Learn about Donegal Square
Welcome to Donegal Square! Our goal is to bring the best of Ireland and the British Isles straight to you, as if you were visiting Ireland with your friends and family…no passport required of course!
Overview
Trip Cost
$2,995 for double occupancy. Single supplement $900. Does not include air fare.
Estimated Air
$1,400 (price is per person)
Tour Includes
- Full day coach hire each day as per itinerary from the 2nd to 10th of July 2023.
- Experienced driver and his daily expenses.
- 2-nights accommodation in the 4 star Actons Hotel in Kinsale or similar, based on twin room sharing with private facilities.
- 2-nights accommodation in the 4 star Dingle Skellig Hotel in Kinsale or similar, based on twin room sharing with private facilities.
- 2-nights accommodation in the 5 star Savoy Hotel in Limerick or similar, based on twin room sharing with private facilities.
- 2-nights accommodation in the 4 star Park House Hotel in Galway or similar, based on twin room sharing with private facilities.
- Full Irish Breakfast in the hotels each morning.
- Dinner in the hotels on 3 nights –1 in Kinsale , 1 in Dingle, 1 in Limerick and 1 in Galway.
- Farewell Dinner in Brasserie on the Corner (Galway).
- Entrances to the following sightseeing spots: Cobh Heritage Centre, Charles Fort, Muckross House, Blarney Castle, Centre, Cliffs of Moher, Rathbaun Farm and Kylemore Abbey.
- Walking guide for Kinsale Tour.
- Half Day guide in Limerick.
- Porterage at the Hotels.
- Tips for driver are not included and are the discretion of the travelers, general guideline is $5-7/day/person.
*All services are subject to availability at time of booking*
Daily Itinerary
Day 1: 2nd July 2023 – FAILTÉ IRELAND
- Arrive Shannon Airport. Travel southwards to the small fishing village of Cobh.
- In the 1800s up to 300 ships could be seen at anchor in the waters off Cobh! By the time of Queen Victoria’s visit in 1849, when Cobh was renamed Queenstown, the village had grown to a busy town. It became a hive of naval and commercial activity as Cork Harbour’s important strategic position in the North Atlantic was recognized. Tall ships called to transport convicts to Australia and to carry Irish emigrants to North America.
- From 1848 – 1950 over 6 million adults and children emigrated from Ireland – about 2.5 million left Cobh, making it the single most important port of emigration.
- Visit Cobh Heritage Centre were Cobh’s history and legacy are dramatically recalled at the Queenstown Story – a multimedia exhibition at Cobh’s Victorian Station.
- Following time for lunch and relaxation. Transfer to Kinsale the most picturesque, popular and fashionable resorts of the south-west coast of Ireland.
- Check in Actons Hotel, Kinsale. Dinner in hotel.
Day 2: 3rd July 2023 – Kinsale
- This morning enjoy a short walking tour of Kinsale with your local tour guide.
- Visit Charles Fort, one of the largest military forts in the country, built between 1677 and 1682, during the reign of King v Charles II, to protect the town and harbour. It is associated with some of the most momentous events in Irish history. These include the Williamite War in 1690 and the Irish Civil War of 1922-23. Charles Fort remained garrisoned by the British army until 1922.
- Following your tour the rest of the day is at leisure for independent lunch and a walk around the town. Enjoy browsing in its many shops, for gifts, crafts, paintings, locally designed fashions, art galleries, book shops or take time out in one of its many lovely café’s for coffee and cakes.
- Second overnight at Actons Hotel, Kinsale. Free for dinner.
Day 3: 4th July 2023 – Cork to Kerry
- Full Irish Breakfast at your hotel.
- Today you will leave Kinsale and travel westwards to Killarney, making a stop enroute at one of Ireland’s most popular sightseeing spots: Blarney Castle.
- This historic Castle is situated in the village of Blarney and is world famous for the Blarney Stone, which has the traditional power of conferring eloquence on all who kiss it. The word ‘blarney’ was introduced into the English language by Queen Elizabeth I who used it to describe pleasant and entertaining conversation that was possibly not all true. To kiss the Blarney Stone, set beneath the battlements wall, one has to lean backwards from the parapet walk.
- Continue to Killarney visit Muckross House and National Park; view the principal rooms of the House, which are furnished in period style, you will also see exhibitions and displays illustrating various aspects of the lifestyles and crafts of the people of Kerry.
- Following your tour, travel to Killarney Town for Independent lunch.
- Transfer to Dingle.
- Dinner and overnight in the Dingle Skellig Hotel.
Day 4: 5th July 2023 – Dingle Peninsula
- Full Irish Breakfast at your hotel.
- Today you will take a tour of the Dingle Peninsula where drama, history and great beauty are combined in a spectacular arrangement of mountain, coast and ancient settlements. During your tour you will see marvellous vistas all the way to the Blasket Islands.
- The excellent seafood, pubs and traditional music will draw you to this famous and beautiful peninsula where the Gaelic Language is still the everyday tongue of the people.
- Free time in late afternoon in Dingle.
- Second overnight in Dingle.
Day 5: 6th July 2023 – Dingle to Galway
- Full Irish Breakfast at your hotel.
- Today you travel northwards to the Cliffs of Moher, crossing the Shannon estuary from the small town of Tarbert to the village of Killimer.
- You will then drive to the Cliffs of Moher, sheer cliffs dropping 600 feet to the water below, one of the most impressive stretches of shoreline on the west coast of Ireland.
- Following your visit and time for independent lunch transfer to Limerick.
- Dinner and overnight at the Savoy Hotel, Limerick.
Day 6: 7th July 2023 – Limerick
- Full Irish Breakfast at your hotel.
- Late morning enjoy a visit to Limerick Milk Market (11.00-15.00). Limericks most famous market, operating since 1852. Here you can see and buy the freshest of food produce, delicious local, natural, in-season organic and artisan foods. Enjoy live music, brunch, crafts antiques and vintage stalls.
- Optional visit in the afternoon to the picturesque town of Adare.
- Second overnight in Limerick. Free for dinner.
Day 7: 8th July 2023 – Limerick to Galway
- Leaving Limerick, travel to Galway via the wonderful Burren: “The Burren is a limestone plateau occupying an area of over one hundred square miles in North Clare. It is an area of scenic attractions where the clear light, reflected from the stone-grey hills, seems to radiate an air of timelessness, which is made more realistic by the presence of the many prehistoric remains that dot the fields and the valleys beneath. Here the unfolding layers of limestone form terraces on the slopes of the hills – a limestone desert but with a quick-changing landscape. Within a few miles may be seen verdant valleys, bright, green hills thick with hazel and bramble, while the grey heights are relieved by streaks of coloured vegetation contained in the fissures and rock joints.”
- Visit Rathbaun Farm, situated in a rural area of Southwest County Galway in Ardrahan. The Connolly family have been farming the 80 acres of land for over 200 years and Fintan Connolly continues this tradition today. The main livestock are sheep, with some cows and horses. Visitors to Rathbaun Farm will become enchanted by its thatched cottage home, turf fire, stone walls and an array of animals. Time spent here gives a glimpse into the daily workings of a sheep-farm with plenty of time to see the animals, feed the lambs, talk to the family and explore the farmyard. The farm is nestled in the west of Ireland with the Slieve Aughty Mountains to the South and the Atlantic Ocean to the West.
- Enjoy a guided tour of the farm. And return to Galway.
- Dinner and overnight at the Parkhouse Hotel, Galway.
Day 8: 9th July 2023 – Connemara
- Full Irish Breakfast at your hotel.
- Today enjoy the rugged scenery of Connemara, the barren landscape and lakes dispersed through the country side. Stop at Kylemore Abbey: the convent of the Benedictine Nuns of Ypres, beautifully set on Lake Kylemore. Visit the picturesque Abbey (reception rooms, video and exhibition), and enjoy a stroll to the beautifully restored Gothic Church; browse in the craft shop and sample our home cooked food.
- It’s then onwards to Roundstone where you will visit Malachy Kearns, better known as Malachy Bodhran amongst folk musicians. He works at his craft of making Ireland ‘s oldest product the Bodhran. In the hands of a skilled player the Bodhran can be a subtle and exciting instrument – striking the skin in a variety of ways, one hand tucked in behind the skin, pressing and moving to vary the colour and the intensity of the sound.
- Second overnight at the Parkhouse Hotel, Galway.
- Farewell dinner in a local restaurant.
Day 9: 10th July 2023 Shannon Airport
- Transfer to Shannon Airport.
- Slan Abhaile (Safe Home)