Céad Míle Fáilte!  A hundred thousand welcomes to Ireland!

Check into your accommodations and discover all there is to do in Dublin.  It is a lively capital city that is as intimate as a village and as friendly as your local pub.  With its seamless blend of classic visitor sights, excellent social scene, and the natural playgrounds of Dublin Bay and the Dublin Mountains framing it on all sides, this laidback city is an adventure in itself.

Gather in the evening for an All-Alumni Meet and Greet.  Grab a pint, strike up a conversation, and settle in to relive an experience of a lifetime.

Highlights:  EPIC Museum, Guinness Brewery, and Trinity College Book of Kells.

Our Recommendations:  Dublin Food Walking Tour and the Pearse Lyons Whiskey Distillery.  

Inclusions:  Dublin City Go Pass and Night at a 4 Star Dublin City Hotel.  

Begin with introductions to your Private Driver Guide after breakfast.  Venture to County Cork with a stop at the famous Blarney Castle.  As teenagers, many did not need the gift of the gab.  However, if you do not climb the stairs to kiss the stone, make sure to visit the beautiful gardens built into the estate.  It creates a perfect backdrop to a magical experience for visitors.  

Arrive in the Kingdom of Kerry and discover why Killarney is the most welcoming town in the country.  

Highlights:  Blarney Castle.

Our Recommendations:  Visit St. Brendan’s College where the Program used to stay for nostalgia, Ross Castle, and O’Connor Pub for traditional Irish Music.   

Inclusions:  Blarney Castle and Night at a 4 Star Killarney City Hotel.

National Geographic once called the Dingle Peninsula “the most beautiful place on earth.”  It suffered the Vikings and welcomed starts from a Galaxy far, far away, but today discover the meandering country lanes, wild hedgerows, endless skies, and cozy thatched pubs to understand why National Geographic approved.

Highlights:  Inch Beach and Slea Head.

Our Recommendations: Deep Fried Mars Bar, Pint of Guinness at Dick Macks, and Brown Bread Ice Cream at Murphy’s.

Inclusions:  Dingle Peninsula Tour and Night at a 4 Star Killarney City Hotel.

Today you will travel north.  If you are after visual drama, the Cliffs of Moher are the place to come.  Plummeting 750 feet into the Atlantic Ocean, it’s no wonder these soaring sea cliffs in County Clare have been featured so often on the silver screen.  

Drive through the Burren seeing all that this region has to offer-from geology, geomorphology, natural history, and archaeology.  Comprised of mostly limestone, make sure not to take it for granite.  

Arrive in Galway and feel the ultimate modern bohemian metropolis, but beneath the surface beats a heart that is deeply traditional.  If you want to immerse yourself in the lively side of Irish culture, Galway is the place to do it.   

Highlights:  Cliffs of Moher, Hazel Mountain Chocolate Tour, and the Poulnabrone Dolmen Tour.

Our Recommendations:  Fish and Chips at McDonaghs, Traditional Irish Music at Tig Chóilí, and Thomas Dillons Claddagh Store.

Inclusions:  Cliffs of Moher, Burren Tour, and Night at a 4 Star Galway City Hotel.

Located in the rugged west of Ireland, you could think of Connemara as a vault, where Ireland’s traditions are stored safely against the march of time.  Described as a “savage beauty,” by wordsmith Oscar Wild, Connemara can make your soul sing and the rest of the world melt away.  

Set your sights on Kylemore Abbey and understand the story of the ultimate love token.  

Highlights:  Connemara Tour and Kylemore Abbey.

Our Recommendations:  99’s in Clifden and the Galway Food Tour.

Inclusions:   Connemara Tour, Kylemore Abbey, and Night at a 4 Star Galway City Hotel.

See if you can remember any of your Irish from the classes you took when you visit the Aran Islands-a Gaeltact area off the coast of Galway.  Sitting pretty in the bay is Inis Mór-the last lands before you reach the states.  Still maintaining aspects of traditional Irish life, the islands fascinate the thousands of visitors who make the journey every year.  

Explore the island on your own, before returning back to the city.

Highlights:  Aran Islands Ferry.

Our Recommendations:  Dun Aonghasa, Seal Colony, and the Worm Hole.

Inclusions:   Aran Island Ferry and Night at a Galway City Hotel.

Your journey brings you back to Dublin today for your last night on the Emerald Isle.  Finish exploring any missed sights and souvenir shopping and then gather together for one last event.  

We hope this tour will be a testament to the power of travel that unites souls, leaving you with memories that will forever bond you together from this very special program.

Highlights:  Irish House Party.

Our Recommendations:  Kilmainham Gaol and the Brazen Head-Dublin’s Oldest Pub.

Inclusions:  Dinner with Entertainment and Night at a 4 Star City Hotel.

It’s time to say goodbye for now!  Make your way to Dublin Airport three hours before your departure.  

Slán abhaile!