Th., April 3 - Overnight flight from Seattle
Fri, April 4 - Arrive in Dublin, check in, take a walk (at our own pace) with a Rick
Steves Audio Tour of Dublin. Hard Rock for dinner then pub if awake!
Sat., April 5 - Today, we see Ireland's 400 year old university, Trinity College.
We're led by a student tour to hear about the university's magnificent past and present. After, we go on the Book
of Kells Experience to see the 1200 year old manuscript up close and visit the world's most beautiful library. We finish in the
Pavilion Building to experience the Book of Kells and the
library's collections like never before. Next we stroll through St Steven's Green and head to the MoLI, The Museum of Modern Literature where we can see the first edition of Ulysses, and other phenomenal exhibits. Our afternoon is complete at the National Museum of Ireland's Archaeology Museum, and its world famous Bog Men. Finish the evening with dinner and pub crawling as we see fit.
Sun., April 6 - We begin at the innovative 14 Henrietta Street. In this preserved
Georgian house, we'll see and learn the story of how the residents of Dublin lived throughout the years, and what lead the Irish people of the late 19th and 20th centuries to the Easter Rising of 1916. After this tour, we head over to the General Post Office, one of the most iconic buildings in Dublin. GPO Museum is an interactive attraction that focuses on the 1916 uprising, the aftermath and how Ireland has developed since. After lunch, we peek inside the Custom House, an 18th century architectural masterpiece and a grand Dublin landmark. After, we will walk to see the Famine Sculptures that commemorate the millions of brave famine migrants and what they endured. They are on our way to the EPIC, or the Irish Emigration Experience. that tells the amazing story and history of the Great Famine and Irish Emigration. Finish with dinner and pub crawling as we see fit.
Mon., April 7 - We're headed out early to tour the Guinness Storehouse.
All 7 floors! After, we'll have a bit of lunch and head to the Kilmainham Gaol Museum. These are the two highest rated attractions in Dublin. If we have time, though many say we will enjoy these two attractions the most, we can squeeze in the Drimnagh Castle, the only castle with a moat! Surprise! We end the day doing a pub crawl.
Tue., April 8 I'm calling this Viking Day! We'll start out on a bike ride through
Phoenix Park. Then we'll learn about the Vikings in Ireland at the Dublinia. Those who would like can partake in a Jameson Bow Distillery Tour while others can visit the Vikings' Christ Church, then St. Patrick's Cathedral. We can meet up at the Wood Quay, Stein of Long Stone or Dublin Castle. Perhaps we can enjoy a fine restaurant that night and head to the Cobblestone for live music on our last night in Dublin.
Wed., April 9 Time to rent a car and head west. We'll road trip it to Galway and
enjoy a quick visit to see many of the top sights in a single day. First, we will see the Spanish arch and the Latin Quarter. Next we'll check out the Galway Cathedral. After, we will take in the Quadrangle at Galway University, whose Great Hall is iconic. In the evening, we will walk along the Salthill Promenade and enjoy Irish food, drink and music.
Thu., April 10 Today, we leave Galway and drive south. Our first of many 20 min
stops is Dunguaire Castle. After, we continue on to Burren National Park. There, we'll check out a Fairy Fort, a Stone fort, an ancient tomb, a Dolmen, Poulawack Cairn, Carran Church and Leameneh Castle. Finally, we will take a couple hours to explore the Cliffs of Moher, climb O'Brien's Tower, and take a sunset (5:15pm) boat ride along the Cliffs to see the wildlife. We return to Galway for the night.
Fri., April 11 We head first to Spideal, a quaint town for a proper Irish breakfast.
We will make several photo stops along the way. One of us would love to take an hour detour and visit the Mamean. We can get fairly close by car, then take a 30 minute walk to the site where St. Patrick preached, and see the accompanying Stations of the Cross, St. Patrick's bed and altar, a tiny chapel and a holy well. Then we go through the beautiful Connemara to Kylemore Abbey. We'll spend several hours at the estate and gardens. Then return home, passing through quaint villages until we reach Galway for the night.
Sat., April 12 Free day. What do you want to do? It's our last night in Galway.
Sun., April 13 This morning, we pack up, drive back to Dublin, drop off the car
by 12:30. Our direct flight for the Seattle leaves at 3:25pm.