 . Irish Odyssey 12 Day - Dublin to Dublin Group Tour Click here for map One of our most requested Ireland trips, perfect for those travelling to Ireland for the first time. See ever-changing landscapes, splendid seascapes, purple moorlands, monastic ruins, enchanting lakes, towering fortresses, and patchwork of fields spread in every shade of green. A few departures on this tour have a senior discount available. Please ask for details. Cannot be combined with other discounts or offers. Ireland Tour  Your Day-by-Day Itinerary Day 1 – Thu: Depart for Dublin Board your overnight flight to Ireland. Day 2 – Fri: Dublin Castle & City Arrive in Dublin Airport, complete immigration formalities and pick up your luggage. Go to the CIE Tours desk in the Arrivals Hall to arrange a group transfer to your hotel between 7:00 am and 12:00 noon. If your flight arrives later, you will need to transfer to the hotel at your own expense. Your hotel is superbly located near Trinity College and Merrion Square, the most famous Georgian area. At 2:00 pm join a local guide on a city center tour to see public buildings such as Trinity College, General Post Office and St. Patrick's Cathedral. End with a visit to Kilmainham Gaol where many of Ireland's leaders, including Robert Emmett, Eamon DeValera and Padraig Pearse, were imprisoned during the 19th and early 20th centuries while striving to create an independent nation. The tour shows how penal systems operated in times past. In the evening meet your fellow travelers over a welcome drink and your tour guide will assist you in selecting a restaurant. Day 3 – Sat: Malahide Castle & Abbey Tavern Take the coastal route to Malahide Castle, which was owned and inhabited by the Talbot family from 1185 until 1973. Visit the main chambers, rich with furnishings and portraits to learn about the long history of the castle. Next take a guided tour around the National Botanic Gardens founded in 1790. The devastating potato blight virus was first recorded here on August 20, 1845. See wonderful Victorian glasshouses and many different types of gardens. The afternoon is at leisure and in the evening head to the popular Abbey Tavern for Irish cuisine and a lively session of traditional songs. (B, D) .jpg) Day 4: "Titanic" Walk & Cork City
Head south through farming country, pausing for photos at the Rock of Cashel, a
stately limestone outcrop topped with medieval ruins. Continue to the harbor
town of Cobh, the last port of call for the Titanic. Take a walk around this
picturesque town and the dockside with a local historian to see places relating
to the Titanic's last stop. Drive around Cork city center before checking in to
your hotel, overlooking the famous River Lee. You may like to use the superb
leisure facilities before dinner. (B, D) Day 5: Blarney & Muckross Gardens Drive to the Blarney Woollen Mills, offering excellent Irish-made products all under one roof. If you wish, you may climb to the top of Blarney Castle independently or walk around the village. Continue through Macroom to Killarney and check into your centrally-located hotel. Drive to the Killarney National Park for a guided walk around Muckross Gardens, set out along the shores of Muckross Lake. The gardens contain many fine trees planted in the 19th century as well as colorful shrubs and flowers. Head back to Killarney to look around the town before dinner. (B, D)  Day 6: Dingle Peninsula Tour Today discover the
glorious Dingle Peninsula, made famous by two movies that showcased the scenery
- "Ryan's Daughter" and "Far & Away." Drive along the
south shore to admire views of heathery mountains, sandy stretches of beach and
rocky headlands. Pause in Dingle before continuing to the Blasket Centre in
Dunquin to learn about the offshore Blasket Islands, inhabited until 1953 by
hardy families who eked out a living by farming and fishing. Return to
Killarney and enjoy free time to use the hotel's leisure facilities or walk
around town. After dinner you may like to visit the cozy pubs featuring live
musicDay 7: Bunratty Village & Cliffs of Moher Travel north from Killarney and through Limerick to the village of Bunratty. Stop for a look around on your own - shop, visit Durty Nelly's Pub or tour the Bunratty Folk Park. Head to the coast to view the Cliffs of Moher, an impressive wall of rock that rises 700 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. Continue through the hilly Burren region and around Galway Bay to Galway. See the main places of interest and browse around the city center, full of specialty shops, cafes and pubs. Then check in to your hotel, which overlooks Galway Bay. (B, D) .jpg)  Day 8 – Thu: Clifden & Kylemore Abbey Tour Connemara and admire sweeping views of misty mountains and shimmering lakes. Stop in Spiddal where you may hear locals chatting in the Irish language. Continue to Clifden, a delightful market town set between the Twelve Bens and sandy bays. Visit Kylemore Abbey, a 19th century neo-Gothic mansion, which is now a prestigious girls' school. Tour the exquisite chapel and reception rooms and stroll by the peaceful lake shore. In Moycullen watch skilled craftsmen cutting fine crystal at the Connemara Celtic Crystal Factory. (B, D) Day 9: Knock Shrine & Derry Walk Head north to the village of Knock, a popular place of pilgrimage, and through County Sligo to view W. B. Yeats' grave in Drumcliffe Churchyard. Follow the shoreline of Donegal Bay to Donegal town and stop in the center to take a look around before continuing your drive through the majestic Donegal countryside to Derry. Take a guided walking tour around the ancient city, which will include the Guildhall, St. Columb's Cathedral, the Diamond and 16th century city walls. (B, D)  Day 10: Giant's Causeway & Ulster American Folk Park This
morning explore the Giant's Causeway, huge hexagonal columns formed over 60
million years ago. The oversized rocks have given rise to many legends. Drive
past the Sperrin Mountains to visit the Ulster American Folk Park. See many
cottages including the boyhood home of Thomas Mellon, who emigrated to
Pittsburgh in 1818 and founded the Mellon Bank. The Park traces the story of
Ulster emigrants and shows rural lifestyles in both Ireland and Colonial
America. Travel south to Kingscourt to your castle hotel, built in 1760. (B, D)
Day 11: Megalithic Tombs & Cabra Castle Stay This morning discover the Boyne Valley. Stop at the Boyne Valley Visitor Centre to learn about the passage burial tombs of Newgrange and Knowth, both of which are over 5,000 years old. Visit one of the tombs to see how primitive people managed to align these buildings precisely with the sun or the moon. Return to your hotel where the afternoon is free so that you can play the 9-hole golf course, enjoy the extensive parkland setting or just relax in the hotel. After a farewell dinner in the Court Restaurant, enjoy some informal entertainment. (B, D)  Day 12: Dublin to USA This morning
take a 90-minute group transfer to Dublin Airport, leaving the hotel at either
6:00, 9:00 or 11:00 am. After check-in you will have time to shop at the
duty-free stores. (B) One of our most requested Ireland trips includes: 12 days/10 nights/19 meals • Group transfers on arrival and departure • Sightseeing by luxury coach throughout • Services of a professional Irish driver/guide • Superior & first class hotels with private bath/shower for 10 nights • 10 full Irish breakfasts (B) • 9 dinners (D) including - Dinner and traditional Irish entertainment in Dublin - Farewell dinner and music session at Cabra Castle Hotel - 7 table d'hote dinners • Welcome get-together drink • Tour of Dublin with a local guide • “Titanic” walking tour of Cobh • Guided walking tour of Derry • Visits and admissions to Dublin Castle, Malahide Castle, National Botanic Gardens, Blarney Woollen Mills, Muckross Gardens, Blasket Centre, Cliffs of Moher, Kylemore Abbey, Connemara Celtic Crystal Factory, Knock Shrine, W. B. Yeats' Grave, Giant's Causeway, Ulster American Folk Park and Boyne Valley Visitor Centre & Newgrange or Knowth Tomb • Deluxe flight bag, ticket wallet, luggage tags & strap • All local taxes, hotel service charges & porterage for one suitcase per person Your Hotels Stay at the following (or similar): Stay at the following (or similar): Mont Clare Hotel - Dublin - 2 night(s) Kingsley Hotel - Cork City, Co Cork - 1 night(s) Killarney Towers Hotel & Leisure Centre - Killarney, Co Kerry - 2 night(s) Salthill Hotel - Salthill, Co Galway - 2 night(s) City Hotel - Derry City, Co Derry - 1 night(s) Cabra Castle Hotel - Kingscourt, Co Cavan - 2 night(s
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