The Wild Atlantic Way Tour of Ireland

Shannon-Galway.
Morning arrival at Shannon Airport where after clearing customs you are met by your Professional Irish Driver/Guide. Leaving Shannon Airport, you travel through Ennis to Gort and on to Galway. Check into our hotel for a short rest… This afternoon we tour rugged Connemara. We take in the magnificent views of the Connemara region, Ireland’s treasure of wild, natural beauty where Gaelic remains the only spoken language. We travel via Clifden to Kylemore Abbey, monastic home of the Benedictine Nuns before returning to Galway. After dinner why not enjoy a pint at the pub “AuPouchan” a short walk from Eyre Square with great Irish Music. Overnight Galway.

Galway-Cliffs of Moher-Dingle.
After a full Irish Breakfast, we depart Galway. We continue into the rugged Burren Ireland’s stony place (Bhoireann) the Burren, is home to rare alpine plants, delicate wonders that grow in the thin soil and crevices – gentians, orchids, and maidenhair ferns amongst others. The survival of both alpine and Mediterranean plants in this unusual habitat continues to arouse and to delight its visitors. Located within the Burren is Ailewee Cave, where we can study unique fossils and crystals indignant to this underground splendor. It is then we tour the Poulnabrone Dolmen located south of Ailewee cave. Poulnabrone Dolmen is a portal tomb dating back to the Neolithic period and is translated as the “Hole of Sorrrows”. We stop at The Cliffs of Moher. The Burren contains dozens of megalithic tombs, Celtic crosses, and a ruined Cistercian Abbey dating from the 12th century, Corcomroe. You can find villages abandoned since famine times and green roads on which you can walk for miles without ever seeing a car. It is then over the Tarbert Ferry to County Kerry and Dingle. Overnight Dingle.

Dingle.
The journey begins with some of the most magnificent scenery in all of Ireland. The little town of Dingle is straight out of a story book. The fishing boats in the harbor and tiny brightly painted pubs portray a time that has continued to stand still. The population of 1500 people and only 52 pubs are ready to welcome you this afternoon. Worth the wait is the native seafood chowder served up at lunch time with freshly baked brown bread. We continue on to Slea Head. Along the way, we will see beehive style huts, originally inhabited by 12th century monks, which overlook the rugged Blasket Islands. The awe-inspiring beauty of this particular area is unmatched. There is no other landscape in western Europe with the density and variety of archaeological monuments as found on the Dingle Peninsula. Overnight Dingle.

Dingle-Kinsale.
We depart Dingle and make our way to Kinsale. We continue our back roads journey down through Glengarriff past Bantry Bay and Bantry, where we stop for a visit. Bantry sits at the head of one of Ireland’s most beautiful bays. Its narrow streets lined with shops have changed very little over the last 100 years. We continue on to Skibbereen, made famous in the Johnny Cash song “Forty Shades of Green.” Next, we visit the fishing village of Baltimore, where we stop for lunch (on own) and take in the beautiful views of the Atlantic Ocean. After our stop, we journey along the southern coast of Ireland, with its unmatched back road scenery, to our final destination of Kinsale. Known as the Gourmet Capital of Ireland, Kinsale is truly a culinary delight set in a postcard fishing village. Your driver/guide will give you dinner suggestions— although one of our true favorites is the “Blue Haven” in the center of Kinsale. After dinner, browse the small cobblestone streets where many artisans make their home, producing photographs, paintings, and sculpture. Overnight Kinsale.

Kinsale–Shannon Area.
Depart Kinsale and travel north through Cork City, where we enjoy a panoramic tour of this industrial town. Nearby we visit Blarney, with its famous 14th-century kissing stone and plentiful woolen mills. Make sure after shopping you enjoy a quick walk through this charming town as well as a pint at “Christy’s Pub.” We depart Blarney and travel north through Mallow, set on the Black Water River. This was a popular spa town in the mid-1880s. Time permitting we visit the Cliffs of Moher. We continue on to the Shannon area, where we bid farewell to our driver/guide. This evening you can enjoy an optional Medieval Banquet at Bunratty. Overnight Shannon Area.

Shannon-USA.
After breakfast make your way via taxi to Shannon Airport. Plenty of time for last minute duty-free shopping before boarding our flight home. Arrive home the same day.