Tours
Evening Tours from the 4th and 5th of June 2024
Guided Walking Tour of Galway City
A professional tour guide will meet the group at a designated point in Eyre Square. The tour will include a visit to Kirwan’s Lane (one of Galway’s last remaining late Medieval Lanes), St. Nicholas’ Church, Lynch’s Castle, Galway Cathedral, the University, the Spanish Arch and other points of interest around the city. It is a great way for visitors to become familiar with Galway and to take in the sights and sounds of our wonderful, vibrant city
A professional tour guide will meet the group at a designated point in Eyre Square. The tour will include a visit to Kirwan’s Lane (one of Galway’s last remaining late Medieval Lanes), St. Nicholas’ Church, Lynch’s Castle, Galway Cathedral, the University, the Spanish Arch and other points of interest around the city. It is a great way for visitors to become familiar with Galway and to take in the sights and sounds of our wonderful, vibrant city
Cruise on the River Corrib with an Irish Coffee
A professional tour guide will meet the group at a designated point in Eyre Square. The tour will include a visit to Kirwan’s Lane (one of Galway’s last remaining late Medieval Lanes), St. Nicholas’ Church, Lynch’s Castle, Galway Cathedral, the University, the Spanish Arch and other points of interest around the city. It is a great way for visitors to become familiar with Galway and to take in the sights and sounds of our wonderful, vibrant city
A professional tour guide will meet the group at a designated point in Eyre Square. The tour will include a visit to Kirwan’s Lane (one of Galway’s last remaining late Medieval Lanes), St. Nicholas’ Church, Lynch’s Castle, Galway Cathedral, the University, the Spanish Arch and other points of interest around the city. It is a great way for visitors to become familiar with Galway and to take in the sights and sounds of our wonderful, vibrant city
An Exclusive Interactive Cultural Experience in a
Unique Traditional Setting
Delegates will visit Cnoc Suain (restful hill) in Spiddal, a renovated small village of thatched and slated stone cottages located on 200 acres of stunningly beautiful ancient landscape, bog, lake and sea. Some of the cottages date back to 1691. As Gaelic speakers, musicians, natural scientists and owners of this historic hill village, Dearbhaill Standún and Charlie Troy are the perfect hosts for the group. They will accompany the group on a short walk through the Connemara Bogland that surrounds Cnoc Suain. Charlie will introduce them to the fascinating archaeology and natural history of the bog including turf harvesting on one of the old thatched cottages, Dearbhaill, a native Gaelic speaker will relay the history of the local area.
Delegates will visit Cnoc Suain (restful hill) in Spiddal, a renovated small village of thatched and slated stone cottages located on 200 acres of stunningly beautiful ancient landscape, bog, lake and sea. Some of the cottages date back to 1691. As Gaelic speakers, musicians, natural scientists and owners of this historic hill village, Dearbhaill Standún and Charlie Troy are the perfect hosts for the group. They will accompany the group on a short walk through the Connemara Bogland that surrounds Cnoc Suain. Charlie will introduce them to the fascinating archaeology and natural history of the bog including turf harvesting on one of the old thatched cottages, Dearbhaill, a native Gaelic speaker will relay the history of the local area.
The group will hear the Irish
language being spoken and enjoy stories about the
life and customs of the inhabitants of the cottage. Dearbhaill, a
talented musician, is a founder member of the much acclaimed
traditional music group Dordán. She will play the fiddle and will
be accompanied by a local musician on the accordion and tin
whistle. Together they will perform a selection of jigs and reels as guests enjoy a drink in the
main cottage. There may even be an
opportunity to learn an Irish dance!
Day Tours from the 7th to the 9th of June 2024
Option 1: Tour of Connemara
Connemara is one of Europe’s last great natural wildernesses, with towns and villages existing along a beautiful, indented coastline. The beauty of the area lies in its rocky and rugged landscape. Connemara is covered in purple heather and desolate tracts of brown bogland, dotted with lakes with a backdrop of purple mountains.
The tour is led by a professional tour guide, who will accompany the group on the scenic route along Lough Corrib and through the villages of Moycullen and Oughterard. The tour will continue through the Inagh Valley to Kylemore Abbey, with its picturesque lake and famous abbey. Kylemore Abbey is the only Irish home of the Benedictine Nuns. Built originally as a castle in 1868, it is one of the best examples of Irish neo-gothic architecture. The estate features a Victorian walled garden, restored abbey, reception rooms, a Gothic church, tranquil walks, a craft shop, pottery, and restaurant.
The group will visit the Connemara Smoked Salmon Smokehouse, a small, family-run business with over 26 years’ experience passed down from generation to generation and Connemara’s longest established smokehouse. They have become one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high quality seafood, where every product is hand-produced in the traditional way. The various smoking methods will be explained and you can enjoy a tasting of this fantastic smoked salmon. Option 2: Full Day Tour to the Aran Islands
On this tour, the group will travel to Rossaveal accompanied by a professional tour guide for their visit to the Aran Islands. 10:30am Depart Rossaveal by ferry to Inis Mór, the largest of the three Aran Islands. Inis Mór is criss-crossed by dry stone walls and the landscape is bleak with soaring cliffs rising out of the Atlantic. Aran has retained much of old Gaelic culture and Gaelic is still the spoken language of the islanders. Traditional music and song have been well preserved there.
Guests are transferred by minibus for a guided tour of the island including Dun Aengus Fort, a 3000-year-old fort situated on top of 300-foot-high cliffs. They will walk to the fort and on their return will continue their tour by minibus. The tour will finish in Kilronan Village where they can enjoy an appetising lunch and some free time in the village to explore the local craft shops and pubs.
5:00pm Depart Aran by ferry
Option 3: The Burren and the Cliffs of Moher
On this morning, the group will travel to the Burren, in North County Clare. This unique place is like no other in Ireland.
There are no bogs and very few pastures, instead there are huge pavements of limestone. The word “Burren” comes from an Irish word “Boireann”, meaning a rocky place. This is an extremely appropriate name when you consider the lack of soil cover and the extent of exposed limestone pavement. However, it has been referred to in the past as “fertile rock” due to the mixture of nutrient-rich herb and floral species.
We will continue to the Cliffs of Moher, which are 214 metres high at the highest point and range for 8 kilometres over the Atlantic Ocean on the western seaboard of County Clare. O’Brien’s Tower stands proudly on a headland of the majestic cliffs. From the cliffs, one can see the Aran Islands, Galway Bay, as well as The Twelve Pins, the Maum Turk Mountains in Connemara and Loop Head to the South.
Lunch is arranged in O’ Connors, one of the most famous pubs in Ireland. The pub is located in the heart of the picturesque village of Doolin, set amongst the rolling hills of West Clare, a stone’s throw from the Atlantic Ocean. The group will then return to Galway via Blackhead and the scenic coast road.
Connemara is one of Europe’s last great natural wildernesses, with towns and villages existing along a beautiful, indented coastline. The beauty of the area lies in its rocky and rugged landscape. Connemara is covered in purple heather and desolate tracts of brown bogland, dotted with lakes with a backdrop of purple mountains.
The tour is led by a professional tour guide, who will accompany the group on the scenic route along Lough Corrib and through the villages of Moycullen and Oughterard. The tour will continue through the Inagh Valley to Kylemore Abbey, with its picturesque lake and famous abbey. Kylemore Abbey is the only Irish home of the Benedictine Nuns. Built originally as a castle in 1868, it is one of the best examples of Irish neo-gothic architecture. The estate features a Victorian walled garden, restored abbey, reception rooms, a Gothic church, tranquil walks, a craft shop, pottery, and restaurant.
The group will visit the Connemara Smoked Salmon Smokehouse, a small, family-run business with over 26 years’ experience passed down from generation to generation and Connemara’s longest established smokehouse. They have become one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high quality seafood, where every product is hand-produced in the traditional way. The various smoking methods will be explained and you can enjoy a tasting of this fantastic smoked salmon. Option 2: Full Day Tour to the Aran Islands
On this tour, the group will travel to Rossaveal accompanied by a professional tour guide for their visit to the Aran Islands. 10:30am Depart Rossaveal by ferry to Inis Mór, the largest of the three Aran Islands. Inis Mór is criss-crossed by dry stone walls and the landscape is bleak with soaring cliffs rising out of the Atlantic. Aran has retained much of old Gaelic culture and Gaelic is still the spoken language of the islanders. Traditional music and song have been well preserved there.
Guests are transferred by minibus for a guided tour of the island including Dun Aengus Fort, a 3000-year-old fort situated on top of 300-foot-high cliffs. They will walk to the fort and on their return will continue their tour by minibus. The tour will finish in Kilronan Village where they can enjoy an appetising lunch and some free time in the village to explore the local craft shops and pubs.
5:00pm Depart Aran by ferry
Option 3: The Burren and the Cliffs of Moher
On this morning, the group will travel to the Burren, in North County Clare. This unique place is like no other in Ireland.
There are no bogs and very few pastures, instead there are huge pavements of limestone. The word “Burren” comes from an Irish word “Boireann”, meaning a rocky place. This is an extremely appropriate name when you consider the lack of soil cover and the extent of exposed limestone pavement. However, it has been referred to in the past as “fertile rock” due to the mixture of nutrient-rich herb and floral species.
We will continue to the Cliffs of Moher, which are 214 metres high at the highest point and range for 8 kilometres over the Atlantic Ocean on the western seaboard of County Clare. O’Brien’s Tower stands proudly on a headland of the majestic cliffs. From the cliffs, one can see the Aran Islands, Galway Bay, as well as The Twelve Pins, the Maum Turk Mountains in Connemara and Loop Head to the South.
Lunch is arranged in O’ Connors, one of the most famous pubs in Ireland. The pub is located in the heart of the picturesque village of Doolin, set amongst the rolling hills of West Clare, a stone’s throw from the Atlantic Ocean. The group will then return to Galway via Blackhead and the scenic coast road.
