Ireland Catholic Pilgrimage 10 days Begin South
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Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Austria
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegowina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Faroer
Finland
France
Germany
Great Britain
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Kosovo
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malta
Moldavia
Monaco
Montenegro
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
San Marino
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Ukraine
Created: 05.06.2013
Day 1 - DEPART USA - We depart our home cities to connect with our overnight flight to the Emerald Isle. We enjoy beverages, in-flight movies, dinner and breakfast aloft. Day 2 - DINGLE PENINSULA & TRALEE - After customs and immigration formalities at Shannon Airport, your driver/guide will welcome you to Ireland and take you to your motorcoach. Drive through Limerick to the picturesque village of Adare, which is famous for its main street of thatched houses. Journey into the mountainous country of Kerry and through Tralee. Continue out along the Dingle Peninsula. The peninsula juts out into the Atlantic to claim Ireland's most westerly point. Here, majestic hills soar green and purple over vast unspoiled valleys, glittering mountain streams tumble down to lakes, hedgerows blaze with fuchsias, and soft, golden beaches stretch for miles. The peninsula is Gaeltacht, an area where the Irish language is preserved. It also has some 2000 sites of prehistoric and early Christian remains. Stop in the thriving, colorful fishing port town of Dingle before returning along the peninsula to the town of Tralee for the night. ? Dinner and overnight in Tralee. Day 3 - RING OF KERRY TOUR & TRALEE - Today travel around the Ring of Kerry, one of Ireland's most popular drives. With its spectacular scenery, unusually mild climate and rapid changes in light and weather, this is a bewitching place of intense beauty. Ireland's highest mountains, the Magillycuddy's Reeks, raise a jagged edge to the sky while at their feet rest three still lakes, studded with little islands, set among forests and lush glens. Drive through the remote villages of Cahirciveen and Derrynane to Sneem, a village of colorful houses grouped around two squares. Continue through Moll's Gap, with its views over the three lakes; stop at Ladies' View for another spectacular view before returning to Tralee for dinner and overnight. Day 4 ? BLARNEY CASTLE & WATERFORD - Leaving Tralee, head south to Killarney where you will have time to browse around the town independently. Set in the shadow of Ireland's highest mountains, the Macgillicuddy's Reeks, it is a place of intense beauty and history. Then drive into the rick dairy farmland of County Cork to Blarney where you can climb to the battlements of fabled 15th century Blarney Castle to kiss the famous "stone of eloquence". Visit the Blarney Woolen Mills where there is an excellent selection of Irish goods before driving along the southern coast of Ireland through Youghal to Waterford. ? Dinner and overnight in Waterford. Day 5 - WATERFORD CRYSTAL & GLENDALOUGH - This morning drive southwest of the city to Kilbarry to visit the Waterford Crystal Factory. See a demonstration of the blowing and cutting of this popular crystal and visit the showrooms where there is a permanent exhibition of glassware. You can see a wide range of tableware and special trophies and will have an opportunity to purchase this famous crystal before traveling north to Glendalough to visit the 6th century monastic settlement with the ruins of seven churches and a round tower. The Visitor Center explains the history of the region and the settlement. Then drive across the Wicklow Mountains and through the suburbs of the metropolitan region to Dublin, Ireland's capital city. Dinner and overnight in Dublin. Day 6 - DUBLIN CITY TOUR - This morning a city sightseeing tour will introduce you to this capital city with its many historic buildings, delightful gardens and lively shopping streets. Visit St. Patrick's Cathedral where author Jonathan Swift was once Dean and then Trinity College where the Book of Kells, an early Christian manuscript of the four gospels, is housed. The afternoon is at leisure so that you can browse shop and sightsee independently. If you enjoy shopping there are a great number of department stores and boutiques. On the north side of the city try O'Connell Street with its tree-lined walk of massive statues, or the pedestrianized Henry Street which leads to the Moore Street Market where modern day "Molly Malones" sell cockles, mussels, fruit and vegetables. The other main shopping hub is around Powerscourt Center, Nassau Street and Grafton Street, Dublin's most fashionable walkway with its gaudy shop signs, department stores, restaurants and cafes. - In the evening you are free to choose from the many restaurants, theaters and pubs that Dublin has to offer as dinner is on your own. Overnight in Dublin. Day 7 ? DUBLIN/DONEGAL - Leaving Dublin this morning we travel from east to west across the country and through heart of Ireland. Visit Strokestown Park House, which dates from the 17th century. This fine mansion shows the lifestyle of the affluent owners and also the conditions of the servants and farmers of the area during the past centuries. The Famine Museum contains displays and description of the Famine of the 1840?s when many Irish emigrated to the United States. We take a short drove to the town of Boyle to visit the ruins of Boyle Abbey, which dates from the 12th century. Drive north via Bundoran and around the shores of Donegal Bay and on into Donegal town. Consisting mainly of three and four-story shops and hotels, with a sprinkling of dignified houses built of the local sandstone. Dinner and overnight in Donegal. Day 8 ? DONEGAL - Tour the countryside of Donegal today. It is a region famous for its scenery and varying colors of the hills. Drive along the heavily indented coast, which is open to the Atlantic Ocean, and pass through some fishing villages including Killybegs. Continue through windswept mountains and open countryside where few people can survive but where sheep graze freely. With so many sheep, Donegal is famous for its tweed and wool production, often dyed in the soft hues, which reflect the colors of the countryside. Dinner and overnight in Donegal. Day 9 - KNOCK SHRINE & GALWAY ? Leaving Donegal this morning drive around the shores of Donegal Bay. Continue through Sligo and stop to visit the grave of the famous writer, W. B. Yeats, at Drumcliffe Churchyard. Continue on to the pilgrimage town of Knock to visit Knock Shrine, one of the world's leading shrines where an apparition of the Virgin Mary appeared to 15 people on August 21, 1879. Journey south through pleasant farming country to Galway, the capital of the west of Ireland. See the principal sights of Galway this afternoon visiting the large modern cathedral set on an island on the River Corrib. See the Spanish Arch in the Claddagh area, formerly a fishing village but now a suburb of the city. Pass Lynch's Castle, one of the finest town houses remaining in Ireland is now a branch of the Allied Irish Bank. In the afternoon spend some time around Eyre Square, the hub of the city, where most of the shops are within easy reach. Or you may choose to stop by one of the many quaint pubs where traditional Irish music is played. - Tonight you will drive south around Galway Bay to Dunguaire Castle, a beautifully restored 15th century castle set on Kinvarra Bay. This imposing castle makes a delightful and intimate setting for a traditional Irish meal followed by entertainment which focuses on Ireland's literary heritage, including songs and extracts from the works of major Irish writers such as J. M. Synge, W. B. Yeats and Sean O'Casey. Dinner and overnight in Galway. Day 10 ? RETURN TO USA - We transfer to the airport for our flight home with unforgettable memories to cherish always.
Day 1 - DEPART USA - We depart our home cities to connect with our overnight flight to the Emerald Isle. We enjoy beverages, in-flight movies, dinner and breakfast aloft. Day 2 - DINGLE PENINSULA & TRALEE - After customs and immigration formalities at Shannon Airport, your driver/guide will welcome you to Ireland and take you to your motorcoach. Drive through Limerick to the picturesque village of Adare, which is famous for its main street of thatched houses. Journey into the mountainous country of Kerry and through Tralee. Continue out along the Dingle Peninsula. The peninsula juts out into the Atlantic to claim Ireland's most westerly point. Here, majestic hills soar green and purple over vast unspoiled valleys, glittering mountain streams tumble down to lakes, hedgerows blaze with fuchsias, and soft, golden beaches stretch for miles. The peninsula is Gaeltacht, an area where the Irish language is preserved. It also has some 2000 sites of prehistoric and early Christian remains. Stop in the thriving, colorful fishing port town of Dingle before returning along the peninsula to the town of Tralee for the night. ? Dinner and overnight in Tralee. Day 3 - RING OF KERRY TOUR & TRALEE - Today travel around the Ring of Kerry, one of Ireland's most popular drives. With its spectacular scenery, unusually mild climate and rapid changes in light and weather, this is a bewitching place of intense beauty. Ireland's highest mountains, the Magillycuddy's Reeks, raise a jagged edge to the sky while at their feet rest three still lakes, studded with little islands, set among forests and lush glens. Drive through the remote villages of Cahirciveen and Derrynane to Sneem, a village of colorful houses grouped around two squares. Continue through Moll's Gap, with its views over the three lakes; stop at Ladies' View for another spectacular view before returning to Tralee for dinner and overnight. Day 4 ? BLARNEY CASTLE & WATERFORD - Leaving Tralee, head south to Killarney where you will have time to browse around the town independently. Set in the shadow of Ireland's highest mountains, the Macgillicuddy's Reeks, it is a place of intense beauty and history. Then drive into the rick dairy farmland of County Cork to Blarney where you can climb to the battlements of fabled 15th century Blarney Castle to kiss the famous "stone of eloquence". Visit the Blarney Woolen Mills where there is an excellent selection of Irish goods before driving along the southern coast of Ireland through Youghal to Waterford. ? Dinner and overnight in Waterford. Day 5 - WATERFORD CRYSTAL & GLENDALOUGH - This morning drive southwest of the city to Kilbarry to visit the Waterford Crystal Factory. See a demonstration of the blowing and cutting of this popular crystal and visit the showrooms where there is a permanent exhibition of glassware. You can see a wide range of tableware and special trophies and will have an opportunity to purchase this famous crystal before traveling north to Glendalough to visit the 6th century monastic settlement with the ruins of seven churches and a round tower. The Visitor Center explains the history of the region and the settlement. Then drive across the Wicklow Mountains and through the suburbs of the metropolitan region to Dublin, Ireland's capital city. Dinner and overnight in Dublin. Day 6 - DUBLIN CITY TOUR - This morning a city sightseeing tour will introduce you to this capital city with its many historic buildings, delightful gardens and lively shopping streets. Visit St. Patrick's Cathedral where author Jonathan Swift was once Dean and then Trinity College where the Book of Kells, an early Christian manuscript of the four gospels, is housed. The afternoon is at leisure so that you can browse shop and sightsee independently. If you enjoy shopping there are a great number of department stores and boutiques. On the north side of the city try O'Connell Street with its tree-lined walk of massive statues, or the pedestrianized Henry Street which leads to the Moore Street Market where modern day "Molly Malones" sell cockles, mussels, fruit and vegetables. The other main shopping hub is around Powerscourt Center, Nassau Street and Grafton Street, Dublin's most fashionable walkway with its gaudy shop signs, department stores, restaurants and cafes. - In the evening you are free to choose from the many restaurants, theaters and pubs that Dublin has to offer as dinner is on your own. Overnight in Dublin. Day 7 ? DUBLIN/DONEGAL - Leaving Dublin this morning we travel from east to west across the country and through heart of Ireland. Visit Strokestown Park House, which dates from the 17th century. This fine mansion shows the lifestyle of the affluent owners and also the conditions of the servants and farmers of the area during the past centuries. The Famine Museum contains displays and description of the Famine of the 1840?s when many Irish emigrated to the United States. We take a short drove to the town of Boyle to visit the ruins of Boyle Abbey, which dates from the 12th century. Drive north via Bundoran and around the shores of Donegal Bay and on into Donegal town. Consisting mainly of three and four-story shops and hotels, with a sprinkling of dignified houses built of the local sandstone. Dinner and overnight in Donegal. Day 8 ? DONEGAL - Tour the countryside of Donegal today. It is a region famous for its scenery and varying colors of the hills. Drive along the heavily indented coast, which is open to the Atlantic Ocean, and pass through some fishing villages including Killybegs. Continue through windswept mountains and open countryside where few people can survive but where sheep graze freely. With so many sheep, Donegal is famous for its tweed and wool production, often dyed in the soft hues, which reflect the colors of the countryside. Dinner and overnight in Donegal. Day 9 - KNOCK SHRINE & GALWAY ? Leaving Donegal this morning drive around the shores of Donegal Bay. Continue through Sligo and stop to visit the grave of the famous writer, W. B. Yeats, at Drumcliffe Churchyard. Continue on to the pilgrimage town of Knock to visit Knock Shrine, one of the world's leading shrines where an apparition of the Virgin Mary appeared to 15 people on August 21, 1879. Journey south through pleasant farming country to Galway, the capital of the west of Ireland. See the principal sights of Galway this afternoon visiting the large modern cathedral set on an island on the River Corrib. See the Spanish Arch in the Claddagh area, formerly a fishing village but now a suburb of the city. Pass Lynch's Castle, one of the finest town houses remaining in Ireland is now a branch of the Allied Irish Bank. In the afternoon spend some time around Eyre Square, the hub of the city, where most of the shops are within easy reach. Or you may choose to stop by one of the many quaint pubs where traditional Irish music is played. - Tonight you will drive south around Galway Bay to Dunguaire Castle, a beautifully restored 15th century castle set on Kinvarra Bay. This imposing castle makes a delightful and intimate setting for a traditional Irish meal followed by entertainment which focuses on Ireland's literary heritage, including songs and extracts from the works of major Irish writers such as J. M. Synge, W. B. Yeats and Sean O'Casey. Dinner and overnight in Galway. Day 10 ? RETURN TO USA - We transfer to the airport for our flight home with unforgettable memories to cherish always.
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