9 Day Northern Gems tour 2012

9 Day Northern Gems tour 2012

Highlights:

• Bunratty Castle Medieval Banquet
• Slieve League - Europe's Highest Sea Cliffs
• Catamaran cruise with Irish Coffee
• Giant's Causeway
• Cabra Castle Hotel & Irish Dancing

Day 1: Shannon Arrival & Knappague Castle
Your tour starts at Shannon Airport with a transfer to Bunratty between 7:00 am and 12:00 noon. If your flight arrives later than 12:00 noon, transfer to the hotel at your own expense. At 2:30 pm depart for the Cliffs of Moher, a dramatic wall of rock that plunges to the Atlantic Ocean. Return to Bunratty for a welcome drink to discuss your itinerary with your tour director. Drive a few miles to Knappogue Castle to take part in one of their famous banquets with a great meal, wine and music in the evocative atmosphere of the 15th century castle. (D)
Day 2: Burren Display Centre & Galway Bay
In Kilfenora visit the Burren Display Centre to learn about the Burren, an area of rounded limestone hills, which contain a wealth of prehistoric monuments and where rare flowers thrive in the sheltered crevices. View the Poulnabrone Dolmen, a Neolithic monument dating to 4,000 BC. Stop in the village of Ballyvaughan and drive around Galway Bay. Enjoy free time in Galway before driving to your hotel overlooking Galway Bay. (B, D)
Day 3: “Quiet Man” Walking Tour & Catamaran Cruise
Take a walking tour around the village of Cong where “The Quiet Man” movie was made in 1952. Drive through Connemara for sweeping views of misty mountains and shimmering lakes. Embark on a short cruise of Killary Harbour, and enjoy an Irish coffee as you view hills where traces of pre-Famine “lazy beds” of potato ridges can still be seen. Make a brief stop at Kylemore Abbey Visitor Centre before heading to Clifden, a delightful market town set between the Twelve Bens and sandy bays. Return to Galway. (B, D)
Day 4: Belleek China & Donegal Castle
Drive north into County Mayo to visit the pilgrimage town of Knock and continue to Sligo to view W. B. Yeats' Grave, situated near the distinctive outline of Ben Bulben Mountain. Tour the Belleek Pottery Factory to see skilled craftspeople create elegant and decorative pieces in fine china. Drive to Donegal town for a tour of Donegal Castle, built by the O'Donnell chieftain in the 15th century. The castle was expanded in the 17th century and today is furnished throughout. Check in to your nearby hotel. (B, D) 
Day 5: Slieve League Cliffs & Donegal
Drive to the fishing port of Killybegs and on to Teelin to view Slieve League sea cliffs, the highest in Europe reaching 1,972 feet. The cliffs drop straight down to the wild Atlantic waves creating marvelous views. Enjoy coffee or tea with home-baked scones before driving through the majestic Glengesh Pass to Ardara. Visit Triona Design to see demonstrations of spinning, weaving and knitting. Return to Donegal town for free time and return to your nearby hotel. (B, D)
Day 6: Derry Walk & Giant's Causeway
Travel to Derry for a walking tour with a local guide to see the medieval city walls, the Diamond and St. Columb's Cathedral. Pause for photos at the ruins of Dunluce Castle before visiting the Giant's Causeway, enormous hexagonal columns formed by volcanic activity over 60 million years ago. Continue south to experience wonderful views of mountains, valleys and bays along the “Nine Glens of Antrim.” Drive to your centrally-located hotel in Belfast. You may like to take a walk to see the magnificent City Hall in Donegall Square. (B, D)
Day 7: Belfast & Cabra Castle Hotel
Tour Belfast with a local guide to see Victorian buildings, the Harland & Wolff shipyards where the Titanic was built and the Falls Road and Shankill residential areas. Drive south via the town of Newry and pass the gentle slopes of the Mourne Mountains to Kingscourt to Cabra Castle, built in 1760. Arrive mid-afternoon so that you will have time to enjoy the facilities and ambience of your lovely hotel. You may like to play the 9-hole golf course. After dinner in the Court Restaurant, enjoy youthful dancers display intricate Irish step-dancing. (B, D)
Day 8: Battle of the Boyne Centre & River Liffey
Drive to Drogheda to visit the Battle of the Boyne Centre. Learn about the 1690 conflict between King William III and his father-in-law, King James II, for dominance over the British throne and religious power in Ireland. Then travel into Dublin and to your hotel, located in Dun Laoghaire on the south side of the city. The balance of the day is at leisure so you may use your vouchers for an independent open-top bus tour with a visit to either Guinness or Jameson and an included drink. (B)
Day 9: Tour Ends Dublin Airport
Take a group transfer to Dublin Airport to arrive at 6:00 am, 9:00 am or 12:00 noon to check in for your flight home. (B)
Your Hotels
Superior first class:

• Bunratty Castle Hotel, Bunratty (1 night)
• Galway Bay Hotel, Galway (2 nights)
• Millpark Hotel, Donegal (2 nights)
• Radisson Blu Hotel, Belfast (1 night)
• Cabra Castle Hotel, Kingscourt (1 night)
• Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire, Dublin (1 night)

Tour Includes:

• Group transfers at start and end of tour
• Sightseeing by luxury coach
• Professional tour director
• 8 nights in hotels listed above
• Full breakfast daily except on day 1 (B)
• 7 dinners (D) including:
  - Bunratty Castle Medieval Banquet
  - Dinner and Irish step-dancing display at Cabra Castle Hotel
  - 5 table d'hote dinners
• Welcome get-together drink
• “The Quiet Man” walking tour of Cong
• Catamaran cruise of Killary Fjord with an Irish coffee
• Slieve League Sea Cliffs followed by home-baked scones with coffee or tea
• Walking tour of Derry with a local guide
• Tour of Belfast with a local guide
• Dublin open-top bus tour with a visit and drink at Guinness Storehouse or Old Jameson Distillery
• Visits and admissions to Cliffs of Moher, Burren Display Centre, Poulnabrone Dolmen, Kylemore Abbey Visitor Centre, Museum of Country Life, Knock Shrine, W. B. Yeats' Grave, Belleek Pottery Factory, Triona Design, Giant's Causeway and Battle of the Boyne Centre
• Deluxe flight bag, ticket wallet, luggage tags & strap
• All local taxes, hotel service charges & porterage for one suitcase per person

Dates & Rates:
Tour leaves Shannon Wednesdays and Fridays, and return to Dublin Thursdays and Saturdays.
April 4 – 18: $1468
April 25: $1548
April 27 – September 28: $1628
October 3 – 17: $1468
October 31: $1298

All rates in US Dollars, per person, based on double occupancy
Single Supplement: $421