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DAY
1 DEPARTURE FROM NORTH AMERICA
Enjoy full meal service on your scheduled wide-bodied flight
to Ireland.
DAY
2 ARRIVE SHANNON - KILLARNEY (2 NIGHTS)
You will be met at the airport by your tour manager/guide
board your own private coach and get an immediate introduction
to the splendors of Ireland when we visit Bunratty Castle,
a formidable castle built in the 15th century, which has been
preserved just as it would have looked in the 1500s. We will
take a tour through the castle, including the Great Hall,
the Main Guard and the South Solar, before visiting the adjoining
Folk Park, which is an authentic re-creation of life in Ireland
at the turn of the 20th century. We will continue to Killarney
in its spectacular location amidst mountains, glens and lakes
and visit Muckross House. This imposing Victorian mansion
is built in the Elizabethan style, and its elegant rooms are
decorated with period furnishings. Our visit will also include
the Museum of Kerry Life, with displays on the history of
southwest Ireland, and a craft center with numerous workshops.
We then continue onto our hotel for the night.
DAY
3 THE RING OF KERRY
Today we will enjoy a leisurely tour around
the famed Ring of Kerry, a beautiful drive around the
Iveragh Peninsula. We will enjoy a splendid variety of outstanding
coastal panoramas and magnificent mountain views. During the
course of our tour, we will have the opportunity to stop and
explore many small towns and villages on the peninsula, including
Killorglin, Glenbeigh and Caherciveen. We continue to Valentia
Island, then through the Coomaskista Pass, before stopping
to visit Staigue Fort, the best preserved Iron Age drystone
fort in Ireland. Other highlights will include: the Hog's
Head, Moll's Gap, Ladies View, Torc Waterfall and our visit
to Sneem, a small village with brightly painted cottages.
In the evening we will visit a Local Folk Evening for
traditional Irish ballads, dance and folk music. "
· Your First Concert Performance will be today
DAY
4 KILLARNEY - GAP OF DUNLOE - CORK AREA
(1 NIGHT)
En route to the Cork area, we will stop to view
the Gap of Dunloe, a narrow gorge created by glaciers.
The Gap of Dunloe leads to Black Lake, Cushvally Lake and
Auger Lake, offering many scenic vistas. We will continue
on to the Cork area. This afternoon we will explore the city
of Cork, beginning with a visit to Cork's most famous attraction,
St. Anne's Anglican Church. In addition to a tour of
the church, we will have the opportunity to ascend the tower
to see the famous Shandon Bells, hung in 1752. We will
hear them play Cork's own anthem, On the Banks of My Own Lovely
Lee. The remainder of the evening will be free to explore
St. Patrick's Street and the Grand Parade.
DAY
5 CORK AREA - BLARNEY - CASHEL - DUBLIN
(2 NIGHTS)
This morning we travel to Blarney, where we will
visit Blarney Castle, one of the most haunting and
striking castles in Ireland. The remains of this impressive
castle include a massive square tower, with a parapet rising
83 feet, and the infamous Blarney Stone, wedged underneath
the battlements; it is traditional to kiss the stone to ensure
the gift of eloquence. We will also stroll through the gardens
and a nearby dell beside Blarney Lake, before having the opportunity
to visit Badger Cave and adjacent dungeons,
penetrating the rock at the base of the castle. As we continue
our drive through the heart of the 'Emerald Isle' we will
stop to visit the spectacular Rock of Cashel, a monumental
12th century cathedral complex dominating the surrounding
landscape. We will continue our journey to Dublin, a city
of splendid history with wide Georgian streets and elegant
squares, which was once home to such famous Irish writers
as Shaw, Joyce and Yeats.
DAY
6 DUBLIN
Today's sightseeing in Dublin will include visits
to Dublin Castle where a fortress has stood since the
time of the Celts. The castle was once the center of English
rule in Ireland and had as notorious a reputation as the Tower
of London. We will also visit St. Patrick's Cathedral.
The longest church in Ireland and one of its most beautiful,
it is forever associated with Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's
Travels and dean of the cathedral for over thirty years. We
continue to Trinity College, whose Old Library is home
to Ireland's largest collection of books and manuscripts of
which the most famous is the 8th century Book of Kells,
often described as "the most beautiful book in the world.
· Your Second Concert Performance will be today
DAY
7 DUBLIN - CLONMACNOIS - GALWAY (2 NIGHTS)
We travel east today into the heart of Ireland. We will make
a stop at Clonmacnois, one of Ireland's most important
early monastic settlements. Founded by St. Ciaran in 548,
the surviving structures date from the 9th century and include
a cathedral, round tower and several tiny chapels. The monastery
became the nucleus of a medieval university and a burial place
for saints and kings. Clonmacnois was raided many times in
history for its artistic and material wealth. Excellent restoration
work has preserved the monastery's past. We shall then travel
to Galway, the largest city in this part of Ireland. For centuries
it traded with Spain, and traces of Iberian influence can
still be seen in the architecture of the city. On our Walking
Tour of the city center, where we will view many
of Galway's most important areas and landmarks, including
Eyre Square, Shop Street, the Latin Quarter, Lynch's Castle,
the Collegiate Church of St. Nicholas, The Quays, the Cathedral
of St. Nicholas, and the Spanish Arch.
DAY
8 GALWAY
Today we will visit Church of St. Nicholas where tradition
holds that Columbus prayed before sailing to the New World.This
medieval structure is dedicated to St. Nicholas of Myra, the
patron saint of sailors. The church holds the Lynch Memorial
which commemorates the legend of Judge James Lynch, who in
the 15th century sentenced his son Walter to death and also
served as the hangman when no one else would carry out the
sentence. In the afternoon we will tour Lynch's Castle.
During the Middle Ages, Galway was ruled by fourteen powerful
families, or tribes as they were called. Lynch's castle was
owned by the most powerful of these tribes. The stone façade
boasts beautiful carvings.
· Your Third Concert Performance will be today
DAY
9 GALWAY - CLIFFS OF MOHER - CO. CLARE
(1 NIGHT)
Today we will drive through a vast limestone plateau called
The Burren, which means "rocky land" in Gaelic. We
will view the limestone terraces on our route between Ennistimon
and Ballyvaughan, stopping to view the Kilfenora Crosses,
dating from the 6th century, and found in the heart of The
Burren. the most dramatic scenery that Ireland has to offer.
Our scenic drive continues as our next stop will be The
Cliffs of Moher which are a dramatic sheer rock face rising
700 feet from the Atlantic Ocean and stretching for five miles.
We will climb to O'Brien's Tower, perched at the very
top of these, the highest cliffs in Europe. Later we continue
on to our hotel in the area.
DAY
10 DEPARTURE FROM SHANNON
Your enjoyable and rewarding tour will come to
an end as your tour manager/ guide accompanies you to the
airport for the return flight home.
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