10 Day Ireland Castles, Abbeys and Gardens Tour June 6 - 15, 2004
Featuring: Dublin, Dublin Pub Dinner, National Botanic Gardens, Lusk Heritage Centre, Ardgillan Castle and Victorian Gardens, Drogheda, Monasterboice and Muiredach's High Cross, Trim and Trim Castle, Butterstream Gardens, Kells Monastery, Mellifont Abbey, Knockabbey Castle and Gardens, Hill of Tara, Fore Abbey, Tullynally Castle and Gardens, Mullingar and Belvedere House Gardens, Locke's Distillery, ShannonBridge Bog Railway, Athlone Castle, Clonmacnoise, Turoe Stone, Ennis Traditional Music Night, Kilmacduagh Monastic Settlement, Dysert O'Dea Castle, Knappogue Castle Medieval Banquet, The Burren, Cliffs of Moher, Kinvara, Lisdoonvarna, Tipperary, Rock Of Cashel, Castletownroche and Annes Grove, Carrogtohill and Barryscourt Castle, Cobh and St. Colman's Cathedral, Lismore Castle Gardens, Waterford, Tramore Castle Gardens, Kilkenny and Kilkenny Castle,
10 days of castles, abbeys, cathedrals and gardens. Small, intimate guided coach tour with a maximum of 15 for a more personal experience. We offer a set itinerary but with enough time to go off the beaten path and get the true feel of Ireland and the warmth of the friendly inhabitants waiting to make this a dream holiday for you. Guided coach transportation, full Irish Breakfast each morning, Dinner each evening including pub outings and a Medieval Banquet, 9 nights accommodation in small country house hotels and Irish guest houses, all sightseeing included in itinerary including any entrance fees, porterage of one suitcase per person, all taxes and service charges. Land only package but airfare can be arranged from any major airport.
Your Itinerary
Day 1:
Arrive in Dublin city with enough time for some shopping and sightseeing before we meet tonight for a Welcoming Dinner. A great way to see the city is with a Dublin City Tour with hop on and off service all around this fair city. Sights to take in could be St. Patrick's Cathedral, Trinity College, Phoenix Park, Guiness Brewery, Jameson Distillery and Dublin Castle. Tonight will be a Traditional Pub Outing. Overnight Dublin
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Day 2:
Following breakfast we will vist the National Botanic Gardens, which contains approximately 20,000 species and cultivated varieties. This afternoon our journey will take us northward out of the city toward Balbriggan and Ardgillan Castle and Victorian Gardens. Before we reach Ardgillan we will stop at Lusk and the Lusk Heritage Centre. The centre comprises a 10th century roundtower, a medieval belfry and 19th century Church. From here we journey on to Drogheda, and Mellifont Abbey, the first Cisterian Monastery to have been built in Ireland. . In a lovely secluded spot just north of Drogheda is Monasterboice, founded in the 5th century and one of the most famous monastic settlements in Ireland. Muiredach's High Cross is the finest of its kind in Ireland. Dinner and Overnight at Navan.
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Day 3:
This morning after breakfast we will vist Hill of Tara, a site of great mythical importance in Ireland, Tara was the political and spiritual center of Celtic Ireland and the Seat of the High Kings until the 11th century. Next we visit Trim and Trim Castle. Trim is the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland. While in Trim we will also visit Butterstream Garden, described as the most imaginative garden in Ireland. This afternoon will find us in Kells and Kells Monastery founded by St. Columba in the 6th century. You can also visit St. Columba's House. The Book of Kells is now kept at Trinity College in Dublin.Then it is off through Ardee to Louth Village for a visit to Knockabbey Castle and Gardens. Knockabbey is a 14th Century towerhouse with 30 acres of gardens. Dinner and Overnight Navan.
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Day 4:
After a fortifying breakfast we are off to Fore and Fore Abbey, a 5th century monastery and 11th century medieval Benedictine Priory. Just a bit further on is Castlepollard and Tullynally Castle and Gardens, a 17th century Gothic Revival Castle and 18th and 19th century gardens. Tullynally is one of Ireland's largest castles. Then on to Mullingar and Belvedere House Gardens. Charming terraces framed by urns and yews descend to Lough Ennel. Our next stop will be Kilbeggan and Locke's Distillery. Founded in 1757, it claims to be the oldest licensed pot still distillery in the world. The distillery is now a museum but you can still taste the whiskeys in the bar. Dinner and Overnight in Athlone.
(B) (D)
Day 5:
Following breakfast we take a little break from castle hunting after visiting Clonmacnoise Mevieval Monastery with the Shannonbridge Bog Railway. Clonmacnoise sits in a remote spot by the River Shannon and was founded by St. Ciaran in 545. The monastery lies at a crossroads of medieval routes linking all parts of Ireland. Many Kings of Tara and Connaught are buried here. Next at Shannonbridge we start our railway journey where small lakes and pools puntuate the bog providing excellent habitats for wetland birds. There is distinctive flora and fauna all along the route. Back in Athlone we will visit Athlone Castle before dinner. Dinner and Overnight Athlone.
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Day 6:
After a good Irish breakfast this morning we are off to the west of Ireland. Our first stop will be the Turoe Stone, a 2nd century white granite carved stone standing 3 feet high. We then continue on to Kinvara, Lindoosvarna and The Cliffs of Moher. Kinvara is one of the most charming villages on Galway Bay. Then we travel through The Burren to Lisdoonvarna. The Burren is a unique botanical environment in which Mediterranean and alpine plants grow side by side. A great place to begin a tour of the Burren is the Cliffs of Moher. Even when shrouded in mist the cliffs are breathtaking, rising to a height of 650 feet out of the Atlantic.Then we are off to Ennis in County Clare and on the banks of the River Fergus. Ennis is well known for its folk and music festivals and abounds in singing pubs and traditional music shops. Dinner and a Traditional Music Night out in Ennis. Overnight Ennis.
(B) (D)
Day 7:
This morning you may want to enjoy a late breakfast and take some time to explore Ennis with its charming painted storefronts and narrow winding lanes. You may want to take in Ennis Friary as well. The friary is famous for its rich carvings and decorated tombs in the Chancel.This afternoon we are off to Dysert O'Dea Castle and Archaeology Centre. A 15th century tower house with a monastic site founded by St. Tola in the 8th century and a very impressive 12th century High Cross. We then make our way to Gort and Kilmacduagh Monastic Settlement, a 7th century settlement in a remote location on the borders of counties Clare and Galway. The highlight of the day will be a trip to Knappogue Castle. The powerful MacNamara clan erected the castle in 1467. The castle is now home to Medieval Banquets with storytelling and singing forming part of the entertainment. Medieval Banquet Tonight. Overnight Ennis.
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Day 8:
This morning eat a big breakfast as it's a long long way to Tipperary. Just past Tipperary is the spectacular Rock of Cashel. This rocky stronghold rises dramatically out of the Tipperary plain and was a symbol of royal and priestly ower for more than a millenium. Further south we come to Castletownroche and Annes Grove, a supremely romantic garden laid out largely in the Robinsonian style. And further south still we come to Carrigtohill and Barryscourt Castle, a fine example of a 16th century Irish Tower House. Then it is on to Cobh and St. Colman's Cathedral. Cobh comands one of the world's largest natural harbors and is steeped in Victorian elegance. The Titanic docker here before its fatefull voyage. St. Colman's is a spectacular Gothic Revival Cathedral overlooking the Atlantic.
Dinner and Overnight Cobh.
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Day 9:
Following breakfast we will stop at Lismore and Lismore Castle Gardens. The gardens are believed to be the oldest in Ireland and retain much of their original Jacobean form. Next we travel along one of the most beautiful coastal routes in Ireland as we make our way tp Tramore and Tramore House Gardens. This is a fine example of Victorian House and Gardens. A little further north we will visit Waterford, founded in 853 by the Vikings. Our last stop of the day will be Kilkenny and Kilkenny Castle. This is a Victorian remodeled 12th century castle set in extensive gardens and parklands. We will overnight in Kilkenny with a Farewell Pub Dinner.
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Day 10:
This morning following breakfast we will make our way back to Dublin to bid a fond farewell to the city and on to Dublin Airport for our journey home.
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Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Also see tour packages in:
Europe
Ireland
Scotland
Castles/Palaces
Garden Tours
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