Ireland 5 star tour

You may alter routes and length of stay in any given location at your discretion
Our recommendations are as follows,

Arrival Dublin
We can provide vehicles in our all Mercedes Fleet to suit Parties from 1-50

Day 1
As almost 90% of North American flights arrive in the early morning, we recommend direct transfer to hotel to rest and refresh.

Once refreshed the medieval city of Dublin is a dream for the pedestrian tourist as anything of interest is only 10 minutes from any of our recommended hotels.
From Trinity College where the unique book of kells is housed together with other priceless manuscripts dating back to the 6th century. These are situated in a specially humidified room to ensure their survival for future generations

Trinity College itself founded in 1592 produced scholars that are renown such as “Goldsmith & Oscar Wilde”

The Natural culmination of the Dublin tour is a visit to the Guinness Brewery for a taste of the “Black Stuff “

Day 2
New Grange – 30 miles north of Dublin, the Burial Mounds of the Boyne Valley. It predates the Egyptian Pyramids by 2000 years. The only day of the year that the sun illuminates the central tomb through a tiny aperture is the 21st of December, The Winter Solstice, making the original designers both mathematical and astronomical geniuses.

Noon will see us heading south via Kildare where Irelands female Saint, St Bridget held court, onwards then via Leighlin bridge, a beautiful riverside village, home of Myles Keogh, Soldier and adventurer, veteran of the Italian Civil War, Cavalry officer in the Irish Brigade (led by LT General Thomas Frances Meagher of Waterford) in the American Civil War he died with his Commander General, George Custer at The Little Big Horn.

Kilkenny, home of St Canices (The Confederation of Kilkenny predates the Magna Carta) ,Medieval City Par Excellence, it is a tourist dream.

St Canices Cathedral, Kilkenny Castle, a magnificent structure overlooking the river Nore and not f forgetting Kytlers Inn, a pub open since 1367, the original Dame Alice Kytler was condemned as a witch and had to leave town!
We overnight in Waterford, Ireland Oldest City, originally Port Lairge, a Celtic Town captured by the Vikings in 800 AD and renamed Vadrafjiord, which over the years of mispronunciation percolated down to Waterford. Our lodgings are Waterford Castle situated on an Island in the River Suir. Inhabited by The Fitzgerald Family from 1169-1955 this 4 star Gem is a perfect retreat from 21st Century reality and the Resident Chef Michael Quinn will delight your palate.

Day 3
We leave the Island by its Private ferry and tour Waterford City, which will be host to the “Tall Ships in 2011.. In its hay day Waterford built, owned and crewed ships. From Viking long ships to medieval war ships to “Tea Clippers” transporting tea round the horn from India to the dreadful coffin ships of the great famine. Waterford’s Iron Shipyard “the Neptune Docks” built the first “Twin Screw” Steamer to sail into a Russian Port and was given free entry by the Czar.
By far Waterford’s most colourful Son was Thomas Frances Meagher, born to a wealthy Catholic Merchant in 1823. His Father had made his fortune in Canada, as it was very unusual having endured 200 years of Penal law, rendering Roman Catholics as servants in their own land for any Catholic to be Wealthy in the British Ruled Ireland.

Meagher’s Father had the money and influence to ensure his Son attained an excellent education in England at the Sorbonne University Paris. On his return Meagher formed the “Young Irelanders” and rebelled against British rule.
This resulted in a death sentence which was commuted to life imprisonment in Van Diemans land (Tasmania), from where he escaped, picked up by an American Whaling shipping the Antarctic and made his way to the U.S.
On the outbreak of war he was given command of the 69th regiment of the New York Irish Brigade by President Lincoln, wounded at Fredericksburg, he was later made acting Governor of Montana and was murdered on his quarters in the Missouri River aged 43.

We leave Waterford and travel to Dungarvan via the Copper coast, with breath taking views of the Irish coastline, then inland to view Lismore Castle and town. Lismore, a 12th century University town, was destroyed by the Normans in the 12th century. It’s a delightful town steeped in history with traditional fronts on all the shops and bars and the restaurants there are renowned for their food.
Onward through the small town of Tallow where the annual horse Fair is so old it is referred to in a 6th century manuscript. Over the hill from Tallow we find Middleton where the Jameson Distillery is located, a must do visit for anyone who has a weakness for a “drop of the hard stuff”!

Our whiskey tasting over, we head for our 5 star hotel, Hayfield Manor in Cork’s fair City.

Day 4
In the morning we head for Cobh (Cove), last Port of call for the transatlantic liners. The romance era of travel after World War 2,Cobh was the scene of leviathans like the SS. America, The Ille De France, Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mary and The Andre Doria, all frequent visitors to this natural Harbour.

The Museum at Cobh brings back the nostalgia of the magic of the ocean Giants that connected the Old and New Worlds.

We then travel on to Kinsale, a beautiful Yaughting harbour, with its cobbled streets and narrow arches, famous for its cuisine, lunch here is a must. We recommend the “Fishy Fishy Cafe”.

The afternoon sees us travelling through West Cork to Bantry Bay, Glengarriff and over the hills into Kenmare, where our 5 star Hotel is Sheen Fall, set by the cascading falls of a wild mountain stream. A stroll through Kenmare before dinner is of interest, beautiful Irish linen boutiques and made to your own design gold and silversmiths are at your behest.

Day 5
After a full Irish breakfast we head for the Ring of Kerry via Parknasilla and Derrynane. At the head of the Peninsula one sees the entrancing site of the skelligs, rising like Pyramids from the Western oceans, these sheer under Sea Mountain tops were the home of Irish Monks from the golden age of monastic learning from the 6th century.

We round the peninsula and head for Killarney, for a view of the famous lakes and lunch.

The afternoon finds us crossing the Shannon at Tarbert by ferry to Co Clare. The County where such contrasting people were born, such as “Legs Diamond “, the notorious gangster of the 30’s and “Holland” , the inventor of the Submarine.
Fresh air doesn’t get much fresher than atop the Cliffs of Moher, as we cross the Burren, barren as a moonscape, where as Cromwell said, “Not enough water exists to drown a man, not a tree to hang a man and not enough earth to bury a man.”

Rounding Ballyvaughan , with the Aran Islands to the West, we head for Galway, the city of the Tribes where we spend the night and “watch the sun go down on Galway Bay”.

Day 6
After our infusion of scrambled eggs and smoked wild Irish salmon, we head for Connemara, Clifden and Leenane (where “The Field “was filmed) onward through the Partry mountains to Ashford Castle for lunch.

The neighbouring village of Cong, scene of “The Quiet Man”1953 staring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. Onwards through Westport to overnight in Mulranny overlooking Glen Bay.

Day 7
After breakfast “Achill”, the ’Bal Hi ‘ of the North Atlantic, views that overshadow Capri where at one point the views reach 900 feet.

We travel onward, eastwards to Athlone , Ireland’s centre for lunch. Then to the Shannonside, Monastic settlement of Clonmacnoise, from where after the fall of the Holy Roman Empire Irish Monks spread throughout Europe, Christianising the ravaged Continents after the Incursion of the Huns and Vandals that had sacked even Rome itself. (see the book, How the Irish saved civilisation by..)
An eminent recent visitor to Clonmacnoise was Pope John Paul the 2nd, as it was Irish monks who went as far east as Cracow, Vienna, Regensberg Munich, St Gallen Switzerland and Bobbio Italy.

Cross Ireland’s waistline to Dublin for our final night in the Emerald Isle to stay in a 5 star Hotel of your choice and a pint or two at Dublin’s Temple bar with its choice of Traditional pubs, is the Irish Finale.

Day 8
Transfer from Hotel to Dublin Airport, hoping that we have helped make your stay a memorable one.