Folklore and Festivities of Ireland - 8 Day tour

DAY 1

Early morning arrival in Dublin airport, welcome by your tour guide and coach driver.  Board your luxury touring coach and transfer to southern Ireland, crossing rich agricultural lands of the ‘Curragh, famous for horse-racing’ and the  ‘Golden Vale’ farmlands.

Lunch stop in Cashel.

Enjoy the 4th century Rock of Cashel once the seat of the High King of Munster is one of the most enduring images of Ireland, with its amazing collection of ancient walls, towers and halls, and an excellent multilingual audio visual presentation – a site not to be missed.

Continue to Cork for early evening check-in

15.00hrs            arrive in Cork for dinner and overnight

DAY 2

Full Irish breakfast is served daily

Transfer to Cobh for the Titanic Walking Trail

We’ll walk through the streets and environs of Cobh, revealing locations and incidents directly connected to the Titanic and many other aspects Cork harbour history and Irish heritage.  Highlights include: Original buildings, streets and piers associated with Titanic, The actual pier where Titanic passengers departed from, St. Colmans Cathedral, The Lusitania Peace Memorial, The Titanic Monument, Emigrant, military and maritime history, The story of Spike Island & The Famine, Convict Transportation.

Afternoon transfer to Cork City, enjoy a panoramic sightseeing tour of Cork

Rehearse for a joint concert with a local choir group. Evening concert in Cork City Millennium Hall,

Dinner in a cork city restaurant

Overnight in Rochestown Park Hotel or similar

DAY 3

Check out and travel from Cork to Galway stopping for lunch and to visit Bunratty Castle and afterwards the Cliffs of Moher.

The Castle is the most complete and authentic medieval fortress in Ireland.  Built in 1425 it was restored in 1954 to its former medieval splendour and now contains mainly 15th and 16th century furnishings, tapestries, and works of art which capture the mood of those times. Today, the castle stands peacefully in delightful grounds. The houses and cottages of the folk park spread out at the foot of its massive walls, much in the way that the cottages and crofts of old would have clustered around its base. We invite you to wander through the castle and marvel at the finest collection of medieval furniture in the country which brings to life a vital part of our Medieval past.

Arrive Cliffs of Moher & the Burren

The Cliffs of Moher are one of Ireland’s top Visitor attractions. The Cliffs are 214m high at the highest point and range for 8 kilometres over the Atlantic Ocean on the western seaboard of County Clare. O’Brien’s Tower stands proudly on a headland of the majestic Cliffs. From the Cliffs one can see the Aran Islands, Galway Bay, as well as The Twelve Pins, the Maum Turk Mountains in Connemara and Loop Head to the South. The Cliffs of Moher take their name from a ruined promontory fort “Mothar” which was demolished during the Napoleonic wars to make room for a signal tower.

The Burren is a karstic plateau – a stony chaos to the casual observer – with a full assemblage of the curious landforms that characterise such limestone landscapes. The region encompasses 360 km2 of gently inclined plateau with a further 200 km2 of lowland to the east of the plateau.  The limestone also has a landscape in miniature etched into exposed slabs of rock. The bare surfaces (pavements) are fretted with hollows and channels where acidic rainwater has selectively dissolved the rock. An extreme example of these micro landforms occurs on the coast.  Often described as a natural landscape, the Burren has been profoundly influenced by human activities.

Continue to Westport for dinner and overnight 

DAY 4

Morning departure on sight-seeing tour of Connemara and Killary harbour

No visit to Connemara would be complete without a visit to Killary Harbour. Recognised as Ireland’s only Fjord, this nine mile long inlet boasts some of the finest scenery in the West of Ireland, and because of it’s sheltered nature it’s waters are always calm.

Continue to Lough Inagh Valley and Kylemore Abbey

Set in the heart of the Connemara mountains is the Kylemore Abbey Estate, home of the Irish Benedictine Nuns. Visit the picturesque Abbey (reception rooms, video and exhibition) and enjoy a stroll to the beautifully restored Gothic Church; browse in the craft shop and sample our home cooked food in the restaurant.

Return to Westport in the afternoon and meet with the Gaelscoil (Irish School). Enjoy a tour of the school and a talk on the Irish language and a demonstration on some traditional Irish instruments including the tin whistle and fiddle (violin)

Evening Joint concert in Ballintubber Abbey with the Gaelscoil. Ballintubber Abbey. Founded in 1216 by Cathal Crovderg O’Connor, Ballintubber Abbey is an important sacred Irish historical site which will celeberate its 800th year anniversary this year (2016).

DAY 5

Morning departure from Westport and travel to Dublin

Lunchtime stop in Longford town before visiting Strokestown Park House and famine museum.  Strokestown Park House is a Georgian Palladian mansion and takes you back in time to the famine period in Irish history.  See all the old furniture, kitchens and learn of the old way of life.

Afternoon arrival in Dublin

Dinner and overnight in Dublin city centre hotel

DAY 6

Morning departure on sightseeing tour of Dublin city Ireland’s capital city is steeped in history and buzzing with youthful energy.  Medieval, Georgian and Modern styles of architecture provide a backdrop to a friendly bustling port built on the River Liffey.

This afternoon we depart on a half day tour of Dublin City, tracing its history from early Viking origins through to medieval magnificence and on to modern Dublin, a cosmopolitan European Capital.

This tour includes a visit to Trinity College & the Book of Kells

Continue through Christchurch and along the Quay’s by the River Liffey to Phoenix Park.

The Phoenix Park at 707 hectares (1752 acres), is a historic landscape of international importance and one of the largest designed landscapes in any European city.  It was originally established as a Royal deer park in the 17th century, if you are lucky you might catch a glimpse of the herd. Passing  (Aras an Uachatarain) ‘The President’s House, it had a colourful history before becoming the Official Residence of the President of Ireland since 1938.

This afternoon we meet the Artane School of Music youth choir which is part of the Artane music school.  Artane is a suburb of Dublin City and has a long history and tradition in music. Enjoy meeting this Irish youth choir, rehearse a joint piece together and workshop for the afternoon.

Work is followed by some fun when you will be joined by a professionally trained Riverdance, Irish dancing instructor.

Learn how to do some Irish dancing with your new friends from the Artane Choir

Dinner and entertainment in Taylors Three Rock enjoy your evening meal served with entertainment from a traditional Irish band, dancers and singers.

DAY 7

Panoramic sightseeing tour of Dublins North coast including the fishing village of Howth, Malahide Castle parklands. Followed by time at leisure in Dublin city for some personal shopping time.

Afternoon rehearsal in Christchurch for a joint evening concert.

Dinner and overnight in Dublin

DAY 8

Transfers to Dublin airport for departure flights

May the Irish hills caress you.
May her lakes and rivers bless you.
May the luck of the Irish enfold you.
May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.