Escorted trip to Ireland with The Irish Cottage
 
 
  Ireland Trip Details
 
  • October 19-26, 2009
  • Roundtrip flights between Chicago O’Hare & Shannon / Dublin & Chicago O'Hare airports
  • First class hotels for 8 days/6 nights, 11 meals
  • Pubs Galore, from Bunratty to Derry, Kingscourt to Donegal
  • Seisiúns (singalongs) with Katie every night
  • The amazing Shrine of Knock
  • Dinner and a show at Cabra Castle
  • Explore Kylemore Abbey and Cliften
  • Visit Connemara and experience its incomparable beauty
  • Panoramic tours of Galway and Derry
  • See W.B. Yeats Grave
  • Cliffs of Moher
  • Walk the infamous Medieval Walls of Derry City herself
  • Giant's Causeway
  • $1850.00 + taxes & fees per person
  More Information
 

  2009 Trip Information
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irish cottage hotel

Blarney Castle - County Cork
CLIFFS OF MOHER - COUNTY CLARE

Giant's Causeway - Co. Antrim
GIANT'S CAUSEWAY - COUNTY ANTRIM


Katie Sullivan
KATIE SULLIVAN


 
Ól, Céol agus Craic Pub Tour of Ireland
October 19–26, 2009

The Irish Cottage - Galena Illinois
Join us on the never ending quest for
Ól, Céol agus Craic (a good pint, great music
and wonderful entertainment).

Discover first-hand the natural and untamed beauty of the Emerald Isle by day and 'raise a glass' or two with Basil (co-owner of The Irish Cottage), and accomplished musician Katie (of the Katie Sullivan Band) by night - every night!



Overview Itinerary

Map of Ireland DAY 1 - Depart U.S. for Shannon
Take an overnight flight across the Atlantic Ocean
to Ireland.

DAY 2 - Shannon Arrival & Leisure Time

Arrive in Shannon Airport and go to the CIE Tours desk to arrange a hotel transfer between 7:00 am and 12:00 noon. If your flight arrives later you will need to transfer at your own expense. Check into your hotel near Bunratty Castle and enjoy some free time to relax or explore the Bunratty Folk Park and Bunratty Castle on your own. You are at leisure to dine independently this evening, either in your hotel or there are a number of fine eating places within easy walking distance, including the famous Bunratty Medieval Banquet.

DAY 3 - Bunratty Village & Cliffs of Moher
Enjoy a free morning before meeting your driver/guide and group at 12:30 in your hotel lobby. Travel north 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.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 4 - 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.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 5 - 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.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 6 - 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.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 7 - 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.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 8 - 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.

Meals: Breakfast