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DAY 1 - FRIDAY - DEPART US Depart the US with your friends and family for your 'FUNTREK' to Ireland - a land of myth, legends, ancient history and of course its people. Ireland is a place of profound contradiction and complexity. For one thing it is at the same time both ancient and adolescent. It is as young as it is old. Dinner, drinks and inflight entertainment will be offered on your overnight flight to Shannon. DAY 2 - SATURDAY - SHANNON TO DINGLE Arrive into Shannon early morning, where you will be met by your Funtrek driver / guide. First you will head into Limerick City - setting for Frank McCourt's book - Angelas Ashes, which has won worldwide acclaim. Your driver will give you a brief tour of the city before heading to the village of Bunratty. Now its time for a well deserved Irish Coffee in the infamous "Durty Nellies" - one of Ireland's best loved pubs located beside the castle. From Bunratty you will travel South through the picturesque village of Adare. Adare is regarded by many as one of Ireland's prettiest villages with its traditional thatched roofed cottages, which line the narrow main street. From Adare continue to the town of Tralee and along the Dingle Peninsula to the Harbor Town of Dingle. Dingle is an easy-going town at the tip of the peninsula. It is estimated that the town has over 50 pubs - from large and modern to pubs so small that five's a crowd! One pub is a travel agency, another sells wellingtons and another sells everything from beds to bicycles. Dinner and overnight in the Benners Hotel, Dingle.
Today you are free to explore the town of Dingle on your own, or avail of one of the options on offer. Optional Golf Day - Enjoy a round of golf at the local Ceann Sibeall Golf Course ( Par 72, 6,700 yards.) This is a traditional Championship Links. It is the most westerly golf course in Europe. Each hole on this magnificent links is carved from the natural landscape of one of the most unspoiled parts of Europe. Optional Day Tour - Dolphin-Spotting Trip from Dingle Pier. Join some local boatmen on one of the daily "Dolphin-Spotting" tours of the harbour, as they look for Fungie ( the dolphin that came to the harbour in 1985 and has stayed ever since ) or one of his friends. Stories abound locally of the dirty deeds that have been committed by other villages across the bay who have tried to lure the mammal to their waters. Overnight in your hotel on a bed & breakfast basis. DAY 4 - MONDAY - DINGLE PENINSULA Today you will rejoin your group and your Funtrek Driver/guide to explore Dingle. From Dingle head out to Slea Head, past Ventry Harbour with it complicated legends of kings, eloping wives, giants, treachery and poets that put the legends of King Arthur to shame by comparison. Next you simply follow the narrow and awe-inspiring coast road around Slea Head gazing at coves, beaches and the Blasket Islands. Turning back past Gallarus, you return to Dingle Town. Overnight in Dingle. DAY 5 - TUESDAY - DINGLE, CLIFFS OF MOHER, GALWAY
Galway City is the focal point of Co. Galway and the west of Ireland. It nestles at the neck of Galway Bay and is reputed to have been Columbus' final point of departure on his voyage of discovery. As you head towards your accommodation, your driver will give you a brief orientation tour of the city, pointing out St. Nicholas Church, the Spanish Arch and Eyre Square - which is the focal point of the modern city. Overnight on a bed & breakfast basis. DAY 6 - WEDNESDAY - FREE DAY GALWAY Today you are free to explore Galway City at your own pace, or avail of one of the optional Day tours; Optional Day Tour - Galway to Inishmor - Aran Islands You will be transferred from Galway to Rossaveal, where you will take the ferry over to the largest of the Aran Islands and spend the full day. At Kilronan Pier on Inishmore you can rent a bicycle or take a tour of this lovely island, one of the most westerly points in Europe. The Aran Islands are an extension of the Burren, Co. Clare. Gaelic is the principal language of the islands, and many of the summer visitors are language students. In the late afternoon you will say "Slan" to the Aran Islands and return by ferry to the mainland at 5.00pm, where the coach is waiting for you in Rossaveal to take you back to Galway City. Optional Golf Day - Connemara. This par 72 is rarely achieved on this most challenging Atlantic links. It might have something to do with the intoxicating air and breathtaking scenery, but more probably the culprit is the last massive six holes. Greens set high in the hillside on the 14th and 15th can be unnerving, particularly after playing the most testing short 13th! Take time, however, to look up and drink in the splendid Twelve Bens, etched against the skyline, or Ballyconneely Bay, dusted with pure, white sand. Overnight in Galway City on a bed & breakfast basis. DAY 7 - THURSDAY - CONNEMARA After a leisurely breakfast this morning you will take a tour of the beautiful Connemara countryside, made famous by a number of well known movies - such as "The Quiet Man" with John Wayne, and more recently "The Field". Connemara is a wild and beautiful region of mountains, lakes, tumbling streams undulating bog, unspoilt beaches and panoramic views. It is a Gaelic- speaking region. The centre of Connemara is composed of mountain peaks, the Twelve Bens or Pins which culminate in Benbaun. Your tour of Connemara will include a visit to Kylemore Abbey. Return to Galway mid afternoon. Overnight in Galway City on a bed & breakfast basis. DAY 8 - FRIDAY - CONNEMARA TO DUBLIN Depart the West Coast and Galway and travel east to the Capital of Ireland - Dublin. En route you will visit Locke's Distillery in Kilbeggan. Locke's Distillery is believed to be the oldest licensed distillery in the world. It obtained a license in 1757. Although, no longer producing whiskey, Locke's Distillery Museum gives a good insight into what it would have been like to work in a whiskey distillery in the 18th century.
Your driver will leave you to your city centre accommodation and allow you some time to freshen up, before returning with a local city guide for your Dublin City Tour. On your city tour your guide will point out such well-known landmarks as O' Connell Street, the Georgian Squares, the Embassies of the world, and the Phoenix Park, where the President of Ireland and the US Ambassador reside. The city tour will culminate with a visit to Ceol - the Irish Traditional Music Museum. A unique cultural visitor experience dedicated to telling the story of Irish traditional music and dance in an extremely interactive and contemporary way. Tonight you can explore Temple Bar, Dublin's bohemian quarters, just bursting with atmosphere and ambiance. Overnight in Dublin on a bed & breakfast basis only. DAY 9 - SATURDAY - FREE DAY DUBLIN Today you will have a full day to explore the Capital City at your own pace, perhaps do some shopping, or try a glass of Guinness in the newly opened Guinness Storehouse. Evening Option MUSICAL PUB CRAWL -The musical pub crawl is a fun filled evening of music, song and drink. The Crawl, which commences at Oliver St John Gogarty's Pub in Temple Bar, is led by two professional musicians. In between numerous tunes and songs performed on fiddle, bodhran, guitar and whistle your guides tell the story of the music and explain the different rhythms and meaning's behind the tradition.
Overnight in your city centre hotel on a bed & breakfast basis. DAY 10 - SUNDAY - DEPART IRELAND Bid farewell to Dublin and Ireland. Your driver will transfer you to Dublin airport, allowing enough time to avail of the excellent duty free shopping, process your tax back and pre-clear emigration, before boarding your plane. Slan Abhaile! (Safe Home) Call 1-877-funtrek today! or
COST (Land Only) 1095.00 USD Per person sharing, plus Air
INCLUSIONS
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DAY 3 - SUNDAY - FREE DAY DINGLE
After a hearty Irish breakfast, depart Dingle and drive along the coast to Tarbert, where you will take the local ferry across the Shannon River and into Co. Clare. Continue north through Co. Clare to the Cliffs of Moher. Some of the best views can be enjoyed from O'Brien's Tower, built in 1853 by Cornelius O'Brien. On a clear day you can see the Aran Islands and beyond. The views will leave you breathless. Depart the Cliffs and continue northwards through the Burren and along Galway Bay to Galway City.
Dublin is "ground zero" for the profound, high-speed changes transforming Ireland into a prosperous, venturesome European country. What was old and venerable in the city remains so, though it now shares space with an all-out twenty-and thirtysomething Irish renaissance. There's something here for everyone.
The tour lasts two and a half hours and drinks are consumed in Mc Daid's, Gogarty's, The Clarendon and O'Donoghues. There is ample opportunity to join in on the craic as there are complimentary song books provided. The voices usually get louder as the night progresses. It is perfect way to experience Dublin's famous pubs and musical tradition.