June 2024 Tour To Ireland

About the tour

An Turas go hÉirinn

Join us in Ireland in 2024!

Tour Prices

• $2699 per person sharing ($2499 for members of the Friends of Irish Studies)

• $500 Single Traveler Supplement

• A $300 deposit is due at the time of registration to hold your place.

Cairde Léann na hÉireann – The Friends of Irish Studies

Join the Friends of Irish Studies on a nine- day tour of Ireland this coming summer. This is a journey back home, to the ancestral home, to your roots where it all began for many of you. The history of Ireland is your history; the people of Ireland are your people. This is not a sightseeing tour; this is a tour that reconnects the Irish of America with their past and with their people. The tour runs from June 18 to June 27, and is led by Dr. Traolach Ó Ríordáin, Professor of Irish language and Literature at the University of Montana. The tour is limited to 20 people.

2024 Tour Itinerary

June 18: Ag Teacht go hÉirinn/Arriving in Ireland

We would like for everybody taking the tour to arrive in Ireland on 18 June. This will give you time to get over the jetlag. We suggest that you arrive in Shannon airport. It may be cheaper to arrive in Dublin. If so, take the bus to Shannon and book into the hotel there at the airport or in Ennis. We have recommendations and can help getting a good price for the night.

June 19: Fáilte Romhat go hÉirinn/Welcome to Ireland

You will be picked up at your accommodations this morning and pointed in the direction of Galway City - the “City of the Tribes” and gateway to the west. We will take the scenic route to Galway, stopping at the Cliffs of Moher and at the Burren along the way. The Cliffs of Moher need no explanation; the Burren defies explanation, but I will try. Derived from the Irish word “Boireann” meaning rocky place, the Burren is an unpolluted and unspoiled expanse of limestone rock that covers over 100 square miles. The barren appearance belies the richness of life here. The Burren is home to a diverse ecosystem of Arctic, Mediterranean and Alpine plants that extends into the Atlantic to form the Aran Islands. We will feast our eyes on the beauty of the Burren, the Aran Islands, and the western Atlantic before heading north to see Poulnabrone Dolmen, one of the most iconic and frequently photographed sites in Ireland. Meandering along we will eventually arrive in Loughrea, a historic and rural town, known for its hospitality and love of hurling! It is here where we will spend the first night and experience the hospitality of the people.

Dinner and Overnight: Loughrea

June 20: Conamara agus Cathair na Gaillimhe/Connemara and Galway City

Today we make our way north and west into the rugged and majestic beauty of Connemara. Our first stop will be at the village of Cong, over the border from Galway, in co. Mayo. This was where The Quiet Man, that great Irish American movie starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara and directed by John Ford, was filmed. Cong is also the site of the ruins of a 13th century Augustine abbey where the last High-King of Ireland, Rory O’Connor, broken and dispirited, spent his final days. Nearby is Ashford Castle, a five-star luxury hotel originally built as a fortress for the Burke family. Leaving Cong, we head west to Leenane, where the movie The Field was filmed, and we’ll stop awhile at Killary Harbour, Ireland’s only fjord. It is a day for movies and abbeys, and we will not pass Kylemore, probably Ireland’s most famous abbey. We will spend some time here, weather permitting, to enjoy the beautiful gardens and the tranquility this sanctuary offers. From here we will make our way along the south shore of Galway Bay to Galway City. We will stop awhile in Galway, get dinner, and enjoy the street music and entertainment.

Overnight: Loughrea

June 21: Cuairt ar Chluain Mhic Nóis/Visit to Clonmacnoise

A fine hearty Irish breakfast will serve your constitution well for the next stage of our adventure. Today we travel northeast to Aughrim, Clonmacnoise and Clonfert. Aughrim was the scene of the bloodiest battle every fought in Ireland when the forces of James II and William of Orange met on July 12, 1690. This was the battle that ended the reign of the Stuart monarchs and established the House of Orange on the throne of England. From here we head to more peaceful and contemplative environs – the beautiful monastic site of Clonmacnoise Established by St. Ciarán in the 6th century it quickly grew because of its location to become a major centre of religious and intellectual life renowned throughout Europe. Its importance declined from the 11th century onwards as Ireland moved from a monastic to a diocesan church. It is still the most well-known of Ireland’s ancient monasteries. Leaving Clonmacnoise, we head back towards Loughrea for an experience of rural life. We will learn how to cut turf, milk cows, feed calves and so on Irish style. We will have dinner that night with the family.

Dinner and Overnight: Loughrea

June 22: Ó Dheas Don Daingean/Southwards to Dingle

This morning we rise and head south through county Galway and west Clare, over the Shannon Estuary, and westwards to the beautiful seaside town of Dingle. Our first stop will be at Coole House and Gardens, home to Lady Gregory and inspiration for the great Irish writers of the Celtic Revival. Yeats, Synge, Shaw and many others visited here consulting the Muse, and carved their initials in the copper beech tree that still stands today. You can photograph this tree, walk the grounds at your ease, and get a sense of what inspired some of Ireland’s greatest writers. Leaving Coole, we travel back 14 centuries to the impressive Kilmacduagh Churches and Round Tower. First built in the 7th century, Kilmacduagh is home to the tallest round tower in Ireland and stands as witness to the golden days of monastic culture in Ireland. And it is south we go to the beautiful village of Adare where we stop for lunch and to stretch our legs. The afternoon will include one stop in nearby Newcastlewest to view the 13th century Desmond Castle. With our fill of ancient, medieval, and literary Ireland we head for Dingle and the little Irish-speaking village of Ballyferriter.

Dinner and Overnight: Ballyferriter

June 23: Corca Dhuibhne/The Dingle Peninsula

Today will be spent savoring the delights of the Dingle Peninsula, a place celebrated in story, song and poetry for centuries. Our morning will begin with a trip to Slea Head and its panoramic views of Dingle Bay, South Kerry, the Skellig Rocks, and the Blasket Islands. Our first main stop will be the Blasket Heritage Centre in Dunquin, followed by a visit to Gallarus and the ancient monastic site of Kilmalkedar. We return early to Dingle, leaving time to walk the town, visit the shops, restaurants and bars of this popular destination. But June 23rd is midsummer’s night, Oíche Shan Seáin, and we don’t want to miss the evening’s festivities. It could be a long night!

Dinner and Overnight: Ballyferriter, Co. Kerry

June 24: Contae Chorcaí/County Cork

Our itinerary takes us southwest to County Cork, stopping off along the way to savor the beauty of the town and Lakes of Killarney. We will visit Ross Castle, stronghold of the McCarthys, and get a sense of the how the medieval Irish kings lived. From there we cross over the border into rebel Cork. St. Gobnait’s Holy Well and monastic site in Ballyvourney is our destination. The church, with its mixture of Christian and pre-Christian icons, testifies to the incorporation of the old into the new and the graveyard holds the bones of some of the greatest singers, storytellers and poets ever recorded in Ireland. It is at places like St. Gobnait’s that one comes into contact with the ancestral spirit and soul of Ireland. We head from here to Béal na Blath where the man who broke the power of the English in Ireland, Michael Collins, died in an ambush on 22 August 1922. Many have claimed the hopes and aspirations of Ireland died with Collins on that day. I leave to you to make your own mind up on that. But that being said, there is no denying that Béal na Blath has become a place sacred to Irish nationalists, a spiritual site that draws hundreds every year to commemorate the life and death of Collins. From here we make our way to Cork City.

Dinner and Overnight: Cork

June 25: Oirthear Chorcaí/East Cork

East Cork was possibly the last place in Ireland most emigrants saw before embarking for a new life on foreign shores. It is here that the town ofCobh, formerly known as Queenstown, the main port of departure from Ireland is located. It was at Cobh that the ill-fated Titanic made its final stop.
Cobh is also the resting place of the victims recovered after the sinking of the Lusitania. We will visit Cobh Heritage Center and then walk part of this beautiful seaside town, stopping at the Lusitania Monument and St. Colman’s Cathedral. We will also have lunch here.
Leaving Cobh we head to the Middleton Distillery, where all the spirits come out of a bottle! Here is where such well-known liquors as Jameson, Paddy, Power’s, Redbreast and many more are distilled. Everybody who takes the tour leaves feeling much, much better about life!

Overnight: Cork

June 26: Ag Filleadh ar an gClár/Returning to Co. Clare

This morning we begin our day in Blarney, with a visit to the Woolen Mills or the castle. Some of you may want to kiss the stone; others may wish to do some last minute shopping - it will be up to you. The grounds around the castle are beautiful and, weather permitting, make for a great walk. After this, we head for Bunratty in county Clare where we will tour the folk park and round off the evening with a farewell celebration of Irish music, dance and food.

Overnight and Dinner: Bunratty

June 27: Slán Abhaile/Safe Home

Make sure you have all your belongings, your bags, gifts and passports because today you leave for home. The bus will take you to the airport two hours before your flight and bid you a tearful farewell. We know that you will return again to the “Land of Hundred Thousand Welcomes” and the home of your ancestors in the not-too-distant future.

Trip Includes

Accommodations Confirmed: 8 Hotel Nights

• June 19, 20 & 21: Loughrea, Co. Galway – Dinner included June 19 and 21

• June 22 & 23: Ballyferriter, Dingle – Dinner included June 22

• June 24 & 25: Cork – Dinner included June 24

• June 26: Bunratty – Dinner at Bunratty Folk Park included

Sightseeing

• Clare: The Burren; The Cliffs of Moher; and Bunratty

• Galway: Connemara, Kylemore Abbey, Clifden, Coole Park, Kilmacduagh

• Mayo: Cong

• Kerry: Lakes of Killarney; Ross Castle; Dingle; Gallarus; Kilmalkedar; Dunquin; and Dingle Town

• Cork: Ballyvourney; Béal na Blath; Blarney, Cork City, Cobh, Midleton

• Limerick: Adare, Newcastlewest

Transportation and Other

• Luxury air-conditioned Coach throughout

• Professional Irish Driver Guide throughout

• All Hotel Taxes and service charges

• Hotel Porterage for 1 bag

Reservations require a $300 non-refundable deposit by Friday, May 5, 2024

Click Here to download a printable PDF of the tour itinerary and registration/release forms.

You may pay your non-refundable deposit by check with your registration, or by credit card below.