Visit 15th-century Blarney Castle in County Cork, home to the Stone of Eloquence. Explore the historic stronghold and, if you wish, take your turn kissing the stone, traditionally said to grant the gift of persuasive speech.

The custom has drawn visitors for generations, pairing a playful Irish legend with the atmosphere of a medieval castle. The stone itself is limestone, while the surviving castle speaks to the region’s much later history of fortification and lordship.

• 4 Dinner (D)
• 6 Breakfast (B)

• Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.

• 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. See the enchanting college campus 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.
• 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.

Insight Vacations

• Business class coach with extended leg room
• Top-rated dining, from farm-to-table to local restaurants
• 4 & 5-star stays

Discover Dublin with a Local Expert-led orientation tour along the River Liffey. See the neoclassical Custom House and pass the Guinness Storehouse, Christchurch Cathedral and St. Patrick’s Cathedral as your guide introduces the city’s architectural layers.

From its Viking beginnings to its Georgian streets, Dublin has more than a thousand years of history to uncover. The contrasting landmarks reveal how religion, trade and brewing have shaped the Irish capital.

Walk the cobbled courtyards of Trinity College Dublin and enjoy access to view the Book of Kells. Created around the ninth century, this illuminated manuscript of the four Gospels is celebrated for its intricate lettering and richly patterned illustrations.

Founded in 1592, the college pairs historic buildings with green lawns in the heart of Dublin. Seeing the manuscript here offers a close encounter with Ireland’s early medieval artistic and scholarly traditions.

Join your Travel Director for a hosted welcome dinner with drinks in Dublin. Share a table with fellow travellers, exchange introductions and settle into the convivial atmosphere that makes dining together a distinctive part of an Irish journey.

The evening is an opportunity to hear about the places and traditions you will encounter across Ireland. Conversation, local hospitality and a relaxed shared meal set this organised gathering apart from dinner on your own.

Explore Galway’s historic heart with your Travel Director, taking in St. Nicholas’ Collegiate Church, the Spanish Arch and Eyre Square. Hear stories of the merchant families behind the city’s “City of the Tribes” nickname as you discover its lively streets.

St. Nicholas’ has served the city since medieval times, while the Spanish Arch recalls Galway’s maritime trading past. The mix of old stonework, street music and local voices gives this western city its distinctive character.

Visit the Cliffs of Moher and their visitor exhibition on County Clare’s Atlantic coast. Look out from cliffs rising to around 214 metres (702 feet), where the sea meets a sheer wall of layered rock along the Wild Atlantic Way.

Gain insight from your Travel Director into the cliffs’ geology, history and wildlife. The exhibition adds context to the coastal views, while the cliff-edge outlook reveals the scale and changing light of this protected landscape.

Walk through Adare’s thatched-cottage-lined main street and take in the scale and texture of this County Limerick village. Its low roofs, planted gardens and stone buildings offer a close-up view of a streetscape long associated with rural Ireland.

Adare developed around a medieval settlement and later acquired the picturesque cottages for which it is known today. Exploring on foot gives you time to notice the details that distinguish the village from the larger towns on the tour.

Get to know Killarney on a Travel Director-led town orientation. Take in its streets, shopfronts and church spires while hearing stories that connect the town to the mountains, woodlands and lakes surrounding it.

Killarney has welcomed visitors drawn to this landscape for more than two centuries. The orientation places the town’s heritage in context and offers a sense of the community that serves as a gateway to Killarney National Park and the Ring of Kerry.

Choose a horse-drawn jaunting car ride in Killarney, guided by a local jarvey. Sit back and experience the town and its surroundings at the measured pace of this traditional carriage, with a local voice bringing the setting to life.

Jarveys are closely associated with Killarney’s long history as a visitor destination. This is one of two included Insight Choice activities, offering a heritage-focused alternative to the guided walk in Killarney National Park.

Choose a gentle guided walk in Killarney National Park, following the lakeshore with a Local Expert and passing the grounds of Ross Castle. Take in views of water, woodland and mountains while learning about the landscape.

Ross Castle is a 15th-century stronghold on the edge of Lough Leane, a reminder of the region’s Gaelic past. This is one of two included Insight Choice activities, offering an active alternative to the horse-drawn jaunting car ride.

Travel the Ring of Kerry, a scenic circuit of the Iveragh Peninsula with views of mountains, Atlantic coastline, villages and peat bogs. Pass through Killorglin, Cahersiveen, Waterville and Sneem, and take in the mountain scenery around Moll’s Gap and Ladies View.

The route brings together many of southwest Ireland’s contrasting landscapes, from fishing communities to high passes. Stories of Puck Fair and Daniel O’Connell add local history to the changing coastal and inland views.

Share a farm-to-table dinner at the Killarney home of chef John Sheehan and his wife, Freda. Enjoy drinks, Irish home cooking and conversation about the recipes behind the meal in a welcoming, family-run setting.

John and Freda source ingredients from local farms and the Irish coast, with a focus on produce from within a five-mile radius. Their approach connects traditional flavours with responsible consumption, making the meal an insight into both Irish hospitality and sustainable food practices.

Explore The Queenstown Story at Cobh’s heritage centre, tracing Irish emigration and the town’s history as a passenger port. Exhibits recount journeys from the Great Famine era through the age of transatlantic ocean liners.

Once called Queenstown, Cobh was the Titanic’s last port of call before its Atlantic crossing. The exhibition gives personal and historical context to the departures that carried generations of Irish people overseas, particularly resonant for travellers researching family connections.

Discover Ireland’s second city on a Travel Director-led orientation featuring the Grand Parade, South Mall, City Hall and the Opera House. See how Cork’s broad streets and civic buildings sit within a city shaped by centuries of trade.

Cork’s story stretches from an early religious settlement associated with St. Fin Barre through Viking and Norman periods to a prosperous merchant city. The orientation connects its architecture with the independent spirit behind its “Rebel Cork” nickname.

Join a hosted dinner in Cork featuring local flavours and the lively conversation known in Ireland as the “craic”. Raise a glass with fellow travellers and enjoy an evening centred on food and company in a city with a strong culinary reputation.

Cork’s food culture draws on the produce of its surrounding farmland and southern coast. This organised group dinner offers a sociable way to experience that regional character, rather than simply dining independently during your stay.