Mystical
Ireland
Itinerary (10 days)
Tour
is completed - contact us to customize this trip
for you.
Day
1 Evening departure from LAX
nonstop to Dublin. Dinner & breakfast are served
aboard your wide-bodied jet bound for the Emerald Isle.
Day
2 Morning
arrival at Dublin where our coach driver will escort
us to our luxury hotel for check in. With our guide
we will then visit Trinity College home to the legendary
Celtic, Book of Kells. The on to St. Patrick's Cathedral,
founded in 1190, the site where St. Patrick baptized
in the fifth century. This evening we will enjoy a welcome
reception followed by dinner at Foley's restaurant,
known for its live Irish music. {D}
Day
3 After a hearty Irish breakfast we
travel north to Boyne Valley. Here 5000 years of history
are encapsulated in the megalithic graves at Newgrange
and Knowth, likened to an underground Stonehenge it
was built using sacred geometry. Here we pause to take
time to meditate and experience its ancient energies.
Then
on to Lough Crew known as "Women's Mountain"
considered to be a place of power where Spiritual Pilgrimages
take place. Next we will visit the Hill of Tara and
Monasterboice, which dates from the 5th century and
walk among the mystical Celtic high crosses. Return
to Dublin for your overnight stay. {B}
Day
4 As
we drive south we wind through the soaring mountains
deep into the wild valley to Glendalough, a monastic
settlement, founded
by St Kevin in the 6th Century. Legend has it that the
Holy Grail was once housed here. Then a visit to St.
Kevin's Monastery, the largest in Europe for over a
thousand years. Here lies a haunting forest of Celtic
crosses, in many shapes and sizes. Time to meditate
and connect with its healing energies. We will then
journey south back to Dublin through the vale of Avoca.
Afternoon is at leisure. {B}
Day
5 Leaving Dublin we drive south through
lush farmlands and old market towns to Kilkenny where
we visit Kilkenny Castle home to the Celtic Crusader
Strongbow. We
then continue south to the village ofBlarney where you'll
have the opportunity to kiss the famous stone and get
the gift of the gab! We will climb the spiral staircases,
see the druidic circle of stones, explore the witches
stove, and enter Blarney
Castle's dungeon. Overnight in Killarney. {B,D}
Day
6 After
breakfast, we depart on one of Irelands most beautiful
drives, the Ring of Kerry, considered by many to be
the mystical heart of Ireland. Here myths and legends
on healing date back for thousands of years. From Killarney
we drive along the broad Iveragh peninsula, through
picturest towns and by wind-swept cliffs, still lakes,
lost valleys and rocky mountains. Then back to Killarney
to enjoy this lively town with its many charming restaurants,
pubs and shops. {B}
Day
7 Today
we depart Killarney out along the Dingle Peninsula
winding along portions of the shoreline and through
hilly country enjoying awesome views of the mountains
and coast. We will see the Inveragh peninsula to the
south and drive past harbors and wide stretches of sandy
beach to the tip of the peninsula where vistas of the
Blasket Islands and Dingle Bay delight the eyes. Then
on to Gallarus Oratory, one of the most perfect relics
of early Irish Christianity dating back to the 6th Century.
Overnight in Killarney. {B}
Day
8 Leaving
Killarney we travel to Tarbert where you will take the
ferry across the wide mouth of the River Shannon. Then
onto the Cliffs of Moher, where breathtaking cliffs
rise to a height of over 700 feet above the wild Atlantic
waves. Driving south we make our way past the limestone
hills of the Burren countryside, along the shores to
the charming City of Galway. We will stop at the medieval
"Church of St. Nicholas", where Christopher
Columbus was said to have worshiped. Then on to the
Claddagh, where the ancient Irish ring was developed.
This evening we are on our own to enjoy this beautiful
cultural city. Overnight at a magnificent hotel just
outside of town. {B}
Day
9 After
breakfast we set off for the Aran Islands by ferry.
Located at the western end of Galway Bay, the three
islands of Aran raise their mighty backs to the mighty
Atlantic. The sheer cliffs rise as much as 300 feet
from the sea surface. We will then visit Inis Mor's
where the ancient druid stone circle of Dun Aonghus
is perched on the summit of a hill that rises from the
ocean. Then
back to our hotel where we will celebrate the ending
of our journey with a farewell reception and dinner.
{B,D}
Day
10 After
breakfast, we bid farewell to the Emerald Isle as we
board our coach for transfer to Shannon Airport and
our flight back home.
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