Today you leave home behind as you board your overnight international flight to Dublin.

Our local representatives will meet you at the Dublin airport. Stop at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The church was transitioned from a Catholic church to the Church of Ireland over the centuries. Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels and a critic of British rule was a pastor here. Enjoy a pub lunch in downtown Dublin. Travel on to Phoenix Park. Once a private park only for titled gentry, it now serves the public as both a recreational venue and home to the Dublin Zoo. After a short driving tour of Dublin, we will check in to our hotel for some down time before dinner on own. Take the opportunity to wander the streets of Dublin in the late evening light. Perhaps, make your way along the River Liffey to the Temple Bar area, where outdoor music can be enjoyed. (B, L)

Head north and discover the rich history of Celtic life at the Bru na Boinne Prehistoric Monuments. You will see one of the Passage Tomb sites here, such as Newgrange and Knowth. They are richly decorated with megalithic art. From the time of the first Celtic influence until the 1169 invasion, the Hill of Tara was the island's political and spiritual capital. It contains several ancient monuments, and according to tradition, was the seat of the High King of Ireland. Walk the grounds of Monasterboice Monastery, where some of the finest 9th century High Crosses can be seen. Founded in 521 AD by St. Buite, the ruins remain a testament to their Christian heritage. Finish the day in Armagh and check into your hotel for dinner and overnight. (B, D)

Journey into the soul of Christian Ireland at Downpatrick. See the church and grave of St. Patrick, as well as a visitor’s center that presents the saint’s life and the conversion of Ireland. Then return to Armagh and visit the Church of Ireland Cathedral to St. Patrick here. With foundations dating back to 445 AD, this church represents one of the oldest places of continuous worship in Ireland. Return to your hotel for dinner and overnight. (B, D)

Cross Ireland, stopping to visit Clonmacnoise, an important monastic site and the burial place of kings. Among these ruins are the famous thousand-year-old cross. Three high crosses, two hundred graves and the ruins of a 13th century ring fort also remain. Finish the day in Galway, whose main thoroughfare is lined with buildings that date back to the 15th Century. Christopher Columbus visited the city in search of support for his search or trade routes to India by crossing the Atlantic. Check into your hotel in Galway for overnight. (B)

As you travel through the Burren Region, arrive at the Cliffs of Moher. These sheer cliffs drop 600 feet to the water below. This is the most impressive stretch of shoreline on the west coast of Ireland. The eroded limestone rock through the Burrens has flowers popping up through the crevices. Continue to Bunratty Castle, near the town of Limerick. Bunratty is Ireland’s most complete, authentic, and elaborately furnished medieval castle. Finish the day in Killarney and check into your hotel for dinner and overnight. (B)

Delight in some of Ireland's most spectacular scenery as you travel around the Ring of Kerry where the sea crashes into the soaring coastline. Weather permitting, take in a sheep dog demonstration. Stop around lunchtime in Waterville. Charlie Chaplin brought his family here in the summers. You can choose from several seafood restaurants along the shore for a delicious lunch. After lunch, visit the 19th century Muckross House. Enjoy the magnificent Victorian mansion, considered one of Ireland’s leading stately homes. Imagine yourself in in that time when you wander through the elegantly furnished rooms. Downstairs, however, reveals the working conditions of the servants employed in the house. Finish the day in Kinsale and enjoy a walking tour. See the Norman French inscriptions at St. Multrose Church, which was built in 1190, and remains in use to this day. The courthouse in town was used for the inquiry over the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915. Check into your Kinsale hotel for overnight. (B)

Travel to Cork to visit Blarney Castle and see the fabled Blarney Stone. Legend says that those who kiss the stone acquire the gift of eloquence. You will see the Rock of Cashel, the traditional seat of Irish kings. Here St. Patrick is thought to have converted the King of Munster. The present ruins are from structures built in the 12th and 13th centuries, during the Norman era. Check into your Dublin hotel for overnight. (B)

Then on to the bus for a ride through scenic Wicklow County to Glendalough, one of the most beautiful spots in all of Ireland. Here St. Kevin founded a monastery in 498. See the Celtic High Crosses and a stone roofed church. Explore the wonderful hiking trails around the two lakes. Finish the day with time on own this afternoon in Dublin. (B)

We will carry the people, beauty and history of Ireland with us as we return home.