DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY:

Day 1 - Departure

We leave from Boston in the evening aboard Aer Lingus, Ireland's official airline on route to Shannon Airport. This is an overnight flight!

Day 2 - The Trip To Sligo

We rendez-vous at Shannon Airport and meet our tour escorts, Alice and Sean. Next we board the motor coach for our hotel in Sligo town, stopping in Galway for a traditional Irish breakfast. At the hotel, we have the rest of the day to wander around the town or relax.

Day 3 - Yeats Country

Sligo's ancient tombs and megaliths excited the imagination of Ireland's greatest poet, W. B. Yeats. We spend the morning exploring many of these at Carrowmore, the largest megalithic site in Europe. Situated in the shadow of Queen Maeve's Cairn atop famed Knocknarea, Carrowmore has more than 60 stone circles and passage tombs. After lunch in Sligo town, we we explore the Glencar Waterfall and Parke's Castle and take a boat trip to the Lake Isle of Inisfree on beautiful Lough Gill.

Day 4 - Westport, Leenane and Clifden

We head for County Mayo and the heritage town of Westport. En route we visit the Museum of Country Life in Turlough Park, part of the National Museum of Ireland. We lunch in Westport and then enjoy Ireland's spectacular scenery on our way to Leenane, a picturesque village featured in the films The Quiet Man and The Field. Then it's on to our hotel Clifden in the heart of Connemara.

Day 5 - Cong, Galway and Ennistymon

We wind our way through the rugged Connemara landscape to the village of Cong, where we explore the ruins of the 12th-century abbey and enjoy the beautiful river walk. Then it's on to historic Galway City for lunch and shopping. We continue on to Moran's The Weir in Clarenbridge, Ireland's oyster capital and then and then to a musical banquet in Dunguaire Castle in Kinvara. From there we travel through the unique landscape of County Clare to our hotel in Ennistymon.

Day 6 - The Burren and the Cliffs of Moher

We begin at the spectacular Cliffs of Moher and the village of Doolin, a mecca for traditional music fans worldwide. We lunch at the renowned Gus O'Connor's Pub and wander around Doolin's craft and music shops. Then we explore the Burren, visiting such sites as Poulnabrone, the legendary dolmen, and the Caherconnell Stone Fort.

Day 7 - Across the Broad Majestic Shannon

A morning ferry across the Shannon estuary to Tarbert, County Limerick, brings us to one of the finest surviving round towers in Ireland at Rattoo before stopping for lunch in Tralee. We proceed through the rugged Kerry landscape to our hotel in Dingle, a vibrant market town where Gaelic is still spoken and traditional music is heard 365 days a year.

Day 8 - Dingle Peninsula and the Blaskets

We explore the Dingle Peninsula's many attractions: stone beehive huts built as far back as 3000 BC and the Blasket Center, a heritage center focused on the Blasket Islands. Weather permitting, we take a short boat trip to the Great Blasket Island, now uninhabited but once the home of some of Ireland's most famous Gaelic-speaking authors like Tomas O'Crohan, author of The Islandman.

Day 9 - Killarney's Lakes and Torc Waterfall

We take the winding road by Inch beach and Castlemaine on to Killarney and Muckross House, now restored to its 19th-century splendor. Once owned by Lord Ardilaun, of the Guinness family, the house, gardens and traditional farms are now part of the Killarney National Park. We explore the spectacular lake walks, gardens and waterfall on its spacious grounds. Then it's on to Tralee where we attend a performance at Siamsa Tire, The Irish National Folk Theatre. After the show we return to our hotel for a farewell session.

Day 10 - Heading for Home

We depart our hotel for Shannon Airport. Be sure to leave some time for shopping at the world's first duty-free shop.

Don’t want to go home?
If you would like to extend your stay, please contact Robbie O’Connell at
401-396-9424 or email: robbie@celtica.com before you send in your registration form.

CALL 1-800-299-CELT!

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