Pub & Folk Tour of Ireland 2009   (Escorted Tour / 7 nights)

“Shindig” Dinner Show, Guinness Brewery, Kinsale Ghost Tour, Kiss the Blarney Stone, Ring of Kerry, Cliffs of Moher,Aran Islands Day Tour, Dun Aengus Fort

Package Includes:
• Group transfers on arrival and departure
• Sightseeing by luxury coach throughout the tour
• Services of a professional Irish driver/guide
• First class hotels with private bath/shower for 7 nights
• 7 full Irish breakfasts (B)
• 6 dinners (D) including;
  - “Brazen Head Pub” Food, Folk & Fairies dinner/show
  - Pub dinner with live music in Cliften, Co. Galway
  - 4 table d'hote dinners at the hotels
• Welcome get-together drink
• Dublin sightseeing tour with local guide
• Tour & a pint at the Guinness Storehouse
• Passage on the Shannon Ferry service
• Visits and admissions to Kilkenny Castle, Blarney Castle,
  Blarney Woollen Mills, Essence of Kerry Audio Visual Show, Cliffs of Moher,
  and the Skellig Experience
• All local tax, hotel service charges & porter fees for (1) suitcase per person

Accommodations as listed or Similar:
Dublin - Temple Bar Hotel - 1 night
Kilkenny - Ormond Hotel - 1 night
Killarney - Arbutus Hotel - 2 nights
Cliften - Station House Hotel - 2 nights
Dublin - Temple Bar Hotel - 1 night

Itinerary Outline:

Day 1 - Flight - Depart U.S. for Dublin Welcome aboard your overnight flight to Dublin. Enjoy inflight entertainment and meals. Call 1-800-633-0505 for optional discounted airfares from your hometown. This package is a land only package round trip airfare is not included.

Day 2 - Dublin Arrival & Guinness - Land at Dublin Airport early this morning. After customs formalities and luggage reclamation, head to the Tours desk in the Arrivals Hall to arrange a group transfer to your hotel between 7:00 am and 12:00 noon. Passengers arriving later will transfer to the hotel at their own expense. In the afternoon get together with a Dublin guide to tour Dublin city center to see elegant Georgian squares with the famous colorful doorways, pass the peaceful St. Stephen's Green and the bustling shopping areas around Nassau Street, cross the River Liffey to O'Connell Street and view the General Post Office where the 1916 Rebellion started. Visit the Guinness Storehouse to see how this famous brewery was established. Finish your tour with a creamy pint at the rooftop bar, Ireland's highest drinking spot. Return to your hotel and meet with your tour group and guide for a welcome drink and discuss your itinerary. Your hotel is located in the Temple Bar area and down the street from your hotel is a great choice of pubs, clubs and restaurants.

Day 3 - Kilkenny Castle & Medieval City - Depart Dublin to travel through the Irish countryside where you will see many different types of farms. Arrive in Kilkenny and take a guided tour of Kilkenny Castle, home of the Butlers, Earls and Dukes of Ormonde, who held power over the region for centuries. The castle was first built in 1192 and constantly changed until the 19th century. See wonderful paintings and furniture as you learn about the history of the region. Visit the Kilkenny Design Workshops, which are housed in the former stables of the castle. Check into your centrally-located hotel and enjoy free time browse around the many shops and lively pubs - Kilkenny is a fun place to explore on your own. (B, D)

Day 4 - Blarney Castle & Killarney - Stop for photos at the Rock of Cashel, a magnificent limestone outcrop high above the surrounding countryside before continuing south to Blarney, just outside Cork. Visit Blarney Castle and climb to the ramparts to kiss the well-known "Stone of Eloquence." Enjoy some time for shopping at the Blarney Woollen Mills or take a break in the pub hidden between the shops! Travel through County Cork to Macroom and stop for a brief look at the imposing castle, which was the boyhood home of William Penn. Continue your drive to Killarney and check into your hotel. After dinner you may like to conduct your own pub crawl - there are plenty of pubs with live music near your hotel. (B, D)

Day 5 - Ring of Kerry - Explore one of Ireland's most popular scenic areas with Ireland's highest mountains on one side and a varied Atlantic coastline on the other. Stop at the Gap of Dunloe Industries to see the Essence of Kerry, an audio visual presentation, which will tell you all about the region. As you drive, every turn will reveal new vistas of mountains, cliffs and beaches and there will be plenty of photo stops. Cross to Valencia Island by bridge to visit the Skellig Experience to learn about early Christian monks who braved a harsh existence on the rocky offshore islands. Continue your trip through the remote villages of Cahirciveen and Waterville at the western end of the peninsula. Stop in the colorful village of Sneem and pause for a look at the Lakes of Killarney at Moll's Gap. In the evening you are free to check out other pubs in Killarney. (B, D)

Day 6 - Cliffs of Moher & Clifden - Drive north and take a short ferry ride across the River Shannon Estuary. Visit the Cliffs of Moher for unparalleled views of the 700-foot-high walls of rock above the Atlantic Ocean. Travel through the outskirts of Galway and through the magnificent Connemara region, renowned for its windswept scenery with lakes and mountains. Arrive in Clifden, the principal town of the region, located on the western seaboard. Check into your hotel and relax or browse around the delightful town. This evening dine in the Station House Pub across from your hotel and enjoy a warm welcome, a cozy atmosphere and some local music. (B, D)

Day 7 - Connemara & Westport - Drive north through the Inagh Valley, in the heart of Connemara, to see the Twelve Bens. Travel past granite hills and sparkling lakes on the way to Leenane to embark on a short cruise of Killary Harbour, a 9-mile fjord (March 29 - October 25 departures). Enjoy views of hills where traces of pre-Famine "lazy beds" of potato ridges can still be seen. Keep an eye out for seabirds and pass mussel and salmon farms. Rejoin your coach and drive along the western seaboard through Louisburg to Westport where you will have some time to explore some of the traditional pubs in the town center, including Matt Malloy's Pub (of Chieftains fame). Return to Clifden in good time for dinner in the hotel restaurant. (B, D)

Day 8 - Locke's Distillery & 12th Century Brazen Head Pub - Travel eastwards today and outside Kilbeggan tour Locke's Distillery. It was established in 1757 and today it is preserved to show visitors how whiskey was distilled here. At the end of the tour, sample some whiskey before traveling to the greater metropolitan area of Dublin. Check into your hotel once more. Take time to relax before heading out for a great evening to end your Irish vacation. The Brazen Head Pub is Dublin's oldest, dating back to 1198 and is one of Dublin's best live music venues. Enjoy an evening of "Food, Folk and Fairies" where you'll learn about life in Ireland in times past through a great program of song and stories. (B, D)

Day 9 - Dublin to U.S.A. - Complimentary group transfers are provided to Dublin Airport to arrive at 6:00 am, 9:00 am or 12:00 noon. 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)