Day 1: We meet at your town of departure to board our bus to O’Hare Airport for our early evening departure on our major international airline for our flight to Dublin. We will be served dinner and can watch a movie during our overnight flight. (In-flight meals)

Day 2: Touch down in Dublin, capital of Ireland and one of Europe’s most vibrant cities. We will be met by our Tour Manager; after we clear customs, he will be with us for the duration of our stay in Ireland. Onto the city of Dublin for a short sightseeing tour through Dublin’s elegant Georgian streets and squares. Visit Trinity College in the city centre to view one of Ireland’s greatest treasures, the Book of Kells. Visit also the Dublin Writer’s Museum to find out more about Ireland’s famous writers who were either born or lived here. Among this elite group are four winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature: George Bernard Shaw, William Butler Yeats, Samuel Beckett and Seamus Heaney. (D)

Day 3: This morning after breakfast we will leave Dublin and travel via the Boyne Valley which is at the heart of Celtic Ireland on our way to Donegal. We will visit the Bru na Boinne Visitor Centre designed to interpret the archaeological heritage of the area and then you will visit the burial chamber of either Newgrange or Knowth which predate the Egyptian pyramids. See also the Celtic Cross of Monasterboice before continuing your journey to County Donegal and our hotel. (B, D)

Day 4: We visit today Ionad Cois Locha, a small rural community in the Gaelic speaking area of Donegal, which lies in unique scenery at the foot of Mount Errigal. Many people came to visit the homestead of Manus Ferry, a renowned weaver and his brother, a shepherd, in order to purchase their tweed in the beginning of the last century.  Manus’ home has been restored to give a full flavor of life in Donegal in the early 20th century. Continue to Geneva National Park, one of Ireland’s hidden treasures. Its 10,000 hectares are there to be explored as well as Geneva Castle and the splendid gardens which surround it. We then head back to our hotel in Donegal for dinner before going out to enjoy an evening of Donegal fiddle music in a local pub. (B, D)

Day 5:  We depart Donegal and travel through Sligo to Ballina. Visit the Ceide Fields- the most extensive Stone Age monument in the world with field systems, dwelling areas and megalitihic tombs of 5,000 years ago. Arrive at the lively town of Westport for dinner and overnight. The evening is free so that we may explore the town with its wide selection of pubs renowned for their impromptu music sessions. (B, D)

Day 6: After breakfast we head out for a full day excursion in the natural and unspoilt environment of Connemara. Remote and isolated, this region is populated largely by sheep and will surprise you with breathtaking views of mountains and lakes between Lough Corrib and the sea. Enjoy a stroll around Clifden, the region’s main town, located against the dramatic backdrop of the Twelve Bens mountain range. Call into the workshop of Malachy Kearns in Roundstone and see how bodhrans are crafted. A bodhran is an 18 inch one-sided drum made from goatskin which features prominently in many traditional music performances. (B, D)

Day 7: Aran Islands Tour – today we take the ferry to Inis Mor, the largest of the three Aran Islands, located off the Galway coast. Here there are awe inspiring stretches of limestone pavement, miles of stone walls and wonderful cliff and coastal walks. Of the numerous ecclesiastic ruins and prehistoric forts, DunAengus fort, balancing on a sheer cliff edge 90 meters above the Atlantic, is probably the most impressive Bronze Age fort in Europe. Gaelic is the spoken language although all the islanders are bilingual and despite the slow, easy pace of life the ‘craic’ is good. This trip will surely be one of the highlights of your visit. (B, D).  

Day 8: Today we leave the west behind and travel across the midlands with two interesting stops before our arrival back in Dublin. Our first stop is at Clonmacnoise, situated on the River Shannon; it is an important striking monastic site from the 6th century founded by St. Kieran. The remarkably well preserved ruins include high crosses, round towers and the remains of six churches. Afterwards we continue to Lockes Distillery to sample some Irish Whiskey and see how it’s made. (B, D)

Day 9: Sadly it is time to leave the Emerald Isle, after breakfast we are transferred to Dublin airport for our journey back to Chicago. (B, in-flight meals)

Remember to turn in your digital cameras to your group leader so that we can have our video done for this trip. We will plan a get together in a few weeks so that we can share those video and other stories of this beautiful journey.