CIE Tours: 2024 - 12 Day Irish Odyssey
Day 1 Dublin City Tour & Kilmainham Gaol
Your tour departs at 2:00 PM from your Dublin hotel. Take a panoramic tour of the city's highlights and view Trinity College, St Patrick's Cathedral, and the GPO. Tour Kilmainham Gaol, built in 1796, and hear stories of Ireland's revolutionary leaders. Enjoy a welcome drink with your group before dining independently.
Day 2 EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum | Taylors Three Rock Pub
Visit EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, the world's only fully digital museum, and discover the story of the 10 million people who have left Ireland over the last 1,500 years - and their impact on the world. Your afternoon is free to explore Dublin. Later, enjoy dinner and entertainment at Taylors Three Rock Pub.
(B, D)
Day 3 Farmhouse Visit | House of Waterford Crystal
Visit a traditional farmhouse and learn about country life while enjoying tea and scones. At the House of Waterford Crystal, a CIE Tours preferred shopping partner, watch skilled artisans cut crystal into sparkling masterpieces. Continue along the coast to Cork city for dinner.
(B, D)
Day 4 Cork | Blarney Castle | Killarney
Take a brief walking tour of Cork city with a local guide. Perhaps stroll through the English Market, where vendors have been selling local and artisanal foods since 1788. Visit Blarney Castle to climb the winding stairs and kiss its famed stone, or stroll the gardens. Enjoy the scenery as you head to colorful Kenmare. Stop at Moll's Gap for marvelous views on your way to Killarney.
(B, D)
Day 5 Jaunting Car Ride | Dingle Peninsula | Sheepdog Demonstration
Take a traditional horse-drawn jaunting car ride to Ross Castle and Kenmare Estate and see Lough Leane, the largest of Killarney's lakes. Visit Moriarty's, a CIE Tours preferred shopping partner, in the Gap of Dunloe. Travel to the scenic Dingle Peninsula for views of heathery mountains, sandy stretches of beach, and rocky headlands. Enjoy a demonstration of highly-skilled sheepdogs herding sheep at a local farm. Enjoy dinner at Páidí Ó Sé's pub in Ventry while you hear a fun talk on Gaelic sports.
(B, D)
Day 6 Cliffs of Moher | Galway
Visit the family pub of the late famed playwright, John B. Keane for some tea and scones. One of Ireland's most beloved writers, he wrote many works in a room behind the bar. Embark on a ferry ride across the River Shannon Estuary and drive along the coast of County Clare. Visit the Cliffs of Moher, soaring 700 feet above the Atlantic, and enjoy views of Connemara and the Aran Islands. Proceed on to vibrant Galway and join a local guide for a walking tour of the city's historic heart.
(B, D)
Day 7 Lough Corrib Cruise (Seasonal) | Kylemore Abbey | Galway
Travel through Connemara for sweeping views of misty mountains and shimmering lakes. Take a scenic cruise on Lough Corrib and sip some creamy Irish coffee (seasonal). Stop at Kylemore Abbey for a walk through this elegant mansion, set beside a tranquil lake. Return to Galway, where the rest of your day is free for independent sightseeing and dining.
(B)
Day 8 Ballintubber Abbey | Belleek Pottery | Derry
Travel north to Claremorris to visit Ballintubber Abbey, known as “the Abbey that refused to die,” Ireland's only royal abbey, which has been in continuous use for more than 780 years. Visit Belleek Pottery, then follow the Atlantic shore to Donegal town, where you'll visit CIE Tours preferred shopping partner Triona Design. Continue on through the majestic Barnesmore Gap to Derry.
(B, D)
Day 9 Giant's Causeway | Derry Walking Tour | Walled City Brewery
Explore the Giant's Causeway, huge hexagonal columns formed over 60 million years ago. Back in Derry, join a local guide for a walk around this historic city's medieval walls; take a walk across the Peace Bridge and complete your tour at the Walled City Brewery Restaurant. In a CIE Tours Exclusive, you'll enjoy a drink with your dinner and a flight of 4 of the brewery's beers to taste.
(B, D)
Day 10 Belfast Tour | Titanic Belfast
Visit the historic city of Belfast, taking a panoramic tour to see grand government buildings, the peace wall, and the docks where the RMS Titanic was built in 1912. Visit the magnificent Titanic Belfast, a high-tech attraction that will immerse you in the story of the doomed liner. The rest of the day is free to explore as you wish
(B)
Day 11 Cabra Castle | Farewell Dinner
Travel to Kingscourt and enjoy some free time in your luxury castle hotel, built in 1760 and set on 100 acres of gardens and parklands. In the evening, share a farewell dinner with your group.
(B, D)
Day 12 Tour Ends in Kingscourt
Your program ends after breakfast.
(B)
B: Breakfast; L: Lunch; D: Dinner
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Galway
Galway is a city, a county, and an experience to be savoured and remembered. The historic city of the tribes dances to a beat uniquely it's own. There is a certain chemistry and vibrancy to this friendly university city, which many delight in, and few forget. Music, festivals, horse racing, pubs, restaurants, shops, theatres and most of all -Galway people, combine to create this atmospheric medieval city of culture. From this pulsating heart the rest of the county flows.
Galway Bay, immortalised in song, its beauty unchanging. Scenic Gaeltacht areas including the Aran Islands. Connemara, with the picturesque town of Clifden as its capital. Mountains, castles and stone walls, banks of turf, long sandy beaches, clear lakes, joyful leaping streams and flowing rivers. The mighty Shannon, delightful countryside punctuated by pretty villages, traditional pubs.
Photo used with permission
from Joe Desbonnet, www.galway.net
Excursions
Inishmore, Aran Islands - 8 hours Full Day
Inishmore, Aran Islands - 8 hours Full Day
On the very edge of Europe, is an Island rich in the language, culture and heritage of Ireland, unique in its geology and archaeology and in its long tradition of gentle hospitality. Here is a place to sense the spirit of Gaelic Ireland, to touch the past, but with all the comforts and facilities of the present. Aran will take you back to an Ireland of Celts and Early Christians. This is an island of great peace and tranquility, but it is also an island of great fun and activity. A timeless land in an endless sea, weathered monuments on awesome cliffs, great labyrinths of limestone, meandering walls, patchwork fields, quiet beaches and a welcoming island people.
This morning we will depart from Galway and take a ferry to Inishmore, the largest of the three islands, the other islands being Inishmaan and Inisheer. The Islands are located off the West Coast of Galway about 18km out from Rossaveal Harbour in Connemara. Inishmore is approx. 13km long, and contains 3,092 ha. with a native population of about 900. Kilronan the chief center and port.
Landing in Kilronan on Inishmore, you are met by your driver in a horse drawn buggy for a guided tour of the Island and visiting one of its more impressive stone forts called Dun Aonghasa. It is semi-circular structure, resting on the edge of a perpendicular cliff rising 100 meters out of the ocean. The fort consists of an inner court 50 meters across surrounded by a wall six meters high and five meters thick at the base.
Visit the Aran Islands Interpretative Centre which highlights the unique history, spirit and landscapes of the Aran Islands. The center details the geology, history and present lifestyle of the islands. See how the legendary currachs, those open-topped, often tar-coated, boats that skim over the waves, are made. Also on display are details of the fish species off the islands and how the islanders have long used seaweed to create patches of soil that could be cultivated for crops, in between the dry stone walls that crisscross the islands and divide its tiny fields. The islands' other craft traditions, including weaving of the famous Aran sweaters, are also documented.
Duration: 8 hours
Included:
Enjoy a pub lunch on Inishmore
Departing the island by ferry you return to Galway City.
Note: it is also possible to fly to Inishmore.
Pricing: Please inquire
Belfast
Belfast is popular with travelers who come to discover the city’s physical beauty and renewed tranquility. Enjoy performances at the Grand Opera House, shopping along trendy Donegall Place and visiting numerous pubs along The Golden Mile. St. Anne’s Cathedral, also known as Belfast Cathedral, is the principal church of the Anglican Church of Ireland and contains stones from every county in Ireland. Located next to Europa Hotel, the Grand Opera House boasts an impressive mix of large productions of opera, ballet, musicals and drama. Known as the Big Ben of Belfast, the Albert Memorial Clock Tower was built in 1869 to commemorate the Prince Consort. Built in 1849 as one of Queen Victoria’s colleges, Queens University is one of the foremost universities in the British Isles. The classical-style building of Stormont, erected in 1928-32 to house the Parliament of Northern Ireland, stands 3.5 miles outside the city. The Prince of Wales Avenue is exactly one mile long and is bordered by rose beds containing 600 of the famous Korona roses noted for their scarlet blooms.
Excursions
Belfast: Cultural Belfast - 8 hours
Belfast: Cultural Belfast - 8 hours
Belfast may be a small city, but it has a wealth of culture and excitement on offer for you to discover! Firstly, visit the purpose-built iconic ‘Titanic Belfast’. With over nine galleries, the Titanic story is brought to life for you with exhibitions, rides, full-scale reconstructions and lots
of interactive fun.
After a hearty Irish lunch (payable locally) head into Belfast city where your guide unravels stories related to “the troubles” of Northern Ireland. You cannot miss the murals across Belfast that offer a fascinating history in pictures. Although huge strides have been made in the fight to combat sectarianism in the city, the marks of the past can still be witnessed across the city, adorning the sides of buildings and walls. A tour of Belfast wouldn’t be complete without enjoying a pint of Guinness at the famous Crown Bar in the city centre. This 19th-century bar is an experience that is unique to Northern Ireland. You are privately transferred back to board your cruise after your tour.
Highlights:
- Explore the 'Titanic Belfast' and learn about the ship's fascinating history
- Learn about Belfast's turbulent past and visit the famous Crown Bar in the city centre
Tour Duration: 8 Hours
Tour Can Operate: Morning / Afternoon
Wheelchair Accessible: Please enquire for more information
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Private transport by luxury car or minivan
- An expert local guide for 8 hours
- Entrance fees to all sights and museums
- All taxes
Exclusions:
- All cruise travel, personal items, meals and associated costs
- Gratuities
Belfast: Highlights of Belfast - 6 hours
Belfast: Highlights of Belfast - 6 hours
Today you are met by your expert local guide for a sightseeing in Belfast and the surrounding area. Spend the morning on a panoramic tour of the city centre, where you see the impressive City Hall in Donegall Square, St. Anne’s Cathedral and the buildings of Queen’s University. During this tour, your guide talks to you about the sectarian divisions that have been so prominent in Belfast in recent years. You also visit the Titanic Quarter, so-called as it was here that the ill-fated liner was being constructed a century ago. Your guide shows you where the ship was constructed and the Thomson Dock where it had its final fit-out.
Highlights:
- Take a panoramic tour of Belfast’s city centre to see the impressive City Hall and the buildings of Queen’s University
- Visit the Titanic Quarter where the ill-fated liner was constructed a century ago
Tour Duration: 6 hours
Tour Can Operate: Morning / Afternoon
Wheelchair Accessible: Please enquire for more information
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Private transport by luxury car or minivan
- An expert local guide for 6 hours
- Entrance fees to all sights and museums
- All taxes
Exclusions:
- All cruise travel, personal items, meals and associated costs
- Gratuities
Belfast - Tour of Antrim Coast - Full Day Tour
Belfast - Tour of Antrim Coast - Full Day Tour
Depart Port by luxury vehicle accompanied by local professional guide. Leaving Belfast behind, head north on a scenic, northbound journey. Travel to the port of Larne and then join the spectacular Antrim Coast road. Onwards through the villages of Ballygalley and Glenarm to Cushendall, know as the "Capital of the Glens" and Ballycastle, host of the annual 'Oul Lammas Fair'.
Arrive at The Giants Causeway Centre.
Next, travel to the famouse village of Bushmills, which is home to the legendary Bushmills Whiskey Distillery.
Enjoy a 2 Course lunch with tea/coffee in the wonderful Distillers Arms restaurant.
Following lunch you will travel along the Coast up to the fantastic Dunluce Castle. It is thought by some to be the most picturesque of all Irish castles. Situated in the most north-easterly tip of Ireland and first built by Richard de Burgh, Earl of Ulster in the 13th century, the ruins of the castle are a huge tourist attraction.
The castle is surrounded by terrifyingly steep drops at either side; these would have been essential features to the Vikings and early Christians, who were drawn to this magnificent place where an early Irish ring-fort once stood. It is situated on a 100 foot high basalt stack with a sea cave underneath. The earliest features of the castle, the two large drum towers, about nine metres in diameter, can still be seen on the eastern side.
Return to Belfast Port on the motorway which runs close to some scenic inland countryside.
Inclusions:
- Private Driver Guide
- Giants Causeway visitor Centre
- Entrance to Dunluce Castle
- Lunch Including Tea and Coffee