Explore Ireland 2024

Meet your driver and guide at the hotel’s reception and depart towards Belfast. On route, you will travel through the Boyne Valley and the 5,000- year-old Hill of Tara, the seat of the ancient High Kings of Ireland.

Stop at the Glyde Inn for a unique VR experience! You won’t just learn about being a Viking; you will become one. Continue to Hillsborough Castle, the official Royal Palace for Northern Ireland, for a visit. Discover stories of celebration, entertainment, diplomacy, and negotiation as you explore
Hillsborough Castle’s fascinating history and stunning State Rooms.

Accommodation: Maldron Hotel, Holiday Inn Belfast or similar – Belfast

Splendidly situated at the head of Belfast Lough, Belfast City is a modern and vibrant city which is proud of its heritage and history. Enjoy a panoramic tour of the city centre during which your guide will explain how Belfast developed from a small market town to an industrial giant. Pass by landmarks like City Hall and Queen’s University before visiting Titanic Belfast, an iconic landmark building where the story of Titanic is told.

Glenshane Country Farm, a family-owned sheep farm based deep in the beautiful ancient landscape of the Sperrin Mountains. Meet Jamese McCloy, a fourth-generation shepherd who wants to introduce people to sheep farming, particularly his highly trained team of working sheepdogs. Join Moss, Tess & 2 year old Jess, on this immersive experience, ‘Sheepdogs at Work’. (B)

Accommodation: Maldron Hotel, Holiday Inn Belfast or similar – Belfast

Check out of your hotel this morning and travel along the spectacular North Antrim Coastline. Experience the highlight of any trip to Northern Ireland: The Giant’s Causeway, where about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns result from a volcanic eruption. The site was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986. After your visit, continue to Derry, Ireland’s only fully intact walled city. Your tour concludes with a walk along Derry’s walls, which has witnessed centuries of drama.(B, D)

Accommodation: Jacksons Hotel, The Clanree or similar – Donegal

Our first stop today is at Belleek Pottery which has been in business since 1857. See first-hand how this world-renowned pottery is created. Continue to the Marble Arch Caves and explore a fascinating, natural underworld of rivers, winding passages and lofty chambers. The caves, in the heart of the UNESCO Global Geopark, were formed in limestone rock when water flowing through the rock slowly dissolved it to leave chambers, passages and systems you can explore during a guided tour. (B,D)

Accommodation: Salthill Hotel, Clayton Hotel or similar – Galway

This morning, travel into Co. Clare and the Burren Region. Visit the Cliffs of Moher, offering splendid views over the Atlantic Ocean. Rising to over 200 metres in places, they are among the highest sea cliffs in Western Europe and stretch for about 8km along the Atlantic coast. Return to Galway to enjoy some time at leisure in the city.(B)

Accommodation: Salthill Hotel, Clayton Hotel or similar – Galway

Travel south towards Cork. En route, you will pass Limerick City, founded in the 9th century by Vikings. In the afternoon arrive in Blarney where you will visit Blarney Castle. Blarney Castle is set in over 60 acres of stunning parkland, filled with rare and unusual plants and trees and steeped in history. Visitors, too, can possess the gift of the gab by kissing the mythical Blarney Stone (or stone of eloquence).(B)

Accommodation: Maldron Southmall, Clayton Hotel or similar – Cork

Today discover the highlights of the Ring of Kerry. Take in the spectacular scenery of Molls Gap and Ladies’ View. Finish the day with a relaxing Jaunting Car Ride in Killarney National Park! Step back in time by experiencing Ireland’s most traditional mode of transport with a Jaunting Car Tour/ horse and carriage to view Killarney’s most loved beauty hotspots. Learn all about the area’s history from your jarvey, many of whom are second and third-generation jarveys.(B)

Accommodation: Maldron Southmall, Clayton Hotel or similar – Cork

Visit the nearby Midleton Distillery Experience, founded by the Murphy Brothers in 1825, which still produces more than 24 million bottles of whiskey yearly. Finish the visit with a tasting of this famous Irish whiskey.

Continue towards Waterford, where you will visit the House of Waterford in the city’s Viking Triangle. On the tour, you will witness how Waterford Crystal masterpieces are crafted, from initial design to final engraving. (B)

Accommodation: Hotel Kilkenny, Ormonde Hotel or similar – Kilkenny

Visit the Dunbrody Famine Ship, a full-scale replica of the original ship built in 1845 for the Graves family of New Ross and which carried thousands of emigrants from Ireland to North America over thirty years.

Kilkenny Castle has been an important site since the Anglo-Normans built it in the 12th century. Learn about life in the castle over the many centuries of its existence.(B)

Accommodation: TBA or similar – Kilkenny

In Dublin visit the EPIC Museum and find out why over 10 million people emigrated from Ireland. As you uncover the stories of our emigrants, you’ll realise that emigration is not about what people leave behind but what they bring with them.

Visit Taylor’s Three Rock or similar, a lively pub in Rathfarnham for an excellent night of music and
dance. (B)

Accommodation: Academy Plaza, The Gresham or similar – Dublin

After a final Irish breakfast, transfer to Dublin Airport unless extending your stay. (B)