Grand Tour of Ireland

Explore the best of the Emerald Isle with this fantastic tour, taking in all of the “must see” sights.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Hotel with breakfast & dinner in Mold, Dublin,Waterford, Killarney and Limerick
• All hotels in Ireland offer welcome drink & tea/coffee after dinner
• Included excursions with admission to Powerscourt Gardens & Foynes Flying Boat Museum
• Included excursions to Midleton, Blarney Castle, the Ring of Kerry, the Burren & the Cliffs of Moher
• Optional city tour of DublinDAY 1 Departure: A morning departure stopping for lunch en route to our overnight hotel.

DAY 2 Travel to Dublin & optional* Dublin City Tour: After breakfast we travel to Holyhead for the morning sailing to Dun Laoghaire.We continue to Dublin for our 1 night stay. You will have the opportunity to take an optional city tour to see the sights.

DAY 3 Travel to Waterford, Powerscourt House & Gardens: We depart Dublin and travel through the beautifully scenic Wicklow Mountains.We visit Powerscourt House and Gardens (admission included) overlooking the Sugar Loaf Mountain and considered one of the world’s finest gardens.We head south via Roundwood and the Vale of Clara to Avoca, the setting for “Ballykissangel” and home of Ireland’s oldest working mill, Avoca Handweavers.We journey on via Arklow and Enniscorthy and on to Waterford for our 1 night stay.

DAY 4 Travel to Killarney, Midleton & Blarney Castle: We journey to Midleton, home of the Jameson Heritage Centre, part of the Irish Distillers group famous for Jameson, Bushmills, Tullamore Dew and the local brew, “Paddys”. This museum, home to the largest pot still in the world, depicts the story of Irish Whiskey with a tour of the old Distillery, no visit is complete without a whiskey tasting.We continue onto Blarney to visit the castle (admission not included), and take part in the long standing tradition of kissing the Blarney Stone.We then continue onto Killarney for our 2 night stay.

DAY 5 Ring of Kerry: Travel around the Ring of Kerry to savour spectacular scenery as you journey along the narrow coastal road of the Iveragh Peninsula. The journey begins at Killorglin, through Glenbeigh, calling at the Kerry Bog Village. We continue through the villages of Rossbeigh and Kells, with their beautiful golden beaches to Caherciveen.We later travel through Waterville and Derryane, overlooking Ballinskelligs Bay to Caherdaniel, hometown of political hero Daniel O’Connell.We continue through Sneem, a quaint town with its own village green, and Kenmare to Moll’s Gap, a cutting between black bogland and mountains. The winding road passes Ladies’ View and the entrance to Muckross House.

DAY 6 Travel to Ennistymon via Foynes Flying Boat Museum: Enjoy free time in Killarney, set in the Irish Lake District, before travelling North via Listowel to the Foynes Flying Boat Museum (admission included). Enjoy a tour of the museum, which includes a full size replica of the magnificent Boeing B-314, the quintessential Clipper Flyer Boat.We then continue to Limerick for our 2 night stay.

DAY 7 At leisure Burren & Cliffs of Moher: We travel to Kilfenora and to the visitors centre for an introduction to the Burren, a large limestone cap stretching for miles. The Burren is an anomaly in the Irish landscape and home to all manner of flora and fauna with rare alpine and Mediterranean plants. Dotted throughout the landscape are more than sixty wedge tombs, notably the Poulnabrone.We continue along the coastal road, through Ballyvaughan and Doolin to the Southern tip of this promontory. Stand in awe at the sheer might of the Atlantic Ocean, which over hundreds of years has carved the 230 metre high Cliffs of Moher. The 19th Century O’Briens’ Tower situated on the highest cliff offers incredible views stretching as far as the Aran Islands, Kerry and Connemara.

DAY 8 & LAST DAY Travel to overnight hotel & travel home: We travel up the Corkscrew Hill with fabulous views of Galway Bay.We continue via Athlone to Dublin port for the afternoon sailing to Holyhead and to our overnight hotel.We depart after breakfast for home, arriving during the evening.Aspect Hotel Park West, Dublin
Treacys Hotel, Waterford
Gleneagle Hotel, Killarney
Carlton Castletroy Park, Limerick – 4*

During this tour we stay at various hotels in Ireland, all are of at least a 3* standard, have en suite bedrooms and all include porterage. Guests receive a welcome drink as well as tea/coffee served after dinner at these hotels.