Jeffrey & Donnie Fellows- Ireland Adventure

Day 1 - Sunday 9^th March - Welcome to Dublin- Airport transfer and free day

Arriving in Ireland today, we shall arrange an airport pick-up to take you directly to your city centre hotel.  The drive into the city should take about 20/25 minutes.

Your hotel check-in may not be available till later today, and we recommend you secure your bags, freshen up, grab a bite to eat and head out to start exploring the city.

The rest of today is open to explore more and Dublin is best explored on foot or using public transport such as the LUAS, our light rail system. Many of Dublin’s highlights are within walking distance and indeed you will discover it is in the act of wandering from one to another where you will soak up Dublin’s authentic atmosphere.

Overnight: Dublin 2 | The Alex Hotel
Room Type: Classic King
Meals Included: None

Day 2 - Monday 10^th March - Morning walking tour- free afternoon

There is no better introduction to Dublin than a walking tour with a local private guide through this vibrant capital city, with its mix of 1,000 years of architecture from the mediaeval to Georgian to modern. See the Georgian-style Merrion Square, lush St. Stephen’s Green and Fitzwilliam Square, as well as O’Connell Street, the site of the ‘1916 Uprising’ that led to Ireland’s independence in 1922.
Your guide is also a historian who will bring the city to life with colourful tales of life in the city in times gone by.

Enjoy a local pub lunch and spend the rest of your afternoon taking in some of Dublin’s sights. We have plenty of recommendations to make.

Overnight: Dublin 2 | The Alex Hotel
Room Type: Classic King
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 3 - Tuesday 11^th March - Dublin to Galway - Clonmacnoise

Leaving the city behind you today, your guide will meet you in the hotel lobby and together we journey cross country, to the county of Galway, home to Connemara National Park along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way.
En route, we recommend a stop at the ancient monastic site of Clonmacnoise. St Ciarán founded his monastery on the banks of the River Shannon in the 6th Century. The monastery flourished and became a great seat of learning, a University of its time with students from all over Europe. Today the ruins include a Cathedral, two round towers, three high crosses, nine Churches and over 700 Early Christian grave slabs.

This afternoon. we explore the lively Galway with its artsy bohemian charms and Spanish Armada connections. Grab a takeaway coffee as you browse the shops and galleries, stopping to watch some street performers and finding a cosy nook for a pint or two.

This evening your guide will take you to a local spot for dinner and and some live local Trad. music.

Overnight: Galway | Hyde Hotel
Room Type: Superior King
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 4 - Wednesday 12^th March - Connemara National Park with Sheep Dog Demo

We take a drive through the windswept Twelve Bens Mountain Range to Killary, Ireland’s only fjord where we visit a local sheep farm for a private sheepdog demo in this wild and remote landscape. watch the magnificent and intelligent collies work the sheep from mountainside to pen with only the calls and commands of its owner to follow.
Enjoy some tea and cake with Tom the farmer and chat about rural life in Ireland. Later this afternoon, we walk an abandoned famine route along the southern shoreline of the fjord and your guide helps you understand the life of locals during this time, why emigration was the only option to survival and just how cut off communities were.

Overnight: Galway | Hyde Hotel
Room Type: Superior King
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 5 - Thursday 13^th March - Hike The Cliffs of Moher

Today we leave Galway and start to make our way farther south. We enter Clare, home to The Burren National Park, an other-worldly lunar landscape full of caves, fossils, flowers and evidence of early human life.
One of The Burren’s most famous features is The Cliffs of Moher, standing over 800 feet tall, the cliffs are home to a myriad of seabirds and a hive of activity. The perfect spot for a coastal hike with your guide.

Check into your boutique hotel this evening in the lively little village of Doolin. There are some fantastic restaurant and pubs here, full of local charm.

Overnight: Doolin | Doolin Inn
Room Type: Deluxe Double
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 6 - Friday 14^th March - 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 tour of the islands.

Overnight: Doolin | Doolin Inn
Room Type: Deluxe Double
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 7 - Saturday 15^th March - Killarney National Park

Crossing the River Shannon by car ferry, we enter ‘The kingdom of Kerry’ and to Killarney National Park, 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 who’s furry friends join him daily. Join Dux on a calm boat tour across the lakes of Killarney surrounded by the mountains on all sides.
If time allows this afternoon, 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.

Overnight: Killarney | Cahernane House Hotel
Room Type: Superior Double, Manor House
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 8 - Sunday 16^th March - Carruntouhill

Carrauntoohil is Ireland’s highest peak and the jewel in the crown of our high points hiking tour. At 1,040m, its jagged summit presents an enticing challenge for today*. There are many paths to the summit: the cliff-sides of O’Shea’s Gully or the aptly named Devil’s Ladder are just two options. As we hike, we’ll take time to admire the wildflowers, spot raptors soaring on the mountain thermals, and keep a lookout for Irish mountain hares. This evening, be sure to check out some of the lively pubs and a live traditional Irish music session in Killarney town.

Overnight: Killarney | Cahernane House Hotel
Room Type: Superior Double, Manor House
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 9 - Monday 17^th March - Skellig Michael

Ireland’s most famous islands, the Skelligs are two jagged rock pinnacles rising above battering Atlantic waves. It was on the UNESCO site Skellig Michael that the monks of yesteryears once lived and prayed in stone beehive huts which still cling to the island’s rocky slopes. Today, we’ll follow in the footsteps of these 7th-century Irish monks to their dramatic island retreat. The small Skellig is equally renowned as a home to 27,000 pairs of gannets, the second-largest colony in the world. The islands have famously been used as a filming location for the 2015 and 2017 Star Wars movies.

Overnight: Killarney | Cahernane House Hotel
Room Type: Superior Double, Manor House
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 10 - Tuesday 18^th March - Buffolo Farm and Cheese Feast

Tracking to the east, we pay a special visit to a working dairy farm for an immersive tour and cheese tasting. Meet the herd, chat all things agriculture with John the local farmer, and finish with a spectacular tasting session of some fine Irish cheese, made right there on the farm.
Back on the road, our destination is Kinsale. Historically a medieval fishing port, its spectacular waterfront setting and candy-coloured houses, shops and restaurants, make it a glorious blend of old and the new.

Overnight: Kinsale | Perryville House
Room Type: Deluxe King
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 11 - Wednesday 19^th March - Explore Colourful Kinsale

A foodie haven and the end of the Wild Atlantic Way, Kinsale is a bolthole for Ireland’s most culinary-minded, and its pretty harbour with mystical sea views is an idyllic place for an adventure. Follow a jaw-dropping coastal route through southwest Ireland as you learn of pirate invasions, famine, and conflict. A visit to 17th-century star-shaped Charles Fort or a sunset stroll along a waterside walkway is a perfect end to your day’s touring.

Overnight: Kinsale | Perryville House
Room Type: Deluxe King
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 12 - Thursday 20^th March - Cork to Dublin - Kilkenny Castle

We say goodbye to Cork as we return to Dublin for your final night in Ireland.
Ther is time for some more exploration on the way and we recommend a stop in the medieval town of Kilkenny, certainly one of our best-kept secrets. An artsy, colourful town, Kilkenny is home to local artists such as ceramics and other hand-made crafts found in the craft village. Probably the most impressive sight in town is Kilkenny Castle. One of the most fascinating castles in Ireland, learn about the massive restoration process behind the castle, following clues back through the years to restore the castle to its former glory. As the hometown of Smithwick’s beer, you’ll certainly have to enjoy some of the local brews.

Overnight: Dublin | The Davenport Hotel
Room Type: Classic King
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 13 - Friday 21^st March - Depart Dublin

A private airport transfer will take you from your city centre hotel to Dublin airport. Waving farewell for now we hope you are taking with you special memories and wonderful stories of your explorations.

Meals Included: Breakfast