DINGLE TO DONEGAL TOUR
Brian Sullivan of Emerald Rose - Ireland 2009 Tour
April 23 – May 2, 2009
Itinerary
Join Brian Sullivan, lead guitarist for Emerald Rose, on a rollicking tour of some of Ireland's most exciting destinations. Breathtaking scenery, fabulous food and drink, and the history, music and culture of Ireland await you on this exciting quest. Explore the musical traditions and poetry of Celtic Ireland and visit ancient sites with an experienced guide and acclaimed performer of traditional Celtic music. From stone circles to hidden beaches, this vacation will help you establish your own connection to the magic of the Emerald Isle!
Our tour includes Air Flight from JFK International in New York, all hotels, a luxury motorcoach and Irish guide , musical performances from Brian , Irish breakfast daily , and all admissions to the main attractions of the tour!
Here's a quick list of what we are going to do on the tour. If you'd like to know more, there is a day by day intinerary listed below on this web page. Our tour will fly into Shannon airport, meet our Irish guide, and board our motorcoach, traveling through the County Limerick and County Kerry, through the area known as ‘The Golden Vale'.
Dingle *Dingle Town* *Great Blasket Islands* *Dunbeg Promontory Fort* *Slea Head*
Here we will enjoy some of the most stunning scenery in the world. We'll visit numerous sites along the Dingle Peninsula of Ireland's Southwest Atlantic Coast, and walk out to the most western point in Europe at Slea Head. We'll take a ferry out to the Great Blasket Islands, where seals play on the beach, and walk where some of the greatest of Irish writers have lived. Topping it off is ‘Danno's Bar', one of the friendliest places to eat and drink in all of Ireland! Experience real Irish fish and chips, fresh from Dingle Bay, and a pint poured in the true Irish tradition. Immerse yourself in the vibrant traditional music scene of Dingle Town at night. Our vacation starts in one of Ireland's greatest towns!
Sligo and Donegal *Bog Train* *Carrowmore & Carrowkeel Megalithic Sites* *Yeats Country*
Explore the country that inspired the work of W.B. Yeats, one of Ireland's greatest poets. Journey through megalithic sites from Ireland's ancient paths on our way to Donegal and the sea cliffs at Slieve League.
Innishowen Peninsula *Buncrana* *Greencastle* *Temple of Deen*
Breathtaking costal scenery, ring forts, Irish castles and stone circles are the focus of this side trip into one of Ireland's areas of rugged beauty. Enjoy the charming Irish town of Donegal as you discover the treasures of this rugged Atlantic coastal region of northwestern Ireland.
Ennis Enjoy your last night in Ireland in lovely little town renowned for its' traditional music and pubs!
Basic package for land and air starts at only $2,275 per person (based on double occupancy in a hotel room)!
Roommate : If you have no roommate we can match you up with same gender or you can purchase a single room at an additional $ 375.00
Air and Land Tour $ 2275.00 (From JFK airport in NY)
Land Only – will meet the tour in Ireland $ 1650.00 you are responsible for your own air arrangements and meeting the tour at Shannon Airport by 7:00 am June 29 or in Dingle that afternoon.
Single Room supplement: add $375.00 to the tour (This means you get your own room for the trip)
Insurance Available for $149.00 insurance info www.cietours.com click the travel insurance tab
FOR MORE INFORMATION E-MAIL: celtictraveler@gmail.com
Please put the words: ‘ Sullivan Ireland Tour ' in the subject line.
Contact Monica Stanton, our experienced travel agent at celtictraveler@gmail.com to arrange Credit Card Payments or to discuss customized travel plans.
Deposit : $250.00 includes air deposit
air deposit portion (100.00) is non refundable per airline rules, this guarantees no fare/fuel increases
Balance due: FEBRUARY 5, 2009
mail payments to:
Globetrotter Travel
c/o Monica / 3D Ireland Tour
3128 Olney - Sandy Spring Rd
Olney MD 20832
Fax 301 570 5186
SPACE IS GUARANTEED ONLY AFTER DEPOSIT IS RECEIVED
About Brian Sullivan:
Brian ‘Logan' Sullivan is an acclaimed performer and songwriter from the mountains of North Georgia. His rich baritone voice and vibrant stage presence bring to life songs, stories and poems from the Celtic tradition and beyond. As lead guitarist for the internationally touring Celtic band ‘Emerald Rose', Brian has entertained audiences across the U.S. and Ireland. As a solo artist, he has been featured as the opening act for Celtic master musicians such Jim Malcolm (of Old Blind Dogs), Robin Bullock, Julee Glaub and Little Windows and champion Celtic fiddler Jamie Lavar.
Brian holds a Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology/Archaeology from New College in Sarasota, Florida. He has visited Ireland three times with Emerald Rose, helping lead similar tours, and has twice visited on his own. His last visit to Ireland included ten days of exploring the Dingle Peninsula in preparation for this tour, finding great views, hidden beaches, incredible hiking trails, great traditional music and getting to know the good people of the peninsula. He is a fan of the Irish poet W.B. Yeats, the Irish authors of the Blasket Islands and knows more than he really should about the brewing and distillation mysteries of Ireland.
Thu, Apr 23 UNITED STATES TO SHANNON
Depart JFK and take an overnight flight across the Atlantic. Enjoy in-flight entertainment and meal service as you travel to start your vacation.
Friday, April 24 SHANNON ARRIVAL & DINGLE
After landing at Shannon Airport, complete customs and immigration formalities. Then your CIE Tours driver/guide will welcome you to Ireland and escort you and your luggage to the motorcoach. Drive through Limerick and into the mountainous country of Kerry via Tralee. Continue into Dingle where you check into your hotel and the rest of the afternoon is spent at leisure so you can relax after your transatlantic flight before dinner in the hotel restaurant.
DINNER & OVERNIGHT: DINGLE BENNERS HOTEL, DINGLE
Saturday, April 25 DINGLE PENINSULA
Motor south along the peninsula to the tranquil setting of Dún Chaoin and visit Dunbeg Promontory Fort, which gives you an insight on this triangular fort that defended the landward side by a massive, restored dry-stone wall with elaborate entrance and internal terraces and to seaward by high, eroded cliffs. As you travel, you will see that the Dingle Peninsula has the largest collection of Ogham stones which may have been used as landmarks, or could also have been linked in with land ownership. One of the one of the finest ogham stones, overlooks the Blasket Islands on the summit of Dún Mór (the big fortress). After visiting the fort, continue to the very tip of the peninsula and visit the Blasket Centre in Dunquin to learn about the Blasket Islands, inhabited until 1953 by hardy families who eked out a living by farming and fishing. Next, visit the primitive stone “beehive” huts of the early monks and the Gallarus Oratory, built in the 6th century of unmortared stone and watertight after 14 centuries. Return to Dingle and enjoy the balance of the day for independent activities and dining.
OVERNIGHT: DINGLE BENNERS HOTEL, DINGLE
Sunday, April 26 GREAT BLASKET ISLANDS FERRY
After breakfast, drive to Dún Chaoin to appreciate the beauty of the Dingle Penninsula as you travel by ferry to the magical Great Blasket Islands. Walk among the ruins of a culture that inspired some of the most memorable authors of Irish literature. As you cruise to these magical islands, relax and enjoy the wonderful nature, unique landscape, and stunning seascapes. View the spectacular standing stones and ring forts before returning to Dingle for dinner on your own.
OVERNIGHT: DINGLE BENNERS HOTEL, DINGLE
Monday, April 27 WEST OFFALY BOG TRAIN
Today travel north to Clonmacnoise and take a bog rail tour on the West Offaly Railway. This little train brings you on a 5 ½ mile circular tour through the Blackwater Bog. Learn about how bogs originated over the centuries and the uses for peat and how it is harvested for the modern electrical generator. Also see some regenerated tracts of land and many wild flowers and animals. Motor a short distance to Ballinsloe and check into your hotel in time to freshen up before dinner with your fellow explorers.
DINNER & OVERNIGHT: BALLINASLOE
Tuesday, April 28 CARROWKEEL & KNOCKNAREA
Head out of Ballinsloe and motor west to visit Carrowmore, the largest cemetery of megalithic tombs in Ireland, and the second largest in Europe. About 60 tombs, a variety of dolmens, stone circles, and passage graves dot the site, spread over an area roughly half a mile wide and one and a half miles long, from north to south. Many consist of a stone burial chamber, which contained cremated remains topped by a roof cap and surrounded by a circle of large stones. Radiocarbon tests on samples from one tomb date it to around 4000 BC. Drive north through County Mayo and Sligo to south of Donegal along the Atlantic shoreline to visit Carrowkeel passage tombs. Set high on in the Bricklieve Mountains of County Sligo and projecting from the jagged edges of the hillside gorges. Most of the graves are round, built from limestone, and date from 2500 to 2000BC. Cairn K, in the center of the group, has a cross-shaped tomb with a sloping stone roof, and seems to have been designed as a kind of solar calendar, because it catches the rays of the rising sun on the longest day of the year. Travel south to visit Knocknarea mountain, the 327 meter (1014-foot) high limestone mountain is visually striking, as it is monolithic in appearance and stands in a prominent position on the Cúil Irra peninsula between the bays of Sligo and Ballysadare. After your visit, motor into Donegal and check into your hotel before dining in the hotel restaurant.
DINNER & OVERNIGHT: MILL PARK HOTEL, DONEGAL
Wednesday, April 29 SLIEVE LEAGUE & GLENCOLMCILLE FOLK PARK
On the way to Glencolumbkille see the slopes of Slieve League. Visit the sea cliffs of this famous mountain where the highest point reaches 1,972 feet, making them the highest in Europe. This mountain forms cliffs on the seaward side with a drop of 900 feet straight down into the wild, Atlantic waves below. Continue through craggy scenery to visit Glencolumbcille Folk Village. Visit traditional cottages showing period furnishings and farming equipment to get a flavor of country life in past centuries. Drive a short distance to Malinbeg, located in the unspoiled beauty facing the Atlantic Ocean and Rathlin O'Byrne Island, it offers spectacular views of the rugged Donegal landscape. Return to Donegal and enjoy a free evening to explore and dine on your own.
OVERNIGHT: MILL PARK HOTEL, DONEGAL
Thursday, April 30 INISHOWEN PENINSULA
Depart your hotel this morning and drive to the Inishowen Peninsula and travel the 100-mile route, which mainly follows the coastline and provides wonderful views. Stop in Buncrana, the peninsula’s largest town which sits on Lough Swilly, a deep inlet of the sea. Drive to the ruined 14th century Greencastle, overlooking Lough Foyle and was built by Richard de Burgo as an English stronghold from which to fight the Irish Chieftains, the O'Donnells and the O'Dohertys. However, the O'Dohertys took the castle. Next, stop at Culdaff to visit the Temple of Deen, a fine and well preserved megalithic monument, sometimes call the Laraghill Cairn which lies on the opposite side of the road to the Bocan stone circle atop the Hill of Deen. There are twenty large stones remaining at the forecourt and the first chambers are well preserved. Then travel south along the western shores of Lough Foyle to the Grianan of Aileach which is one of Ireland’s greatest circular ring forts. Archaeologists say that the fort itself dates from 500 BC or earlier, but the circular ramparts may go back as far as 5,000 years ago. Visit the Grianan of Aileach Visitor Center, housed in a former 150-year-old stone church, situated at the foot of the monument. Various exhibits and interactive multi-media displays provide background on the fort ranging from its history and mythology, to the flora and fauna of the area. Return to Donegal and spend the rest of day free to relax before dinner on your own.
OVERNIGHT: MILL PARK HOTEL, DONEGAL
Friday, May 1 ENNIS
Follow the Atlantic shoreline of Donegal Bay through County Sligo and into County Mayo continuing your drive south around Galway Bay to your hotel in Ennis where you check in. There we will have a walking tour of this medieval town. Here we’ll hear how nagging women were dealt with & where Biddy Early was tried for witchcraft but those who were to give testimony remained strangely silent. The case was dismissed for lack of evidence. Not to mention tales of murder, rebellions and riots, mingled with myths and legends will keep us entertained until we end our stroll in the most excellent Fawls Pub. In the evening enjoy traditional Irish music in various pubs as we celebrate Beltain and our last night in Ireland.
OVERNIGHT: ENNIS
Saturday, May 2 RETURN TO THE UNITED STATES
Sadly, today your Irish vacation has come to its final day. Transfer to Shannon Airport in good time to check in for your flight. You may do some last minute shopping at the duty free stores. Then clear U.S. Immigration before boarding your aircraft and flying across the Atlantic Ocean back to the United States.
Write to brian@emeraldrose.com for more information.