The Shores of Ireland

Day 1 Fly to Dublin. Visit the seaside village, Howth, on Dublin Bay’s northern peninsula, it has a stunning location, surrounded on three sides by the Irish Sea and its legacy as a fishing village lures gourmet food fans. Howth Harbour’s west pier is home to many of the village’s finest restaurants, as well as an imprint of King George IV’s footprints, and the east pier is great for a long walk, at the end of the pier is the Harbour Lighthouse, a Georgian style 1817 residence, with a magnificent view of Ireland’s Eye and Lambay Island. Enjoy a seafood lunch while exploring Howth Peninsula. Enjoy a tour of the Guinness Storehouse. The Guinness Brewery in Dublin is Europe's largest stout producing brewery and houses a very fine exhibition dedicated to the Guinness story. Once the tour has finished, you are invited to the Gravity Bar to enjoy their pint of Guinness. Regular demonstrations on the art of pulling a pint of Guinness also take place in the Storehouse. This evening enjoy a welcome dinner at your hotel, the Riu Plaza Gresham Hotel. (L, D)

Day 2 This morning journey to Belfast. En-route visit Navan Centre & Fort, one of Ireland's most important ancient monuments. It was the Ancient capital and seat of the King of Ulster. Located just outside the city of Armagh, it offers visitors a unique appreciation of the history of the area through a stimulating exhibition. Enjoy a guided walk to Navan Fort with interactive historical cooking, weaving and farming demonstrations. Transfer to the Holiday Inn City Center Belfast, later, enjoy a tour of the Falls and Shankill areas. Meeting with two different guides, both former political prisoners, one from the republican community and the other one from the loyalist community. During this tour, they offer their own personal perspective over the local history and the recent conflict. It is a perfect tour for visitors looking to understand what happened in the North of Ireland during the recent conflict, understand the current divisions that still exist, but also to discover what impacts the peace process is having on people’s everyday lives. Start in the nationalist area and hear about the colonisation of Ireland by England, and how the conflict started in 1969. We continue to Lanark Way where you will meet the loyalist guide. Discover the "peace line" dividing nationalist and loyalist/unionist areas. (B)

Day 3 Today enjoy a fishing expedition on Strangford Lough. Your hosts will prepare a lunch of award winning local food including mackerel and pollock (most likely at this time of year) accompanied by local craft beers. Afternoon at leisure. (B, L)

Day 4 This morning journey to Donegal, experience the local culture, heritage and people of Donegal against the backdrop of the most spectacular and rugged coastline. En-route, visit Glenshane Country Farm, set deep in the beautiful, little-known landscape of the Sperrin Mountains. Visit fourth-generation shepherds and enjoy an authentic experience on an Irish working farm. See the highly trained team of Sheepdogs at work while taking in the delights of the beautiful countryside. Close to Ireland’s highest bar and restaurant ‘The Ponderosa’and within close proximity to Glenshane Forest Ancient Mass rock. Continue to Slieve League, the highest sea cliffs in Europe at almost 2,000 feet. Standing on what could be the edge of the world, you’ll feel the might of this landscape and the Atlantic Ocean swirling far below your feet. Largely untouched, feel at one with nature as you walk through unspoiled landscape with spectacular views of the coast and the Sligo Mountains. Donegal Bay can be clearly seen and a short walk will take you to the amazing cliff face of Bunglas. Overnight at the Abbey Hotel. (B)

Day 5 This morning enjoy a cruise in Killybegs Harbour, Ireland's largest fishing port. As the cruise leaves the harbour we encounter Rotten Island lighthouse, constructed in 1838 and still functional, continue to a fully organic salmon fish farm and see the fish leap. Enjoy the scenic journey to Galway through Connemara, a land of lakes and rivers, bogs and mountains, where Gaelic is still the spoken language and little has changed since the beginning of time. Without doubt the wildest and the most romantic part of Ireland, Connemara, characterised by stone walls and thatched cottages, is a vast peninsula bordered by the arid and rocky coastline of Galway Bay in the south, and to the north the land is harsher, with spectacular views of the Ocean and the beautiful fjord of Killary Harbour, and steep mountains, a real paradise for nature lovers. In 1951, John Ford's great movie "The Quiet Man" starring John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara and Barry Fitzgerald was made, and filming was centred in the village of Cong on the Mayo-Galway border. Proceed to restored pre-famine cottage of Dan O' Hara, now a heritage centre and farmhouse overlooking the majestic Twelve Ben Mountains. Enjoy a traditional baking demonstration followed by a fresh seafood platter. Transfer to the Ardilaun Hotel for a two night stay. (B, L)

Day 6 Drive through the beautiful Burren, a beautiful landscape of over 150 sq. km. and one of Ireland’s National Parks. The region is visually lunar, sheltering a mixture of flora and archaeological sites while medieval tower houses and churches guard the valleys. Centuries of weathering has produced a terrain of fissured. Today’s visitors to the Burren will find Arctic, Alpine and Mediterranean plants growing together. Enjoy the Wild Kitchen Experience, a celebration of wild food, locally sourced produce and creative cooking, a true immersion into the great outdoors through Food and Nature. Meet Oonagh O’Dwyer, an Organic Horticulture tutor, and explore the Wild Atlantic Way and her bounty, visit a secret beach to learn about the historical, cultural and culinary uses of seaweed and discover the deep flavours of these nutrient dense wild foods. This tour will be completed with a picnic lunch. Continue to visit Doolin Music House, an opportunity to listen to traditional music in an intimate environment. Learn the history and enjoy a traditional Irish music session. Later, take a cruise beneath the world famous Cliffs of Moher, a spectacular journey below the cliffs which tower above the Atlantic Ocean and stretch for 8km. There is the option to join a deep sea fishing trip by special charter off the coast of Galway (Minimum number required – approx. £150 per person). (B, L)

Day 7 Depart from Galway for Dublin, visiting Kilbeggan Distillery en-route. In the heart of Ireland, lies the town of Kilbeggan, home to the world's oldest distillery, established in 1757. It is the quintessential Irish whiskey distillery - whitewashed walls, weathered slate roof, brick chimney stack, creaking timber water wheel, even regular ghost sightings. A real working distillery run by a team of young enthusiastic craftspeople (and a few wise old heads too), skilled in the traditional ways of making Irish whiskey. Upon arrival into Dublin check in to the Camden Court Hotel and enjoy a free afternoon, or visit the EPIC, The Irish Emigration Museum, a state-of-the-art interactive experience located in the beautiful vaults of the 1820 Custom House Quarter building in Dublin’s Docklands. The original departure point for many of Ireland’s emigrants. Discover why so many left Ireland’s shores, see how they influenced the world they found, and experience the connection between their descendants and Ireland today. This evening enjoy a farewell Dinner and Entertainment. The Merry Ploughboys live in concert is widely regarded as the best traditional music show in Dublin. (B, D)

Day 8 Fly to London. (B)

• Key
• B - Breakfast
• L - Lunch
• D - Dinner