Celebrating 70 Years
Of Great Vacations

ESCORTED COACH TOURS - IRELAND

From $968
(Including Land & Air)

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

• Abbey Tavern Dinner & Ballads
• Spaniard Inn Pub Dinner
• Blarney Castle
• Kathleen's Irish Ceili
• Jameson Whiskey & Guinness Tour
• Buckley's Pub Session
• Kinsale Walking Tour
• Dingle Peninsula Drive with Lunch

• Your Day-by-Day Itinerary
• What Your Tour Includes
• Your Hotels
• Departure Dates & Rates
• Early Payment Discount
• General Conditions for All Tours

"The Pub Tour was fun — it's great to have a willing designated driver!! We got to a number of neat pubs with lots of music and entertainment. But it wasn't all drinking — we saw lots of sights. I particularly liked Cobh Heritage Center and Bantry House. Kinsale was a delightful stay."
~ Veronica M., Hopatcong NJ

Day 1 - Thu: Depart U.S. for Dublin
Board your aircraft for an overnight trip across the Atlantic. Enjoy inflight entertainment and meals.

Day 2 - Fri: Introduction to Dublin
Land at Dublin Airport early this morning. After customs formalities and luggage reclamation, head to the CIE Tours desk in the Arrivals Hall to arrange a transfer to your hotel between 7:00 am and 12:00 noon. Passengers arriving later will transfer to the hotel at their own expense. In the afternoon take an orientation drive around Dublin to see the principal buildings, main shopping streets and elegant Georgian houses. End your brief tour at the Old Jameson Distillery where you can learn about distillation processes and sample some whiskey. You are free for dinner and you may like to conduct a pub crawl of your own!

Day 3 - Sat: Guinness & Abbey Tavern
Drive to Dublin Castle where a guided visit will show you the elegant State Apartments with historical portraits and furnishings. Rejoin your coach to take a look around the spacious Phoenix Park, home to Ireland's President and the U.S. Ambassador. Return to the city center to visit the Guinness Storehouse. See exhibits on how this famous stout was first created and why it is so popular today. Learn how to draw the "perfect pint." In the afternoon do some exploring on your own and in the evening drive to Howth, a fishing village where the 200-year-old Abbey Tavern is located. After a dinner of Irish specialties, sit back and enjoy the lively ballads while you sip an Irish coffee or Guinness. (B, D)

Day 4 - Sun: Rock of Cashel & Cobh
Depart Dublin and travel through the Irish countryside, mainly farming country interspersed with market towns. Visit the Rock of Cashel, a magnificent limestone outcrop with church ruins dating back to the 12th century. Just outside Cork visit the Cobh Heritage Centre, where many emigrants left Ireland to create a new life in the United States. Displays, featuring the ships and luxury liners that sailed from here, are housed in the former rail station through which travelers had to pass. Enjoy some time to look around Cobh before driving to Kinsale to check into your hotel. After dinner, you may like to explore some of the narrow streets and quaint pubs in the town. (B, D)

Day 5 - Mon: Kinsale & Blarney Castle
Today explore Kinsale with a local guide on a short walking tour around this delightful town — the best way to navigate the narrow sloping Georgian streets. Then drive through Cork city to see the main attractions of the busy city. A few miles outside Cork visit Blarney Castle where you can climb to the ramparts to kiss the well-known "stone of eloquence." Return to Kinsale by mid-afternoon to relax or take a stroll around the harbor, a popular yachting center. This evening "The Spaniard Inn" is the venue for dinner, traditional entertainment and a sing-along. (B, D)

Day 6 - Tue: Bantry & Killarney
Drive along the heavily indented coastline of Cork, popular for sports and vacations, and stop for a look around the charming town of Clonakilty. Nearby visit Bantry House, a Georgian mansion built in 1740 for the Earls of Bantry. Tour the house to see the wealth of furnishings collected from all around Europe. Then travel across the Caha Mountains to Kenmare and on to Moll's Gap for views of Killarney, its three lakes and mountains. Arrive in Killarney in time to relax before dinner and afterwards head next door to Buckley's Pub, one of the town's popular taverns featuring live music. (B, D)

Day 7 - Wed: Dingle Peninsula
Discover another scenic region of County Kerry. The Dingle Peninsula came to prominence when "Ryan's Daughter" was filmed there, revealing pristine beaches, hills and villages. Stop in the town of Dingle to explore a little and enjoy a pub lunch before heading to the westernmost tip. In Ballyferriter visit Louis Mulcahy Pottery for a demonstration of this craft which produces excellent tableware and decorative pieces. Return via Dingle to Killarney mid-afternoon in time to browse around the town on your own before dinner. After dinner you may like to check out some of the other pubs. (B, L, D)

Day 8 - Thu: Adare & Bunratty
Leave Killarney and drive north to the fertile grazing lands of County Limerick. Stop in Adare to view the main street with its picturesque thatched cottages and colorful gardens. Drive through Limerick to the village of Bunratty to check into your hotel. The afternoon is free to explore the Bunratty Folk Park on your own, do some shopping or head to the famous "Durty Nelly's Pub." Live it up for your last night of the trip at "Kathleen's Irish Ceili" which takes place right in your hotel. A hearty dinner is followed by spirited Irish folk entertainment with plenty of song and dance. (B, D)

Day 9 - Fri: Shannon Airport or Dublin
This morning some of you transfer to nearby Shannon Airport to arrive by 9:30 am for return flights to the United States. Passengers who wish to end their tour in Dublin drive through pleasant scenery of the midland region. The tour concludes at Dublin Airport at approximately 4:00 pm or in the city center at 4:30 pm. (B)

What Your Tour Includes

9 days/7 nights/14 meals

• Round trip flights between U.S. & Ireland
• Sightseeing by luxury coach throughout
• Services of a professional driver/guide
• First class hotels with private bath or shower for 7 nights
• 7 full Irish breakfasts (B)
• 6 dinners (D) including
  - 3 table d'hote dinners
  - Dinner & ballads at the Abbey Tavern
  - Dinner & traditional songs at the Spaniard Inn
  - Dinner & entertainment at Kathleen's Irish Ceili
• Pub lunch in Dingle
• Tour and tasting at the Guinness Storehouse
• Whiskey tasting and tour at the Old Jameson Distillery
• Walking tour of Kinsale with a local guide
• Ballad session at Buckley's Pub in Killarney
• Visits and admissions to Dublin Castle, Rock of Cashel, Cobh Heritage Centre, Blarney Castle, Bantry House & Louis Mulcahy Pottery
• Deluxe flight bag, ticket wallet, luggage tags & strap
• All local taxes, hotel service charges & porterage for one suitcase per person

Your Hotels

Stay at the following (or similar):

• Chief O'Neill's Hotel, Dublin (2 nights)
• Trident Hotel, Kinsale (2 nights)
• Arbutus Hotel, Killarney (2 nights)
• Bunratty Castle Hotel, Bunratty (1 night)

Departure Dates & Rates

Early Payment Discount

Inclusive air prices reflect savings of between $85 & $170 per person when airfare is paid at least 90 days prior to departure. Book early and save. For travel from Chicago ask about special airfares with Aer Lingus.

General Conditions for All Tours