Irish Patriot Trail
Irish Patriot Trail
Travel throughout Ireland to trace the history of the struggle for Irish political freedom, from the 1798 Rebellion to the 1916 Easter Rising and the 1922 Civil War, eventually culminating in Irish independence.
Travel throughout Ireland on this 12 day Irish Patrtiot Trail Tour. Trace the history of the struggle for Irish political freedom, from the 1798 Rebellion to the 1916 Easter Rising and the 1922 Civil War, eventually culminating in Irish independence.
Visit Kilmainham Gaol, Glasnevin Museum, Blarney Castle, Ring of Kerry, Cliffs of Moher, the Giants Causeway and Megalithic Tombs.
Included in this tour:
- Sightseeing by luxury coach
- Professional driver / guide
- 11 nights as per hotels listed
- Full breakfast daily (B) except on day 1
- 9 dinners (D) including:
- Taylor’s Three Rock Pub
- Wm Cairnes Gastropub farewell dinner
- 7 table d'hote dinners
2 Lunches (L) - Welcome get-together drink
- Tours of Dublin city and Belfast city
- 1916 Rising walking tour of Central Dublin and General Post Office
- Walking tours of Cork, Galway, Derry and Drogheda with local guides
- Irish coffee at the Imperial Hotel in Cork
- Horse-drawn jaunting car ride in Killarney
- Banna Strand – Site of Sir Roger Casement’s landing
- Ferry ride across the River Shannon
- “The Quiet Man" walking tour of Cong
- Dan O'Hara's Homestead Farm
- Sheans Heritage Farm turf-cutting, tea and scones
- Step dancing display in Cabra Castle Hotel
- Visits and admissions to Kilmainham Gaol, Croke Park Museum, Glasnevin Museum, Patrick Pearse Museum, Blarney Castle, Blarney Woollen Mills, Michael Collins Centre, Derrynane House, Cliffs of Moher, Jackie Clarke Collection, Lissadell House, Giant’s Causeway, Crumlin Road Gaol, Boyne Valley Visitor Centre & Newgrange or Knowth Tomb
- Headsets for walking tours
- Deluxe carry-on backpack, ticket wallet, luggage tags & strap
- All local taxes, hotel service charges & porterage for one suitcase per person
- Free Wi-Fi on coaches and in hotel lobbies
Overnights for this tour:
- Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel, Killiney near Dublin (2 nights)
- The River Lee Hotel, Cork (1 night)
- Killarney Plaza Hotel, Killarney (2 nights)
- Radisson Blu Galway Hotel, Galway (2 nights)
- City Hotel, Derry, Derry (2 nights)
- Cabra Castle Hotel, Kingscourt (1 night)
- The D Hotel, Drogheda (1 night)
Currency:
Please note that we charge in Euros (€). Prices in other currencies are for indication only and subject to fluctuation.
Day 1: Dublin Tour & Kilmainham Gaol
Your Irish trip starts at 2:00 pm in the afternoon when you meet your tour guide at your Dublin hotel. Set out on a tour of Dublin’s main attractions with particular focus on the General Post Office and O’Connell Street, where the 1916 Rising started on Easter Sunday. Visit the famous Kilmainham Gaol where the leaders of this rebellion, including Patrick Pearse, were imprisoned and shot. It was also in this place where earlier freedom fighters such as Robert Emmett were held during the 19th century. In the evening time meet your tour guide and other people in your group over a welcome drink. (D)
Day 2: Glasnevin Museum & Taylor’s Three Rock Pub
Start today at Croke Park Museum, which highlights the Gaelic Athletic Association, its work in promoting Gaelic sport and its part in Irish politics. Next take a guided tour around Glasnevin Museum & Cemetery, Ireland’s National Necropolis, final resting place of Ireland’s leaders of the 1916 Rising and other prominent patriots. Take a guided walking tour around central Dublin city where fighting during the 1916 Rising was at its worst. Visit the General Post Office, which was the headquarters of this movement back in 1916, to see displays pertaining to this period of history. Later in the day head to Taylor’s Three Rock Pub for dinner and songs of Ireland’s history and fight for freedom. (B, D)
Day 3: Patrick Pearse Museum & Cork Walking Tour
Today visit the Pearse Museum in St. Enda's Park in the former home and school of Patrick Pearse, the leader of the 1916 Rising. It was in this house that Pearse and his brother, William, left to fight on Easter Sunday in 1916, never to return. Next stop off for photos at the stately Rock of Cashel, a collection of medieval ruins on a rocky outcrop. Drive southwards to Cork city, located on the south coast, and take in a guided walk through the city center with a local guide. Today ends with an Irish coffee at the Imperial Hotel, where Michael Collins stayed on the night before he was assassinated. (B, D)
Day 4: Blarney Castle & Michael Collins
A few miles north of Cork city, visit the famous Blarney Castle and climb to the battlements to kiss the famous “Stone of Eloquence.” Learn about the life of Michael Collins, Chairman of the Provisional Government, as you drive the County Cork countryside and through Beal na Bladh where he was ambushed and killed during the Irish Civil War in 1922. Visit the Michael Collins Centre in Clonakilty where you can gain knowledge of his policies for establishing an Irish republic. Continue onwards through Bantry to Killarney where you check in to your hotel and relax before dinner. (B, D)
Day 5: Ring of Kerry Tour & Derrynane House
Drive through the Killarney National Park by traditional jaunting car where you can view Ross Castle which is set on the shores of Lough Leane with mountains forming a backdrop. Set out on Ireland’s most popular scenic drive – the famous Ring of Kerry. The variety of scenery in Kerry will amaze you and there are plenty of photo opportunities. The road winds between the Macgillycuddy’s Reeks which are Ireland’s highest mountains, and the heavily-indented Atlantic coastline. Take in a guided tour around Derrynane House which is home of the great 18th century statesman, Daniel O'Connell, who obtained Catholic Emancipation. Next savor a light lunch and continue along the scenic route, stopping in the village of Sneem and also at Moll’s Gap for panoramic mountain views. Then return to Killarney where the evening is free.
(B, L)
Day 6: Roger Casement & Cliffs of Moher
Today drive by Banna Strand in Kerry, where Roger Casement tried to land arms to support the 1916 Rising. Learn all about this incident while sampling tea and scones. Travel north and cross the wide River Shannon Estuary by ferry and drive along the coastline of Clare. Here view the famous Cliffs of Moher, an impressive wall of rock rising 700 ft above the Atlantic Ocean. Walk to O’Brien’s Tower where you can enjoy views of Connemara and the Aran Islands. Continue onwards to Galway city for a walking tour and check in to your hotel, which overlooks Galway Bay. (B, D)
Day 7: "The Quiet Man" & Dan O'Hara's Farm
Drive onwards to Cong where the famous film "The Quiet Man" movie was made in 1952 – Ireland’s first major movie. A guided walk will show you places featured in the film. Travel through the scenic Connemara region. Here you can learn all about the policies of landlords in the east pushing peasants westward into this barren area. Drive through the picturesque scenery of hills and lakes where you can visit Dan O'Hara's Homestead. Here you will see methods of farming as well as Connemara ponies and donkeys. Enjoy a casual lunch here before returning to Galway where the evening is free. (B, L)
Day 8: Jackie Clarke Collection & Lissadell House
Travel northwards to the town of Ballina to view the Jackie Clarke Collection. This archive, amassed by a local businessman, spans 400 years and it contains many rare and important books and papers belonging to the 1916 Rising and earlier political activity. Continue onwards to Sligo where you can visit Lissadell House. Built in the 1830's , this magnificent country estate was built for the Gore-Booth family and it was the childhood home of Constance Markievicz, one of the leaders of the 1916 Rising. Stop in the town of Donegal before driving through the majestic Barnesmore Gap to Derry. (B, D)
Day 9: Derry Walk & Giant’s Causeway
Today join a local guide for a walking tour around the ancient city of Derry to see the Bogside. Learn all about how the 16th century walls were important to the development of the city. Stop off for photos at the ruined Dunluce Castle and explore the stunning Giant’s Causeway, huge hexagonal basalt columns which were formed over 60 million years ago. The oversized rocks have given rise to many legendsin Irish folklore. See turf cutting and other aspects of Irish country life at Shean’s Heritage Farm and return to Derry for free time. (B, D)
Day 10: Crumlin Road Gaol & Cabra Castle Stay
Drive to Belfast for a panoramic city tour to see where many events of the 20th century occurred and view the political murals. Visit Crumlin Road Gaol, which dates back to 1845. It closed its doors as a working prison in 1996 so many of the political prisoners held there during the “Troubles” still live in Belfast. Explore over 150 years of the prison’s history on a guided tour before traveling to Kingscourt and your castle hotel, built in 1760. Arrive mid-afternoon so that you can enjoy this lovely property and maybe play the 9-hole golf course. After dinner in the Court Restaurant, enjoy a display of Irish step-dancing. (B, D)
Day 11: Megalithic Tombs & Historic Drogheda Walk
Visit the Boyne Valley Visitor Centre to learn about the 5,000-year-old burial tombs of Newgrange and Knowth. Tour one of them to see how primitive people managed to align huge boulders precisely. Continue to Drogheda to join a local guide for a walking tour to see the head of St. Oliver Plunkett, the first Irishman to be canonized in 700 years. Also learn about how Oliver Cromwell and his army wreaked havoc and destruction throughout many places in Ireland so that his name is still reviled to this day. In the evening enjoy a farewell dinner with live music and patriotic songs at Wm Cairnes Gastropub, located in a former brewery. (B, D)
Day 12: Tour Ends in Drogheda
Your tour ends after breakfast. Drogheda is 30 miles north of Dublin Airport so ensure you have appropriate transfer arrangements made. (B)
B: Breakfast; L: Lunch; D: Dinner
| Tour Start Date in Ireland. | Tour End Date in Ireland | Land price Twin Sharing | Guaranteed Departure |
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