. From here you journey southbound to Dublin. This afternoon, enjoy a panoramic city tour of the Capital city’s highlights and a window view of Trinity College, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the General Post Office, Phoenix Park, Victorian St. Stephen’s Green, and more. Check-in late this afternoon at your Castle Hotel in Clontarf. This evening features a fun-filled farewell dinner accompanied by songs and music from an Irish harpist.

Overnight: Dublin area, Castle Hotel              (B,D)

Aug 3 | Flight back home

After breakfast this morning you depart for the airport and your flight home to the United States with fond memories of the Emerald Island.           (B)

• Round-trip transportation to the airport
• Round-trip airfare from to Dublin
• Luxury motorcoach transportation while in Ireland
• 10 nights accommodations in 4-star hotels in Waterford, Killarney, Adare, Galway, Donegal, Belfast & Dublin
• Daily breakfast, 7 dinners
• All sightseeing, attractions, and admissions

        (as detailed in itinerary)

• Local step-on guide in Waterford and Belfast
• Professional Irish Driver/Guide
• Hotel taxes; meal taxes, and gratuities
• Porterage of 1 bag per person

       (excludes airline baggage fees)

• All resort, service, and government fees
• Service of a professional Tour Director
• All gratuities for drivers, guides, step-on guides

$750.00 deposit due when making a reservation

Final Payment due April 9, 2024- no penalties until April 13, 2024

50% non-refundable April 14, 2024

100% non-refundable May 15, 2024