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    [0] => Array
        (
            [name] => Ireland
            [category] => Array
                (
                    [name] => Country
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                (
                    [name] => Europe
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The Rock of Cashel, Ireland © Patryk Kosmider

Trinity College Dublin © Giammarco Boscaro, via Unsplash

'Jeanie Johnston', Dublin © Jordan Harrison

Celtic crosses, Kilfenora Medieval Cathedral, Ireland © tolobalaguer.com

Aerial view of Dun Aonghasa or Dun Aengus , the largest prehistoric stone fort of the Aran Islands © MNStudio via shutterstock

Dingle peninsula, Ireland © Eli Bolyarska

The ruins of Clonmacnoise monastery © Mateusz Zakrzewski via shutterstock

Ireland: History & Heritage - High crosses and wild places, emigrant stories and epic history

Overview Practicalities

Section:

Tour highlights

From Dublin to Belfast, all the great touchstones of Irish culture and history.
Saints and scholars – from the Book of Kells to the Celtic crosses of Monasterboice. Emigration – tales of endurance and humanity.
Ancient and medieval monuments and architecture of outstanding beauty.
The entrancing landscapes of Inishmore (the Aran Islands), Dingle and the Burren.

On St Patrick’s Day in 1882 the Irish writer and wit Oscar Wilde addressed an audience of emigrants far from home. Evoking the spirit and pull of home he talked of ‘the love you bear for every little nook, every hill, every running brook of your native land.’

By this point in Ireland’s history more than a third of Irish-born people were living abroad and feeling the pang of homesickness that Wilde touches on. They fled poverty and deprivation – particularly the Great Famine resulting from the potato blight of the 1840s – and to seek better opportunities. And in the process they exported a unique identity that has enriched cultures across the world, with millions today tracing their ancestry back to Ireland.

Many can trace their roots back to the once-populous counties of Cork and Galway, which feature prominently on our tour. But emigration is not the sole theme. We also celebrate the deep past when Ireland was ‘the island of saints and scholars’ – the early Middle Ages when the Book of Kells was produced, monasteries such as Clonmacnoise were seats of great learning and Irish monks were disseminating Christianity across the continent of Europe.

From Dublin to Belfast the tour brings together the strands of Irish history, architecture and culture. It also weaves in the natural landscapes that Oscar Wilde celebrated, notably on a visit to the Aran Island of Inishmore and a scenic crossing of the mysterious limestone wilderness of the Burren in County Clare.

The story of Ireland is tragic and inspiring and both sides are reflected on our itinerary. In fitting conclusion, we reach Belfast and Hillsborough Castle where the Anglo-Irish Agreement was signed in 1985, a milestone on the road to peace after the turmoil of the Troubles.

Practicalities

Price. Two sharing: £5,360. Single occupancy: £6,520.

Travel by private coach; hotel accommodation as described below; breakfasts, 2 lunches and 7 dinners with wine, water, coffee; all admissions and donations for sites visited; all tips; all taxes; the services of the lecturer and tour manager.

Please note that we do not offer flights to Dublin or from Belfast as part of the tour due to the variety of options to choose from. We ask that you make your own travel arrangements.

Coach transfers are provided at the following times:

Day 1, Tuesday 26th May: the coach leaves the hotel in Dublin at 2.00pm for the afternoon visits.

Day 11, Friday 5th June: Check out is at 11.00am. The tour manager can help arrange a taxi to Belfast Airport for you.

Flights to Dublin and from Belfast: there are flights to both cities from all parts of the UK, as well as some non-UK airports. For schedules we recommend consulting www.skyscanner.com or www.kayak.co.uk.

The Conrad, Dublin: a 5-star hotel overlooking St Stephen’s Green. Fota Island Hotel, County Cork: a 5-star hotel in extensive grounds. Aghaode Heights Hotel & Spa: 5-star spa hotel with extraordinary views of the Kerry countryside. The Savoy Hotel, Limerick: a 5-star hotel in Limerick city centre. G Hotel, Galway: a stylish, 5-star spa hotel. Barberstown Castle, County Kildare: a historic country house hotel. Europa Hotel, Belfast: a 1960s 12-storey tower of historical significance Single occupancy rooms are doubles for sole use.

This is a strenuous tour with multiple hotel changes. A good level of fitness is essential to cope with the large amount of walking involved on the tour. Unless you enjoy unimpaired mobility, cope with everyday walking and stair-climbing without difficulty, this tour is not for you. Some days involve a lot of driving – average distance by coach per day: 100 miles.

Are you fit enough to join the tour?

Between 10 and 22 participants

Before booking, please refer to the FCDO website and Travel Health Pro to ensure you are happy with the travel advice for the destination(s) you are visiting.

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