Tour Overview

‘Excellent’

Your tour begins in Dublin where we pay a visit to the National Museum of Decorative Arts. Here you can catch a glimpse of how Irish people in the past lived through their clothing and textiles. The next day in Dublin we will have a ‘knitting with wire’ workshop and you will be introduced to Tunisian crochet with one of our expert designers. Leaving Dublin, we will head for Connemara in the West of Ireland. Connemara is characterised by coastal coves and bays, fishing villages and by its vast expanse of mountainous scenery. Before we leave Galway we will enjoy a knitting workshop with Anne O’Maille of Ó'Máilles of Galway. Established in 1938, this shop became famous in the 1950s for outfitting the entire cast of the film The Quiet Man. The next two days of your trip will be spent on Inis Oirr (Inisheer), one of the famous Aran Islands located at the mouth of Galway Bay. You will enjoy knitting and dyeing workshops and learn the traditional methods and stitches the Aran Island way! Your time on the islands will include sightseeing and even a bit of Irish music and dance! The next part of the tour takes place in the south of Ireland where we visit the famous Ring of Kerry with its stunning ocean vistas and we will enjoy a knitting workshop with Carol Feller and Liz Spillane. Return to Dublin via the famous Blarney Castle where legend has it if you kiss the stone you will never be lost for words and have as the Irish say, ‘the gift of the gab’!

Departure Dates

  • 18th September 2023
  • 15th April 2024
  • 16th September 2024

What's included

  • Transfers on arrival and departure by private coach (for arrivals prior to 10.30am on tour start date and departures on tour end date)
  • Sightseeing as per itinerary in a luxury coach with an experienced driver and licensed guide
  • Accommodation in rooms with private facilities for 10 nights
  • Irish breakfast daily
  • 5 hotel table d’hote dinners
  • 4 sit down lunches
  • 1 farewell meal in a Dublin restaurant
  • Entrance to the following attractions: National Museum of Decorative Arts and History, Christ Church Cathedral, Kylemore Abbey, Glen Keen Sheep Farm, The Cliffs of Moher, Blarney Castle
  • Ferry to Inis Oírr, Aran Islands
  • Inis Oírr guided tour
  • Aran Island baking & butter making demonstration
  • Ring of Kerry guided tour
  • Connemara guided tour

Workshops/Knitting Activities Included in This Tour:

  • Knitting with wire workshop with Pauline Gallagher
  • Knitting workshop with Anne O’Maille in Galway
  • Aran Island knitting workshop with Una McDonagh
  • Aran Island spinning & dyeing workshop
  • Knitting class with Carol Feller in Killarney
  • Traditional knitting with Liz Spillane
  • Basket weaving demonstration with Ciaran Hogan
  • Kerry Woollen Mills tour
  • Hedgehog Fibres Studio
  • Important Note: Attractions, Workshops and Demonstrations May Change According to Availability and Scheduling 

Tour highlights

  • Belfast
  • Bunratty Castle & Folk Park
  • Cliffs of Moher
  • Dingle Peninsula
  • Dublin
  • Giants Causeway
  • Guinness Storehouse
  • Killarney
  • Trinity College & Book of Kells
  • Blasket Centre
  • Galway
  • Kinsale
  • Kylemore Abbey
  • Connemara National Park
  • Blarney Castle
  • General Post Office
  • Newgrange

Overnights for this tour

  • Dublin 2 Nights (Camden Court Hotel (or similar)
  • Galway 3 Nights (Galway Bay Hotel or similar)
  • Inis Oirr, Galway 2 Nights (Quality en-suite B&B on Inis Oírr)
  • Killarney 2 Nights (Lake View)

Accommodation options

  • Optional pre-night packages available should you wish to spend a night or two extra in Dublin before the tour starts. Please see pricing section for details.

Day 1 - Dublin Panoramic Tour & Dublin Castle

Tour begins 2:00 PM at your Dublin hotel. Experience a panoramic tour of the capital city of Dublin. Then take a guided tour of Dublin Castle, the seat of power and government for many centuries, and see the State Apartments. Enjoy a welcome drink with your group before dining independently this evening.

Day 2 - Independent Tour of Dublin & Taylors Three Rock Pub

Enjoy touring Dublin independently, on a Hop-On, Hop-Off bus tour. Plus choose a visit to one of Dublin’s top attractions — Guinness Storehouse, Teeling Distillery, EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, or GPO Witness History. Enjoy a dinner of Irish specialties and a lively show. (B, D)

Day 3 - Kinsale Walk & Free Time

Head south to Kinsale, a picturesque old fishing town now renowned for sailing, art galleries, and gourmet food. Join a local guide for a short walk around Kinsale’s historic streets. Then take some time to explore Kinsale on your own before returning to your hotel for dinner. (B, D)

Day 4 - Blarney Castle & Killarney

Travel to Blarney Castle to kiss the famous “Stone of Eloquence” or walk through the gardens. Travel to Killarney for some free time and a horse-drawn jaunting car ride through Killarney National Park to view Ross Castle and Kenmare Estate. Enjoy dinner at your hotel this evening. (B, D)

Day 5 - Scenic Dingle Peninsula & Blasket Centre

Explore Slea Head to view the heathery mountains, sandy beaches, and green landscapes of the Dingle Peninsula. Visit the Blasket Centre in Dunquin to learn about the offshore Blasket Islands. Enjoy some free time in Dingle. Visit the South Pole Inn and sip a creamy Irish coffee while hearing about the daring exploits of Antarctic explorer Tom Crean, who left his explorer days behind to open the pub. Continue on to Killarney for a free evening and independent dining. (B)

Day 6 - Cliffs of Moher & Medieval Castle Banquet

Visit the Foynes Flying Boat & Maritime Museum, which recalls air travel in the 1930s and 1940s. Drive to the magnificent Cliffs of Moher, soaring 700 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. In the evening, head to a castle for a medieval-style banquet with traditional songs and stories. (B, D)

Day 7 - Sheepdog Trials & Galway

Travel through the rounded limestone hills of the Burren to Caherconnell and watch skilled dogs round up sheep. Stop in a charming Burren village to explore independently. Head to Galway for a guided walking tour around the central attractions – the narrow streets, the medieval city walls, and Lynch’s Castle. Enjoy free time to explore before dinner. (B, D)

Day 8 - Connemara Catamaran Cruise & Kylemore Abbey

Drive through Connemara to Leenane for a catamaran cruise (seasonal only) of Killary Harbour, Ireland’s only fjord. Travel on to see Kylemore Abbey and enjoy lunch in this majestic setting. Spend a free evening in Galway. (B, L)

Day 9 - Belleek Pottery & Donegal Castle

Travel north through County Mayo. Stop in County Fermanagh and visit Belleek Pottery to see craftspeople create their renowned fine china. Visit Donegal Castle, built by the O'Donnell chieftains in the 15th century and restored in the 1990s after falling into ruin for centuries. Have dinner in your hotel this evening. (B, D)

Day 10 - Slieve League Cliffs & Triona Design Demonstration

Enjoy a coastal drive to view the Slieve League, Europe’s highest sea cliffs. Continue on to visit Triona Design for demonstrations of spinning, weaving, and knitting. Enjoy some free time to explore before returning to the hotel for dinner. (B, D)

Day 11 - Derry Walk & Giant's Causeway

Meet with a local guide for a walking tour to see Derry’s medieval walls, the Diamond, and St. Columb’s Cathedral. Explore the Giant’s Causeway, enormous hexagonal columns formed over 60 million years ago. Travel along the scenic Nine Glens of Antrim before heading to Belfast. (B, D)

Day 12 - Titanic Belfast & Hillsborough Castle

Tour Belfast and see a city filled with grand Victorian buildings. Visit Titanic Belfast and discover the city’s rich maritime history including the shipyards where the RMS Titanic was built in 1912. Visit Hillsborough Castle, the residence of the Secretary of State of Northern Ireland. Drive to Kingscourt to Cabra Castle Hotel, built in 1760, and enjoy free time there. After dinner, experience a lively step-dancing display. (B, D)

Day 13 - Neolithic Tombs & Farewell Dinner

Visit Brú na Bóinne to learn about the 5,000-year-old burial tombs of Newgrange and Knowth, with a visit to one of the tombs. Enjoy a free afternoon before having a farewell dinner at your hotel. (B, D)

Day 14 - Tour Ends in Dublin

Your tour ends after breakfast. (B) B: Breakfast; L: Lunch; D: Dinner All components of this tour (hotels, visits and attractions) for 2020 itineraries are subject to change until finalized in September 2019.   >

Route map

 

Tour attractions

Tour Prices

  • Non-Knitter Partners & Friend

Do you have a partner or friend that doesn't knit? They are welcome to come along, ask our sales representatives about our non-knitter discount!

10 Night Southern Ireland Knitting Tour with the Aran Islands

Notes

Pre Tour Arrangements (Optional/Additional): 

Package A

  • 2 x Pre-Nights at Camden Court (or similar)
  • Arrival Transfer
  • 2 Day Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Ticket
  • Per person sharing one room - €375
  • Supplement if single room is required - €125

Package B

  • 1 x Pre-Night at Camden Court (or similar)
  • Arrival Transfer
  • 1 Day Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Ticket
  • Per person sharing one room - € 233
  • Supplement if single room is required - €68

Prices in other currencies are indicative only. Please note that we charge in Euro.

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