Itinerary

Day 1:  Wednesday, June 5 - The journey begins!

Depart Boston Logan with Delta Air Lines for your overnight flight to Dublin via New York JFK. Dinner served on-board.

Day 2: Thursday, June 6 -  Dublin

Arrive in Dublin and go through immigration & customs. Today, we enjoy a special group tour of Dail Eireann - Ireland's National Parliament and receive an official welcome to Ireland by Member of Parliament (TD) Denis Naughten. Afterward, transfer to the Grafton Capital Hotel and have the day at your leisure to get settled and recover from jet lag. Tonight, you will attend The Merry Ploughboys traditional Irish dinner & entertainment evening at Rathfarnham.

Overnight at Grafton Capital Hotel.

Day 3: Friday, June 7 - Dublin

This morning join our tour guide for an introduction and look around central Dublin. See the fashionable shopping areas around Grafton and Nassau Streets, view Dublin's elegant Georgian squares and pause to reflect upon the evocative figures at the Famine Memorial. Visit Trinity College and enter the Old Library to see the famous 8th century illustrated Book of Kells manuscript and learn about how monks crafted it and other masterpieces. Pay a visit to the Guinness Storehouse and Jameson Distillery before heading back to the hotel. Dinner this evening will be at your leisure.

Overnight at Grafton Capital Hotel.

Day 4: Saturday, June 8 - Dublin to Donegal

Today, we depart Dublin and travel north-west to Donegal. We will stop en route at the Ulster-American Folk Park in Omagh, Co. Tyrone and then visit Donegal Castle in the afternoon before arriving at our hotel. Tonight, we will eat dinner in the hotel.

Overnight at the Mill Park Hotel.

Day 5: Sunday, June 9 - Donegal to Mayo to Athlone

We depart our hotel and travel south to Athlone via Leitrim and Sligo. En route, we will stop at Knock Shrine for Mass at 12 Noon. After Mass, we will continue on to Roscommon Abbey Hotel for lunch. Next, we will journey to Lecarrow, ancestral home of both CIA director John Brennan and West Roxbury Lord Mayor Richie Gormley, with brief stops at both Coffey's and Kelly's pubs before we reach Ballybrogan. Light refreshments will be served at the Gormley homestead in Ballybrogan while we observe a sheep shearing demonstration before we head off to our hotel for dinner.

Overnight at Shamrock Lodge Hotel.

Day 6: Monday, June 10 - Athlone to Roscommon to Galway

This morning we take a cruise down the River Shannon, the longest river in Ireland, on a Viking ship to historic Clonmacnoise. After this, we will visit Athlone Castle and Drum Heritgage Hall with a quick stop at Miller's Pub before proceeding onward to Galway City. An official escort will be provided by the Vintage Vehicles Club and the Garda. You have the evening at your leisure to explore the city. Dinner will be served at our hotel. 

Overnight at The Salthill Hotel.

Day 7: Tuesday, June 11 - Galway

Today we tour beautiful, rugged Connemara to admire the sweeping views of hills and sparkling lakes. We will drive along the shores of Galway Bay through Moycullen with quick stops at Dooley's and Reagan's pubs before continuing on to Maam Cross. In Recess, we will visit Kevin Joyce's Connemara Marble Factory before heading on to Kylemore Abbey & Walled Gardens, On our way back to Galway we will go via the city center before returning to our hotel. Dinner this evening is at Moran's Oyster Cottage. There is also the option of a golf outing today if you would prefer that over the coach tour.

Overnight at The Salthill Hotel.

Day 8: Wednesday, June 12 - Galway to Killarney

This morning, we will travel to Co. Kerry via Doolin to view the imposing Cliffs of Moher. The cliffs rise to almost 700 feet above the Atlantic Ocean and stretch along the Co. Clare coast for five miles. We then progress southward with a short ferry ride across the River Shannon to Co. Kerry. Discover the glorious Dingle Peninsula with heathery mountains and sandy beaches. Moving on, we will visit Sleigh Head at the westernmost tip of the peninsula to view spectacular vistas and early Christian monastic huts. We then make for Killarney and our hotel then we adjourn to Molly Darcy's Traditional Irish Night for our dinner and a night of entertainment.

Overnight at The Malton Hotel.

Day 9: Thursday, June 13 - Killarney to Shannon

Drive through Co. Cork and climb to the top of Blarney Castle to kiss the world-famous Blarney Stone and perhaps receive the 'gift of eloquence'. We will also stop at the Blarney Woollen Mills where you can browse excellent hand-made merchandise and gifts. We then head toward Shannon via Mallow with an en route stop at the Bunratty Folk Park. We will return to Bunratty later this evening for our farewell dinner at the famous Durty Nelly's Pub, established 1620.

Overnight at the Park Inn Shannon Airport.

Day 10: Friday, June 14 - Shannon to Boston

After breakfast and our farewells, we head over to Shannon Airport to check-in for our return flight to Boston via New York JFK on Delta Air Lines. Please note that we will go through US Immigration and Customs pre-clearance at Shannon Airport prior to boarding so please allow sufficient time to complete this task. Don't forget to peruse the world's original duty-free shop at Shannon before going through pre-clearance. Once you are in the boarding lounge, be sure you sample an Irish Coffee before departure as it was invented by chef Joe Sheridan in the 1940s at nearby Foynes (pre-cursor to Shannon Airport) to warm passengers disembarking on a Pan Am flying boat on a cold winter night.