Tour overview

The South-West Region benefits from a mild climate and has a very scenic environment, which includes features such as MacGillycuddy’s Reeks (the highest mountain range in Ireland), the Dingle Peninsula, Mizen Head and the Iveragh Peninsula along with numerous small islands.

A river in the Republic of Ireland, rising in NW Co Cavan and flowing south to the Atlantic by an estuary 113 km (70 miles) long: the longest river in the Republic of Ireland. Length: 260 km (161 miles)

Meet & Greet

Meet your Driver Guide in the arrivals hall Dublin Airport

Epic Museum

Our first visit today will be to the wonderful EPIC MUSEUM (Every Person is Connected)

Discover why 10 million people left Ireland, and the impact they had on the world

Irish history should never be a long list of names and dates, it should be an experience. Get hands on with Irish culture and its past with our fully interactive museum – swipe through video galleries, dance through motion sensor quizzes, listen to remastered audio from 100 years ago and watch videos that bring Irish history to life. At EPIC you’ll discover the far reaching influence of Irish history, and the impact the 10 million Irish men and women who left Ireland had on the world

Book of Kells & Grafton Street

Our next stop will be Dublin City Center where you will have the opportunity to visit Trinity College and the famous Library & the Book of Kells

The Book of Kells (Trinity College Dublin MS 58) contains the four Gospels in Latin based on the Vulgate text which St Jerome completed in 384AD, intermixed with readings from the earlier Old Latin translation. The Gospel texts are prefaced by other texts, including "canon tables", or concordances of Gospel passages common to two or more of the evangelists; summaries of the gospel narratives (Breves causae); and prefaces characterizing the evangelists (Argumenta).

The book is written on vellum (prepared calfskin) in a bold and expert version of the script known as "insular majuscule". It contains 340 folios, now measuring approximately 330 x 255 mm; they were severely trimmed, and their edges gilded, in the course of rebinding in the 19th century.The date and place of origin of the Book of Kells have attracted a great deal of scholarly controversy. The majority academic opinion now tends to attribute it to the scriptorium of Iona (

Argyllshire), but conflicting claims have located it in Northumbria or in Pictland in eastern Scotland. A monastery founded around 561 by St Colum Cille on Iona, an island off Mull in western Scotland, became the principal house of a large monastic confederation. In 806, following a Viking raid on the island which left 68 of the community dead, the Columban monks took refuge in a new monastery at Kells, County Meath, and for many years the two monasteries were governed as a single community. It must have been close to the year 800 that the Book of Kells was written, although there is no way of knowing if the book was produced wholly at Iona or at Kells, or partially at each location.

The manuscript’s celebrity derives largely from the impact of its lavish decoration, the extent and artistry of which is incomparable. Abstract decoration and images of plant, animal and human ornament punctuate the text with the aim of glorifying Jesus’ life and message, and keeping his attributes and symbols constantly in the eye of the reader.

There are full pages of decoration for the canon tables; symbols of the evangelists Matthew (the Man), Mark (the Lion), Luke (the Calf) and John (the Eagle); the opening words of the Gospels; the Virgin and Child; a portrait of Christ; complex narrative scenes, the earliest to survive in gospel manuscripts, representing the arrest of Christ and his temptation by the Devil. The Chi Rho page (folio 34r), introducing Matthew’s account of the nativity, is the single most famous page in medieval art. There are portraits of Matthew and John, but no portrait of Mark or Luke survives. These were probably executed, like other major pages of the manuscript, on single leaves and they are presumed to have become detached over time and lost. In all, around 30 folios went missing in the medieval and early modern periods.

Trinity College Old Library & The Book Of Kells Exhibition
Sean Leabharlann Choláiste na Tríonóide & Taispeántas Leabhar Cheanannais, Dublin, IE, 2

Lunch Brazen Head Pub

Lunch at Irelands oldest pub The Brazen Head dating from 1198 In fact there has been a hostelry here since 1198. The present building was built in 1754 as a coaching inn. However The Brazen Head appears in documents as far back as 1653. An advertisement from the 1750’s reads “Christopher Quinn of The Brazen Head in Bridge Street has fitted said house with neat accommodations and commodious cellars for said business”.

The Brazen Head
20 Bridge St Lower, Dublin, DUBLIN, IE, Dublin 8

Premier Suite Leeson Street

Serviced Apartments in Dublin City Centre

Located in the centre of Georgian Dublin, next to St Stephens Green and just a 5 minute walk from Grafton Street. PREMIER SUITES PLUS Dublin Leeson Street is a luxury hotel alternative; enjoy the sophistication & calm of a traditional hotel stay but with the freedom and ease of your own home.

Modern and comfortably furnished, chose the perfect Dublin self-catering apartment for your visit including studios, 1 or 2 bedroom suites or luxury penthouse. If you prefer to dine out the city’s restaurants and bars are on your doorstep.

Premier Suites Dublin
Stephen's Hall, 14-17 Lwr Leeson St

Dublin Walking Tour

Meet your walking guide in the Lobby of your hotel to start your City tour with a visit to Trinity College 3rd oldest university in the World & the Book of Kells the four Gospels of the New Testament. A visit to St Patricks Cathedral one of two Church of Ireland Cathedrals in Dublin dating from 1191.

In just over 2 hours, this Fáilte Ireland-approved, award-winning and entertaining walking tour, , explores the main features of Irish history - Dublin's development, the influence of the American and French Revolutions, the Potato Famine, the Great War and the 1916 Rising, the War of Independence, the Northern conflict and Ireland today.

Lunch

Afternoon free to explore this great city on your own

Overnight Premier Suites Leeson Street

The Little Museum Of Dublin
15 St Stephen's Green, Dublin, IE, 2

Dublin
Dublin, DUBLIN, IE, 1

Dinner

Peploe’s story is the culmination of a long-held ambition for owner, Barry Canny, to open an accessible, affordable bistro reflecting his personal passion for simple good food, fine wine and art.

Peploe's St Stephens Green
16 Saint Stephen's Green, County Dublin, IE, D02 KF34

Premier Suite Leeson Street

Serviced Apartments in Dublin City Centre

Located in the centre of Georgian Dublin, next to St Stephens Green and just a 5 minute walk from Grafton Street. PREMIER SUITES PLUS Dublin Leeson Street is a luxury hotel alternative; enjoy the sophistication & calm of a traditional hotel stay but with the freedom and ease of your own home.

Modern and comfortably furnished, chose the perfect Dublin self-catering apartment for your visit including studios, 1 or 2 bedroom suites or luxury penthouse. If you prefer to dine out the city’s restaurants and bars are on your doorstep.

Premier Suites Dublin
Stephen's Hall, 14-17 Lwr Leeson St

Kilkenny Castle

After a good night sleep and a full Irish breakfast a visit to the wonderful Kilkenny Castle the castle stands dramatically on a strategic height that commands a crossing on the River Nore and dominates the ‘High Town’ of Kilkenny City. Over the eight centuries of its existence, many additions and alterations have been made to the fabric of the building, making Kilkenny Castle today a complex structure of various architectural styles.

The original Anglo-Norman stone castle was built for William Marshal, 4th Earl of Pembroke (c.1146-1219) during the first decade of the thirteenth century. Kilkenny Castle later became the principal Irish residence of the powerful Butler family for almost 600 years. The Butler ownership began when James (c.1360-1405), 3rd Earl of Ormond, purchased the castle in c.1391, and lasted until 1967 when Arthur, 6th Marquess of Ormonde (1893-1971), presented it to the people of Kilkenny in return for a token payment of £50.

We then travel across countys Kilkenny & Tipperary to the village of Cashel and the famous Rock of Cashel A collection of medieval ecclesiastical buildings set on an outcrop of limestone in the Golden Vale. The 12th-century round tower is of the oldest surviving building on the Rock, also include a high cross, and the ruins Romanesque chapel - Cormac's Chapel is one of the earliest,and finest churches built in the Romanesque style. The 13th-century Gothic cathedral is a large cruciform Gothic church without aisles built between 1230 and 1270. Also a 15th-century castle and the Hall of the Vicars is the entry point to the ecclesiastical enclosure. The Hall houses the museum where the original Cross of St. Patrick can be found. where you have the opportunity to visit the famous Rock of Cashel.

The Rock of Cashel
Cashel, County Tipperary, IE

Ormande Hotel Kilkenny

KILKENNY ORMONDE HOTEL IS A QUICK STROLL TO THE KILKENNY'S TOP LANDMARKS AND THE HIGH STREET

The Kilkenny ­Ormonde Hotel is Kilkenny’s premiere 4 star city centre Hotel; a dazzling jewel of a hotel in a remarkable city. Our hotel is located right next to Kilkenny City's top landmarks such as the magical Kilkenny Castle, the intriguing Medieval Mile Museum, St. Canice’s Cathedral with its Round Tower which offers WOW views of the City. We are also close to the fascinating medieval merchant house; Rothe House and the Smithwicks Experience; celebrating Kilkenny's centuries old brewing tradition. Just a few steps from the hotel, you'll also find the finest boutiques, craft studios and art galleries as well as cute cafés, theatres, bars and restaurants too. Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel are surely the most ideally located hotel in Kilkenny City and the only Kilkenny city centre hotel with a swimming pool and a fabulously luxurious spa.

Kilkenny Dinner

Dinner in one of the many wonderful Pubs & Restaurants availible in the town Many of the pubs serve wonderful dishes along with traditional music to enjoy

Rock of Cashel

Today we travel across county Laois to County Tipperary and the amazing Rock of Cashel

It’s huge, it’s complex, it’s iconic, there is nothing like it anywhere else in the world and it’s right here in Cashel at the heart of Tipperary. The Rock of Cashel (Carraig Phádraig), more formally St. Patrick’s Rock, it is also known as Cashel of the Kings.

Reputedly the site of the conversion of Aenghus the King of Munster by St. Patrick in the 5th century AD. Long before the Norman invasion The Rock of Cashel was the seat of the High Kings of Munster, although there is little structural evidence of their time here. Most of the buildings on the current site date from the 12th and 13th centuries when the rock was gifted to the Church. The buildings represent both Hiberno-Romanseque and Germanic influences in their architecture.

The Rock of Cashel
Cashel, County Tipperary, IE

Jameson Distillery

Enjoy a tour and whiskey tasting at our home in Midleton, Cork.

For over 200 years we called Dublin home, but in 1975 we moved our ever expanding operation to the green expanses of Midleton, Co. Cork. The big move wasn’t without risk, but the migration certainly paid dividends in the whiskey making department. Our new home provided the space we needed to stretch our legs and our whiskey making ambitions, proximity to barley farmers and freshwater probably aren’t what people typically look for when house hunting, but Midleton seemed to have everything we need as well as the extra space for visitors.

The Jameson Experience
Old Distillery Walk, Midleton, CORK, IE

Cobh (cove)

Cobh is a town in Ireland, on an island in Cork city’s harbour. It’s known as the Titanic’s last port of call in 1912. Titanic Experience Cobh is a themed attraction in the former White Star Line ticket office. More displays on the liner are in the Cobh Heritage Centre, which also explores how Cobh became an embarkation point during Ireland’s mass emigrations.

Cobh
Cobh, County Cork, IE

River Lee Hotel

Set on a picturesque bend in the river, just a short walk from Cork city centre, The River Lee hotel occupies a unique position in this charming historic city. Ireland’s ‘second city’ is a lively cultural hub with an opera house, independent art galleries, museums and theatres, vibrant nightlife and a growing craft beer scene and hosts several festivals throughout the year – notably culinary, music and film. Additionally, it boasts a thriving foodie scene centred on the famous English Market and is ideally placed for visits to kiss the legendary Blarney Stone, the historic fishing town of Kinsale and the rest of Ireland’s ruggedly beautiful southern coastline.

The River Lee hotel is one of Cork’s leading business and social destinations. All aspects of Cork local life are played out here, from business events and family celebrations, to glamorous get-togethers in the hotel’s highly popular The River Club Bar, Terrace & The Grill Room, the perfect place to eat, drink and be social. Resident guests also have complimentary access to the hotel’s in-house health and fitness club with a 20m swimming pool.

County Cork & Kerry

Meet your Driver/Guide to travel west along the Wild Atlantic Way on the lovely Beara Peninsula passing through the quaint villages of Bantry,Glengarriff over the wonderful Healy pass with spectacular views of the lakes & Kenmare Bay stopping for lunch & retail therapy in the village of Kenmare. Travelling north along the Ring of Kerry with views of the famous Lakes of Killarney on route to the town of Killarney.

Lough Leane
County Kerry, IE

Bantry
Bantry, County Cork, IE

Glengarriff
County Cork, IE

Healy Pass
R574, County Cork, IE

Kenmare
Kenmare, County Kerry, IE

Killeen House Hotel

Killeen House Hotel, a charming little hotel in Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland.
Ideally located for pursuing a range of different activities such as walking, hiking, golfing and sightseeing, we like to call it “The place God made when He was in good humour”. Championship golf, incredible angling, unparallelled scenery and leisure facilities are all on our doorstep. We are just a 10-minute drive from the centre of Killarney town and a 3-minute drive from Killeen and Mahony’s Point Golf courses. History in unclear as to whether Conrad Hilton had Aghadoe in mind when he declared the three most important criteria for any hotel - location, location, location !

Killeen House Hotel
Lakes of Killarney, Killarney, Co Kerry, IE, Ireland

Dinner Lord Kenmare's Restaurant

Killarney Golf & Fishing Club 08.20 1st Tee

Welcome to the Home of Golf in Ireland.

Killarney Golf and Fishing Club located only a mile from the bustling tourist town of Killarney in the heart of south west Ireland. This scenic town is the ideal base from which to explore the world renowned golfing gems of the region, and boasts the best après golf experiences in the country. With its unrivalled array of bars, restaurants and accommodation it is no wonder more golfers visit Killarney than any other town in Ireland.

Our club is nestled within Irelands largest National Park on the shores of Lough Leane with stunning vistas of the highest mountain range in the country – the McGillicuddy Reeks. Our three golf courses offer a unique challenge to every standard of golfer, from the local society to the world’s greatest tour players. The courses are in better condition than ever. Our Proshop and golf academy will help you with your game or provide the perfect souvenir, while our stunning 19th hole offers the best of fare and panoramic views of our unique setting.

So why not come and enjoy our facility, we would be delighted to welcome you

Killarney Golf & Fishing Club
County Kerry, IE

Mucross House

For those not playing golf we visit the wonderful Muckross House

This nineteenth century Victorian mansion is set against the stunning beauty of Kilarney National Park. The house stands close to the shores of Muckross Lake, one of Killarney's three lakes, famed world wide for their splendour and beauty. As a focal point within Killarney National Park, Muckross House is the ideal base from which to explore this landscape.

Muckross House was built forHenry Herbert and his wife, the water-colourist This was actually the fourth house that successive generations of the Herbert family had occupied at Muckross over a period of almost two hundred years. William Burn, the well-known Scottish architect, was responsible for its design. Building commenced in 1839 and was completed in 1843.

A wonderful tour

Muckross House
Kerry

Ring of Kerry Tour

Meet your Driver/Guide for a day tour of the Ring of Kerry with its lovely fishing villages.

A visit to the lovely Kells bay Eco garden a corner of Ireland on the Gulf Stream with Ireland's longest Rope Bridge

A visit to the Skellig centre to learn the story of these group of Islands Skellig Michael the Atlantic Ocean and the Monks who lived there in the 6th century now made famous by the Filming of Star Wars

Lunch at the Moorings Pub in Portmagee

Overnight Killeen House Hotel

The Skellig Experience Visitor Centre
Kerry, IE

Kells Bay House and Gardens
County Kerry, IE

Caitins Sheep Dog KeBay Kerry

Caitins Sheep Dog KeBay Kerry

The sheep-dog demonstration at Caitins is one of the most unusual – and popular – sights on the Ring of Kerry.
Local farmer Brendan Ferris will introduce you to his sheep dogs. You will be able to see the flock of sheep on the mountain behind Brendan.

Brendan then gives a fascinating demonstration of how a sheep dog is used to bring in the sheep on real farms. Responding to Brendan’s whistled commands, the dogs guide the sheep downwards. Miraculously, by the end of the demonstration all the sheep are calmly gathered in a pen beside you.

Brendan trains Border Collies in the art of sheep herding over 1.5 years and his amazing skills are on show here with his dogs responding to his every command. Brendan alway has four dogs trained and two learning at all times. Visitors can watch demonstrations of sheep dogs rounding up sheep.

A lively question-and-answer session follows. The sheep dog’s are the real stars of the show. They obviously love their work and listen in to Brendan, panting happily after another successful demonstration. The flock includes a number of rare breeds and Brendan will answer any questions you have about them. There’s usually at least one person asking
whether they’re for sale. Answer: no!

Airport Transfer

6 am Transfer Mr Neil to Kerry Airport for 07.30 flight to Dublin

Dingle

Meet your Driver/Guide to travel the Wild Atlantic way to one of the most visited town in Ireland namely Dingle population less than 2500.

After a spectacular drive around the peninsula with many many photo stops we will return to the village for the evening, and check in at one of the best family run B & Bs in Co Kerry

Dinner at one of the many Fish restaurants in this fishing village, and afterwards follow the music

Coastline B & B

Vivienne O’ Shea warmly welcomes you to her home the beautiful Coastline House Dingle.

We offer our guests high quality guest accommadation on Dingle town’s stunning seafront.

Our wonderful Failte Ireland 5 * architecturally designed purpose-built Bed and Breakfast was opened in 2000 and has become synonymous with quality accommodation and excellent value in a tranquil and relaxing setting.
Coastline House is decorated to the highest specifications to ensure guests stay is cosy and comfortable, and to take utmost advantage of the stunning views of Dingle Harbour. Guests can enjoy a relaxed atmosphere in beautiful surrondings with warm personal service.

Our location is fantastic, we look directly out over Dingle Harbour on the town’s seafront and is a ideal location to enjoy all Dingle has to offer. Only a 5 minute walk to the centre area of town, where one will find wonderful Irish music in the pubs and our native Irish language spoken between ourself.
Failte romhat isteach – your’re most welcome here

Breakfast included

Coastline Bed & Breakfast Dingle

Dinner

Dinner in one of the many wonderful restaurants in this the food capital town of Ireland

Dingle
Dingle, County Kerry, IE

Cliffs of Moher & The Burren

Travel to Doolin in County Clare to take a Ferry for an unrivalled view across the vast wilderness along the Cliffs of Moher a world unchanged since the pre-Celtic times

Afternoon spent in the The Burren a region of County Clare in the southwest of Ireland. It’s a karst landscape of bedrock incorporating a vast cracked pavement of glacial-era limestone, with cliffs and caves, fossils, rock formations and archaeological sites. On the Atlantic coast, the precipitous Cliffs of Moher are home to thousands of seabirds, including puffins. A Great area for walkers from 30mins to 3 hrs.
Terrain: Can be uneven and quite steep in places.Nearby Doolin village is a renowned centre for traditional Irish music.

Overnight Dunraven Arms Hotel Adare

Bill O Brien Ferry Doolin

Cliffs Of Moher
Liscannor, CLARE, IE

Dunraven Arms Hotel Twin Room

The Dunraven is a stylish, luxury, family-run hotel situated in the heart of Adare, a picturesque and world renowned village in Co. Limerick. This Four Star Luxury Hotel is one of the oldest establishments in Ireland and dates back to the Eighteenth Century. It featured in the very first Michelin Guide of The United Kingdom and Ireland in 1911 and was commemorated in a special edition in 2011. In recent times the Murphy family have developed the hotel to incorporate 87 luxury bedrooms, an elegant ballroom that can cater for up to 300 people, a leisure centre with a swimming pool, sauna, fully fitted gym and beauty rooms, a stand alone conference centre and the award winning Maigue Restaurant. The driving force behind this hotel is to provide an attentive, warm service matched with locally sourced provenance prepared by our well trained team of chefs.

Dunraven Arms Hotel
Main St, Adare, LIMERICK, IE

Airport Transfer 07.30

Transfer to Shannon Airport for flight AA89 Departing at 1105

Depart Adare

0730 Depart hotel for Shannon Airport