Ireland – From Medieval To Modern Times with Paul Duffy - Former Singer with The Commitments.
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1, Fri. April 16th, 2010: Arrive at Dublin City airport, clear customs and meet your tour director and coach. Welcome to Ireland as we drive the ring road around the city to the south side and head south for the short drive to County Wicklow. Our first stop of the day is a tour of the historical round tower at Glendalough, the ancient monastic settlement founded by St. Kevin. Our Host Paul Duffy is very fond of this area, having named one of this many CD’s after Glendalough, so he will be our guide around the area, telling us the history. Afterwards we have time for lunch in a quaint pub in a seaside town of Wicklow with time to explore the town and stretch our legs before we head to our hotel for the evening, Overnight and Welcome Dinner, with some after dinner music with Paul Duffy. Includes: (D).
Day 2, Sat. April 17th: After a good Irish Breakfast, we depart through the beautiful Glendalough Mountains with the rolling green hills you expect to see in Ireland all around you. Our next stop is Waterford, located on the River Suir, where we will visit the Waterford Crystal Factory and learn how this most famous crystal in the world is created by hand as it has been for the past 200 hundred years. We learn about the history of the area, and some of the local buildings, inc. Reginald's Tower, The City Walls, Christchurch Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity, St. Olave's Church, Bishop's Palace, City Hall and Waterford Courthouse. Overnight Waterford. Musical evening with Paul Duffy in a local Pub. Includes: (B, D).
Day 3, Sun. April 18th: We depart from Waterford and head north west where our first stop is at The Rock of Cashel, with its well preserved ecclesiastical remains, it is one of Ireland's most spectacular landmarks. The large Cathedral, ancient round tower and the very early Romanesque Cormac's Chapel, perched on a dramatic outcrop of rock, were silent witnesses to many of the stirring events of Irish History; St. Patrick converted the local King Aenghus, here in the 5th century; Brian Boru was crowned King of Ireland on this spot in the early 11th Century. After our visit and lunch we continue north west to Ennis and on to The Cliffs of Moher. They are 214m high at the highest point. 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. Overnight at a local Country House Hotel. Dinner Inc. Musical evening in the local pub. Includes: (B, D).
Day 4, Mon. April 19th: After our good Irish Breakfast we take a daytrip on the ferry to the Aran Islands where we meet a local guide who shows us the highlights of the Islands and tells us the rich history of these islands famous for their ivory wool sweaters. We learn what life is like living on a small Irish island that depends on fishing and tourism for its income and see up close how people live. We return on the evening ferry back to our hotel for another night. Dinner on your own, but we have another lively musical evening with Paul Duffy, formerly of The Commitments and possibly some local musicians for a jam session. Includes: (B).
Day 5, Tues. April 20th: We depart north and our first stop is at The Burren, meaning a stony place. A fine collection of alpines and Mediterranean species grows together in this limestone area. The Burren is bordered to the west by the Atlantic Ocean and Galway Bay and is tucked in the north-west corner of Clare. This area has some of the finest archaeological megalithic tombs in Ireland. We will also visit the vortal tomb at Poulnabrone, which dates back 6000 years. We then head north to Kylemore Abbey, the Monastic home of the Benedictine Order of Nuns in Ireland that is located in the beautiful Connemara Mountains. You have time to visit the Abbey, gardens and the quaint Chapel. We head to Loch Corrib to the lovely village of Cong to our Castle Hotel for the evening, Ashford Castle. We have a lavish gourmet dinner in their Private Dining Room tonight before we head downstairs where Paul will play some lively traditional music in the *Dungeon*. Overnight Ashford Castle. Includes: (B, D).
Day 6, Wed. April 21st: After our good Irish Breakfast at Ashford Castle, we depart for Galway where we spend the morning in this lively city where you have time for lunch and to explore the museums, cathedrals and historical seafront. We check into our hotel in Galway City and have a free rest of the day to explore and enjoy. We’ll join Paul in a lively jam session in a local pub this evening. Includes: (B).
Day 7, Thurs. April 22nd: We depart from Galway and our first stop is at the village of Athenry, where the famous song, The Fields of Athenry was written about. We tour the ruins of Athenry Castle and hear about the history of the area, while Paul serenades us with his moving rendition of the Song, *The Fields of Athenry* as we soak in the atmosphere. We continue on towards Althone where we stop at Clonmacnoise An Early Christian site founded by St. Ciarán in the mid-6th century. We see the round towers, high crosses and grave slabs and learn the rich history of the site. Continuing on east we arrive on to one of Ireland’s few motorways and head with speed back to Dublin where we will spend the evening in this beautiful vibrant European city, exploring all that it has to offer, great pubs, lots of traditional Irish music, clubs, The Gaiety Theatre (home of Riverdance), and lots of other nightlife. Overnight Dublin. Includes: (B).
Day 8, Fri. April 23rd: This morning we welcome our local guide who takes us on a city tour visiting some of the more famous places in Dublin, The River Liffey, Grafton Street, St Stephens Green, Trinity College and The Book of Kells, and the Guinness Factory, she points out all the sites and where they are. This is the official end of the Paul Duffy Ireland Tour and we will have a final night dinner with a Musical Evening with Paul Duffy and Friends in Dublin, sure to be a very memorable evening, Paul in his hometown! Overnight Dublin. Includes: (B, D).
Day 9, Saturday April 24th, After breakfast we depart for the Airport and your return flight home to the USA.
Member discount:
10% discount for InfoHub customer. Request a free gift certificate.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Also see tour packages in:
Europe
Ireland
Local Culture
Cultural Journey
Dance, Music and Opera
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