The Georges & Friends Irish Adventure

Danielle, DJ, Lonny, Angie, CJ, Traci, Nonda & Michelle

Friday 7th February – Monday 17th February 2025

Number of Travellers: 8
Duration: 11 Days / 10 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, and 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 - Friday 7th February - Céad míle fáilte - One Hundred Thousand Welcomes

Arriving in Dublin this morning, a private transfer will meet you at arrivals and take you to your centrally located hotel. 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 the GPO on 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.

Overnight: Dublin | The Westbury Hotel
Room Type: x4 Westbury Kings
Meals Included: None

Day 2 - Saturday 8th February - Little Museums & Claddagh Rings

This morning head to the Little Museum of Dublin for a private tour with the curator, enjoying a brief and entertaining dive into the social history of the city. Enjoy a delicious lunch nearby before making your way to Drury Street where Jill and her skilled team will take you through the process of forging a bespoke piece of jewellery to commemorate your time in Ireland. You’ll make a traditional Irish ring that symbolizes love, loyalty and friendship.  This evening, visit one of the local pubs for some traditional Irish pub food and drinks with the locals.

Overnight: Dublin | The Westbury Hotel
Room Type: x4 Westbury Kings
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 3 - Sunday 9th February - The Irish National Stud & The West Coast of Ireland

After breakfast this morning, your private guide will meet you in the lobby of your hotel and after some short introductions, together you will transfer 1 hour to the Irish National Stud & Gardens, located in the beating heart of Ireland’s thoroughbred country in County Kildare. You will take a tour of the grounds, and the paddocks, meet a thoroughbred, and enjoy the famous Japanese Gardens with your guide. This evening, check into Ballynahinch Castle Hotel, once owned by an Indian Raj, this traditional hunting lodge has seen presidents and dignitaries grace its halls and rooms for generations. Today, surrounded by thousands of acres of estate land and forests, Ballynahinch boasts fine dining, a traditional pub, on-site fly fishing and a remote escape in the wilds of Connemara.

Overnight: Connemmara | Ballynahinch Castle Hotel
Room Type: x4 Luxury Rooms
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 4 - Monday 10th February - Inis Oirr Adventure

Connemara is home to the largest Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking population) in Ireland, where an estimated 70% of the population speaks Irish as their first language on a daily basis. Oozing with culture and tradition, Connemara and the islands have a lot to offer. This morning you will meet a local man and gaeilgeoir (Irish speaker) Padraic, to take a flight to Inis Oirr, the smallest of the three Aran Islands. Enjoy the commanding views of the islands, Galway Bay, and the Connemara coastline before stepping into the wilderness. You’ll visit the island Arts Centre where you will get a glimpse of the island’s history, culture, heritage, and traditions and do a craft workshop with Máirtín, a local islander and expert craftsman. A feast of local seafood will be served for lunch, including Aran Lobster, before you embark on a tour of the island visiting the Shipwreck, Underground Church, and the 15th century O Brien’s Castle perched on the highest point of the island. On your return to the mainland, your guide will take you back to your hotel to freshen up in time for dinner.

Overnight: Connemmara | Ballynahinch Castle Hotel
Room Type: x4 Luxury Rooms
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 5 - Tuesday 11th February - Traditional Baking Experience

Leaving the wild and rugged Connemara behind this morning, head further south towards County Clare, home to the famed Cliffs of Moher and the lunar landscape of the Burren. Your first stop is Galway City, a charming Medieval-era city with a thriving arts and food scene. A local expert will join you in the city for a historical walking tour. Your next stop today is at a traditional farm where you will meet Evelyn and try your hand at making some traditional Irish scones. Continue to Gregan’s Castle, a former retreat for poets and authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. You’ll be back in time for a cool pint of Guinness by the fire before dinner with your leisure at its award-winning restaurant.

Overnight: Ballyvaughan | Gregans Castle
Room Type: x4 Junior Suites
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 6 - Wednesday 12th February - The Burren National Park

As you enter the Burren landscape, you’ll quickly notice its otherworldly attributes. With endless lines of karst limestone rock dominating fields and covering hillsides, the area is said to have been an inspiration for JRR Tolkien’s world-famous Lord of the Rings trilogy. Visit a beef farm in the Burren and learn a little about the traditional farming methods that help shape and conserve this unique landscape. Explore the original farmhouse and see how the Irish people used to live, survey the pre-famine settlement where inhabitants lived on rockier ground and visit an ancient ring fort designed for defensive purposes enabling the Chieftain to guard his sheep.

Overnight: Ballyvaughan | Gregans Castle
Room Type: x4 Junior Suites
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 7 - Thursday 13th February - The Cliffs of Moher & Buren Flyover & Walking Tour

Today hop in a Helicopter that will pick you up right on your doorstep and you’ll take to the sky for a tour of two of the most internationally famous regions in Ireland. The Burren is a landscape of bedrock, incorporating a vast cracked pavement of glacial-era limestone, with cliffs and caves, fossils, rock formations, and archaeological sites. The Cliffs are 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, a rare example of a sedimentary basin and one of Ireland’s most visited tourist attractions, but you’ll get to see them from the sky! You’ll stop midway for a fish’n’chips lunch in Doolin before flying back to your hotel for a relaxing evening.

Overnight: Ballyvaughan | Gregans Castle
Room Type: x4 Junior Suites
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 8 - Friday 14th February - Adare Manor

Moving further south this morning to your last stop on your journey through Ireland, spend the day enjoying your surroundings at Adare Manor partaking in some of the onsite leisure activities this luxurious hotel resort offers. We spend the afternoon getting up close and personal with some of the resident birds of prey at Adare, and you are introduced to a selection of raptors by their expert handlers. Owls, Falcons, Buzzard’s, Eagles and Hawks, your private falconry experience will be one to remember. Following your time with the birds, settle into the beautifully appointed carriage for a meandering exploration of some of the 840 acres of pristine parkland. Your tour takes in some sweeping views of the lush countryside, memorable points of interest and fascinating and engaging tales of Adare’s long history. The rest of the day is yours to indulge in some relaxation at the spa, perhaps go for a swim, take afternoon tea like the lords and ladies or indulge in an afternoon cocktail.

Overnight: Adare | Adare Manor Hotel
Room Type: x4 Deluxe Kings
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 9 - Saturday 15th February - Killarney National Park

In the southwest of County Kerry is an expanse of rugged, mountainous country that sweeps down to the world-famous Lakes of Killarney. Here, stretching across 10,000 hectares, lies Killarney National Park, with its unforgettable combination of mountains, lakes, woodland and waterfalls. Take a tour of the famed Killarney Lakes with Dux, your Kerryman skipper who has been sailing these lakes since he was a child with his family. Alighting back on solid land, 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: Adare | Adare Manor Hotel
Room Type: x4 Deluxe Kings
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 10 - Sunday 16th February - Return to Ireland's Fair City

Leaving Kerry and the Wild Atlantic coastline behind you this morning we make our way back to Dublin. En route, we visit Birr Castle, Gardens and Science Centre. Owned by one family for over 400 years, the Parsons have created an environmental and scientific time capsule. See the world’s largest telescope from the 1840s, the first ever invented steam engine, their award-winning gardens, and discover astronomical instruments, cameras, photographs, and photographic equipment used by the Third and Fourth Earls and Mary, Countess of Rosse, in the middle and late 1800s.  After lunch here your guide will leave you at your hotel to enjoy a final night in Ireland’s Fair City.

Overnight: Dublin | The Westbury Hotel
Room Type: x4 Westbury Kings
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 11 - Monday 17th February - Depart

This morning, a private transfer will meet you in the lobby of your hotel and take to to Dublin Airport for your flight home. We hope your time in Ireland has been memorable and we look forward to welcoming you to our shores once again.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Trip Details

Inclusions Read More
  • All accommodation from Day 1 to Day 11
  • Most meals as indicated above
  • Services of an experienced and knowledgeable qualified guide from Day 3 to Day 10
  • Ground transportation from Day 3 to Day 10
  • All guided hikes and activities mentioned in the itinerary, specifically;
  • Private arrival and departure transfers
  • Private walking tour of Dublin City
  • Private Little Museum Tour
  • Private Claddagh Jewellery making class
  • Private experience at the Irish National Stud
  • Private experience on Inis Oirr (includes flight tickets)
  • Private traditional baking experience
  • Private farm tour and bespoke lunch
  • Private helicopter flyover tour of the Burren & Cliffs of Moher (8 seater helicopter)
  • Falconry at Adare Manor
  • Horse & Carriage tour at Adare Manor
  • Private traditional boat tour in Killarney National Park
  • Entry to Muckross House (public – guide led)
  • Entry to Birr Castle (public – guide led)
  • Personalised trip design and delivery
  • Snacks throughout the trip
  • 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
Notes Read More
  • All suggested accommodations and services are subject to availability at the time of booking
  • A 20% deposit is required before any accommodation and services will be confirmed
  • This quote is valid for 14 days from the date quoted, after this time pricing may be subject to revision
Pricing Read More

The price of this trip is10,545 per person and is based on availability at the time of booking.