Leprechauns, shamrocks and the colour green are truly a big part of Ireland itself. The beautiful landscape and mystical folklore is what brings people to this fabulous island. Meet guest speaker – Nikki Foley, Irish Quilter
We now add to that, with visits to quilt shops and exciting excursions. If you believe in the luck of the Irish then this may be the tour for you.
$4695 Cdn per person double occupancy (includes all taxes)
$1284 Cdn per person single supplement occupancy in addition to (includes all taxes)
Tour starts in Dublin, Ireland and ends in Dublin, Ireland
* Land Package Tour Includes:
- 12 days 11 nights deluxe hotel accommodation double occupancy
- Dublin, Kilkenny, Kinsale, Killarney & Galway
- Visits to fabulous “Patchwork” quilt shops
- Enjoy a talk and trunk show with guest speaker, Irish Quilter, Nikki Foley
- Includes 18 meals – 11 Breakfast, 1 Lunch & 6 Dinners
- Tour of the City of Dublin, Ireland &
- Spend time perusing the Trinity College, Book of Kells
- Explore UNESCO World Heritage Site – Newgrange Passage Tomb & Hill of Tara
- Enjoy dinner & show of Traditional Irish Dancers
- Tour Avoca Weaving Mill – oldest in Ireland
- Visit the Ros Tapestry Exhibition Centre and a tour of Kilkenny Castle
- Cobh Heritage Centre – last port before the “Unsinkable Ship” Titanic sailed
- Free time to explore quaint picturesque town of Kinsale
- Visit to Blarney Castle & shop the Blarney Woolen Mill
- Tour Dingle and Slea Head Drive on the Wild Atlantic Way
- Enjoy a Jaunting Car Ride and a stop at Ross Castle
- View the picturesque Cliffs of Moher
- Explore Galway
- Tour of Kylemore Abbey & Walled Victorian Gardens
- Tour of Connemara Celtic Crystal Factory
- Visit the oldest licensed distillery in Ireland, Kilbeggan Distillery
- Admission to all venues
- ALL excursions as listed on the final itinerary
- Luxury coach transportation to all excursions
- Services of a Professional Irish Tour Manager and Irish Bus Driver who will remain with the group for your entire tour
*Your Land Package Tour does not include:
- Airfare (We can book the flight for you)
- Transportation to & from the hotel
- Gratuities for the guides and bus driver.
- Lunches and some dinners (unless indicated)
- Insurance coverage, Medical and/or cancellation
- Telephone calls, souvenirs, additional snacks or drinks
- Excess baggage costs (overweight and over-sized luggage may have additional costs levied by the airline)
Itinerary*
B – Breakfast L – Lunch D – Dinner
Day 1 – Dublin Airport, Ireland
(Wed) – “Fàilte go hÉirinn” (Welcome to Ireland) Today we will get ourselves acquainted to our new surroundings as we wait for fellow quilters to arrive and our exciting itinerary to begin. Our bus will pick us up at the airport and anyone who arrived days earlier will be picked up at a designated hotel. We will start our journey with a panoramic sightseeing tour of Dublin and an orientation tour with our driver and Irish guide. There will be free time in Dublin for lunch along with a trip to Phoenix Park. In the evening, we will all meet for some fun and excitement at our welcome dinner.
Stay overnight in Dublin, Ireland
Meal(s) – B, D
Day 2 – Newgrange, Knowth and Hill of Tara – UNESCO World Heritage Site
(Thurs) – Today we will travel way back in time to visit and walk tomb passages created over 5200 years ago, making Newgrange and Knowth even older than Stonehenge. We will continue on to the Hill of Tara, the seat of the high Kings of Ireland. All a must see. After a long day of walking, we will end back at the hotel where you can put your feet up and relax before heading to dinner.
Stay overnight in Dublin, Ireland
Meal(s) – B
Day 3 – Tour of Dublin, View the Book of Kells
(Fri) – After a hearty Irish breakfast, we will board our bus for a guided tour around Dublin where we will end our tour viewing one of Irelands most prize possessions, the 9th century manuscript, The Book of Kells as well as Dublin Castle, Christchurch Cathedral and Christchurch Cathedral. After lunch and you will have free time to walk around and enjoy the many shops and pick out your favourite pub for a pint.
Stay overnight in Dublin, Ireland
Meal(s) – B
Day 4 – Weaving and Woven
(Sat) – This morning we are off to see what the rest of Ireland has to offer. We will start with fabric. Who can resist? We are off to our first quilt shop. Feeling satisfied and excited from fabric shopping, we will head to the Avoca Weaving Mill. Built in 1723, it is the oldest weaving mill in Ireland. Here we will have a tour and enjoy shopping for new treasures made right on the premises. You cannot get any more Irish than that. In the afternoon, the Ros Tapestries await us. These beautiful 15 panel tapestries, housed in Kilkenny Castle, each approximately 6’ x 4’ in size depicts the romantic Norman history, linking many of the Norman sites in Ireland’s Ancient East. It is one of the largest series of embroidered tapestries in Europe. Once we arrive at our hotel or after dinner, you may want to take a stroll around Kilkenny, known as the medieval capital of Ireland.
Stay overnight in Kilkenny, Ireland
Meal(s) – B, L, D
Day 5 – The Unsinkable Titanic & Kinsale
(Sun) – As we wind our way along the beautiful coast, our first stop will be the Cobh Heritage Centre. Queenston (Cobh) was the last port where the ill-fated Titanic set sail, April 11, 1912 on her final journey to America. From a beautifully restored railway station, the museum will share with us many immigration stories, photos and even a found message in a bottle from the Titanic and more. Our afternoon will be spent in the seaside fishing village of Kinsale. Kinsale is not only one of the most picturesque and oldest towns in Ireland but it is also known as the Gourmet Capital of Ireland. With lots of pubs and restaurants, it is a colourful place to explore the shops of many talented artists and entrepreneurs before heading to our hotel and dinner for the night.
Stay overnight in Kinsale, Ireland
Meal(s) – B, D
Day 6 – Blarney Castle & An Irish Quilter – Nikki Folley
(Mon) – Visitors from all over the world come to visit this famous castle built in 1446 and we are no exception. Blarney Castle will be our first stop of the day where we will enjoy a tour and finish a short walk away at the Blarney Woolen Mill and Shop. Once you are finished, take time to relax with lunch (on own). We will then board the bus and head to Killarney, where we will call home for the next two nights. One way to see Killarney is a ride in a Jaunting Car. This horse drawn cart will take us through Killarney National Park with awe inspiring views of Ireland’s highest mountain range. We will circle out to Ross Castle and Lough Léin where we will have some leisure time to look around before heading back into Killarney Centre for some free time. This evening, after our dinner at Moriarty’s Heather Restaurant, at the Gap of Dunloe, we will enjoy a talk and trunk show from our guest speaker, Nikki Foley, owner of The Sewing Shed. Nikki has owned her shop for over 15 years, is an established quilter and author whose work has been exhibited all over the world.
Stay overnight in Killarney, Ireland
Meal(s) – B, D
Day 7 – Dingle & Slea Head Drive
(Tues) – A beautiful drive this morning to our second fabric shop, of course, The Sewing Shed. Nikki and her friendly staff will greet us and help with any assistance you may need. After our goodbyes to our new found quilting friends, we will head to Dingle, a thriving fishing town and the only town on the Dingle Peninsula, where you can wander and have lunch. Some of Ireland’s finest coastal scenery can be found on the Dingle Peninsula. It is an area that is well known for its rugged coastline, which we will see, stop to admire and take photos of as we travel the Slea Head Drive. When we arrive back to our hotel, you may want to wander through Killarney to find a lovely place for dinner and Irish music.
Stay overnight in Killarney, Ireland
Meal(s) – B
Day 8 – The Windy Cliffs of Moher
(Wed) – For the next three days, we will make Galway our new home but first we will make several stops along the way. We say goodbye to Killarney and head to the story-book town of Adare, with its thatched roof cottages, stone bridges and medieval monasteries. Dubbed “Ireland’s Prettiest Village”, we will spend a little time exploring before moving onto one of Irelands most famous sites – The Cliffs of Moher. Nearly 14 km of vertical cliffs rise up to meet us and on a clear day the views are spectacular. We will start at the interpretive visitor centre that is a large dome that has been built into the natural landscape. From there we will follow the well-built walk-able paths to view the cliffs. You can divide your time and have lunch (on own) or do a little souvenir shopping. Tonight, we will enjoy a dinner close to the hotel.
Stay overnight in Galway, Ireland
Meal(s) – B, D
Day 9 – Fun & Fabric
(Thurs) – This morning, we will start with time being well spent getting to know your way around Galway as you will have free time till midafternoon to explore this wonderful city. Visit the popular 18th century Erye Square, The Latin Quarter and the Spanish Arch in or wander through the shops & restaurants just outside our hotel door. Later that afternoon, we will visit our third quilt shop. Lots more fun and fabric.
Stay overnight in Galway, Ireland
Meal(s) – B, D
Day 10 – Kylemore Abbey & Celtic Crystal Factory
(Fri) – Excitement reigns this morning as we head to the beautiful Kylemore Abbey & Victorian Walled Gardens. This romantic setting was built in the 1800’s by a wealthy business man for the love of his wife and his beloved Ireland. You may have a light lunch (on own) while we are there with time to browse the Craft & Design Shop afterwards. Chocolates, jams, soaps and pottery are all made by hand in Kylemore. In the afternoon we will be given a tour of the Connemara Celtic Crystal Factory. A place where you can see unique Celtic designs come to life. We will learn all about the true Celtic design before we head back to the hotel for our last night in Galway.
Stay overnight in Galway, Ireland
Meal(s) – B
Day 11 – Kilbeggan Distillery
(Sat) – Today the bus will take us back towards Dublin but not without some great stops along the way. Our first stop, you guessed it another quilt shop. Our last shop to pick up any last special quilty finds. We will then head to lunch and then onto Irelands Oldest Licensed Distillery founded in 1757, Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey Distillery. Here we will be given a tour and a tasting. You may wish to take a small taste home as a gift to a special someone. After our time in Kilbeggan we will enjoy our scenic ride back to the Dublin area. Tonight we will share our last night at a farewell dinner. And a fantastic way to top off our final day in Ireland, we will be entertained at a festive dinner and show featuring traditional Irish music and dancers.
Stay overnight in Dublin, Ireland
Meal(s) – B, D
Day 12 – An Irish Farewell
(Sun) – After a hearty breakfast, we will say our last goodbyes to our new friends and head across the water to share our excitement. “Slán abhaile” and “Slán go foil.” Have a safe trip home and goodbye for now.
“May your joy be as deep as the oceans
Your troubles as light as its foam
And may you find sweet piece of mind
Where ever you may roam”
*May be subject to change