FIT Tour in Ireland (10 days)

Upon arrival at the Dublin airport you are met in the arrivals hall by your local representative and privately transferred to your hotel. Your representative assists you with check-in procedures.

This morning you are joined by an expert Dublin city guide who takes you on a panoramic tour of the Irish capital. On the tour, you see Leinster House, where the Irish government is based, the Presidential Palace in Phoenix Park, Dublin Castle, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, grandiose O’Connell Street, and the elegant Georgian Squares that are so symbolic of the city.

This afternoon, you may visit the National Museum of Ireland, where you find some of the finest examples of medieval Celtic metalwork, including the Tara Brooch and the Ardagh Chalice. You then walk round to the National Gallery of Ireland, which houses a fine collection of Irish paintings dating from the 17th to the 20th century among its fine old master collections.

Alternatively, visit the Dillon Garden, one of the finest urban private gardens in Europe, which has been lovingly created by Helen Dillon. Based around a central canal, this oasis is vibrant and full of colour at all times of the summer.

Enjoy a full day of touring with your driver-guide. The inland countryside route passes into County Tipperary, where you visit the Rock of Cashel. The ruined cathedral and the round tower of the early Archbishops of Munster perches dramatically on top of this outcrop, and you learn about its history in the interpretative centre.

Drive from here to Blarney Castle. This small ruined tower house dates from the 15th century and has become a national icon as the home of the Blarney Stone. This stone, rumoured to have been brought to Ireland in the time of the Crusades, is embedded in the parapet of the castle, and is said to bestow the ‘gift of the gab’ on all those who kiss it. The castle is situated in beautiful grounds which are adjacent to the Blarney Woolen Mills complex, one of the largest retail outlets in Ireland where fine local goods can be purchased. (Please note: the climb up Blarney Castle is difficult, and is not recommended for those who have difficulty with stairs)

Continue along the Lee Valley and over the Derrynasaggart Mountains to your hotel in County Kerry.

Your driver-guide takes you on a full-day excursion around the Ring of Kerry, one of the best-loved coastal drives in Europe. The road follows the shoreline of the Iveragh peninsula, and passes some of the most beautiful mountain and moorland scenery in the whole of Ireland. You are able to see traditional Irish landscapes at their best, with the route passing many land and seascapes, traversing through mountains and coast, presenting fabulous views over the bays to the neighboring Dingle and Beara peninsulas.

As you head west, you see typical cottages in which the rural population used to live, before passing the blanket bogs from which sods of peat have continued to be cut to provide fuel for the houses. At the point where the Ring of Kerry turns south, take a short detour over the bridge to Valentia Island. Here you visit the Skellig Centre, a museum dedicated to the story of the extreme west coast of this part of Ireland.

The route continues over the Coomakesta Pass, and then turns east along the southern fringe of the Iveragh peninsula. You may then visit Derrynane House, the home of Daniel O’Connell, the ‘Great Liberator’ of Ireland.

Drive back towards Killarney, passing through the dramatic scenery of the Killarney National Park. Stop at Ladies View, so called after the visit of Queen Victoria who was entranced by the magnificent panorama of the Upper and Middle Lakes of Killarney, which opens up from this vantage point. You also stop at Muckross House, with gardens and traditional farms, which enjoy a magnificent setting on the shores of the Lake of Killarney in the shadow of Macgillycuddy’s Reeks, the highest mountains in Ireland.

Depart Kerry with your driver-guide for a leisurely excursion to the Shannon area. Stop first to explore the picturesque village of Adare, well known for its thatched cottages and medieval ruins.

Cross the River Shannon at Limerick into County Clare. At Bunratty Castle, you can see the largest fifteenth-century tower house in Ireland, in the grounds of which is a series of traditional thatched cottages that have been carefully reconstructed.

Continue to your hotel that was once the home of the O’Briens of Thomond.

Today you drive over to the Atlantic Coast to visit the Cliffs of Moher. At over 600 feet tall, these sandstone cliffs are Ireland’s highest. They are exposed to the fiercest of Atlantic storms and present a very dramatic appearance. You then follow the coast road of the Burren, a vast limestone plateau, the best pavements of which can be seen from the road around Black Head. The road then leads around Galway Bay, famed for its oysters.

Continue past Galway City to your hotel, which enjoys a delightful setting overlooking Lough Corrib.

You have a full day with your driver-guide to explore the windswept landscape of Connemara, where barren mountains surround small lakes. On the shores of one such lake sits Kylemore Abbey, still home to a living community of nuns. The walled garden in the grounds of the abbey has been faithfully restored to its former glory.

Drive north past Killary Harbour Fjord into County Mayo, where you pass the holy mountain of Croagh Patrick, scene of an annual pilgrimage. You then visit Westport House, a fine Georgian property that is one of the few stately homes in this region of Ireland. Return to your hotel from here.

For your final full day touring, your driver-guide takes you back to Dublin. You stop at Strokestown Park, where you can visit the Irish Famine Museum, dedicated to the victims of the potato blight in the nineteenth century. Alternatively visit the Dark Age monastic ruins of Clonmacnoise, which occupy a delightful setting overlooking the River Shannon.

You then continue into County Kildare, where you may wish to stop to visit the impressive chapel at the Irish seminary of St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth. From here it is a short drive to your hotel in the mountains to the south of Dublin.

You meet your local guide and your driver to enjoy a full day excursion into the Wicklow Mountains that lie to the south of Dublin. You drive across the bleak moorlands to Glendalough, the ‘Valley of the Two Lakes’, where St. Kevin established a monastic community during the Dark Ages. Witness the ruins of the churches and a perfectly preserved round tower.

En route back to Dublin, you stop at the renowned Powerscourt Gardens. From the terrace, you admire a delightful panorama that leads to the Sugarloaf Mountain. Inside the house, you view an interpretation of the history and design of the gardens.

Today you are privately transferred to Dublin airport for your departure flight.