8 Night Irish Castles and Manors Platinum Tour

Begin your knitting tour of Ireland with a transfer from Dublin Airport to your hotel (for arrivals prior to 10:30am on start day of tour or pre-night packages). Meet with your guide and fellow travellers for an introduction and embark on your first part of the tour with a visit to the National Museum of Decorative Arts and History. Discover how Irish people lived in the past as you wander the recreated rooms showing typical furniture styles from the 17th century right through to high styles of the 19th century. The textile exhibition may be of special interest where ‘The Way We Wore’ section displays typical Irish clothing and jewellery from 1760s onwards. Our next stop is at Christ Church Cathedral for a guided tour of one of Dublin’s oldest operational buildings – over 1000 years old! The remainder of the day will be free for you to relax and refresh before your welcome dinner at your hotel. Overnight in Dublin, Dinner and Bed & Breakfast included.

First thing today we pay a visit to ‘This is Knit’, one of Dublin’s famous yarn stores for an informative talk on the developments in the Irish hand knitting scene over the years as well as a two hour ‘Moebius Knitting’ workshop on the stunning ‘Glenties Cowl’ pattern, designed by Lisa Sisk.  For this workshop you will be using Soft Donegal yarn from Studio Donegal in the northwest of Ireland. After your workshop we will stop at Dublin’s Guinness Storehouse for a guided tour. This museum discusses the history of Ireland's most famous export, through various interactive exhibition areas including ingredients, brewing, transport, cooperage, advertising and sponsorship. This evening dinner is not included so that you can sample one of Dublin’s many restaurants and bars at your leisure. Overnight Dublin, Bed & Breakfast Basis

After breakfast, it’s on to the coach again to travel to Tullamore D.E.W. Heritage Centre where you will discover how Daniel E. Williams went from stable boy to distillery manager, creating the whiskey which still bears his initials today.  We will enjoy lunch here before continuing to Rossaveal in County Galway for the ferry to Inis Mór (also spelled Inishmore), the largest of the three Aran Islands. On arrival, we will meet with some Aran Island locals for an introduction to Aran life which will pay special attention to the history of Dun Aonghasa in preparation for your visit the next day. Dinner will be served at the hotel accompanied by your hosts.  After dinner, enjoy a quick traditional Irish dancing lesson or if your tired feet are not up to the task, you can watch the instructor demonstrate some simple steps! Overnight Inis Mor (Inishmore), Dinner Bed & Breakfast Basis

This morning, enjoy a knitting workshop where you will learn the traditional methods and stitches the way the Aran Islanders do it!  Then it’s off for a tour of Inis Mór with your local guide. The island is littered with more than 50 different monuments of Christian and pre Christian origin and you will pay a visit to the impressive cliff top fort of Dún Aonghasa. This historic fort consists of three terraced walls surrounding an inner enclosure, a platform on the edge of a three-hundred-foot high cliff. Please note that the walk to the fort is up a sharp incline and suitable footwear should be worn and is not recommended for those who may have walking difficulties. The views from Dún Aonghasa are breathtakingly spectacular. On your tour you will also visit some of the local knitwear shops on the island and enjoy a delicious meal at Teach Nan Phaidi! Overnight Inis Mor (Inishmore), Dinner Bed & Breakfast Basis

We begin the day with the early morning ferry back to the mainland. From here travel through Connemara to the Museum of Country Life, an informative museum which displays the way of life of rural Irish people from 1850 with a strong focus on traditional crafts and trade.  After lunch (included), enjoy a knitting workshop with Ciara Ní Reachtnín who draws inspiration from Irish and Celtic mythology in her work. She will focus on 'An Bradan Feasa' also known as 'The Salmon of Knowledge'. Finally travel the short distance to Sligo where you will check into your hotel for tonight. Overnight Sligo, Dinner Bed & Breakfast Basis

Today we travel to Donegal on Ireland’s northwest coast. First stop is a visit to the grave of W.B. Yeats at Drumcliffe Cemetery before journeying north to Donegal Yarns which is steeped in centuries of tradition of locally spun yarns. It operates a vertical production process from raw wool to a finished multi-colured fleck yarn. Next, it's onto Studio Donegal, a hand-weaving and clothing manufacturer committed to preserving traditional Irish hand-weaving. Here you will see the progression of hand-weaving from start to finish including the spinning, warping and weaving of the wool. Overnight Donegal, Dinner Bed & Breakfast Basis

Today meet one of Ireland’s finest knitwear designers, Edel MacBride, for a core knitting workshop including yarn pack, working the best of Irish moss, cable and Edel’s favourite Aran stitches. After your class and some lunch, it's on to the Slieve League Cliffs, one of the highest cliffs in Europe to enjoy some amazing views.  Next, we will travel the short distance to Glencolmcille, an area famous for its wealth of traditional Irish culture, music and prehistoric settlements. Take a tour of Glencolmcille Folk Village, a collection of several small cottages, called a ‘clachan’, resting on a hillside that overlooks the stunning Glen Bay Beach. Designed, constructed and conserved by local residents, the folk village is one of Ireland's longest running living-history museums. Overnight Donegal, Bed & Breakfast Basis

Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coast is rated as one of the top five road trips worldwide and when you see it you will see why! The road meanders around a stunning narrow strip of coastline between spectacular sea views and truly majestic high cliffs. We pay a visit to the Giant’s Causeway where around 60 million years ago, three great lava flows were laid down, cooling the basaltic plateau that makes an attention-grabbing photo opportunity today!  On your journey you will also visit the ruins of Dunluce Castle which is situated dramatically close to a headland that plunges directly into the ocean! Your tour today ends in Belfast City where the remainder of the evening is free to check out the local bars and restaurants. Belfast is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast of Northern Ireland. Overnight Belfast, Bed & Breakfast Basis

This morning, enjoy a visit to Mourne Alpacas outside Belfast, a family managed herd of Alpaca and pedigree Angora goats that produce high quality fleeces, so much so that their motto at the farm is “We breed for heat, not for meat!” Once you have been up close and cosy with the alpacas, and had a chance for plenty of photos and questions, we will move onto the fleece. While enjoying a cuppa after all your hands on with the alpacas and the fleece, you can get a chance to see, feel and purchase quality alpaca yarns and some blend yarns, in many natural colours of the alpaca and some stunning seasonal colour ranges created from natural dyes as well. Upon your return to the city, experience Titanic Belfast, one of Ireland’s newest and most popular museums, constructed on the site of the former Harland & Wolff shipyard where the Titanic was originally built. Galleries reconstruct scenes from Belfast at the time of its construction, the launch, the maiden voyage, the sinking and the aftermath. This museum is extremely interactive, with displays that bring each period of the Titanic to life. The remainder of the evening is your own to enjoy the vibrant atmosphere of Belfast. Overnight Belfast, Bed & Breakfast Basis

Linen was an important industry in Ireland, particularly in the North of Ireland. So much so that Belfast was fondly referred to as 'Linenopolis'!  We will learn more about the fascinating linen industry by visiting the Linen Museum in Lisburn.  On your guided tour of the museum you will learn about the artefacts that are housed in the old Market House, a late seventeenth century building. Leaving Belfast, we travel to the Boyne Valley to meet Aine Dunne, a tapestry weaver and artist, resident and working from Drogheda. With Aine and her team, you will enjoy a spinning & tapestry workshop; here you will be introduced to hand spinning sheep’s wool by using a drop spindle and try your hand at weaving a sample piece on a four-sided tapestry frame loom. During your time with Aine you will gain insight into her designs, weaving methods and work schedule.  Return to Dublin where this evening your final farewell dinner will be served in a local restaurant. Overnight Dublin, Bed & Breakfast Basis

After your final Irish breakfast depart the hotel for Dublin Airport arriving in time to complete check-in formalities and that last minute duty free shopping.