Day 17 – July 4 – St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin Castle

Breakfast: In the hotel.Morning: Explore Dublin with an expert-led field trip of the city, including visits to St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Dublin Castle.Lunch: On your own to enjoy what you like.Afternoon: Free time to explore Dublin at your leisure. Your Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions and give advice.Dinner: A farewell dinner with an evening of traditional Irish music and song.Evening: Your farewell continues.


Our last day 😟. We enjoyed a bus tour of Dublin with our guide for the morning, Philip. Phoenix park is huge and beautiful.
The city is home to 1.4 million people. It is the “London” of Ireland.
A tour of St Patrick’s Cathedral was next. Interesting factoid: George Frideric Handel practiced his Messiah on the organ here before the very first performance in the Musick Hall in Dublin on April 13, 1742.
Onward to Dublin Castle – also rich in history.
It was until 1922 the seat of the British government’s administration in Ireland. The next big attraction was Guinness! We had pre-booked the Connoiseur experience and what an experience it was! Two hours in a private bar with only 18 people and our guide/bartender – wow. We learned a lot and tasted a lot. We even learned how to properly pour a Guinness. On our walk to the hotel we stopped in the Irish Museum of Modern Art. Our evening ended with a farwell dinner at Union 8 restaurant including some traditional Irish music by Tara and Paddy. Emer has been such a wonderful host and guide these last 2.5 weeks; she was a delight. What a fabulous and memorable experience this has been – hard to say goodbye. Farewell, Ireland!

Day 16 – July 3 – Bru na Boinne (Dublin)

Breakfast: In the hotel.Morning: Board the motor coach for an expert led visit of Brú na Bóinne in nearby County Meath. Brú na Bóinne comprises the Neolithic burial chambers of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth. Their survival through more than 5,500 years reflects the sophistication of their design and ingenuity of the Stone Age men who constructed them.Lunch: Served at Causey Farm.Afternoon: Spend the afternoon at Causey Farm, a family run cattle and sheep farm. Meet the family, stroll through the farm and discover the traditional practices of Irish farming.Dinner: In the hotel.Evening: At leisure.


We slept in a bit due to the late evening. The first activity was the visit at Knoth at Brú na Bóinne in County Meath. It took archeologists 40 years to expose these impressive structures from over 5,000 years ago.The afternoon was absolutely delightful as we visited Causey Farm. Activities included traditional soda bread making demonstration (and consumption later), a hay ride, walking in a peat bog, milking a cow, visiting sheep, lambs, pigs, piglets, and geese.In the evening, Barb and I went to The Brazen Head, the oldest pub in Ireland – established in 1198!

Day 15 – July 2 – Glendalough (Dublin)

Breakfast: In the hotel.

Morning: We begin with a lecture on “Christian & Monastic Ireland”, before boarding the motor coach and departing for Glendalough. First established in the 6th Century, Glendalough is a Christian Monastic site magnificently situated in a glacial valley between two lakes.

Lunch: Served at a local restaurant in County Wicklow.

Afternoon: The field trip continues, before we return to the hotel.

Dinner: Le Bon Crubeen

Evening: Enjoy an evening on one of Dublin’s many renowned theatres.


John Tighe, a student of medieval and monastic Ireland at Trinity College, gave a very informative (and humorous) talk to start the day.

We traveled to County Wicklow and had a light lunch in the most charming and interesting restaurant, the Wicklow Heather in Laragh. The owners have filled the walls with mementos and first edition books by Irish authors like James Joyce, WB. Yeats, and Bram Stoker.

On to Glendalough, a monastic site founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century. One of the most iconic structures around Ireland is the round tower – the one here is very rare in that it is still intact.

And then there was Mary, a little lamb 😊

Dinner at Le Bon Crubeen was excellent.

The evening ended with a play: an adaptation of James Joyce’s Ulysses at the Abbey Theater. Very interesting. We will leave it at that. 😄

Day 14 – July 1 – Transfer to Dublin, Lismore Castle & Gardens, Waterford

Breakfast: In the hotel.

Morning: Depart by motor coach for Dublin, Ireland’s capital city and your final destination. On the way we’ll make a stop in the historic town of Lismore. Here we will have a short introductory walk from your Study Leader, before exploring Lismore Castle and Gardens.

Lunch: Enjoy a community hosted lunch in the town of Waterford.

Afternoon: This afternoon, we’ll visit the world-famous Waterford Crystal visitors centre, before the transfer to Dublin continues.

Dinner: In the hotel.

Evening: At leisure.


Lismore Castle and Gardens was (were?} beautiful. Well, the grounds and gardens were beautiful and the outside of the castle was impressive – but you can’t go inside. Now you CAN rent a wing for 25,000 Euro per week.

On the grounds of the castle were two sections of the Berlin wall – and a very friendly rooster.

On to Waterford. After a nice lunch at the Tower Hotel we had a guided tour of the Waterford Crystal factory. Fascinating!

On to Dublin.