Escorted Tours of Ireland North

Mystical Ireland 10 Day Coach Tour Superior & First Class Hotels From $1,560 (Including Land & Air) TOUR HIGHLIGHTS Traditional Abbey Tavern, Dublin Castle & Guinness Storehouse, Nine Glens of Antrim Drive, Giant's Causeway & Old Bushmills Distillery, Derry Walking Tour, Ulster American Folk Park, Killary Fjord Cruise Your Day-by-Day Itinerary Day 1: Depart U.S. for Dublin Welcome aboard your overnight flight to Dublin. Dinner and a video program will be provided. Day 2: Dublin & Abbey Tavern Arrive in Dublin Airport, complete immigration formalities and pick up your luggage. Go to the CIE Tours desk in the Arrivals Hall to arrange a group transfer to your hotel between 7:00 am and 12:00 noon. If your flight arrives later you will need to transfer to the hotel at your own expense. At 2:00 pm take a tour around the city center ending with a visit to the Guinness Storehouse to learn about the famous brewery and try some stout. In the evening meet your fellow travelers over a welcome drink and head to the Abbey Tavern for some traditional Irish cuisine, an Irish coffee and a lively session of popular folk songs. (D) Day 3: Dublin Castle & Botanic Gardens This morning join your group for an overview of Dublin. See Georgian townhouses, bustling shopping streets, parks and public buildings as you drive around the city center. Visit Dublin Castle, a center of political power from the early 13th century up to the present. Tour the State Apartments, built in the Georgian period, to view historical portraits and superb furnishings. Visit the National Botanic Gardens where you can see elaborate Victorian glasshouses. Stroll around different types of gardens containing collections of plants and trees from all over the world. The rest of the day is at leisure for independent interests. (B) Day 4: Downpatrick & Mount Stewart Drive north via Drogheda and Newry and follow the coastline to view gentle green slopes of the Mourne Mountains along the way. Stop in Downpatrick to see St. Patrick's reputed burial place, marked by a granite boulder at Down Cathedral. Cross Strangford Lough by ferry to visit Mount Stewart House and Gardens. This property, home to Lord Castlereagh during Napoleonic times, contains portraits and furnishings. The extensive gardens, with a wide range of plant types, are considered among the best in the country. Check into your hotel in Belfast. (B, D) Day 5: Belfast & Giant's Causeway A local guide will take you on a tour through Belfast, rich in Victorian and Edwardian architecture. See major points of interest including Stormont House and City Hall in Donegall Square. Journey along the spectacular drive of the "Nine Glens of Antrim" with mountains on one side and coastline on the other. Tour the Old Bushmills Distillery, the world's oldest which was first licensed in 1608. After a demonstration and a tasting visit the nearby Giant's Causeway, a mass of 40,000 hexagonal basalt columns formed over 60 million years ago. Legends about giants abound, especially Finn McCool, a hardy Ulster hero. Drive along the north coast to Derry. (B, D) Day 6: Derry & Ulster American Folk Park Take a walking tour around Derry still mostly encircled by its medieval city walls. See the Diamond and St. Columb's Cathedral and enjoy some free time to look around on your own. Travel past the scenic Sperrin Mountains to visit the Ulster American Folk Park, located outside Omagh. The Park centers on the boyhood cottage home of the industrialist, Thomas Mellon, who emigrated to Pittsburgh in 1818. Trace the story of emigration, which began in the 1720s with Ulster settlers who headed for the Appalachians in Colonial times. The Park recreates the emigrant experience traveling from the "Old Country" by ship to emerge in the "New World." Return to Derry for dinner. (B, D) Day 7: Belleek & Westport Head south past the Blue Stack Mountains and Donegal town. Tour the Belleek Pottery Factory to watch skilled craftspeople create intricate basketweave designs in delicate china. The industry was founded to create employment for the poverty-stricken locals in the mid-19th century. Travel through the gentle scenery of Sligo, often referred to as "Yeats' Country" as the writer spent time in and wrote about the region. Continue through Mayo, where the poor land made farming difficult, causing many people to emigrate to the United States in search of a better life. Drive to Westport and check into your hotel. (B, D) Day 8: Catamaran Cruise & Galway Travel through some delightful scenery of County Mayo as you drive past Clew Bay with its many islands on one side and the conical mountain of Croaghpatrick on the other. The rocky peak is a popular place of pilgrimage where people climb the stony path to the summit. At Leenane embark on a short catamaran cruise aboard the "Connemara Lady" to view the delightful scenery of Killary Harbour, Ireland's only fjord. Drive through part of Connemara, a region of gentle hills and open spaces, to your hotel in Galway. (B, D) Day 9: Connemara & "Quiet Man" Tour Drive along the shores of Galway Bay to Spiddal. View the Aran Islands before turning inland through Connemara to Moycullen. Visit the Connemara Celtic Crystal Factory, where Celtic motifs are expertly cut into colored crystal. Travel via Maam Cross and alongside part of Lough Corrib to Cong where "The Quiet Man" was filmed in 1952 with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. Take a short walking tour to see places featured in the movie and finish at the Quiet Man Heritage Cottage, filled with memorabilia. Return to Galway via Headford and spend some time in Galway city center. (B, D) Day 10: Return to U.S. Transfer with your group to Shannon Airport to arrive by 10:00 am. After check in you'll have time to shop at the duty free stores before U.S. Immigration pre-clearance and boarding your flight for the journey home. (B) What Your Tour Includes 10 days/8 nights/15 meals - Round trip flights between U.S. & Ireland - Sightseeing by luxury coach throughout - Services of a professional Irish tour director - Superior and first class hotels with private bath/shower for 8 nights - 8 full Irish breakfasts (B) - 7 dinners (D) including - Traditional Irish evening with dinner and entertainment at the Abbey Tavern - 6 table d'hote dinners - Welcome get-together drink - Tour & a pint at the Guinness Storehouse - Ferry ride across Strangford Lough - Tour of Belfast with a local guide - Whiskey tasting and tour of Old Bushmills Distillery - Walking tour of Derry with a local guide - Walking tour of Dublin's National Botanic Gardens - Catamaran cruise of Killary Fjord - "The Quiet Man" walking tour of Cong - Visits and admissions to Dublin Castle, Down Cathedral, Mount Stewart House and Gardens, Giant's Causeway, Ulster American Folk Park, Belleek Pottery Factory and Connemara Celtic Crystal Factory - Deluxe flight bag, ticket wallet, luggage tags & strap - All local taxes, hotel service charges & porterage for one suitcase per person Your Hotels Stay at the following (or similar): - Mont Clare Hotel, Dublin (2 nights) - Europa Hotel, Belfast (1 night) - City Hotel, Derry (2 nights) - Wyatt Hotel, Westport (1 night) - Corrib Great Southern Hotel, Galway (2 nights)