Irish Welcome Tour 10 Night
Detailed Itinerary for the 10 night Irish Welcome Self Drive Tour of Ireland
In order to give you an idea of the detail that we at IrishTourism.com place
in our itineraries, below is the first 5 pages of the 38 page detailed
itinerary that we have painstakingly put together for this tour. Regardless
of the depth of information that is contained within these itineraries, your
dedicated agent is always a quick phone call or e-mail away should you require
assistance in any way, whether it be before your arrival in Ireland or during
your time here.
Overnights:
- Kinsale, County Cork for 2 nights
- Killarney, County Kerry for 2 nights
- Dingle, County Kerry for 1 night
- County Clare for 1 night
- Westport, County Mayo for 2 nights
- Galway for 2 nights
Shannon to Kinsale
This route will take just over 2 hours driving time if no heavy traffic is
encountered in Limerick or Cork. However, if you intend including the side trip
to Cobh near Cork, add at least 30 minutes driving time.
From Shannon take the main N18 south to Bunratty Village, just 10 minutes north
of Limerick city and just 10 minutes from Shannon airport. As you approach Limerick
follow signs for Cork and the N20.
Limerick City is a not often recognised as a tourist destination, which is a
shame because Limerick has a long history with a medieval past dating back as
far as the 5th century. Among the most interesting attractions are King John’s
Castle and The Hunt Museum. The former is an impressive 13th century military
castle featuring an imaginative historical exhibition with two multi-vision
shows, battlement walks, and much more. The latter houses the finest private
collection of antiquities in Ireland, including works of art by Leonardo da
Vinci, Renoir, Picasso and Yeats plus many stunning medieval pieces. Limerick
boasts many fine restaurants and pubs with numerous music venues.
King John's Castle
King John’s Castle is a fortified 13th century Castle on ‘King’s
Island’ in the heart of medieval Limerick. The castle overlooking the
river Shannon opens an exciting window on the lives and stories of the people
through political upheaval, war and famine. Archaeological excavations open
to the public roll back the mists of time to pre-Norman houses which predate
the castle by 100 years, as well as siege mines, garrison and soldiers quarters
and sallyport all found under the level of the present courtyard. The castle
itself features an imaginative exhibition spanning the castle’s history.
King John’s Castle is a visitor attraction of international standard,
in the heart of Limerick’s Medieval District on King’s Island. Features
of the visit include:
Imaginative historical exhibition, Multi-Vision Show, Excavated pre-Norman houses,
fortifications and siege mines, Battlement Walks, Reconstruction of medieval courtyard,
Panoramic views of Limerick city, the river Shannon, countryside, King John’s
mint where visitors can collect a replica of the original coin.
From Limerick, take the N24 to Tipperary and then the short journey of about
12 miles to Cashel in County Tipperary for the famous Rock of Cashel. Cashel
was once the seat of the Kings of Munster and capital of this southern province.
The Rock, which rears above the plain, dominated the land routes southwards.
Kings of Ireland as well as Munster came to this spot and St. Patrick is known
to have preached on the rock and converted the local King, Aenghus, here in
the 5th Century. Brian Boru was also crowned King of Ireland on this spot in
the early 11th Century. King Cormac built his superb Royal Chapel in the 12th
century. Visit Cashel town to experience and understand the historical relationship
between the Rock and the town. Turn the key to the rich heritage in Cashel such
as the archaeology, fine architecture, fascinating history and folklore of this
remarkable town.
Adjoining the Rock of Cashel, you will find the Brú Ború Cultural
Centre. This facility incorporates a folk theatre, restaurant, craft centre,
information centre and genealogy suite. Traditional Irish music, song and dance
are provided for visitors to the centre by world famous, resident Bru Boru Group
of Irish musicians and artists during the summer season. Their latest additional
facility is the dramatic and thought provoking underground theatre and exhibition
which relays the story of Irish song and dance. From Cashel, the small town
of Cahir is just a 15 minute drive along the Cork road (the N8). Cahir Castle,
once an important stronghold of the powerful Butler family, the Castle retains
its impressive keep, tower and much of its original defensive structure. It
is one of Ireland’s largest and best-preserved castles. Situated on a
rocky island on the River Suir, the Castle’s attractions include an excellent
audio-visual show, which informs visitors of all the main sites of the area.
There are also several exhibitions and guided tours available.
From Cahir, take the N8 towards Cork.
On the eastern side of the city of Cork just 5 minutes east on the N25 (direction
of Waterford), you will have the opportunity to take a small side trip to visit
The Queenstown Story (also know as the Cobh Heritage Centre) in the small town
of Cobh. 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
sympathetically recounts these events and tells the story of emigration from
Ireland to the United States and Australia from the time of the famine in 1847
up to the 1950s. From Cork City take the N27 in the direction of Cork Airport.
At the airport roundabout go straight ahead on the R600 that will take you directly
into Kinsale.
Kinsale is a delightful harbour town that has retained its old world charm
and character despite being well developed from a tourism point of view with
Its beautiful waterside location, local facilities including a yacht marina
and historic buildings such as Desmond Castle and Market House. Kinsale styles
itself as the gourmet capital of Ireland, boasting numerous excellent restaurants
and atmospheric traditional pubs.
The remaining details of this itinerary
are included with your booking.