Celebrating 70 Years
Of Great Vacations

ESCORTED COACH TOURS - IRELAND

From $1,383
(Including Land & Air)

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

• Doyle's Irish Cabaret & Dinner
• Giant's Causeway & Old Bushmills Distillery
• Kathleen's Irish Ceili & Dinner
• Nine Glens of Antrim & Achill Island
• St. Patrick's Burial Place
• Ulster American Folk Park
• Westport & Bunratty

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

"Mystical Ireland was our third trip to Ireland with CIE Tours. We had been to Blarney and Killarney and wanted to see the Giant's Causeway and the Nine Glens of Antrim. This itinerary was just what we wanted. We encountered great friendly people and the scenery is delightful."
~ Janette & Peter F., Indianapolis IN

Day 1 - Tue: Depart U.S. for Dublin
Board your overnight flight to Dublin. Sit back and enjoy the inflight service with dinner and continental breakfast.

Day 2 - Wed: Dublin Arrival & Cabaret
Land at Dublin Airport in the morning. After an immigration check and baggage claim, go to the CIE Tours desk in the Arrivals Hall. CIE Tours personnel will arrange a transfer to your hotel between 7:00 am and 12:00 noon. If your flight arrives later you will need to transfer to the hotel at your own expense. Relax for the afternoon or explore some of Dublin's sights on your own. Share a welcome drink with your fellow travelers. This evening dine at the world-famous Doyle's Cabaret and enjoy the lively program of dance, music and storytelling which takes place in your hotel. (D)

Day 3 - Thu: Exploring Dublin
This morning join your group for an overview of Dublin. See Georgian townhouses, bustling shopping streets, parks and public buildings as you drive around the city center. Visit the State Apartments at Dublin Castle to learn about their use for political functions and see the rich furnishings and portraits. Tour Kilmainham Gaol to find out about prison life from 1796 to 1924 and learn about the political leaders of the 1916 Rising. The rest of the day is free for independent activities — shopping, museums or tracing ancestors by day and theater, pubbing or dining in the evening. (B)

Day 4 - Fri: Mourne Mountains & Downpatrick
Drive north via Drogheda and Newry and follow the coastline to view gentle green slopes of the Mourne Mountains along the way. Stop in Downpatrick to visit the newly opened Saint Patrick Centre to learn about Ireland's Patron Saint. See his reputed burial place, marked by a granite boulder at Downpatrick Cathedral. Travel around the shores of Strangford Lough to visit Mount Stewart House and Gardens. This property, home to Lord Castlereagh during Napoleonic times, contains portraits and furnishings while the elaborate gardens were developed a century ago. Check into your hotel in Holywood. (B, D)

Day 5 - Sat: Giant's Causeway & Bushmills
Take a drive through Belfast, rich in Victorian and Edwardian architecture, to see major points of interest including Stormont House and City Hall in Donegall Square. Journey along the spectacular drive of the "Nine Glens of Antrim" with mountains on one side and coastline on the other. Walk through the Giant's Causeway, a mass of 40,000 hexagonal basalt columns formed over 60 million years ago. Legends about giants abound, especially Finn McCool, a hardy Ulster hero. Tour Old Bushmills Distillery, the world's oldest which was first licensed in 1608. After a demonstration and a tasting, continue along the coast to Derry. (B, D)

Day 6 - Sun: Derry & Ulster American Folk Park
A guided walking tour around central Derry will include the Guildhall, St. Columb's Cathedral, the Diamond and 16th century city walls. Travel past the scenic Sperrin Mountains to visit the Ulster American Folk Park, located outside Omagh. The Park centers on the boyhood cottage home of the industrialist, Thomas Mellon, who emigrated to Pittsburgh in 1818. Trace the story of emigration which began in the 1720s with Ulster settlers who headed for the Appalachians in Colonial times. The Park recreates the emigrant experience traveling from the "old world" by ship to emerge in the "new world." Return to Derry in good time for dinner. (B, D)

Day 7 - Mon: Belleek Pottery & Foxford
Travel into the visually stunning scenery of the Blue Stack Mountains and through Donegal town to visit the Belleek Pottery Factory, founded in 1849. Tour the factory to see craftspeople fashion and decorate clay into delicate ornaments. Drive by Donegal Bay and through Sligo, known as "Yeats' Country." Stop to visit Tobernault Holy Well and Mass Rock, a site developed in Penal Times. Continue to Foxford Woollen Mills to see how this industry helped local people. See historical displays and modern production of quality fabrics and blankets. Continue to Westport where your newly renovated hotel is located in the central square. (B, D)

Day 8 - Tue: Achill Island Tour
This morning travel around Clew Bay, reputed to have 365 islands. Drive via Newport and across the Curraun Peninsula to reach Achill Island, joined to the mainland by a bridge. Follow the Atlantic Drive to capture wonderful and wild scenic views of steeply sloped mountains plunging into the shimmering Atlantic Ocean. Also see stretches of windswept bogland and golden beaches. Return to Westport where you may spend the afternoon relaxing in your hotel or exploring the attractive town. Westport was laid out in 1780 and today still boasts many Georgian houses and a fine tree-lined mall. (B, D)

Day 9 - Wed: Galway & Cliffs of Moher
Travel past the pilgrimage mountain of Croagh Patrick and through Connemara, a region of softly rounded hills where sheep thrive and locals harvest peat. Visit the Connemara Celtic Crystal Factory in Moycullen to see intricately-cut and decorated masterpieces. See the main sights of Galway, including Eyre Square and the modern cathedral and stop for a look around. Then drive through the Burren Country, an area of limestone hills where rare flowers thrive in sheltered crevices. At the coast see the Cliffs of Moher, a five-mile wall of rock that plunges into the turbulent Atlantic swells. Continue to Bunratty where Kathleen's Irish Ceili is sure to make your last evening of the tour memorable. (B, D)

Day 10 - Thu: Return to the United States
Enjoy a good Irish breakfast before transferring to nearby Shannon Airport. Check in with plenty of time and then do some last minute shopping at the duty-free stores or have a final glass of draught Guinness. (B)

What Your Tour Includes

10 days/8 nights/15 meals

• Round trip flights between U.S. & Ireland
• Sightseeing by luxury coach throughout
• Services of a professional Irish tour director
• Superior and first class hotels with private bath/shower for 8 nights
• 8 full Irish breakfasts (B)
• 7 dinners (D) including
  - Doyle's Irish Cabaret and dinner in Dublin
  - Kathleen's Irish Ceili - 5 table d'hote dinners
• Welcome get-together drink
• Whiskey tasting and tour of Old Bushmills Distillery
• Walking tour of Derry
• Visits and admissions to Dublin Castle, Kilmainham Gaol, Saint Patrick Centre & Downpatrick Cathedral, Mount Stewart House & Gardens, Giant's Causeway, Ulster American Folk Park, Belleek Pottery Factory, Tobernault Holy Well and Mass Rock, Foxford Woollen Mills, Connemara Celtic Crystal Factory and Cliffs of Moher
• 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):

• Burlington Hotel, Dublin (2 nights)
• Culloden Hotel, Holywood (1 night)
• Everglades Hotel, Derry (2 nights)
• Central Hotel, Westport (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