County Cork

Arrive at Shannon Airport and travel through scenic areas of Clare, Limerick, and Cork to Kinsale.

• • • Visit Adare Village, home of iconic thatched roof cottages
    • Arrive at hotel and check in
    • Jet Lag Recovery Day
    • Relax at Spa and explore the parkland outside the hotel

Evening

• • • • 6-7 Happy Hour
      • Welcome Orientation with Hot Buffet Meal and Irish Traditional Music Entertainment

• 1. Partake in the Jameson Experience at the old Jameson distillery in Midleton
  2. Visit Cobh the port of departure for the Titanic and hundreds of thousands of Irish immigrants leaving Ireland for America
  3. Visit Blarney Castle & Gardens and Woolen Mills, 9-4

This is a must do visit to an intriguing medieval fortification built in the 15th century by the Mc Carthy Clan. One of the features that make this place really popular is the well-known Blarney Stone, also known as ‘The Stone of Eloquence’. According to a legend, anyone who kisses this stone is rewarded with eloquence, or “The gift of the gab”.


Located just steps from the famous Blarney castle is Blarney House which dates back to 1874. It is surrounded by an expanse of parkland with rare trees, formal gardens, manicured lawns, rose beds and more. A leisurely walk awaits before we enter the famous Blarney Woolen Mills – home to Ireland’s largest gift shop.

Evening

• • Enjoy Authentic Irish traditional music session in local pub

• • Depart @ 09:00 heading through Rosscarberry, Glandore, Union Hall, and Schull.
  • Explore  the ancient 3,000 year old Bronze Age Drombeg stone circle.
  • Visit the Skibbereen Heritage Centre in the lovely town of Skibbereen

On this tour day we travel through the picturesque coastal villages of Rosscarberry, Glandore & Union Hall. We will stop off to explore the ancient Drombeg Stone Circle. A circle of 17 standing stones known locally as the Druid’s Altar which was built a millennial ago. To the west of the stones is a hut site with a ‘fulacht-fia’ cooking place. This prehistoric kitchen had a flagged trough in which water was boiled by dropping red-hot stones into it. The midpoint of one of the stones at Drombeg was set in line with the winter solstice sunset viewed in a conspicuous notch in the distant hills.

Evening

• • Irish Geneology Talk
  • Enjoy Authentic Irish traditional music session in local pub

• Free Day for guests to design, choose, and do their own activities
• Optional day trip to Cork City

• 7-11 Gala Dinner, Irish Ballad Group, and Dancing

• 1. Visit Clonakilty, the home of Michael Collins, one of Ireland’s most important historical figures.
  2. Travel the Irish Rebellion Trail visiting sites of rebel engagements with the British occupation forces and the Michael Collins ambush site where he was assassinated during the Irish Civil War.
  3. Visit the medieval market town of Macroom, viewing its famous castle arch gate and cannons. Macroom was the site of a major battle c. 987 involving the Irish king Brian Boru.
  4. Visit an offbeat metal toy soldier factory and view the largest Battle of Waterloo toy soldier display in the world.

Evening

• • Happy Hour
  • Enjoy authentic Irish traditional music session in local pub

• • Take an escorted guided walking tour of Kinsale Town.
  • Tour Black’s Craft Beer Brewery and Distillery and sample a selection their craft beers.
  • Take an escorted guided walking tour of Charles Fort, a 17th century classic star shaped fort protecting Kinsale harbor.

A picturesque fishing village, nestled between hills and harbour, encompassing a mix of medieval buildings and a maze of narrow streets, seamlessly incorporating a multitude of historical tourist attractions and gourmet restaurants. Kinsale was crowned the 2014 National Small Tourism Town by Failte Ireland.


After experiencing some of the delight that Kinsale has to offer, we will move on to discover the Old Head of Kinsale. The Old Head is one of Ireland’s most spectacular coastal areas. This large promontory juts out into the Atlantic Ocean, rising hundreds of feet above the water with towering sea cliffs. On this stretch of coastal bliss, it feels like you’ve left the world behind. It’s just you and the ocean.


The trip to Kinsale will be topped off with a visit to Charles Fort. Perhaps the best-known historical attraction in Kinsale, Charles Fort is one of the finest surviving examples of a 17th Century star-shaped fort, and much of the construction begun in 1678 remains. The fort has two enormous bastions overlooking the estuary, and three facing inland. Within its walls were all the barracks and ancillary facilities to support the fort’s garrison. The fort continued in military use until 1922.


Evening

• • Enjoy authentic Irish traditional music session in local pub

• • Travel to Bunratty, County Clare for last night in Ireland
  • Tour Bunratty Castle and Folk Park

Check-in to Shannon Airport hotel for overnight stay and rest before returning home the next day