sellIRELAND - LITERARY TOUR

Prepare to arrive in the Dublin Airport during the late morning. You will then meet with your coach driver and guide and departure towards the city center for a panoramic tour. Starting from the North of the Liffey River, you will discover some landmarks such as the GPO (General Office of the Post Office) or emblematic architectural elements like the Spire which is located in the heart of the most famous street of the city: O'Connell Street. The south shore and the Temple Bar area are connected by pedestrians across the famous Ha’penny Bridge. You will not be able to miss Christchurch, the oldest and imposing Cathedral of Dublin. More than a few minutes and you will arrive at Dublin Castle. Then you will reach Grafton Street, the Dublin shopping street with many luxury shops. You will then get closer to St Stephen's Green, one of the most beautiful park in Dublin and the Georgian quarter, Merrion Square where you can still find the home of Oscar Wilde (now privately owned). Continue on to Trinity College for a tour of Library and Long Room.The Library’s history dates back to the establishment of the College in 1592 and it is the largest library in Ireland. Today it has 5 million printed volumes including the most famous of its manuscripts, the Book of Kells and the Book of Durrow. These were presented by Henry Jones, Bishop of Meath and former vice-chancellor of the University, in the 1660s. Then, it will be time for lunch before continuing to Chester Beatty Library, Dublin Castle, for a tour of the Library. The Chester Beatty Library is an art museum and library which houses the great collection of manuscripts, miniature paintings, prints, drawings, rare books and some decorative arts assembled by Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875-1968). Depart Chester Beatty Library for your hotel in Dublin.

Enjoy a delicious breakfast at your hotel. Begin your day with a tour of the Dublin Writers’ Museum. The Dublin Writers Museum was established to promote interest, through its collection and displays, in Irish literature and the lives and works of individual Irish writers. The Museum presents the literary heritage left to us by writers of the past. It complements the smaller, more detailed museums devoted to individuals like Joyce, Shaw, Yeats and Pearse, and brings to life the writers and their times with photographs and portraits, letters, first editions and evocative personal possessions. Housed in a stunning 17th Century Georgian building, the James Joyce Centre is dedicated to promoting understanding of the life and works of James Joyce. Set over three floors, the Centre covers Joyce’s life and work with a permanent interactive exhibition on Ulysses. Whether you’re a true Joycean or a literary novice there is plenty to learn about and a wonderful insight into the Dublin that inspired Joyce’s work. You will have some free time for lunch during the day, and afterwards you will continue towards Glasnevin Cemetery for a guided tour. Since 1832, more than 1.5 million people have been interred in Glasnevin. This hauntingly gorgeous Victorian Garden cemetery covers 124 acres of glorious parkland with plenty to appreciate. From the ordinary to the truly extraordinary, these people helped shape the Ireland of today. Each guide is passionate about sharing their love of history. Articulate and animated, they skillfully turn a learning experience into a period of magic with a careful balance of enthusiasm, sensitivity, and even fun! You will later on return to your hotel for dinner and another overnight stay.

Enjoy a full Irish breakfast at your hotel before departing for Northern Ireland and Belfast. This is the hometown where many great poets and writers were born: poets such as Samuel Ferguson, John Hewitt, Derek Mahon, Michael Longley and Louis McNiece, as well as writer C.S.Lewis of The Chronicles of Narnia books and three times Booker prize nominee, Brian Moore. You will be first taken on a panoramic sightseeing tour to discover the city centre of Belfast. En route, you will see the Parliament Buildings, surrounded by a beautiful park in the Stormont area of the city. Catch a first glimpse of the impressive new Titanic Museum and the docks where this iconic ship was built. Afterwards, enjoy the hustle and bustle of the city centre along the shopping streets of Donegall Place and the Cathedral Quarter and enjoy views of St Peter’s Cathedral and the City Hall. You will then have soem free time for lunch during the day before following the C.S.Lewis Trail. Here, you’ll view sites that influenced and inspired the young author. You will then check-in at your new hotel in the Belfast area for dinner and an overnight stay.

Enjoy a full Irish breakfast at your hotel before you begin your journey for the day! On the way to Giant’s Causeway you will make a stop to explore the land of the Literary Legend, Seamus Heaney. Seamus Heaney home placeis centred in the Nobel Prize winning poet’s heartland. Experience an amazing journey  through the world of Nobel Prize winning poet Seamus Heaney, and explore, through his words and imagination, the people and place that so inspired him; his mother, his father, his brother Hugh, Barney Devlin at The Forge, and many more friends and neighbours from the local area. Immerse yourself in the full impact of his writing through the audio-visual displays in our multi-award winning exhibition, which also includes previously unseen artefacts; including his school desk from Anahorish primary school, handwritten transcripts and books kindly donated by the Heaney family. Afterwards enjoy a scenic drive north to the Antrim Coast where you’ve visit Northern Ireland’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Giant’s Causeway. Later on, enjoy some free time for lunch during the day. Then, view the natural wonder was the result of volcanic eruption 60 million years ago and is famous for natural amphitheatres of hexagonal columns. You will enjoy a guided tour on one of the site’s recently upgraded walking trails. Afterwards, continue your route towards Derry and prepare to arrive at your hotel in the Derry area for dinner and an overnight stay.

Enjoy a delicious breakfast and then start your morning exploring with a panoramic tour of Derry. Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second biggest city in the Northern Ireland, with an historic town centre with 400 year-old city walls. Still intact and retaining the original gateways, this is the best-preserved walled city in Ireland. You will walk the city walls as you learn about the many literary figures linked to this city. Afterwards, board your coach to begin the journey to county Sligo, a county steep in Irish history. It is known as Yeat’s country as the poet, William and his brother, Jack, hail from this county. Your drive will take you along part of the Wild Atlantic Way, featuring dramatic cliffs and poetic vistas.  Enjoy stops along the way to stretch your legs and take in the views. You'll then have some free time for lunch during the day. Before going to your hotel, stop for a guided tour at the Lissadell House the ‘Countess Markievicz’. Childhood home of Constance and Eva Gore-Booth, built by Sir Robert Gore-Booth in 1830 and designed by Francis Goodwin, the house is now fully restored and open daily for guided tours with expert guides. During the tour you will hear about poet W. B. Yeats who was a frequent visitor of the House and also it is possible to hear about Victorian life style visiting both upstairs for the gentry and downstairs for the servants. In the afternoon, enjoy a drive to Rosses Point where you’ll have views of Oyster Island and Coney Island before continuing on for a visit at Drumcliffe Graveyard, where Yeats is buried. You'll be able to check in at your hotel upon arrival in the Sligo area and enjoy dinner at your hotel.

After breakfast at your hotel, you’ll explore Sligo County. Begin with a morning visit to Knocknarae Mountain, a climb to the top will be rewarded with a magnificent view. Continue on to the Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery, the largest in Ireland and one of the oldest Carrowmore Cemetery has over 60 stone circle and passage tombs making it one of the largest Stone Age cemeteries in Europe. Carrowmore today consists of about 30 tombs, in varying repair, laid out in an oval pattern around the Central Tomb. A small cottage serves as an interpretative centre for the Carrowmore cluster of monuments and the other ancient sites, which dot the surrounding landscape. You'll then have some free time for lunch during the day before returning to your hotel. After some relaxation and freshening up you will be taken on a Poetry & Boat tour across Lough Gill to view the “Lake Isle of Innisfree,"  the island made famous by W.B. Yeats. This spectacular tour includes a full commentary by Captain George who recounts the history and recites the poetry associated with the lake and the surrounding areas of Sligo and North Leitrim. You will then return back to your hotel in County Sligo for dinner.

After a full Irish Breakfast at your hotel, you will enjoy a tour of the beautiful Connemara Region, a land of lakes and rivers, bogs and misty mountains. A land of small villages where Gaelic is still the spoken language and where little has changed little since the beginning of time. It is without a doubt the wildest and the most romantic part of Ireland. Connemara is a vast peninsula bordered by the arid and rocky coastline of Galway Bay in the south, which is a land characteristic for its stonewalls and thatched cottages. On its northern shore, the land is harsher and more secret, with spectacular views of the Ocean and the beautiful fjord of Killary Harbour, as well as the steep mountains overlooking numerous lakes and large bog areas. Connemara is a real paradise for Nature lovers and those in search of strong emotions. The first stop of the day will be at Kylemore Abbey, a Benedictine monastery founded in 1920. Originally built as a private home for the family of a wealthy politician from Manchester in 1867, the nuns opened an international boarding school and established a day school for local girls, which closed in June 2010. You will have the chance to discover the restored rooms of the abbey, the walled gardens and the gothic church. After some free time for lunch during the day you will get to assist a Sheep Dog demonstration which is a wonderful event to observe on this working farm, where man & dog work together as one. Gain a wider understanding of handling these lovely, intelligent dogs and how it is done with one handler. Afterwards you will travel towards Galway where you can check-in to your hotel in the Galway area for dinner and an overnight stay.

After a full Irish breakfast at your hotel, prepare to be transferred for a visit to the 660-foot high Cliffs of Moher and The Burren. You’ll enjoy some time at the cliff viewing area followed by a drive through The Burren on your return to Galway, The City of the Tribes. Stop at Coole Park, a property at the heart of the Irish Literary Revival in the early 20th century and now a nature reserve. Follow the Family Trail for a short walk that will take you past the site where the house once stood, through the walled garden to the autograph tree, famously initialled by writers who visited over a century ago. Then, enjoy some free time for lunch during the day. On your way back to Galway, stop to visit of Aillwee Cave. Formed by water flowing through cracks in the limestone hill, it is one of the oldest caves in the Burren and contains bare bones, stalactites, stalagmites and an underground waterfall.

Enjoy a delicious continental Buffet breakfast at your hotel. You will then take the ferry from Rossaveel to Inis Mor, the largest of the Aran Islands. Máirtín Ó’Direáin and Liam O’Flaherty belonged to the Aran Islands, which lie off the Galway coast. Pat Mullen’s Man of Aran captured the austerity and reality of island life and its fishermen, as did John Millington Synge in his Riders to the Sea. He spent several summers on the islands. Upon arrival, you will embark on board the minibus/shuttle which will bring you to Dun Aengus fort, located at the edge of a 100 meter high cliff. Dún Aonghasa is an important archaeological site that also offers a spectacular panoramic view on the sea. Later on, you will return to your hotel in the Galway area for dinner.

After your breakfast, you will meet with your driver and prepare for departure via coach towards Clonmacnoise. You will get to visit the monastic settlement of Clonmacnoise, which is Ireland's most important monastic site, overlooking the River Shannon. The site was founded by St. Ciaran in the 6th century and consists of a walled field containing numerous early churches, high crosses, round towers and graves. Afterwards you will then be transferred via coach to the airport for your journey home.

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