Ireland: Legends & Landscapes with Rose Gray

Your journey begins in Chicago O’Hare, where you will board your overnight flight to Ireland.

Welcome to Dublin! Upon arrival you will meet your driver in the Arrivals Hall. From there we will head to Malahide Castle and Gardens. Home to generations of the Talbot family and set across 250 acres of stunning parkland, Malahide Castle is a treat for history buffs and botanical fans alike. Engage with the castle’s history, bask in the walled botanical gardens with its 5,000 species of plants, take a tour of the grounds with a brilliant guide, or go for a leisurely stroll through a living piece of history. Tonight enjoy dinner at your hotel.

Hotel: Hyatt Centric the Liberties Dublin (or similar)
Meal: Dinner

Dublin offers a fine introduction to Georgian mansions, with wide streets and spacious squares. You’ll pass the Customs House on the north bank of the River Liffey and many mid-18th-century public buildings back in Dublin’s Southside, including Trinity College where you will visit the library that holds the famous Book of Kells—a hand-illuminated manuscript of the Gospels. No trip to Ireland is complete without a visit to the Guinness Storehouse, an interactive multi-story sensory extravaganza in the heart of the city center at St James Gate Brewery. With a 250-year history, you’ll be taken through the intricate architecture of the seven-story building, discover age-old secrets of Guinness, visit the tasting rooms, and learn to pour the perfect pint.

Hotel: Hyatt Centric the Liberties Dublin (or similar)
Meal: Breakfast

Built nearly 600 years ago by Cormac MacCarthy, one of Ireland’s greatest chieftains, Blarney Castle is an icon of the Irish countryside. Best known as the home of the Blarney Stone kiss it, legend says, and you’ll inherit the gift of the gab it’s also got much to offer any passing visitors. Relax into the tranquility of the beautiful gardens and soak up the magic of Rock Close, with its fairy glade and waterfalls, before climbing the steps of the castle itself to kiss the world-famous Blarney Stone and gain the gift of eloquence.

Hotel: Great Southern Hotel (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner at hotel

Today travel the road that winds around the beautiful Iveragh Peninsula, better known as “The Ring of Kerry.” It is
undoubtedly one of the most magical places in all Ireland. Here mountains, valleys, lakes and sea blend into a landscape that is often breathtaking beyond words. Spend the evening at a Traditional Irish Night at Kate Kearney’s. Enjoy dinner followed by a night of Irish music, song, and dance all performed by talented locals.

Hotel: Great Southern Hotel (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Today you are taken on a tour of the Dingle Peninsula, thrusting out into the Atlantic it claims Ireland’s most westerly point. Here majestic hills soar green and purple over vast bowls of unspoiled valleys, and glittering mountain streams which tumble down to lakes. Drive on to Dingle, a market town and fishing port.

Hotel: Great Southern Hotel (or similar)
Meal: Breakfast

A natural masterpiece, the Cliffs of Moher are a must-see for any trip to Ireland. Set against the crashing waves of the Atlantic Ocean, the Cliffs tower a striking distance above the sea. Named a UNESCO Global Geopark, the Cliffs are best experienced on a walk or trek across the clifftop. Watch birds, study plants, and keep an eye on the water for breaks of dolphin pods or sharks. Come to know the myths and magic of the Cliffs of Moher with sights including the Tower viewpoint, the Aran Islands, and the Hags Head. Tonight, we head to Durty Nelly’s that can truly be described as one of Ireland’s landmark pubs. Nestling in the shadow of the magnificent Bunratty Castle, perhaps the biggest single charm of Nelly’s is the fact that it’s a meeting place for both locals and tourists alike.

Hotel: Dunraven Arms Hotel (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Visit the Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. Walk through the streets of the Folk Park, recreating everyday life as it was in rural Ireland some 100 years ago. It contains houses, a pub, fully operational blacksmith’s forge, a printer’s shop and a draper’s. For our last night in Ireland, we finish with The Bunratty Medieval Banquet. Medieval Ireland comes to life in Bunratty Castle, a towering structure of history and heritage, once the homeplace of nobility. For a foodie experience with a difference, the great halls of Bunratty Castle play host to the world-famous Bunratty Banquet, a four-course Medieval meal. The banquet brings the castle to life with the hustle and bustle of great company.

Hotel: Dunraven Arms Hotel (or similar)
Meal: Breakfast and Dinner

After breakfast we will transfer to the Dublin airport for our return flight to Chicago.

Meals: Breakfast