THE BEST OF IRELAND 2010

$2,538 per person twin

including Delta flights Atlanta to Dublin

Single room supplement $498; deduct $850 if arranging your own airfare

*Want to stay longer in Dublin? We can add extra pre-tour or post hotel nights. Ask us for details.
Delta airfare from Atlanta to Dublin nonstop is subject to change until ticketed.



Cead Mile Failte! Magnificent scenery, delightful people, & a colorful past: this is the best of Ireland. "The Land of 1,000 Welcomes" is just waiting to be explored. Join Father Jim Schillinger & your Irish professional tour guide on a group getaway to Europe's friendliest nation. It's chock full of leprechauns, cozy pubs, stunning landscapes, ancient castles, Celtic history, & time to explore. Gaze in awe at UNESCO World Heritage Giants' Causeway, with over 60,000 columns of basalt rock dating back 70 million years. Take in the majestic Cliffs of Moher & the beauty of the idyllic Ring of Kerry, settings for many a movie. Kiss the Blarney Stone & enjoy a taste of genuine Ireland. Tour the port town of Cobh, the final stop of the Titanic. Experience emigrant life in the 1800s on the reconstructed Famine Ship. Visit the stirring pilgrimage shrine of Knock.

On this memorable adventure by motor coach, you spend one pre-tour & one post-tour hotel night in Dublin, Ireland's laid-back capital & home to 16th century Trinity College. Then enjoy six great days of visiting "must-see places" like Waterford, Glendalough, Derry, Galway, the lakes of Killarney, & more. Your daily adventures highlight picture-perfect nooks & crannies, historic towns, & local Irish culture. Discover a special slice of Europe. Reserve your slot today on the "Best of Ireland" getaway & experience the delightful Emerald Isle! Space is limited to twenty-six travelers.

Your unforgettable Irish getaway includes:

¨ 5 nights' accommodations in quality Irish hotels (with private facilities)
¨ 2 nights' Dublin lodging in centrally-located 1st class hotel (private facilities)
¨ 7 full breakfasts (B), 1 welcome drink, & 6 Irish dinners, including traditional show (D)
¨ Roundtrip airport group transfers, flight bag, ticket wallet, luggage tags, & taxes
¨ Daily touring by motor coach & on foot with Irish tour guide/driver (*porterage for 1 bag)
¨ Walking tours of Waterford & Derry & sightseeing in Dublin, Belfast, Kerry, & Galway
¨ Entrance to Book of Kells, Glendalough Visitor Centre, & Dunbrody Famine Ship
¨ Visits to Giants Causeway, grave of W.B. Yeats, & Knock Shrine ¨ Visits to Cliffs of Moher, Blarney Stone, Blarney Woollen Mills, & Skelling Experience
¨ Titanic walking tour of port town Cobh, last scheduled stop of doomed ship
¨ Entrance to Foynes Flying Boat Aviation Museum & stop at Dunluce Castle ruins ¨ Traditional tavern music & insider tips on sightseeing/dining during free time

(*Ask about the recommended Travelex travel insurance & optional airfare.)
Call 770-454-7205

DAILY ITINERARY:

Day 1 U.S.A. - Ireland Depart on the overnight transatlantic flight to Dublin. (D on board your flight)

Day 2 Dublin Cead Mile Failte. A warm Irish welcome to you! Hop the airport hotel coach for a ride to the heart of Dublin. Settle into our hotel & rest up from jet lag. Then join an afternoon walking tour of the thriving capital of Ireland. Marvel at the 9th century Book of Kells, a lavish illuminated New Testament manuscript & national treasure. After a welcome drink, eat dinner on your own. Early to bed. Tomorrow is full of discovery. (B on board your flight)

Day 3 Dublin to Waterford After a hardy breakfast, begin the day with a stop in the lovely Wicklow Mountains & learn about an ancient monastery founded by St. Kevin in the 5th century. See evocative ruins & Celtic crosses before driving south to Dunbrody. There, experience the rebuilt Famine Ship & imagine the harsh conditions emigrants endured in the 1800s. Continue on to Waterford, famous for its prized crystal. Take a guided walk through the historic city center before dinner with your travelmates. (B/D)

Day 4 Waterford to Blarney to Killarney Ride along the spectacular south coast to the port town of Cobh, last scheduled stop of the ship Titanic. A stroll around town reveals places emigrants frequented, before they left their beloved land for distant American shores. On the outskirts of Cork, visit the Blarney Woollen Mills & later kiss the Blarney Stone. Go west through rugged landscape to Killarney, known for its scenic mountain lake setting. Free time before dinner to wander through the town called "Gateway to the Ring of Kerry." (B/D)

Day 5 Roundtrip Killarney to Ring of Kerry to Sneem Eat an early breakfast before the gorgeous Ring of Kerry route, winding between the Atlantic coastline & the Reeks Mountains. Watch the interesting Kerry audio visual show at the Gap of Dunloe. Next, cross the bridge to Valencia Island, where the Skellig Experience recreates the lives & work of early Christian monks. Highlights of the day are the charming village of Sneem & the eye-popping Killarney Lake District panorama from Molls Gap. Return to Killarney, where you can explore the town before dinner with the group. (B/D)

Day 6 Killarney to Cliffs of Moher to Galway Today we make our way north for a visit to the Flying Boat Museum, which chronicles the early days of air travel. Drive over the River Shannon to Limerick en route to Bunratty village, as our coach travels along the lovely coast of County Clare. Rising 700 feet above the churning Atlantic, stands the dramatic "end of Europe" Cliffs of Moher, Ireland's top sight. Walk to O'Brien's Tower for a view of the cliffs' highest point. Continue on to Burren, with its eerie limestone lunar landscape, & then drive along Galway Bay. Reach medieval Galway, the country's 4th largest city. It still preserves a "small town" character. Dinner with the group after a short orientation tour of the city. (B/D)

Day 7 Galway to Knock to Derry Start off the day with a visit to pilgrimage town Knock, site of the 1879 apparition of Mary, St. Joseph, & John the Evangelist. Later, drive through enchanting County Sligo to the grave of poet W.B. Yeats. Past the shores of Donegal Bay & the Blue Stack Mountains, you arrive in Derry, location of the bloody 1689 siege. Though the 17th century city walls were the focus of repeated attacks, they remain unbroken to this day. Tour the medieval heart of town before dinner with your group. (B/D)

Day 8 Derry to Giants Causeway to Dublin This morning visit the ruins of the McDonnell clan ancestral home at Dunluce Castle. Then view the amazing Giants' Causeway. Sitting at the foot of steep cliffs & stretching out to the sea, this natural rock formation of thousands of tightly-packed, hexagonal basalt columns is an extraordinary sight. Drive around Victorian Belfast, now free from the intense political unrest of former years. The city's shipyards built the infamous Titanic. Back to Dublin in time for a delicious farewell Irish dinner & a traditional show. Celebrate your last evening in Ireland as you & friends enjoy lively Irish music & dance at the popular Abbey Tavern. (B/D)

Day 9 Dublin hotel to Dublin Airport to U.S.A. All good things must come to an end. Catch the early morning airport coach & fly home with memories of a lifetime. Slan Go Foill, fair Emerald Isle! (B)