Detailed Daily Itinerary

Day 0
You’ll depart home on the airline of your choice to Dublin, Ireland or…
maybe you’ve chosen earlier to travel with us on our Ireland, Into the Heart and Soul tour

and you’re still here, in our historic, 4-star hotel, enjoying Dublin

Day 1
You’ll arrive from your hometown, on the airline of your choice, in Dublin, Ireland. After going to our well-located, 4-star, historic hotel, you have the rest of the day to explore this ancient Viking city. Maybe you'll visit Trinity College and see the ancient Book of Kells, or take a local touring bus, where you can get on or off all day at a variety of stops. Or, tour the 200 year-oldGuinness Brewery, or visit one of our favorites, the Dublin Writer’s Museum.  We'll meet later this day for a tour orientation, and get-acquainted dinner at our lovely hotel.
Overnight/Dublin (D)

Day 2
After a sumptuous breakfast we’re headed North to Monasterboice, an important 6 th C. monastery with two of Ireland’s finest High Crosses; including the 18 ft. high, ornately-carved stone, Cross of Murdock. A well-preserved Round Tower stands nearby. Then we’ll continue North through Dundalk and Newry in the shadow of the verdant Mourne Mountains to Downpatrick, the reputed gravesite of St. Patrick, Ireland’s Patron Saint.  Traveling North, we’ll board a ferry at Strangford and take the short trip to Portaferry, gateway to the lovely Ards Peninsula. A bit further and we’ll encounter the 18 th C. Mount Stewart House and Gardens where we’ll stop for a visit of the magnificent house and grounds. A short trip and we’ll arrive at our “refreshingly unconventional” country house hotel, just 15 minutes West of Belfast, where we’ll have dinner together tonight and stay for two nights.      Overnight/Dunadry (B,D)

Day 3
Today, we’ll tour Belfast City with our local guide. We’ll see the beautiful Victorian City Hall, Grand Opera House and Crown Liquor Saloon; the murals of West Belfast and reminders of Belfast’s turbulent past, Shankill and the Falls Road.  You'll be surprised at the monstrous sky-silhouette of the working cranes of the Harland and Wolff Shipyards where the Titanic was built. We’ll head NE and visit the lovely little seaside village of Bangor before stopping for luncheon at our very special restaurant:

the 17 th C.Old Inn atCrawfordsburn. After lunch we’ll take a short hop to visit N. Ireland’s two finest museums, The Ulster Folk and Transport Museums where we’ll see the Ireland of yesteryear and view the steam locomotives, DeLorean cars, trams, motorcycles, buses, and bicycles (as well as a fascinating Titanic exhibit) which forged the N. Ireland we see today. Back to our charming hotel for an overnight stay. Overnight/Dunadry (B,L)

Day 4
After breakfast we’re off towards Derry/Londonderry, that most medieval-walled city. We’ll travel via the impressive Antrim Coast enjoying the beautiful 9 Glens of Antrim. We’ll see the wee villages of Cushendall, Cushendun, and Ballycastle before we come upon the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, 90 ft. above the rocky sea, which, for over 200 years, has been the main fisherman’s route from the high seacliffs of the mainland to the little island. As it sways in the wind you’ll have the opportunity to venture across, if you wish.  It’s not far and we come across a geologic wonder-of-the-world, The Giant’s Causeway. This mythologized grouping of thousands of hexagonal basalt columns never fails to inspire. After all this excitement we’d better stop for a visit to the 17 th C., Old Bushmill’s Distillery for a tour and a “wee drop” of this magical elixir. It’s the oldest (c. 1608) continually-operating distillery in the world! Viewing the Mussendun Temple and precariously-perched 17 th C. Dunluce Castle, we’ll end our day at our famous country hotel, the main lodging of former President Bill Clinton when he’s here. You’ll enjoy all the pictures of him, Hillary and Chelsea taken with the proprietress earlier this year! We’ll enjoy dinner together tonite and two restful nights sleep.
Overnight/near Derry (B,D)

Day 5
As we did in Belfast, we’ll have a local guide to show us around Derry/Londonderry. We’ll visit the very-well-preserved, circumferential, medieval City Wall, the Tower Museum, the Peace Murals of the Bogside, and much more. After lunch together, you’ll have the rest of the afternoon and evening to yourselves. You might continue touring Derry, have a nice dinner, go shopping, or simply come back on the coach to our restful retreat for the evening, maybe sitting by the fireplace in the cozy pub. Overnight/near Derry (B,L)

Day 6
After a yummy breakfast, we’ll be heading out to the West, across the Inishowen Peninsula, through Letterkenny, into one of the loveliest and least-traveled parts of Ireland, the wildness of County Donegal. We’ll journey into the lake-filled valley that is Glenveagh National Park. Here we’ll visit the interesting 19 th C. Glenveagh Castle, modeled after Scotland’s Balmoral Castle, and grounds. And nearby, we’ll have an opportunity for lunch. We’ll continue our meander West and then South through scenic Donegal to our new hotel located just above the harbor, in the quaint fishing village of Killybegs. We’ll stay two nites here and enjoy dinner together tonight.
Overnight/Killybegs (B,D)

Day 7
After breakfast, we’ll follow the coast road around Donegal Bay and pay a visit to the little factory which makes world-famous Belleek Pottery. We’re sure that you’ve seen their lovely shamrock-adorned, Parian China, as well as their intricately-formed, woven china baskets. After lunch together in Enniskillen, we’ll take the short run to the finest Palladian home in Ireland, 18 th C. Castle Coole, for a guided tour. It’s built totally of silvery-white portland stone, imported from England at great expense. From here, we’re off to the Marble Arch Caves for a visit, the nicest caves in Ireland. You’ll have the option of visiting lovely 18 th C. Florence Court instead if you wish, with its superb setting overlooking Lough Erne. Now, it’s back to our seaside hotel for an overnight and a dinner opportunity.
Overnight/Killybegs (B,L)

Day 8
Following the Eastern edge of Donegal Bay, we’ll visit the gravesite of Ireland’s favorite literary son, W.B. Yeats; in Drumcliff, in the shadow of Benbulben. From here it’s through Sligo and Yeats’ country for a scenic drive through the Slieve Gamph of the Ox Mountains in County Mayo, Tobercurry, Ballina, and Ballycastle for a visit to the world’s most extensive, ancient (5500 yr. old), Stone-age settlement, known as The Ceide Fields, with its award-winning interpretive center. From here, we’ll journey to rarely-visited Achill Island where we’ll have dinner and lodging at a quaint guesthouse we know, and watch the sun dip into the Atlantic.
Overnight/ Achill Island (B,D)

Day 9
After a wonderful homemade breakfast, we’ll engage a local guide on Achill Island to visit the abandoned famine village at Slievemore, and learn of its sad history. Next, we’ll take a trip to the very-well-done Turlough Country Life Museum, the only branch of Ireland’s National Museum outside of Dublin. With interesting exhibits and audio-visual enhancements you’ll appreciate the difficulty of life in old Ireland. We’ll have our lunch opportunity here. Now, we’ll travel to our haven for the evening, the picture-postcard-pretty village of Westport, with its scores of musical pubs. Tonight, we’ll dine together and overnite here for two nights in our well-located, center-village hotel.
O/N Westport (B,D)

Day 10
After breakfast today we’ll be celebrating St. Patrick by visiting Croagh Patrick, the mountain from which he rid Ireland of its serpents, travel through the haunting Lough DooValley, Delphi,“ Joyce Country”, and the village of Cong (made famous by the filming of “The Quiet Man” here). A few minutes more and we’re at our destination for High Tea, at Ashford Castle, the former Guinness family home and wedding site for notables. The most recent was Pierce Brosnan, of James Bond movie fame. After our fancy victuals, we’ll head back to Westport after visiting Ballintubber Abbey, the only church in Ireland founded by an Irish king (c. 1216) and still in use. Thought to be one of the most impressive old church buildings in Ireland, it’s located next to the site where St. Patrick founded an earlier church (4 th or 5 th C.) after coming down from Croagh Patrick. Tonight you’ll have the opportunity to sample one of Westport’s great restaurants on your own and maybe go to one of its pubs for some authentic,“trad”music.
Overnight/Westport (B, High Tea)

Day 11
After breakfast, we’ll head East toward Dublin, but first stop to visit the impressive Strokestown House and Famine Museum, which depicts one of Ireland’s less-mentioned periods of sorrow, the Irish Potato Famine. You’ll learn a great deal about what led up to this devastating time, and how it was handled by the governing English. It's quite a story.  We’ll have a lunch opportunity here before heading out to Dublin where this evening we’ll have a lovely farewell dinner, a post-tour get-together and spend the night in our historic, 4-star hotel.   What a tour this has been!
Overnight/Dublin (B,D)

Day 12
After a filling breakfast, the tour will be over and you’ll either choose to remain in Dublin or transfer to the airport for your journey home