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COME EXPERIENCE THE BEAUTY OF IRELAND WITH KATE! Waterford, Dublin, Clare July 4 - 13, 2012 HOW DO I GET ON THE TOUR? To sign up for the tour or to request more info, send me an email HERE. TOUR INFORMATION: Our tours are small enough that they feel more like we are showing a group of friends around Ireland. Some of the most important concepts of this tour are: -Tradition and culture, THE TOUR: This is a 9-day and night tour of Counties Waterford, Dublin, and Clare in the Republic of Ireland. These counties are known for their significant musical traditions, are home of some of the most breathtaking scenery, and have great historical relevance in Ireland. Dublin, the capitol of Ireland, is a vibrant city, the largest city in all of Ireland, and has many wonderful things in store for the traveler. The tour is guided by staff of Enchanted Way Tours and is hosted by musician Kate Campbell. The maximum number of travelers, including the host, is 24. This small size allows guests to get to know and interact with the other guests, the host, and the Enchanted Way Tours staff. Tour dates: July 4 – 13, 2012 Departure from Ireland is in the a.m. on July 13th. ACCESSIBILITY: This tour is appropriate for people who are physically fit and also for those who have physical limitations. Some guests like to keep busy and others like to rest and relax on their holiday. Most of the activities are easily accessible to all guests. Opportunities for more strenuous activities can be taken during “free” time built into the tour. Please inquire for additional information. COST: The tour costs $2100 (US Dollars) per person based on two people sharing a room. Airfare is not included. WHAT IS INCLUDED: The cost of the tour includes: The tour cost does not include: TRANSPORTATION: Your comfort and safety are paramount to Enchanted Way Tours. Guests travel in a small (30 seat) luxury coach. There are no restroom facilities on board but frequent stops are made for guest comfort. The bus has large windows for good viewing and is small enough to safely travel the small back roads for which Ireland is famous, as well as the major highways. Your driver is a professional and your safety is his foremost concern. ACCOMMODATIONS: Guests stay in 3+ Star hotels. There are three nights spent in each county, generally having to move your luggage only once every three days. Rooms are all en suite (with private bathroom facilities), and WiFi is usually available in each hotel. If you are interested in this tour, please read on for more detailed information.
MORE DETAILED INFORMATION From the above summary, you can see what the structure of the tour is and get answers to the most important basic questions. This tour is operated by Enchanted Way Tours in Ireland. The company is owned by Tom Pigott who has been in the tourism business for over 35 years and has been leading and overseeing these tours for 8 years. He doesn’t consider the participants as mere “tourists”, he considers them to be his “guests.” Over the years, many guests have returned several times, sometimes even entire groups have returned to tour together. You can find the Enchanted Way Tours website at this location: http://www.enchantedwaytours.ie/. If you are interested in going on this tour and contact us by email, Vicki Belinoski, Kate’s liaison, will be in contact with you and all of the guests on your tour throughout the planning time before your trip. Once it gets closer to the tour date, Vicki will be facilitating introductions between all of the guests so you’ll get to know a little bit about each other before you get to Ireland. First of all, here are some answers to some of the most basic questions about the tour in a little more detail. Kate’s tour starts on Wednesday, July 4, 2012 and ends on Friday, July 13, 2012. It is highly recommended that you come in a day early to help with the jet lag, and to alleviate any delays if flights are running late. That would mean that you would arrive on July 3rd. In order to arrive on July 3rd, you would leave the US on July 2nd and arrive the next morning. All flights to Ireland that originate in the US are overnight flights. If you choose to arrive on Day 1 of the tour, July 4th, you will need to leave on July 3rd, and choose a flight with an arrival in Shannon no later than 8:30 a.m. since you have to go through customs upon arrival in Shannon. If you arrive a day early, we will help you arrange for accommodation at a specific Bed and Breakfast in the village of Bunratty, not far from the Shannon Airport. Enchanted Way Tours works with the one of the proprietors who will book you into one of two B&Bs that are next door to each other. The proprietors take extra special care of our guests and the fees are in line with other B&Bs in the area. If you stay at the specified B&B, you will be collected there at 9 a.m. on Day 1 of the tour. Most tour participants stay at one of these specified B&Bs and often spend the pre-tour day getting to know each other and touring around the village, which is home to the 2nd most visited castle in Ireland, Bunratty Castle and the wonderful adjoining Bunratty Folk Park. If you act early, you can even secure a seat at the Bunratty Castle Medieval Banquet Dinner with lots of singing, harp playing and merriment. If you choose to stay elsewhere, you will need to return to the Shannon Airport to be collected there at 9 a.m. on Day 1 of the tour. This tour is 9 full days and nights of sightseeing, and incredible Irish music. Day 1 starts with picking you up at 9:00 a.m. at the Shannon Airport or at the B&B in Bunratty. On Day 10, you will be delivered back to the Shannon Airport for your departure. The earliest drop off at the airport is at 8:00 a.m. If you choose an earlier flight, we will assist you in arranging a taxi to take you to the airport. The last night of the tour generally is about a 45-minute drive to the airport, so a taxi ride could be costly. Choosing a departure time of 11:00 a.m. or later is a good idea. As mentioned before, our tours are small enough that they feel more like we are showing a group of friends around Ireland. You won’t find any written-in-stone itineraries for our routes like the big-bus companies. Of course, we know where we are sleeping and eating, and, of course, where to find the music. And we have several tried and true options lined up at all times. But Ireland moves at its own pace, and if you follow it, wonderful things happen. This style of travel is not for everyone – but for those who are open to the adventure, the rewards are many. At the end of the tour, some people rent a car and drive around Ireland on their own to do some additional sightseeing. Ireland is a small country, about the size of Indiana, or about 3 times the size of Massachusetts or one-sixth the size of California. Kate will be heading the tour that goes to three of the most beautiful and historic counties in The Republic of Ireland: Waterford, Dublin, and Clare. Keep in mind that the tour is flexible and any itinerary may change a little, depending on weather or local activities or other issues. Below is some information from Tom Pigott about each of the counties that the tour goes to, highlighting some of the things that you are likely to see.
County Dublin: D U B L I N Dublin is of course our capital city with a population of one and a half million people. It is now one of the most visited capital cities in Europe. We will be seeing a mix of old and new on our tours here. There are so many things to see in Dublin, but in my opinion there are a few MUST SEE. Number one of these is Kilmainham Jail. Another one of these in the Guinness Brewery. We will do these for certain. Among the other important sites are: -Collins Barracks Museum (this is amazing) There are of course many more thing to see and do in Dublin, but some of the above can be done on a free afternoon in Dublin city centre. Our nights in Dublin are very different to the rest of our tours. We like to go to the world famous Abbey Theatre. Usually we do not have a problem doing this, but if a problem arises there are many more theatres that we can visit. We also have a private concert with some of Dublin's best singers and musicians and we of course have one special Dublin pub night. Dublin is indeed a fun place to visit and we stay in a very convenient city centre hotel called The Camden Court. County Clare: C L A R E Clare is perhaps our busiest leg. We now base ourselves in Spanish Point/Milltown Malbay or Liscannor. Our first stop in Clare is St. Bridgets Well, which is said to have healing powers in the water. This is a really interesting stop. Next comes the incredible Cliffs of Moher. These are pretty spectacular and are in the top 5 Irish tourist attractions. At the moment they are in contention to be placed among the SECOND - Seven Wonders of the World. We love to visit Inis Oirr, which is one of the famous Aran Islands, but this again is subject to weather conditions and we usually continue on a cruise under the Cliffs of Moher when the winds are not high. This is particularly spectacular from May to mid July as all the birds are in evidence then, especially the puffins. We do a Wanderly Wagon tour on the island, which is really cool. The Wanderly Wagon being a tractor and converted trailer that provides a tour. We keep the best in Clare for our last day. We visit the Burren region. This is a 250 square mile region of limestone rock. This is full of surprises and is indeed a holy place. We will meet my friend P.J. Curtis who is considered Ireland's best musicologist and was born and reared on the Burren. He has incredible knowledge of the area and will also delve into the Irish - American music connection. Of course Clare has a wonderful music tradition. We will visit Milltown Malbay, (home of the Willy Clancy Music Week) and Doolin, which is the Mecca of Irish music. The music here is perhaps the most dramatic of the whole trip. We will be seeing some, if not all of the following:- Blackie O'Connell, (my favourite Uilleann Piper) and Foolin' in Doolin, the wonderful Howley Family, including Eimear on Banjo and Fiddle, Tara on Uileann Pipes and Concertina and Sharon on Fiddle, Harp and Piano, all multi All Ireland Champions. Kevin Griffin, Josephine Marsh and Mick Kinsella. Finally, this last link will give you a little more info about the tours in general. In particular, it talks about the philosophy of Enchanted Way Tours and how you will be treated, cared for, and shown the real Ireland. Many people that go on one of these tours come back more than once. To read this info, go to this link: http://www.enchantedwaytours.ie/tours/. The very important question: How much does the tour cost? Currently, the tour costs $2100 (US Dollars) based on double occupancy. This does not include airfare but does include most meals. For single travelers that prefer to not share a room, there is a single supplement fee of $350. That insures that you have a private room for the duration of the tour. If you are traveling without a travel partner, there are often other travelers looking to share accommodation and we can provide the names of those people so you can contact them to see if you would like to share. The cost of the tour includes: - transportation beginning the day of the tour with pick up either from one of the selected B&Bs in Bunratty or from Shannon Airport Guests pay for their own flights to and from Shannon International Airport, all lunches, 6 dinners on your own, ferries and optional activities, and of course drinks, tips, souvenirs, etc. This trip is something you will remember for years to come. You will be able to experience Ireland, see things that most tourists never get to see, hear music that you may never get to hear anywhere else. And if that weren’t enough, you get to do it all with the wonderful Kate Campbell. She will be a wonderful host for your tour! It will be the trip of a lifetime. I hope you will be able to come. To hold your seat on the tour requires a down payment of $500 per person. The cost is broken into 3 payments of $500, $800 and $800 per person. The 2nd payment is due by March 25, 2012, (6 months prior to the departure date) and the final payment is due by June 25, 2012, (3 months prior to your departure.) Payment for the single supplement of $350, if needed, may be paid with the last payment, or before if you prefer. Please let us know what other questions you might have. We are happy to help you prepare for this wonderful journey to Ireland! To sign up for the tour or to request more info, send me an email HERE.
Ireland photos courtesy of Vicki Belinoski
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