Four Day Small Group Heart of Ireland Explorer

Want to tour the back roads of the Ireland's West but don't want to join a large coach group? Looking for a little flexibility and spontaneity in your itinerary? Do you have a few days to really get deep into the Irish countryside?

Truly a back-roads experience, combining explorations of the Northwest's better known icons and cities like Galway, with places and attractions seldom included on regular coach tours. Both geographically and spiritually, you will discover the "Heart of Ireland".

Highlights include prehistoric, Celtic early Christian sites, and their associated myths, one of the world's oldest telescopes, beautifully landscaped gardens, castles and literary sites. You'll drink whiskey, if only in your coffee! You'll enjoy musical evenings. You'll travel narrow lanes, you can take a boat ride to the off-shore Aran islands, a train ride through the peat bogs, and you may even find a donkey or trap to sit on!

With a maximum group size of 11 and a university educated guide/driver, you are sure to have a memorable and personal experience.

Schedule Details Departs: Seasonal - 2008 dates

• April 19
• May 3, 17 and 31
• June 14 and 28
• July 12 and 26
• August 09 and 23
• September 06 and 20
• October 04

Departure Point: Tour departs from centrally located Dublin hotels Departure Time: 8:00am Return details: Tour returns to original point of departure at approximately 6:00pm (Day 4) Hotel Pickup: Tour departs from centrally located Dublin hotels. Please include the details of your hotel at the time of booking. You MUST call the supplier at least 24 hours prior to tour commencement to reconfirm all tour and departure details. If the supplier does not pickup from your hotel, they will advise you of the meeting point when you call. Itinerary:

Day One:

Departing from Dublin this morning's route across the Ireland's midlands takes you past a range of interesting and historic sites including the Rock of Dunamase, where an Iron age hillfort and remains of a medieval castle loom dramatically above the plains of Portaoise. Drive across the dramatic landscape of the Slieve Bloom mountains.

Next on your voyage of discovery is Birr. Set in Ely O'Carrol country (ancestral home of any who bear the O'Carrol name), the town of Birr is not one normally found on tour itineraries which tend to neglect this region, yet it is one of Ireland's gems. The town boasts approaching 2,000 years of inhabitation, and today its famed for its authentic Georgian street layout, traditional shop fronts and the "Steffin Stone". This is said to be the "Navel of Ireland", supposedly marking the center of Ireland. What Birr is perhaps most famed for is Birr Castle where, in magnificently landscaped gardens, you discover the famed Birr telescope.

Continuing the journey westward your next stop will be at the historic town of Athenry, one of Europe's walled towns. The heritage center here maps out both the local and national history and is a fascinating visit. End the day at your accommodation base in Galway for three nights.

Day Two:

You will spend a very special day exploring the wilds of Connemara National Park, Kylemore Abbey and the pretty habour town of Westport.

The wild, western side of Ireland is one of the major motivations for visiting the country and there are few better areas to experience it than here. Unlike much of the area further south around Killarney and the Dingle, this is relatively unspoilt and not swamped with huge tour coaches (though you'll inevitably see some!). It is a region seemingly God-designed for touring in mini-vans!

Those who don't wish to join this day and perhaps prefer to take the boat trip to the Arran islands, may do so but it will be as an optional extra.

This evening you'll together again enjoy the Galway City nightlife. This compact but busy university city is an intriguing place with its narrow streets crammed with interesting sites, pubs and shopping opportunities! Some participants may wish to spend an evening at the local theatres.

Day Three:

Day 3 is a mix of "must-see" icons and sights and a range of additional attractions that are not always visited by the tourist masses. Begin the day with a visit to the world-famed Cliffs of Moher. En route, you'll probably see some turf-cutters and perhaps a stop at the commemorative Great Famine site will prove interesting. Then tour through the lunar-landscape of the Burren with stops at the Aillwee Cave and some incredible prehistoric burial sites. Following the coast road, you will visit some Galway Bay harbors before enjoying another evening in Galway City itself.

Day Four:

Return across central Ireland takes you though the county of Westmeath. This is a region that abounds with Celtic myths, magic - perhaps explaining its more contemporary literary connections. Today there are many choices, according to weather and group interests, from historic sites including abbeys, churches, castles and stately homes, to the two historic towns of Athlone and Mullingar. Whatever is chosen, it will a memorable day's touring.

The first stop will be Shannonbridge. Firstly, take a tour by pint-sized train across the bogs for a fascinating insight into the history and development of the bogs and peat gathering. The small lakes that punctuate the bogs are a paradise for wetland birds and there's distinctive flora to admire. Then to Clonmacnoise to explore the impressive remains of a 6th century monastery. Many kings of Tara and Connaught are buried here and there was reputedly a direct chariot route to Tara! Time permitting you will also see Fore Abbey - the largest group of Benedictine remains in Ireland and marvel at the Seven Wonders of Fore which include the Water That Flows Uphill, the Tree that won't burn and the Monastery Built in a Bog!

Next its on to Athlone, situated on the principal fording point of the middle Shannon, which is most famed for its thousand year old castle with a unique museum of military uniforms through the ages. Finally, a visit to the Emerald Isle would not be complete without acknowledging whiskey and you'll visit either the Tullamore Dew distillery or Locke's distillery which is believed to be the oldest licensed pot still distillery in the world. The distillery has made pot still Irish Malt Whiskey for almost 200 years.

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