7-Day Ireland To Island Small Group Tour Of Ireland

We leave Dublin and head south, arriving at Cobh harbour in County Cork, the place of 3 million goodbyes as famine and poverty forced people aboard ships bound for a better life. It’s also where the Titanic last stopped, before embarking on her ill-fated voyage.  Is it a Chapel? Is it a Palace? Is it a Cathedral?  The 1000 year old Rock of Cashel is all three and it’s an open-mouthed moment.  We’ll travel forward to the 17th century and the home of the Midleton Distillery, now a modern complex and the largest whiskey producer in Ireland. From Jameson to Powers and Tullamore Dew to a Middleton Rare, get to taste, mull and learn about our uisce beatha (water of life). It’s back to the twinkly lights of colourful Cobh and over a pint of the blackstuff, (Murphy’s, not Guinness in these parts) in Mansworth’s, you’ll hear backstories about how this pub was the last port of call for the misty-eyed emigrants, waiting for their ships to come in. The harbour beckons and perhaps a trip to the Quay’s Bar & Restaurant, famous for its private marina and slow roasted scallops. Total driving time: 3 hours Excluding stops 

It’s off for a spot of kissing next and to the famous Blarney Stone. Legend has it that whoever kisses it, gets the gift of the gab; your bus buddies will be sure to tell you if it works! After a stop in Kenmare with its quirky teashops and craft galleries, we’ll take on The Ring of Kerry; a senic drive of mystical and magical landscape where goats are crowned Kings (Puck Fair). Have your phones fully charged for photos of Moll’s Gap, Muckross House and Killarney National Park. It’s over to the dark side next and to Portmagee, where we’ll stay tonight in preparation for some Jedi spotting. The village is named after one of the most notorious smugglers of the 18th Century, Captain Theobald Magee who used the many coves and caves to transport and hide his contraband of spirits, tobacco, textiles and tea.   Total driving time: 3 hours, 15 minutes Excluding stops 

Long ago, before the Jedis came from a galaxy, far, far away, monks from the 6th century, would climb the 599 steps carved out of the prismatic Skellig Michael, to fast and pray in its intricate, stone beehive cells. Named after the archangel Michael, while the word "Skellig" is derived from the Gaelic sceilig, meaning a splinter of stone, it is home to the oldest preserved monastery in Europe and a variety of gannets, puffins, razorbills and grey seals. In Star Wars lore, it is the island sanctuary where Luke Skywalker trains Rey in the ways of The Force. After working up a thirst in this otherworldly place, you might want to turn to the dark side yourself and chase down a few pints of the blackstuff in Murphy’s or JM Reidy’s in Killarney. Driving Time: 1 hour 30 minutes Excluding stops