BEST OF IRELAND

• Write your own lively tale of legends and iconic landscapes during this epic encounter with Ireland’s treasures.
• Begin your journey in the capital of Dublin, joining a Local Specialist to see the sights.
• This evening sees you visiting EPIC – The Irish Emigration Museum, for some drinks and canapes.

Arrival Transfer: Depart the airport at 08:30, 11:00, 13:00

Welcome Meet your Travel Director at 14:15

Included Experience: Dublin City Tour, EPIC – The Irish Immigration Museum

• Journey through the scenic countryside of County Wicklow, ‘The Garden of Ireland’, and on to New Ross – the ancestral home town of John F. Kennedy.
• Dive Into Culture and gain insights into the plight of the starving Irish emigrants who boarded the Dunbrody Famine Ship to flee the potato famine.
• Continue to Waterford.
• This afternoon, celebrate the centuries-old craft of flint glass creations, as you Dive Into Culture at the House of Waterford Crystal and witness talented master crafters at work.
•  Arrive in Kilkenny where you will stay for the night.

Included Experience: Discover the tragic history of Dunbrody Famine Ship, Tour the House of Waterford Crystal Workshop

Optional Experience: Explore Waterford’s History / Irish Folk Fun

• Today, pursue the ‘gift of the gab’ at Blarney Castle, where you’ll have a chance to kiss the famous stone.
• Consider joining an Optional Experience for a traditional pony and trap ride through the beautiful Bourn-Vincent National Park.
• During your journey, your Local Specialist will share fascinating anecdotes about the area and Ireland.
• Arrive in Killarney for a two-night stay.
• In the evening perhaps join an optional Gaelic Roots show.
• Using traditional instruments, Irish dance and time-honoured folk songs, this energetic show will have you tapping your feet and singing along in no time.

Included Experience: Visit Blarney Castle

Optional Experience: Jaunting Cart Ride / Gaelic Roots / Celtic Steps

• Ireland’s soul-stirring Ring of Kerry takes centre stage today as we embark on a scenic drive past its mountains, lakes and lush green countryside – unquestionably one of the most scenic routes in Ireland.
• We’ll see Daniel O’Connell’s Cahirciveen, the fishing village of Waterville, Moll’s Gap and the Black Valley, whose remoteness saw it become the last area in Ireland to receive electricity.

Optional Experience: Visit Muckross House and its Garden / Irish Ceilidh Evening

• Continue through the windswept countryside, arriving in Adare, one of the prettiest villages in Ireland.
• On arrival in Limerick, you will enjoy views of St. Mary’s Cathedral, the Treaty Stone and the 13th-century King John’s Castle during an orientation tour.
• Delve into an Ireland of old, as you discover the day-to-day life of the Irish during the 18th and 19th centuries on your included visit to Bunratty Castle and Folk Park this afternoon.

Included Experience: Adare Orientation, Limerick Orientation, Bunratty Castle and Folk Park Visit

Optional Experience: Medieval Castle Banquet

• The Cliffs of Moher are a must-see along the Wild Atlantic Way.
• The towering cliffs plunge into the Atlantic, offering endless ocean views and perfect spots for taking photos.
• Explore the interactive visitor centre, where you can see the cliffs through the eyes of the wildlife that call this UNESCO site home, bringing the whole experience to life.
• Later, you’ll meet Brigitta at her family-run Irish smokehouse for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience.
• Discover the secrets of their organic salmon, learn how the kiln and smokebox work, and savour the distinctive flavours of their award-winning smoked salmon.
• Arriving in Galway, enjoy time at leisure to admire its beautiful stone Cathedral or wander through vibrant Eyre Square–it’s yours to explore at your own pace.

Included Experience: Experience Sustainability at the Burren Smokehouse

Optional Experience: Galway Walk and Dinner / Trad on the Prom

• Connemara’s ‘savage beauty’ is yours to explore today as you tread in the footsteps of Oscar Wilde who described its ‘wild and mountainous splendor’ as magnificent.
• Admire the views on the scenic drive to Kylemore Abbey, now a Benedictine monastery, where you will embark on an included visit to the country’s most romantic castle and walk through its exquisite Victorian Walled Garden.

Included Experience: Visit Kylemore Abbey

• Enjoy a Be My Guest experience at Glen Keen Farm, where Catherine and Jim share stories of their centuries-old land and demonstrate life on their working sheep farm.
• Meet their skilled border collies during a live herding demonstration and indulge in a farmhouse lunch and homemade cake with a traditional cup of tea.
• Later, stop at Knock’s Marian Shrine, one of Ireland’s most significant pilgrimage sites, where an apparition of the Virgin Mary was reported in 1879.
• You’ll stop in Sligo for the night, where you could choose to join an Optional Experience that takes you off the beaten track, with a countryside drive and a relaxed dinner at a local restaurant.

Included Experience: Knock Marian Shrine Visit, Enjoy a Farmhouse Lunch with the Power Family at Glen Keen Farm

Optional Experience: Scenic Drive and Dinner

• Continue south to Dublin. Here you’ll enjoy some free time to take a walk down Grafton Street or stroll along the Liffey.
• This evening, close the chapter on an epic journey through Ireland, joining your fellow travellers for a memorable dinner.

Optional Experience: Luxurious River Shannon Cruise

• After a hearty Irish breakfast, we bid our Travel Director and fellow travellers a fond farewell as our Irish holiday comes to an end.

Departure Transfer: Arrive at the airport at 07:00, 09:00, 11:00