Chauffeur -Driven - North Meets South Ireland Private Tour Itinerary

• Day 1 USA - Ireland
  Depart USA for overnight flight to Ireland. Dinner is served shortly after take-off.
• Day 2 Dublin
  Morning arrival in Dublin, where after clearing customs we make our way to our city-centered hotel. Some time to rest before exploring this 1000-year-old city. We would suggest taking a half-day sightseeing tour. You can purchase your tour from the Dublin Bus Company, which is located at 69 O’Connell Street. You will be sure to see St. Patrick’s Cathedral, where writer Jonathan Swift gave his sermons, and the G.P.O. on O’Connell Street, which was the scene of the 1916 Easter Uprising—the bullet holes still remain in the columns of this building today. Drive through famous Phoenix Park where the Pope said mass in late ’70s and finally, go to Trinity College to view the 8th-century manuscripts, the Book of Kells, still preserved as they were when the monks produced them all those centuries ago. Buy some Butler’s chocolates on Grafton Street and admire the traditional Irish wares at the shops on Nassau Street. Make sure to visit Dublin’s oldest pub, O’Donohue’s for a pint! Overnight Dublin.
• Day 3 Dublin - Belfast - Carnlough
  This morning after a full Irish breakfast that you will find difficult to finish, we meet our professional Irish driver/guide in the lobby of our hotel. We travel out of Dublin, heading north through Drogheda and Newcastle into Belfast. Known as the “Gateway to the Boyne Valley,” Drogheda is associated with an extraordinary number of significant events in the history of Ireland: the Battle of the Boyne, St. Oliver Plunkett, Poynings Law, Cromwell’s Siege, and the surrender of the Irish Chieftains to the English king. We continue into Belfast, where we enjoy a city tour. Our tour features visits to the Edwardian-style City Hall and adjacent Linen Hall Library, as well as Queen’s University, the alma mater of a glittering list of luminaries, including Ireland’s prize-winning poet, Seamus Heaney. You may choose to have a pint at the famous “Crown Bar.” We continue north to Carnlough for overnight. Overnight in Carnlough.
• Day 4 Carnlough - Glens of Antrim - Giant’s Causeway - Derry
  After a full Irish breakfast we experience one of Ireland’s popular scenic routes, traveling north and eventually west along the coast road. See the “Nine Glens of Antrim,” which offer wonderful views of mountains, valleys and coastline. We travel along the north coast via Coleraine to visit the Giant’s Causeway. This impressive area of hexagonal columns was formed over 60 million years ago by cooling lava. En route to Derry we travel through Portrush and Port Stewart, both famous Northern Ireland golf courses. We then arrive into Derry (Londonderry). The word Derry is taken from the Gaelic durragh, which means oak tree. Overnight Derry.
• Day 5 Derry - Strabene - Omagh - Sligo
  This morning we are treated with a tour of this classic “walled in city,” one of the last examples still in existence in Europe. We then travel south through the border crossing of Strabene to Omagh and the Ulster American Folk Park. The park depicts emigration from Ireland to the United States during the mid 1800s and the Great Famine. We then proceed towards Sligo, home of William Butler Yeats, where his remains lay resting at Drumcliff, a small Abbey in Sligo. Overnight Sligo.
• Day 6 Sligo - Tubbercurry - Galway
  After a hearty home-cooked breakfast we depart and travel south for a stop at Knock Shrine. On the 21st of August, 1879, Our Lady, St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist appeared at the south gable of Knock parish church. This apparition was witnessed by 15 people, young and old. From this miraculous occurrence Knock has grown to the status of an internationally recognized Marian Shrine. We continue into Galway. Galway is a bustling youthful city. The city charter was presented in 1484 by King Richard III and, both prior to and since that time, Galway city has been a thriving centre of commerce and trade for the West of Ireland. There is scientific evidence of human habitation in this area dating back almost 10,000 years, where archeological digs discovered cooking areas in Gentian Hill on the coastal outskirts of the city. Enjoy some traditional Irish music and some craic at one of the many cozy pubs. Overnight Galway.
• Day 7 Galway - Cliffs of Moher - Shannon
  Morning departure has us leaving Galway and traveling through the very rugged “Burren.” The landscape in Ireland changes with every turn. We make our way to the majestic Cliffs of Moher. The Cliffs rise 700 feet and stretch out along the coastline for 5 miles. Our driver/guide then proceeds to the Shannon region, where we bid him farewell. Overnight Bunratty/Shannon area. Optional entertainment can be enjoyed this evening at the Bunratty Castle. Don’t forget to check out the 300-year-old pub, “Durty Nellie’s,” where a sing-song is inevitable. Overnight Shannon area.
• Day 8 Shannon - USA
  Make your way to Shannon Airport, allowing time for last-minute duty-free shopping before boarding your flight home. Arrive home the same day.

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