Irish Romance 14 Night Tour

Travel to Kinsale via Limerick City, Blarney and Cork City. Among the most interesting attractions in Limerick are King John’s Castle and The Hunt Museum. From there, the direct route to the small coastal town of Kinsale will allow you to ‘Kiss the Blarney Stone’ at Blarney Castle and visit the Cobh Heritage centre near Cork. Cobh, situated on one of the world’s largest natural harbours, was the last port of call for the ill-fated Titanic in 1912 and was the closest port to the site of the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915. The Heritage centre also recounts the story of those Irish who left Ireland during ‘The Famine’. An optional detour includes visits to ‘The Rock of Cashel’ and ‘Cahir Castle’, both in Tipperary and both are amongst Ireland’s premiere historic attractions. Kinsale is a delightful harbour town that has retained its old world charm and has a myriad of old Irish pubs and excellent restaurants as well history laden attractions such as the Desmond Castle Museum and the star shaped ‘Charles Fort’ from the 17th century.

Kinsale prides itself to be the gourmet capital of Ireland, boasting abundant superb restaurants and atmospheric traditional pubs. A great deal of your vacation time could indeed be spent in Kinsale itself but if you wish to venture out further afield, your Irish Tourism tailor-made itinerary will help you do just that!  If you did not have a chance to visit the following of Kinsale's major attractions, make sure to include them today. Desmond Castle and the International Museum of Wine, which was built in about 1500, had many uses. In 1600 and 1601 it was used as an arsenal by Don Juan Aguilla during the Spanish occupation of the town which lasted for 100 days prior to the Battle of Kinsale in 1601. In the 17th century the castle became popularly known as the "French prison" and was used for prisoners of war, most of whom were captured at sea. During the American war of Independence, the crews of many American vessels were held prisoner in Kinsale in poor conditions. Other notable attractions include Charles Fort, the 17th Century star-shaped fort. St. Multose Church is well worth a visit and was built in 1190. The Courthouse and Regional Museum in was used for ceremonial occasions in the 18th century. In 1915, the Courthouse was used for the inquest into the sinking of the Lusitania. The Regional Museum is now housed in the Courthouse

Today you have visits to Mizen Head, the southernmost point in Ireland, as well as Bantry House and Gardens and the French Armada Centre, also in Bantry. Just north of Bantry you will find Garinish Island.  A short boat trip from Glengarriff brings you to the island – look out for seals basking on the nearby rocks – to see the beautiful Italian style gardens that are home to numerous rare and sub-tropical plants. Travel to Castletownbere, one of the largest white fishing ports in Ireland. Situated on Berehaven Harbour and looking out towards Bere Island, the town has a spectacular background of the Slieve Miskish Mountains. Return to Kenmare via the stunning Healy Pass across the Caha Mountains that divide Cork from Kerry. After the mountain pass, you come to the town of Kenmare. The town was founded in 1670 by Sir William Petty and has a history of lace making, demonstrations of which can be seen at the town’s Heritage Centre.

From Kenmare, you will be heading to the quaint town of Dingle in County Kerry. You will be travelling there via the stunning mountain route via Molls Gap and Ladies View, as you descend towards the Lakes of Killarney. You will have time to visit Muckross House and Gardens in Killarney before continuing on to Dingle. Muckross House is a wonderful Victorian manor built in 1843 for Henry Arthur Herbert. The location of the House is impressive, close to the eastern shore of Muckross Lake and set below the impressive backdrop of the Torc and Mangerton Mountains. You will also pass though the small village of Annascaul which is the birth place of Tom Crean, a local hero who accompanied Scott and Shackleton on three Antarctic expeditions, including Scott’s doomed attempt to reach the South Pole. On his return to Annascaul Crean opened the "South Pole Inn", which is still in business today. Dingle retains the charm of a fishing village despite being a popular tourist destination.

From Dingle head to the harbour village of Ventry, in which the ancient tale of the Battle of Ventry Strand is based. The tale as told in a 15th century manuscript describes how Daire Donn, King of the World, landed at Ventry in an attempt to invade Ireland and was defeated on the beachhead by Fionn Mac Cumhaill. You will also see Dunbeg Fort and the Blasket Islands just off the coast. Further along the coast road will bring you to the remains of Ferriter Castle and Dun An Oir. Here in 1580, after three days siege, over 600 Irish and Spanish soldiers surrendered to Lord Grey only to be massacred by his troops. Nearby is the Gallarus Oratory, one of the best preserved early Christian church buildings in Ireland.  Back to Dingle for the evening. Here you will find among other great pubs and restaurants, Dick Macks, possibly Dingle’s most famous pub, which is half a leather shop and half a pub so you can buy a pint and a purse at the same time! Foxy John’s is a hardware store and pub combined – an unusual arrangement to say the least.

After an early breakfast depart Dingle in the direction of Brandon to drive over the renowned Conor Pass, Ireland’s highest mountain pass. At the summit Brandon and Tralee Bays can be seen to the north, with the sandy Castlegregory peninsula separating them and to the south lies Dingle Bay. Continue to Tralee and Tarbert where you will take a ferry crossing on the Shannon Estuary to County Clare. Continue north to the Cliffs of Moher. The majestic Cliffs of Moher are without doubt one of Ireland’s most spectacular sights and overlook the Atlantic Ocean on the coast of West Clare. You then arrive at the village of Doolin. Doolin is world-famous for its wealth of Irish folk music and in recent years has been attracting crowds to spontaneous sessions in any one of its excellent pubs. Just north of the Cliffs you then have the lunar like Burren region and the ancient Poulnabrone Dolmen Tombs as well as the Aillwee Caves.

Start your Ireland honeymoon package at Shannon Airport and your Irish Tourism tailored Itinerary will show all the potential places that you could visit along the way including the beautiful Burren region in county Clare which is famous for its karst glacial like landscape and home the stunning Cliffs of Moher, one of Ireland’s most frequented attractions. If you prefer a more direct route you could travel via the famous Bunratty Castle with its adjoining folk park. At Bunratty folk park you can stroll around thatched cottages that were once commonplace in rural Ireland, there is even a remodelled village street complete with school house, post office & a 1950’s pub where you can even purchase a refreshing drink!  

Start your Ireland honeymoon package at Shannon Airport and your Irish Tourism tailored Itinerary will show all the potential places that you could visit along the way including the beautiful Burren region in county Clare which is famous for its karst glacial like landscape and home the stunning Cliffs of Moher, one of Ireland’s most frequented attractions. If you prefer a more direct route you could travel via the famous Bunratty Castle with its adjoining folk park. At Bunratty folk park you can stroll around thatched cottages that were once commonplace in rural Ireland, there is even a remodelled village street complete with school house, post office & a 1950’s pub where you can even purchase a refreshing drink!  

Start your Ireland honeymoon package at Shannon Airport and your Irish Tourism tailored Itinerary will show all the potential places that you could visit along the way including the beautiful Burren region in county Clare which is famous for its karst glacial like landscape and home the stunning Cliffs of Moher, one of Ireland’s most frequented attractions. If you prefer a more direct route you could travel via the famous Bunratty Castle with its adjoining folk park. At Bunratty folk park you can stroll around thatched cottages that were once commonplace in rural Ireland, there is even a remodelled village street complete with school house, post office & a 1950’s pub where you can even purchase a refreshing drink!  

Start your Ireland honeymoon package at Shannon Airport and your Irish Tourism tailored Itinerary will show all the potential places that you could visit along the way including the beautiful Burren region in county Clare which is famous for its karst glacial like landscape and home the stunning Cliffs of Moher, one of Ireland’s most frequented attractions. If you prefer a more direct route you could travel via the famous Bunratty Castle with its adjoining folk park. At Bunratty folk park you can stroll around thatched cottages that were once commonplace in rural Ireland, there is even a remodelled village street complete with school house, post office & a 1950’s pub where you can even purchase a refreshing drink!  

Start your Ireland honeymoon package at Shannon Airport and your Irish Tourism tailored Itinerary will show all the potential places that you could visit along the way including the beautiful Burren region in county Clare which is famous for its karst glacial like landscape and home the stunning Cliffs of Moher, one of Ireland’s most frequented attractions. If you prefer a more direct route you could travel via the famous Bunratty Castle with its adjoining folk park. At Bunratty folk park you can stroll around thatched cottages that were once commonplace in rural Ireland, there is even a remodelled village street complete with school house, post office & a 1950’s pub where you can even purchase a refreshing drink!  

Start your Ireland honeymoon package at Shannon Airport and your Irish Tourism tailored Itinerary will show all the potential places that you could visit along the way including the beautiful Burren region in county Clare which is famous for its karst glacial like landscape and home the stunning Cliffs of Moher, one of Ireland’s most frequented attractions. If you prefer a more direct route you could travel via the famous Bunratty Castle with its adjoining folk park. At Bunratty folk park you can stroll around thatched cottages that were once commonplace in rural Ireland, there is even a remodelled village street complete with school house, post office & a 1950’s pub where you can even purchase a refreshing drink!