Gems of Ireland

Welcome to the Emerald Isle! Arrive in Ireland this morning, meet your Encore tour manager and board the bus for western Ireland. Travel to your hotel in the famous city of Galway, renowned for its culture and musical heritage. On arrival, check in to the hotel, freshen up and relax. Enjoy a welcome dinner together in the hotel this evening. (D)

This morning, enjoy time exploring Galway or take a tour of Connemara and the spectacular Inagh Valley. Visit Kylemore Abbey with its lovely little chapel and Victorian walled garden.

Kylemore is home to a community of nuns of the Benedictine Order who came here in 1920 after their abbey in Ypres, Belgium was destroyed in World War I. Return to Galway and later this afternoon, you will attend and perform in a Mass at Galway Cathedral. Galway is the seat of the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh & Kilfenora. It is the youngest of Europe’s great stone cathedrals and dedicated to Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and Saint Nicholas. Dinner will be on your own afterwards. (B)

After breakfast, check out of the hotel and depart for Killarney. First, visit the magnificent Cliffs of Moher that tower over the rugged West Clare coast and offer spectacular vistas over the Atlantic Ocean and the Aran Islands. We will then travel south to meet the ferry that will take us from Kilmer to Tarbert on a 20-minute journey across the Shannon Estuary linking the Banner County of Clare with the Kingdom of Kerry. On arrival in the town of Killarney, check in and enjoy dinner together at the hotel. (B,D)

After breakfast at the hotel, included throughout your tour, enjoy a full day tour of the Ring of Kerry. See many beautiful natural sites including Killorglin, Glenbeigh and Coomakesta Pass with its magnificent views over Derrynane, home of Daniel O’ Connell, known as “The Liberator”, Moll’s Gap, Ladies View, and Killarney National Park. Return to Muckross House, a magnificent Victorian mansion and one of Ireland’s finest stately homes. Your next performance will be this evening at St Mary’s Church, a beautiful church in the heart of Killarney which serves a small congregation as well as tourists. Enjoy dinner and overnight in Killarney. (B,D)

Check out of the hotel this morning and drive to the city of Waterford. En route, visit Blarney Castle, built in 1446 as a defensive fortress. The castle which stands today is in fact the keep of a much larger fortress. All visitors should kiss the famous Blarney Stone, high up on the Castle battlements. Tradition holds that those who kiss the Blarney Stone will be endowed with the gift of eloquence – “the gift of the gab” as the locals call it! After the castle, visit the Blarney Woolen Mills Store. Continue your day across Ireland tot the House of Waterford Crystal that occupies a 1.5-acre site on the mall in the heart of Waterford city. The new manufacturing facility includes highly skilled local craftsmen and will produce 40,000 crystal pieces per year using traditional methods. Your next performance will be today, and options include a possible joint concert with a local community choir. Dinner will be together at the hotel. (B,D)

Check out of the hotel this morning hotel and travel to Dublin. On arrival, a local guide will meet you to give a panoramic sightseeing tour of Dublin, including O’Connell Street, Phoenix Park, and Leinster House. Included is a visit to Trinity College Library, one of the world’s great research libraries, holding the largest collection of manuscripts and printed books in Ireland. Since 1801 it has had the right to claim a free copy of all British and Irish publications and has a stock of nearly three million volumes housed in a total of eight buildings. Visit the Treasury and see a display of Irish medieval gospel manuscripts, principally the Book of Kells which contains a Latin text of the four gospels copied and decorated by Irish monks around the year 800 AD. Check into your final hotel, enjoy some free time and have dinner together in Dublin tonight. (B,D)

Enjoy a free morning in Dublin to explore before giving a lunchtime concert at Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin. Contained in the cathedral is the reputed tomb of Strongbow, a medieval Norman-Welsh peer and warlord who came to Ireland at the request of King Diarmuid MacMurrough, and whose arrival marked the beginning of English involvement in Ireland. This afternoon, have a fun visit to the Guinness Storehouse, originally built in 1904 to house the Guinness fermentation process. The core of the building is modelled on a giant pint glass. The tour takes you step by step through the brewing process, finishing at the Gravity Bar where you will receive a complimentary pint of Guinness whilst enjoying the panoramic views over Dublin city! Dinner will be on your own tonight. (B)

This morning, take an excursion to the scenic natural area of Wicklow. Visit Glendalough, famed for its beautiful scenery and historic monuments, Glendalough has been a center for pilgrims and visitors from the time of the founding of its monastery by St. Kevin in the 6th Century. The present remains tell only a small part of the monastic story. The buildings which survived probably date from between the 8th and 12th Centuries, the most notable being a superb Round Tower, Cathedral, Stone churches and decorated crosses. On your final evening, enjoy dinner and a show at The Merry Ploughboy Pub, widely regarded as the best traditional music show in Dublin. A highly entertaining performance of live traditional Irish Music, Song, and Irish Dancing. After celebrating your tour across the Emerald Isle, Return to your hotel in Dublin. (B,D)

Transfer to the airport for return flight to the United States. (B)