Visit the House of Waterford Crystal for a workshop tour that reveals how its intricate glassware is made. Watch skilled craftspeople work through the stages of production, from shaping glass to cutting the patterns that catch and refract light.

Waterford’s crystal-making heritage has made the city’s name known far beyond Ireland. Seeing the precision involved at close range gives each finished piece a richer story than a showroom display alone can tell.

Explore Ireland’s capital with a Local Specialist on a guided tour of Dublin. See the city’s elegant Georgian squares, broad O’Connell Street and the Custom House beside the River Liffey.

The tour brings together Dublin’s architectural grandeur and everyday street life, offering an introduction to the capital’s history and character. Look out for the Georgian doorways and riverfront landmarks that give its centre such a distinctive sense of place.

Explore EPIC – The Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin through interactive exhibits devoted to the Irish diaspora. Across 20 themed galleries, encounter emigrants’ letters, family histories and the cultural traditions they carried abroad.

The museum traces the stories behind the millions of people worldwide who claim Irish ancestry, making a vast history feel personal. Drinks and canapés are part of the visit, adding a sociable setting in which to reflect on the stories you have discovered.

Step aboard the Dunbrody Famine Ship Experience in New Ross with a Local Specialist. Explore a replica of a 19th-century emigrant vessel and learn what the Atlantic crossing meant for Irish families leaving during the Great Famine.

The ship’s confined spaces bring the conditions of passage into focus. In a town with links to the Kennedy family, this visit gives a tangible sense of the hardship, hope and far-reaching legacy of Irish emigration.

Explore Blarney Castle, the medieval stronghold near Cork, and take the opportunity to kiss the Blarney Stone. Set high in the castle’s battlements, the stone is traditionally said to grant the gift of eloquence to those who reach it.

Its legend has drawn visitors for generations. The climb through the castle and the view from its ramparts make the visit memorable whether you embrace the tradition or simply enjoy the setting and its stories.

Travel the Ring of Kerry on a scenic drive through a landscape of mountains, lakes, green countryside and Atlantic coast. The route takes in Cahirciveen, associated with Daniel O’Connell, the fishing village of Waterville and the mountain pass at Moll’s Gap.

Look towards the secluded Black Valley, whose isolation made it one of the last parts of Ireland to receive electricity. The drive’s appeal lies in its changing views and the close relationship between Kerry’s small communities and its rugged terrain.

Walk through Adare’s village centre and see the thatched cottages lining its main street. Their steep roofs and carefully kept facades give this County Limerick village a distinctive appearance.

A village walk offers time to appreciate the details that are easy to miss from a passing vehicle, from cottage gardens to the texture of the thatch. It is a gentle introduction to a traditional Irish streetscape that Adare has become known for preserving.

Discover Limerick’s landmarks on an orientation tour with your Travel Director. See St Mary’s Cathedral, the Treaty Stone and the imposing 13th-century King John’s Castle beside the River Shannon.

These sites speak to different chapters of the city’s history, from medieval worship and fortification to the Treaty of Limerick. Viewing them together gives a useful sense of the city’s layout and the events that shaped this important Shannon crossing.

Visit Bunratty Castle and Folk Park to explore a preserved medieval castle and a collection of historic Irish buildings. Walk through the folk park’s recreated village setting to see how homes, shops and daily routines differed across the 18th and 19th centuries.

The contrast between the castle’s grand interiors and the more modest spaces of ordinary life makes this an engaging look at Ireland’s social history. It brings domestic traditions into view alongside the country’s better-known fortresses.

Stand above the Atlantic at the Cliffs of Moher, where sheer rock faces rise from the water along County Clare’s Wild Atlantic Way. Take in the ocean views and photograph the coastline from the designated viewing areas.

Explore the interactive visitor centre to learn about the cliffs’ geology and wildlife, including the seabirds that gather here. The exhibits add context to the scale and living ecology of one of Ireland’s most recognisable coastal landscapes.

Discover the craft of salmon smoking at the family-run Burren Smokehouse in Lisdoonvarna. Explore its interactive visitor centre, learn how the kiln and smokebox are used, and taste organic smoked salmon produced with attention to sustainable sourcing.

Stories of Irish salmon in mythology and history sit alongside an explanation of modern aquaculture. This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® visit connects a traditional food craft with the choices involved in responsible production.

Journey through Connemara’s mountainous landscape to Kylemore Abbey, a turreted building set against the region’s lakes and hills. Visit the abbey and walk through its Victorian Walled Garden, where formal planting contrasts with the wild scenery beyond.

Originally built as a private home, Kylemore became a Benedictine monastery in 1920 after nuns fled Belgium during the First World War. Its layered history and striking setting make the visit as much about people and place as architecture.

Meet Catherine and Jim at Glen Keen Farm for a hosted introduction to their working sheep farm. Hear stories of land held by the same family since 1600, meet the border collies and watch a live sheep-herding demonstration.

Learn how the family approaches sustainable farming on the Wild Atlantic Way, then sit down to a farmhouse lunch with homemade cake and tea. The personal welcome offers a close look at contemporary rural life and the skills behind it.

Visit the Marian Shrine at Knock, one of Ireland’s most significant pilgrimage sites. The County Mayo village became a place of devotion following a reported apparition of the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph and Saint John the Evangelist in 1879.

Spend time at the shrine and consider the event that brought pilgrims from Ireland and beyond to this rural community. Its atmosphere offers a perspective on the continuing place of faith and pilgrimage in Irish life.

Ride by traditional pony and trap through Bourn-Vincent National Park near Killarney. The unhurried pace lets you take in the parkland scenery while a Local Specialist shares anecdotes about the area and Ireland.

Horse-drawn travel offers a different way to experience the landscape from a coach window, with time to notice its paths, trees and changing views. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Experience an evening of Irish music and dance at the optional Gaelic Roots show in Killarney. Traditional instruments, folk songs and energetic dancing bring several strands of Ireland’s performance heritage together on stage.

The show offers a lively way to hear familiar musical traditions performed in person, with rhythms that invite you to tap along. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Explore beyond Sligo on an off-the-beaten-track countryside drive, followed by a relaxed dinner at a local restaurant. The outing offers a chance to see more of the surrounding rural landscape and share a meal away from the hotel.

Its appeal lies in the quieter setting and the opportunity to experience an Irish evening at an easy pace. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Trafalgar

• 9 Breakfast (B)
• 4 Dinner (D)
• 1 Lunch (L)

• Deluxe coach travel
• Selected hotel dinners plus a locally hosted meal
• 4-star stays

• Dublin: A Local Specialist will show you Dublin’s elegant Georgian squares, O’Connell Street and the Custom House.
• Dublin: Embark on an interactive discovery of the 70 million people who claim Irish ancestry at EPIC – The Irish Emigration Museum. Throughout 20 rooms divided per topic, learn about the Irish experience and the timeline of Ireland’s history told through the personal stories of emigrants. The sights and insights range from learning a special Irish dance to reading the letters of past emigrants, to tracing your family name going back generations.
• New Ross: Explore the tragic history of Ireland’s famine emigration with a Local Specialist at the Dunbrody Famine Ship Experience, a replica of one of the original ships used in the 1800s.
• Waterford: Learn how crystal is crafted at the House of Waterford Crystal during a workshop tour.
• Blarney: It is said that those who kiss the Blarney Stone are bestowed with the power to persuade, flatter and coax. But to do so, you must dangle from the ramparts! Visit Blarney Castle and see the famous Stone of Eloquence. 
• Adare: Experience a village walk through the main street lined with thatched cottages.
• Limerick: See Limerick’s iconic landmarks during an orientation with your Travel Director.
• Bunratty: Visit the impeccably-preserved Bunratty Castle and Folk Park.
• Kylemore Abbey & Victorian Walled Garden: Visit the turreted Neo-Gothic Kylemore Abbey. This monastery was founded in 1920 for Benedictine Nuns who fled Belgium in World War I.
• Knock: In the pilgrimage town of Knock, visit the beautiful Marian Shrine, where the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph and John the Evangelist are said to have appeared to the townsfolk in 1879.