V.2 Wendy Perrin- Morgenthal Cultural Ireland

Leslie & Richard Morgenthal

Monday 14th April – Monday 21st April 2025

Number of Travellers: 2
Duration: 8 Days / 7 Nights

Overview

Picturesque coastal towns and villages, green pastoral fields, soaring cliffs, wild barren landscapes, the crash of the ocean, the laugh of a local. Ireland is romantic, authentic, a home away from home where both old and modern seem to cohabit seamlessly on a small island in the middle of the sea. Packed with history and tradition your days are spent exploring the island of Ireland’s famous and off-the-beaten-track sites of natural, cultural and political interest. A world-renowned food scene means your evenings are spent dining in style and with the promise of a pub just around the corner, music and laughter are never far away. Your trip to Ireland will surprise and delight you but the people of Ireland will stay with you, long after your journey has taken you home.

Day by Day

Day 1 - Monday 14th April - Beara Peninsula with Rock Art

With your first week in Ireland completed and your Art Tour coming to an end in Liss Ard Estate, your private Wilderness Ireland guide will be delighted to meet you there bright and early so we can take advantage of the full day.

We start by making our way to the Beara Peninsula and meeting a local archaeologist Aoibheann who spends her time finding, researching and documenting neolithic and megalithic rock art of which there are significant concentrations in Kerry. Exploring this remote peninsula, your guide introduces us to this enigmatic and little-known ‘first cousin’ to passage tomb art. We discuss how to recognise rock art, the landscapes in which it is found and the current thinking on its meaning and purpose.

This evening your guide will take you to dinner where you can toast your week ahead.

 

*Drive distance from Liss Ard to Sheen Falls is 1 hour 30 minutes. Your experience along the way is in The Beara Peninsula. expect to be out and about exploring with your guide for the day. 

Overnight: Sheen Falls Lodge
Room Type: Superior Deluxe Room
Meals Included: Lunch and Dinner

Day 2 - Tuesday 15th April - Killarney National Park

Killarney National Park is the most famous of Ireland’s national parks – and with good reason, as it is flourishing with breathtaking mountains, lakes and waterfalls. Historic manor houses and abbeys make for an interesting visit, but Killarney is best explored via a private boat trip across the lake with a boatman whose furry friends join him daily.

Join Dux on a calm boat tour across the lakes of Killarney surrounded by the mountains on all sides.

Before leaving Killarney we suggest you step back into the past on Muckross Traditional Farms and visit a very different Ireland – the Ireland of the 1930s and 1940s. Then, a trip to the well was still a daily chore for the housewife and electricity had yet to be introduced to the countryside.

*Drive distance from Sheen Falls to Killarney National Park is 45 minutes each way, traffic dependent. 

 

Overnight: Sheen Falls Lodge
Room Type: Superior Deluxe Room
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 3 - Wednesday 16th April - Explore The Ring of Kerry

Today you will travel to the southern shores of the Iveragh peninsula, also known as The Ring of Kerry, where you will meet one of our favourite characters. A fisherman, foraging expert, storyteller and a true Irish gent, John, will take you on a wander along the shoreline learning about life on Ireland’s west coast all the while regaling you with tales of characters from the region, from lonely monks to 18th century civil rights activists to mythical heroes.

Take some time today to tour The Ring of Kerry stopping at picturesque bays and harbours and points of interest along the way before returning to your hotel in Kerry this evening.

* Drive Distance from Sheen Falls to Derrynane Beach is 1 hour each way. 

Overnight: Sheen Falls Lodge
Room Type: Superior Deluxe Room
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 4 - Thursday 17th April - Cliffs of Moher

We leave behind the mountains of Kerry this morning and make our way farther north, across the mouth of the river Shannon, and into Co Clare, home to the Burren region of Ireland.

Use the quiet of the afternoon to visit Ireland’s famed Cliffs of Moher, part of the UNESCO Global Geopark, a special region with outstanding geology. Visually stunning, the Cliffs Stand 702ft at their highest point and stretch for 5 miles along the Atlantic coast. Take in the views, stop into the visitors centre, and most of all, take a family selfie for those at home.
Check into your small boutique hotel this evening in a secluded part of the countryside with an award-winning tasting menu.

*Drive time from Sheen Falls to Cliffs of Moher is 3 hours by road, and a half hour less by car ferry. 

Overnight: Ballyvaughan | Gregans Castle
Room Type: Superior
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 5 - Friday 18th April - 4 x 4 on the Aran Island

It’s hard to resist the allure of one of the many islands that dot the Irish coastline and today you will take to the water and ferry to The Aran Islands. The history of these islands goes back millennia and today Gaelic is still the daily spoken language of the inhabitants.

The Aran islands seem to defy their size by all they have to offer: breathtaking scenery, medieval castles, cliffs and prehistoric forts are all to be found on this little group of islands. Inis Mór, the largest of the three islands, is your destination today where you will meet two brothers who offer a unique off-road adventure of the islands.

*Drive time to Doolin Pier to get the ferry is half an hour each way. 

Overnight: Ballyvaughan | Gregans Castle
Room Type: Superior
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 6 - Saturday 19th April - Explore Galway's History

You continue your exploration from Clare to Connemara, once described as “a savage beauty” by author Oscar Wilde.
En route, we take the opportunity to stop in Galway City, a charming Medieval-era city with a thriving arts and culture scene. Poets, musicians, actors and playwrights have long held Galway as an inspiration mecca but Galway holds a turbulent history, one of clan sieges and tribe wars.

Take a deep dive into Galway’s past with a local historian who’s knowledge of her streets is second to none.
After, we visit one of Ireland’s most picturesque gardens on a magical journey into the heart of Celtic heritage and mythology.  Set within 11 acres of native woodland & wildflower meadows, enjoy the sun trail, an ancient ring fort (fairy fort), thatched roundhouse and crannóg, and the largest sundial in Ireland.

Your hotel this evening is a favourite of ours, buried in the heart of Connemara, surrounded by the Twelve Bens Mountain range with a history as colourful and expansive as the grounds she sits on.

*Drive time Gregans Castle to Galway City is one hour. From Galway, the drive time out to your hotel is one hour 30 minutes. 

 

Overnight: Connemmara | Ballynahinch Castle Hotel
Room Type: Luxury
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 7 - Sunday 20th April - Connemara National Park

Today we explore Connemara National Park with our guide. We have options to drive through the windswept Twelve Bens Mountain Range to Killary, Ireland’s only fjord where we can walk an abandoned famine route along the southern shoreline of the fjord.

If a more challenging climb is on the cards, we recommend Diamond Hill, with its commanding views of the valley below. There is Dog’s Beach and the Coral Strand, or perhaps a trip out to Innishbofin Islands. Plenty to choose from and your guide will ensure you have a wonderful day.

End your day with a visit to Kylemore Abbey, a haven of history, beauty, and serenity and home to a Benedictine order of Nuns for the past 100 years or transfer you back to Ballynahinch Castle where you will have some free time to enjoy the estate this afternoon on a guided estate walk and boat experience.

Dinner this evening will be a birthday celebration in the award-winning Owenmore Restaurant or if preferred, we can head into the local village Clifden we are sure to find some live music.

*Drive time today depends on how far your explore with your guide but there are no long distances just a day spent exploring 

Overnight: Connemmara | Ballynahinch Castle Hotel
Room Type: Luxury
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 8 - Monday 21st April - Depart Shannon

This morning, either your guide or a private transfer will take you to Shannon Airport for your afternoon flights to Boston.
We truly hope that your time exploring Ireland with us has been memorable and we welcome the opportunity to once again, come explore the Emerald Isle.

*Drive time from Ballynahinch Castle to Shannon Airport is about 2 hours and 20 minutes depending on traffic. 

Meals Included: Breakfast

Trip Details

Inclusions Read More
  • All accommodation from Day 1 to Day 8
  • Breakfast and lunch daily, plus two evening meals
  • Services of an expert guide/ driver throughout
  • Private vehicle throughout
  • Airport transfer either driver or local company on day 8 to Shannon Airport
  • All guided experiences and activities mentioned in the itinerary
    – Rock Art Experience with archaeologist
    – Private Killarney Boat Experience
    – Private foraging experience
    – Visit Cliffs of Moher
    – Ferry Aran Islands
    – 4 x 4 Off Road Guided Experience Aran Islands
    – Private Galway Walking Tour
    – Kylemore Abbey or Ballynahinch Estate Tour
  • Personalised trip design and delivery
  • 24 hour in-country support from the Wilderness Team
Exclusions Read More
  • Flights
  • Travel insurance
  • Meals not mentioned in the inclusions
  • Activities and entrance fees not mentioned in the inclusions
  • Gratuities for the main driver guide
Optional Upgrades Read More

Room upgrades are available in all hotels

Pricing Read More

The per-person price of this trip is11,430,  based on availability at the time of booking.

A €12 pp Wilderness Conservation and Community Fund donation is included. Please let your trip designer know if you wish to opt-out.

Terms & Conditions Read More

Please see our booking terms here.

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