Tour Historic Ireland

10 days - contact us for dates
Booking Info or Contact Us

We'll take you to Counties Sligo and Donegal in the northwest of Ireland on a trip through the past. One focus of the tour will be sites of continuous occupation on the island for the past 7,000 years. That means we will be visiting sites ranging from prehistoric megalithic tombs and monuments to modern fishing and woolen factories. In mixing the old with the new, we will stay with families that make their living from the land and from working in traditional crafts. Some places we visit will be bilingual, speaking both English and Gaeilge (Irish).

Optional three-day excursions to Dublin and environs (or to any other Irish city or region) can be added to any of our scheduled tours. Please contact us for details.

In addition, participants have the option of enrolling in a three-day language course in Gaeilge (Irish Gaelic) at Oideas Gael, the language college in Gleann Cholm Cille. (Additional fees apply for these options, please contact us for full details.)

On the first day of our Historic Ireland adventure, host and guide Sam Couch meets the group at the Shannon Airport. We will take time to get some eye-opening coffee and to get acquainted following the long flight from the U.S. After we collect our luggage and are properly fortified, we will head down the road for our first stop at the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare. These spectacular sea cliffs provide nesting grounds for many Atlantic sea birds.

From the cliffs, our journey will take us across the Burren, a remarkable karstic (limestone) landscape that is known the world over for its microflora. One highlight of this part of the journey is the drive along the southern coast of Galway Bay before heading northward toward our first destination in Drumcliff, County Sligo. As we head into Sligo Town, we will be under the shadow of Knocknarea, where a large cairn atop the mountain is reputed to be the burial place of Medbh, Queen of Connacht and Queen of the Fairies.

We make our first farmhouse stop at Ardtarmon House, Ballinful, County Sligo, where Charles and Christa Henry will welcome us. Since Ardtarmon sits in the shadow of Ben Bulben, a mountain made famous in the poetry of William Butler Yeats, we will enjoy a nice prelude to our visits to sites from the early poetry - Lissadell, Glencar Falls, the Lake Isle of Inisfree, Hazelwood Forest, and Drumcliff Churchyard where Yeats is buried.

On our Sligo visit we will try to include stops at Parke's Castle, a tour around Lough Gill, Sligo Abbey ruin, and a visit to the Famine Graveyard. The highlight of our Sligo stop will be a visit to the former butcher shop in Wine Street now home to the famous raconteur and woodcarver, Michael Quirke. Michael will regale us with tales of ancient battles, Druids, and heroes from cycles in Irish mythology. If time permits, we may visit the Carrowmore Cemetery, once the largest megalithic tomb complex in Europe. After walks around historic Sligo Town, meals at Garrovogue Inn or the Yeats Tavern will cap off very full days.

Weather and the sea permitting, we will journey by boat from the quaint seaside village of Mullaghmore out to Inishmurray, Isle of the Ecclesiastics. This island, abandoned since the late 1940s, was home to famous Irish saints and houses significant monastery, church, and beehive hut ruins. As we head out to sea around Mullaghmore, Cassiebawn - Lord Mountbatten's castle, Cassiebawn - may rise from the mist on the landward side.

If we are unable to make the journey to Inishmurray, the world heritage site at Ceide Fields in County Mayo will beckon. Remnants of Stone Age farm fences were discovered preserved under the bog; this remarkable site demonstrates the sophisticated cultures that peopled Ireland thousands of years ago. As we return to Sligo, a refreshing stop at the seaside village of Inishcrone offers the opportunity to enjoy steams and sea kelp baths at Kilcullens, a Victorian bathhouse which has been in the same family for generations. Many Irish people make weekly visits to these baths to ease the pains of arthritis.

During the summer tours, group members may wish to venture into County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland for a spelunking excursion. The Marble Arch Caves provide a fascinating venue to see the wonders underlying the Irish countryside.

After five days in Sligo, we head further north into County Donegal. Before leaving Sligo, we will stop at the Creevykeel Court Tomb near Grange. On the way, we will make a detour into Fermanagh, Northern Ireland to visit the famous Belleek Parian China Factory. Here is a good place to pick up quality gifts which can be shipped home so we don't have to worry about breakage on our wanderings. A short stop in Donegal Town will afford us the opportunity to visit Donegal Castle and the shops surrounding The Diamond, Donegal's town square. Of particular interest here is Macgee's where the few remaining weavers of Donegal tweed practice their craft. A visit to the Church of the Four Masters is a must. This 1930s church honors the scribes and scholars who wrote the first recorded history of Ireland; their monastic settlement was near the city on Donegal Bay. Tea and an internet café stop will fortify us for the trip westward across the Sliabh Laeg peninsula. On the way, we pass through Killybegs, Ireland's largest Atlantic fishery, and the coastal town featured in the charming film, "The Secret of Roan Inish."

Our goal that night is Millstone Guest House in Gleann Cholm Cille, County Donegal. Our hosts, Geraldine and Sean Byrne, run a successful sheep operation. Gleann can boast of 7,000 years of continuous human occupation. While stopped here, we will visit a Folk village with cottages representing three different centuries of Irish living styles. Since the village is located in the heart of the Gaeltacht (the Irish-speaking area), visitors will hear both Irish and English spoken on the streets, in the shops, and in the pubs. Gleann is famous for standing stones, churches, and the holy well associated with the turas or pilgrimage round of St. Columba, which has taken place for over 1400 years in the valley. Columba is one of the three patron saints of Ireland. Other sites we may visit in the parish include Kilclooney Mhor, megalithic dolmen; Glen Gesh Pass, said to be the most picturesque mountain pass in Ireland; Dun Alt and An Dun, Iron Age fort ruins; Tra Ban, the silver strand; and portal tombs and a court tomb at Malin Mhor. We may spend time in Ardara, a traditional craft village. If time permits, a journey to the bustling, modern cathedral town of Letterkenny will be in order.

Our visit in the valley would not be complete without a visit to Sliabh Laeg, the highest sea cliffs in Europe. We will have the opportunity to walk partway up the mountainside; and, if the weather cooperates, we may take a sea journey in front of the cliffs to get in some fishing. As with most of rural Ireland, there is ample opportunity to hear good traditional Irish music. In the village of Teelin, many famous musicians make their home. Perhaps there will be some good craic (fun) in one of the pubs sometime during our visit. A ride along the coast road will take us back to Gleann along one of Ireland's most scenic drives.

Early on the morning of our last day in the valley, we will arise, bid farewell to the history and mystery of northwest Ireland, and journey back to Shannon for the homeward flight to the U.S.

These itineraries are based on our experiences, but Sam is quite flexible and we try to keep our tours relaxed and stress-free. If group members wish to make reasonable changes to our plans or can suggest more appropriate alternatives for our visits, we will consider all suggestions. Some days (not travel days, of course), participants may wish to stay in the farmhouse B&Bs and relax; anyone who wants or needs to rest is encouraged to do so.

Please remember that tour itineraries may be changed based on weather conditions, accommodation availability, and/or venue opening times. If changes are made based on these factors, Rising Road Tours makes every effort to reschedule events or to replace them with experiences of equal or greater interest.

Our goal is to offer our guests an experience of Ireland that is relaxed and pleasant.
If this looks like the tour for you, contact us today.

Rising Road Tours
828-648-8893 (Tel) ~ 888-648-8893 (Toll-free) ~ 888-371-8895 (fax)
sam@risingroadtours.com

P.O.Box 9322, Moscow, ID 83843 USA

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TOUR DETAILS: A Taste of Ireland | A Taste of Scotland | Celtic Sampler | Ireland North and South | Ireland's Rings | Donegal Southwest by Northeast | Historic Ireland | Saints and Giants | Into the West | Christmas in Ireland | Highland Hill Walking | In The Steps of St. Columba | Birthplaces of Golf | Scotland's Wild North: Shetland and Orkney Isles