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Itinerary

OCTOBER 8 – USA / DUBLIN: Fly transatlantic overnight from the US to Ireland. Dinner is served, and in-flight entertainment is provided.

OCTOBER 9 – ARRIVE IN DUBLIN, IRELAND / KILKENNY: Welcome to Ireland! After collecting your luggage, you will meet your professional driver/guide in the arrival halls at Dublin Airport. Shortly afterwards, depart from Dublin airport and start your journey towards Kilkenny, undoubtedly Ireland’s loveliest inland city. In medieval times this was a prosperous trading center, and the narrow streets still follow ancient routes. On arrival in Kilkenny, check in to your hotel and enjoy some free time to relax.  This evening, enjoy a welcome dinner in dinner in Kytlers Inn, one of Ireland’s oldest pubs, with a history dating back to 1263. (D)

OCTOBER 10 – KILKENNY / BLARNEY / KILLARNEY: After breakfast, visit Kilkenny Castle, built in the 13^th century and home to the powerful Butler family for almost 600 years. Afterwards, depart from Kilkenny and start towards Killarney. Travel via County Cork where you pause to visit Blarney Castle. The castle was built nearly 600 years ago by the great chieftain Cormac MacCarthy, Lord of Muskerry, known as “The Strong”. Despite its ruin, Blarney Castle still captures the imagination. As you descend from the battlements, you can peer down into the roofless structure and picture just how it might have looked in its prime – the banqueting hall bustling with medieval nobles and their servants, the family room, glazed and luxurious by the standards of the time. Let’s not forget the sinister murder hole – a pit in the floor used to drop rocks or boiling water on invaders. Then on to Killarney for dinner and overnight. (B/D)

OCTOBER 11 – DINGLE PENINSULA EXCURSION: After breakfast, head out on an excursion around the beautiful Dingle Peninsula. This peninsula is a Gaeltacht, a unique area where the Irish language is preserved. You’ll see Slea Head; beehive huts; views of the Blasket Islands; harbors; Inch beach; all spectacular! Enjoy some free time in Dingle village before returning to Killarney where your evening is free. (B)

OCTOBER 12 – CLIFFS OF MOHER / WESTPORT: This morning, depart from Killarney and make your way towards Westport in County Mayo. Cross the River Shannon by Ferry and continue on to the Cliffs of Moher which have majestically faced the Atlantic for over 350 million years and their beauty is incomparable – rising 700 feet above the pounding Atlantic waves and stretching 5 miles along the coast of County Clare in the west of Ireland. From the cliffs on a clear day, one can see the Aran Islands and Galway Bay. O’Brien’s Tower stands near the highest point and has served as a viewing point for visitors for hundreds of years. Afterwards, travel through the Burren and around Galway Bay and on to Westport for dinner and overnight. This evening you are free in Galway. (B)

OCTOBER 13 – CONNEMARA EXCURSION: After breakfast in your hotel, depart and head out to Connemara. Whitewashed cottages are scattered over a land of rocky mountains, sparkling brooks and rivers. Stop to visit the beautiful Kylemore Abbey, a castellated neo-Gothic mansion occupied since 1920 by the Irish Benedictine community of Nuns. Then on to Clifden for some free time before returning to Westport for overnight. (B)

OCTOBER 14 – STROKESTOWN / BALLYFARNON: Today, depart from Westport and make your way towards County Roscommon and Strokestown Park House. There are three parts to see – the 18th century mansion with its original furnishings; the four-acre walled garden, restored to look as it would have during the heyday of the estate; and the Famine Museum. The mansion, which has been faithfully restored, is unique in that it retains its original furnishings and allows visitors to browse freely through the stately surroundings. The 18th century walled pleasure garden has been fully restored to its original splendor. Its piece de resistance is its herbaceous border which is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest herbaceous border in Britain and Ireland. The Famine Museum uses a combination of original documents and images from the Strokestown Park collection to explain the circumstances of the Great Irish Famine of the 1840’s. This collection boasts an extensive range of papers including actual letters written by the tenants on the Strokestown Estate at the time of the famine. Afterwards, continue to Ballyfarnon and the beautiful Kilronan Castle for dinner and overnight. (B/D)

OCTOBER 15 – DUBLIN & GUINNESS: After breakfast, depart from Kilronan Castle and head towards Dublin. On arrival in Dublin, make your way to the Guinness Storehouse where you can savor the sights, sounds, tastes, and aromas of the world-famous stout. Raise a mug of the “black stuff” and drink in Dublin views at the Gravity Bar. Afterwards, check in to your hotel and enjoy some free time to freshen up. This evening, travel to the foothills of the Dublin mountains where you will enjoy an evening of good food and traditional Irish entertainment at Taylors Three Rock Pub. Afterwards, return to your hotel where you bid farewell to your driver. (B/D)

OCTOBER 16 – DUBLIN AT LEISURE: Enjoy breakfast followed by a day to independently explore Dublin. Use your 24-hour DoDublin Hop-on Hop-off Bus Pass. You might like to visit Trinity College to view the exquisitely illustrated Book of Kells. Perhaps visit EPIC, the Irish Emigration Museum which tells the dramatic story of how Irish people have spread around the globe, and how they changed the world. Through 20 state-of-the-art galleries, visitors immerse themselves in the stories of some of the most remarkable tales of sacrifice, endurance, adventure, and discovery the world has ever known. Or visit the Jameson Distillery where you enjoy an award-winning tour that includes stories, laughs, and a comparative whiskey tasting. (B)

OCTOBER 17 – DUBLIN / USA: After breakfast, bid farewell to Ireland as you transfer to Dublin airport, where after check-in you will have plenty of time for your last-minute duty-free shopping. Your flight to the US arrives the same day. Have a safe journey! (B)

IMPORTANT: This tour includes walking tours. To enjoy this tour, you should be in good health and able to walk reasonable distances, often over unpaved and uneven surface.

→ Inclusions

 Inclusions

• Roundtrip economy air from Chicago or Los Angeles
• Kilkenny – 1 night, 4-Star Pembroke Hotel
• Killarney – 2 nights, 4-Star Killarney Plaza Hotel
• Westport – 2 nights, 4-Star Westport Plaza Hotel
• Ballyfarnon – 1 night, 4-Star Kilronan Castle
• Dublin – 2 nights, 4-Star Trinity City Hotel
• Breakfast each morning, except day of arrival
• Welcome dinner in Kytlers Inn, Kilkenny
• 1, three-course hotel dinner in Killarney
• 1, three-course hotel dinner in Westport
• 1, three course dinner in Kilronan Castle
• Farewell dinner with traditional entertainment in Taylors Three Rock Pub, Dublin
• Luxury coach with services of a professional Irish driver/guide
• Kilkenny Castle
• Blarney Castle
• Dingle Peninsula Excursion
• The Cliffs of Moher
• Connemara Excursion
• Kylemore Abbey
• Strokestown House
• The Guinness Storehouse
• 24-hour DoDublin Hop-on Hop-off Bus Pass
• Portfolio of electronic travel documents
• Hotel porterage of one suitcase per person
• 24-hour emergency customer service while in Ireland

IMPORTANT: This tour includes walking tours. To enjoy this tour, you should be in good health and able to walk reasonable distances, often over unpaved and uneven surface.

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