Focus on Ireland - Premium
From CAD $3725
Guarantee
Group Tour
Easy
Rating
(10 reviews)
From the dizzying 700-foot-high Cliffs of Moher near Galway Bay to the grandiose Georgian architecture of Cork, this experience of Ireland is unlike any other. Take a stroll through the grounds of Trinity College with access to the famous Book of Kells in Dublin, see the Titanic’s last port of call in Cobh and feast on a Farm-to-Table meal in a Killarney guesthouse. This family-run kitchen is the domain of chef John Sheehan and his wife Freda, who serve up nothing but authentic Irish recipes—guaranteed to inspire and delight. The once kissed, never forgotten Stone of Eloquence at Blarney Castle enthralls visitors from far and wide, while historic Galway delights the imagination.
Highlights
Dining Summary
- 4 Dinner (D)
- 6 Breakfast (B)
Choice Highlights
- Choose between two carefully selected activities
- Killarney: Explore on a horse-drawn jaunting car with local jarveys.
- Killarney: Join a gentle hike with a nature guide in Killarney National Park and admire stunning mountains, lakes, woods and waterfalls. Stroll along the lake shore and past the impressive 15th Century Ross Castle and the famous Muckross Estate, a charming 19th Century mansion and grounds. Alternatively, enjoy a memorable ride on a horse-drawn jaunting car with the local jarveys.
Additional Included Highlights
- Our highly-skilled Travel Director will ensure your journey is seamless, serving as your expert guide, consummate organiser, and friend overseas.
- Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary.
- Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you'll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.
- We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door.
- Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available).
- If your arrival and/or departure flights are as per the itinerary start and end dates, then transfers are available at scheduled times. If your flights are outside these times, or you have booked additional nights accommodation with us, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport.
Authentic Dining
- Dublin: Enjoy a relaxing first night and dine together with your fellow guests.
- Cork: Join in the 'craic' over dinner with fabulous local flavors in a city famed for its food.
Brendan Choice
- Killarney: Explore on a horse-drawn jaunting car with local jarveys.
- Killarney: Join a gentle hike with a nature guide in Killarney National Park and admire stunning mountains, lakes, woods and waterfalls. Stroll along the lake shore and past the impressive 15th Century Ross Castle and the famous Muckross Estate, a charming 19th Century mansion and grounds. Alternatively, enjoy a memorable ride on a horse-drawn jaunting car with the local jarveys.
Brendan Experiences
- Dublin: A stunning combination of cobblestone walkways, emerald-green lawns and 18th-century architectural gems, Trinity College is one of Europe’s elite universities and counts poet Oscar Wilde among its alumni. Tour the enchanting college campus with a Local Expert and discover insights into its impressive history. Enjoy access to view the famous Book of Kells, an exquisite manuscript of the four gospels of the Christian New Testament, renowned for the intricacy, detail and majesty of the illustrations.
Iconic Experience
- Cliffs of Moher: Towering cliffs and the dramatic sea, the Cliffs of Moher has inspired countless travelers. Visit the Exhibition Center and look out over the Wild Atlantic Way from these majestic cliffs that rise over 700 feet high. Gain insights from your Travel Director into the cliffs’ geology, history and the species that find sanctuary in its nooks and crannies.
- Blarney: It is said that those who kiss the Blarney Stone, the famous stone of eloquence, are bestowed with the power to persuade, flatter and coax. Take your turn at giving it a peck knowing that the stone was sourced from 330-million-year-old limestone.
MAKE TRAVEL MATTER®
- Killarney: Meet passionate guesthouse owners John and Freda at their beautiful home in Killarney, where you'll hear more about their farm-to-table concept, while enjoying a delicious meal made from fresh ingredients sourced within a five mile radius. John and Freda have a policy that all food is sourced locally from farms and the coast of the Emerald Isle. They educate their visitors about sustainable consumption and the benefits of eating fresh homegrown produce. This experience advances UN Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible Consumption & Production.
Top Rated Highlights
- Dublin: See Custom House and travel along the River Liffey. See the Guinness Storehouse, Christchurch Cathedral and St. Patrick's Cathedral.
- Galway: Fascinating stories and interesting locals take center stage on your orientation of the historic heart of Galway. Visit the Lynch Memorial Window. Then make your way to the Church of St. Nicholas - the largest medieval parish church in Ireland in continuous use, Spanish Arch and Eyre Square.
- Adare: Experience a village walk through the main street lined with thatched cottages.
- Killarney: Enjoy hearing of the history of Killarney during your city orientation.
- Ring of Kerry: Venture into a world of towering cliffs, lush lakelands, beaches, fields dotted with sheep, rocky coastline, remote villages and historical sites, as you journey the magical Ring of Kerry. This 111-mile circular route is the best place to admire Ireland's scenic beauty and truly one of the most beautiful drives in the world.
- Cobh: The Queenstown Story at Cobh retraces the steps of Irish emigration from the famine of 1845 to the great ocean liner era of the 1950s. This is a must for those with Irish ancestors who crossed the Atlantic during this time.
- Cork: Your Travel Director will show you the Grand Parade and South Mall, along with City Hall and the Opera House.
- Kilkenny: Take in the sights of the medieval city of Kilkenny with its majestic castle and river walk.
Well-being
- Enjoy the comfort of the luxurious, air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom. Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches.
- Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.
Trip Details
Product Code: 20894
Tour Type: Group Tour
Accommodation: Deluxe
Transport: Private
Guide Language: English
Travel Styles:
Family, 55+, Luxury
Tour Operator:
Brendan Vacations (CA)
Supplier Code: 43.93A
Starts: Dublin, Ireland
Finishes: Dublin, Ireland
Duration: 7 days
Departures: Guaranteed
Physical Rating:
Easy
Includes
Price
Price per person: (Double Occupancy) CAD $3725 ($532 /day)
Itinerary
Start your exploration of Dublin with an orientation tour with a Local Expert that brings to life Dublin’s architectural treasures and history, stretching back more than 1,000 years. Travel along the River Liffey, see the Custom House, Guinness Storehouse, Christchurch Cathedral and St. Patrick's Cathedral. View the 9th-century Book of Kells. Walk the cobbled courtyards of Trinity College. Enjoy a warm and friendly dinner with drinks and the opportunity to mingle and get to know each other over the course of the evening.
Accommodation: Clayton Burlington Road, Dublin
Meals: Dinner
Leave Dublin and set off through the delightful landscapes of the Emerald Isle. Cross Ireland's longest river, the River Shannon, to reach historic Galway, the City of the Tribes, at the mouth of the Corrib River. Easily one of Ireland’s most fun and lively cities, the streets are lined with buskers, the region is known for its famous oysters and the pubs are full of Irish charm. Join your Travel Director to see the Church of St. Nicholas, where Christopher Columbus reputedly prayed before setting off for his discovery of America. Also see the pre-medieval Spanish Arch and Eyre Square, dedicated to the late U.S. President, John F. Kennedy.
Accommodation: Harbor, Galway
Meals: Breakfast
Take the scenic route through the mysterious rocky limestone landscape of the Burren, with its underground caverns, streams and rare flora. Stop at the Exhibition Center, situated next to the 214 m (702 ft)-high Cliffs of Moher with breathtaking views of the Clare Coast. Continue past the city of Limerick, stop in the quaint village of Adare and take a relaxed village walk to see its thatched-roof cottages. In the evening, stay in the center of the action in lively Killarney. Gateway to the famous Ring of Kerry, Killarney has been welcoming travelers, who appreciate the spectacular scenery of woodlands and lakes, for over 250 years.
Accommodation: Killarney Plaza Hotel and Spa
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
This morning enjoy Brendan Choice. Choose to join a memorable ride on a horse-drawn jaunting car with the local jarveys. Alternatively, admire incredible scenery on a gentle hike with a Local Expert along the lake shore and past the grounds of Ross Castle, admiring the incredible scenery of the National Park. After, take a leisurely excursion around the magnificent Ring of Kerry with stunning views of mountains and sea. Pass through the small towns of Killorglin, where the famous Puck Fair takes place, and Cahersiveen, birthplace of the great patriot, Daniel O'Connell. Follow the narrow road as it winds along the cliffs to the fishing town of Waterville. Continue through delightful villages like Sneem and cross the peat bogs of the Black Mountains to Moll’s Gap to admire Queen Victoria’s Ladies View. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure. Join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience during a Farm-to-Table dinner. Enjoy some Irish home cooking at the family-run kitchen of chef John Sheehan. Join John and his wife, Freda, for drinks and a personal insight into classic Irish recipes that are loved throughout the world and help preserve this intangible cultural heritage. Then, settle down for a night of great food and drink in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere.
Accommodation: Killarney Plaza Hotel and Spa
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Drive to the historic port town of Cobh, which was the last port of call for the Titanic. Walk through the Queenstown Story exhibition at the Heritage Center, which recounts the era of Irish emigration and the life of this once great passenger port. Continue to visit the 15th-century Blarney Castle, home of the famous Stone of Eloquence - once kissed, never forgotten! Then continue on to Cork along the spacious Grand Parade and South Mall and see the City Hall and fine Georgian houses en route to your hotel. In the evening, raise your glass and revel in rich flavors at a lively dinner.
Accommodation: Maldron South Mall, Cork
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Drive through Ireland’s lush midlands, a region that has nurtured poets, playwrights and storytellers for centuries, before arriving in Kilkenny. Enjoy free time to explore, walk in the footsteps of medieval merchants along the cobbled lanes of the Medieval Mile, home to the 800-year-old St. Canice’s Cathedral and the atmospheric Rothe House, once the dwelling of a prosperous Tudor silk merchant. Today, the city is Ireland’s unofficial capital of craft, renowned for its thriving community of potters, glassblowers and textile artists. Return to Dublin, where the evening is yours to explore further if you wish. From Viking settlement to capital of literature, Dublin brims with stories. Seek out the stately Long Room of Trinity College’s Old Library, marvel at the colorful doors of Georgian Dublin or settle into a local pub where literary greats once raised a glass.
Accommodation: Clayton Burlington Road, Dublin
Meals: Breakfast
Your memorable trip through the Emerald Isle has come to an end. Say "Slán go fóill" as you bid farewell to your Travel Director and fellow travelers.
Meals: Breakfast
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Tour Operator
Brendan Vacations (CA)
In Business Since 1931
Reviews
John Tuchscherer - Traveled, June 2025
It's very good. You go and see a lot of very interesting sights. The tour guide and the local experts are very knowledgeable about their respective locals.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/21/2025
Anonymous - Traveled, June 2025
The travel director and drivers were great! The little treats and mementos were a nice touch. Since we were celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary (a tad early), that was also recognized in small ways here and there, which was appreciated. The itinerary captured the major cities and sites in the southern half of Ireland. We kept a brisk pace at the most popular sites, but there was also more relaxed free time to explore at several other sites.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/21/2025
Anonymous - Traveled, June 2025
Good balance of guided tour and free time. Beautiful landscape and cities. Great accommodation. Excellent included and optional experiences at each stop.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/21/2025
Anonymous - Traveled, June 2025
This is our second tour with Insight. Flawless execution on their part makes it a worry-free vacation for us. For this trip, both driver and guide were professional and efficient although we felt they could have been a bit warmer/congenial. We appreciate managing some 35 tourists can be like herding cats but the oversight was a little military. Fair amount of bus time but a necessary evil if you want to see the changing geography of the island. Because it is a short tour, there wasn't as much time to spend in places or at stops as we might have liked. That said, you do leave having felt you got taste of the country's rich history and culture
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/21/2025
Stephen Chaney - Traveled, June 2025
Helpful Engaging Thoughtful on time on schedule. yes.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/16/2025
Anonymous - Traveled, June 2025
We booked through a travel agent. So didn't deal directly with Customer Services. You get to see the highlights of the places visited, with time to look around yourself. Our Tour Guide was great.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/15/2025
Anonymous - Traveled, May 2025
Safe and efficient way to travel and experience the most possible in the amount of time allotted. Excellent use of the time we were given in Ireland. Felt like we experienced as much as we could!!
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/10/2025
Lawrence Brown Jr - Traveled, May 2025
Service was white glove, from picking up at arrival to shepherding the tour group the entire stay, to dropping off at the airport at journeys end. Literally everything was taken care of, which was exactly what we wanted. This tour was a fantastic way to see a lot of Ireland in a short time. Our tour guide (*Personal information removed by Feefo*) was excellent, equal parts educational and entertaining, while our coach driver (*Personal information removed by Feefo*) deserves a driver of the year award for navigating those narrow Irish roads. The accommodations were all excellent, and the food offered a solid variety. The itinerary took in many classic Irish sites, but also revealed a multitude of unexpected treasures. The optional excursions really rounded out the trip, and provided additional local details and culture. Highly recommended!
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/31/2025
Anonymous - Traveled, May 2025
Our guide, *Personal information removed by Feefo* was fantastic! She gave us information about the activities, such as tight staircases in Blarney Castle and alternatives, and golf cart rides available at the Cliffs of Moher! There were walking tours for the more athletic, and horse and buggy rides for a more leisurely traveler. Yes we had a schedule, but also ample leisure time. It was such a great time! We would recommend it, especially to those that did not want to drive themselves!! *Personal information removed by Feefo* the driver was great! The hotels were very nice, with great food for dinner and breakfast. The itinerary was great, it was our first time in Ireland. The bus was very comfy, and the bus driver was an expert in driving and personable too. Our guide was "Personal information removed by Feefo, and she was fantastic! Very friendly, and she had everything organized perfectly! She grew up in Dublin, and had many stories and interesting information for us. Her expertise made this a trip of a lifetime for us! Thank you Insight!!
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/31/2025
Michelle Smith - Traveled, May 2025
The bus was spacious with leg room and making the ride comfortable. Loved all the food options. Wonderful to simply enjoy the experience and not have to plan the itinerary or drive. Personal information removed by Feefo was knowledgeable and welcoming, making the experience even more enjoyable. * *Personal information removed by Feefo excellent driving ensured a smooth and comfortable journey, and the entire bus tour was a fantastic experience. Our final supper at Rolly's, thoughtfully arranged by *Personal information removed by Feefo*, was the perfect way to end our trip on a high note.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/31/2025
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