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 Eyre Square’s John F Kennedy Park, at the Hardiman Hotel, where you will discover why Galway is the ‘City of Tribes’. You will go through pedestrianised streets of the old town where you’ll get to know the story of the world-famous iconic Claddagh Ring. Historic city landmarks such as Lynch’s castle, St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church, Lynch window, The King’s Head and Old Malt House, and Spanish Arch are taken in with their legends and stories.

Day Tours from the 7th to the 9th of June 2024

Tour of Connemara -Friday, 7th June, 2024

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.

Cong Village is a charming little village in County Mayo. Tucked between Lough Corrib and Lough Mask, it’s not hard to see why the village of Cong is widely regarded as one of the most picturesque small villages in Ireland. Steeped in history, with close ties to the Quiet Man movie, and boasting a unique character and lots of things to see and do, it’s well worth exploring.

Kylemore Abbey is set in a dramatic landscape and originally built as a castle in 1867 as a romantic gift, Kylemore is steeped in history and tales of tragedy and romance, engineering initiatives, model farms, royal visits, spirituality and education. Home to Ireland’s only Benedictine community of nuns since 1920, this 1000 acre estate has much to offer.

Itinerary:

9am: Depart from the Quadrangle, University of Galway
10am: Arrive in Cong
10am-10.15am: Visit of the Museum
10.15am-12pm: Free time
12pm: Lunch
2.15pm: Arrive at Kylemore Abbey
2.15pm-3.45pm: Visit
3.45pm: Return to Galway

Tour to the Aran Islands – Saturday, 8th June, 2024 Day trip to Inis Mór (meaning big island) and as its name suggests it is the biggest of the 3 Aran Islands. Lying in a North – Westerly direction across Galway Bay, Inis Mór is approximately 12km in length and 3km in width. It’s principle port and village is Kilronan (Cill Rónáin ) and it is here that most visitors are first introduced to the island. The sailing time to Inis Mór is 40 minutes. While on the island, you will enjoy a minibus tour with a stop at Dun Aenghus. Perched spectacularly on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, this is the largest of the prehistoric stone forts of the Aran Islands. It is enclosed by three massive dry-stone walls and a “chevaux-de-frise” consisting of tall blocks of limestone set vertically into the ground to deter attackers. Itinerary:

9.30am: Depart from Galway (bus from Victoria Place)
10.30am: Departure from Rossavel
11.10am: Arriving on island
11.30am: Lunch
12.45pm: Start of the guided bus tour
4pm: End of the guided bus tour
5pm: Ferry return time
6.45pm: Return to Galway

The Burren and the Cliffs of Moher – Sunday, 9th June, 2024

The Burren is a strange and unique region in Europe. “Burren” means “large stones”. In fact its name describes this impressive scenery perfectly well. Often described as lunar, the Burren is a high plateau of porous limestone situated in Northern Clare between Ballyvaughan and Kilfenora. No trees are growing here, no land is covering the stone and the limestone is bare. But the Burren is not as deserted as we believe: the cracks allow different types of flowers to grow all year round, though spring would be the best season for the botanists to explore. The rocks hide many caves like Ailwee, as well as “Turloughs”, an interesting phenomenon which transforms lakes into fields during the summer. You will also discover the testimonies of its rich history thanks to countless castles and monastic ruins.

The Cliffs of Moher are situated on the Atlantic Ocean and bordering the Burren Area, the Cliffs of Moher are one of Ireland’s most spectacular sights. Standing 230 metres above the ground at their highest point and 8km long, the Cliffs boast one of the most amazing views in Ireland. On a clear day, the Aran Islands are visible in Galway Bay as well as the valleys and hills of Connemara. To the south of the cliffs is Hag’s Head and was once the site of a castle. The cliffs reach their highest point just north of O’ Brien’s Tower. Cornelius O’ Brien, a descendant of Brian Boru (he who defeated the Vikings in battle), built a Tower at the cliffs in order to enjoy some tea with his lady friends. The Tower is adjacent to the seastack, Breanan Mór, which stands over 70 metres above the foaming waves and is home to some of the Burren’s wildlife.

Itinerary: