We gathered after breakfast and left the hotel for our drive to Kilmainham Gaol on the outskirts of the city, in fact the gaol which opened in 1796 is across the street from one of the few ancient remaining gates to the city. Originally built to house 100 inmates, during the Famine years of the … Continue reading DAY EIGHT: Dublin, Kilmainham Gaol and farewell to all at the conclusion of a wonderful tour! Planning now for 2020 . . . →

We bid farewell to Westport on another beautiful sunny morning, and drove east across Ireland to Dublin. It took Paul, our driver, three and a half hours and included a stop for lunch just before we arrived. Our one port of call today was the Guinness brewery and it was crowded. We dropped the group … Continue reading DAY SEVEN: From Westport back to Dublin →

Our final day in Westport was one of a more relaxing drive this morning. We drove out to Balintubber Abbey, built in 1216 by one of the local O'Connor kings, on a site where saint Patrick had built a chapel in 441 AD. It has been said that even during the plundering and mass murders … Continue reading DAY SIX: Westport and the Butte connection →

Photo of the tour group in Castletownbere, courtesy of my sister Brenda O'Malley-Farrell who is along with us on the trip. She is in the pink jacket in the front row. 2019 Tour group in Castletownbere

Many of our group went off down Shop Street last night, somewhat akin to Bourbon Street in New Orleans, and enjoyed many groups playing traditional Irish music. Galway is a college town and the night life never stops. After breakfast this morning, we drove north west along the coast through Salthill, and on out through … Continue reading DAY FIVE: From Galway to Connemara, Croagh Patrick, and the homeland of the Pirate Queen Grace O’Malley →

Today was a "moving day", a drive to our next hotel destination to Galway, City of the Tribes in the West of Ireland. Upon request from some of our travelers, we added in a stop at Beal Na Blath, the Mouth of the Flowers, in North Cork where the famous Michael Collins met his death … Continue reading DAY FOUR: Galway and the Cliffs of Moher →

Another 8am breakfast began our day and it was nice to see all the fresh faces ready for another outing, this time down to the Mizen Head Light Station and the famous town of Skibbereen, from the Famine Great Hunger of the 1840's. Interesting to mention breakfast and famine in the same sentence, but it … Continue reading DAY THREE: Mizen Head and Skibbereen →

Ah yes, the hearty Irish breakfast awaited us on our second morning in Ireland. I had described the ingredients, in detail, on our bus journey the day before. Irish sausages, rashers (slices of fried bacon), black and white pudding (no comment), baked beans, fried mushrooms, and your choice of eggs. All kinds of breads, toast, … Continue reading DAY TWO: To Castletownbere and on to the Allihies Copper Mine Museum →

I woke up on Friday morning last at 4:45am in time to be picked up by manager Chris at 5:15 and driven to Los Angeles Airport for an 8:15 flight to Newark, New Jersey. A packed plane, no sleep and connected at 7:30pm on to Dublin arriving at 7am Ireland time, again with hardly any … Continue reading DAY ONE: Dublin to Bantry →