Ireland Tour - September 2008
This was my first time with an organized singles tour so I was not really quite sure just what to expect. However Ireland sounded like a fun short tour, I do love to travel, and a singles group for company might be interesting. I wasn't looking for romance really, just company to travel with.
Day One - Dublin
People were still arriving in the morning so our tour formally started in the afternoon with a bus tour of Dublin including O’Connell Street, Georgian squares, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Then we stopped at Trinity College to see the old library and the Book of Kells.
Travel Note: You are not allowed to take pictures inside the library or the Book of Kells exhibit, so if you want memorabilia to take home you will have to buy it in the gift shop.
Day Two - Dublin to Limerick
This morning we left Dublin behind to visit the Irish National Stud in Kildare. Along the way we saw the Rock of Cashel where St. Patrick preached, Tipperary (from the marching song), and in Limerick there was Mary’s Cathedral, King John’s Castle, and the Stone where the Treaty of Limerick was signed in 1691.
Tonite it was dinner at Bunratty Castle, followed by drinks and conversation with he group at the famous Durty Nelly's Irish pub.
Day Three - Limerick to Ennis
Passing though our overnight destination of Ennis which actually was not that far Limerick, we went on to Ireland's western coast for our first stop today at the Cliffs of Moher and checked off one of the "1000 Places to See Before You Die". Then onward to Galway, the marble factory in Connemara, and traditional afternoon tea along with a sheep herding and shearing demonstration at the 150-year-old thatched farmhouse of Rathbaun Farm before our overnight stay in Ennis.
Day Four - Ennis to Killarney
Today it was a senic drive through Killorglin along Dingle Bay (the setting for Ryan’s Daughter) and around the "Ring of Kerry". The Ring of Kerry is about a 100-mile panoramic drive around southwestern Ireland ending with a stop to see the Lakes of Killarney from Ladies View.
Day Five - Killarney to Waterford
Across the Kerry Mountains and through County Cork to Blarney, it totally was not what I had imagined (see my blog) but of course I had to kiss the magical "Stone" of Eloquence. Then we did our shopping and had lunch right next door at the Blarney Woollen Mills (basically an Irish outlet mall).
After lunch we moved on to Waterford and finished the day with a tour of the Waterford Crystal factory and showroom (I bought some candlesticks).
Day Six - Waterford to Dublin
Our overnight stop here was actually just outside of Waterford at an 18th century mansion which was restored to form the centre piece of a four star hotel, Faithlegg House. There was a wedding party around the bar an sitting area last night after our formal dinner, but there was still a bit of time for socializing with the group.
Too bad we were off again first thing in the morning, because with an 18-hole golf course, beauty and health salons I think this would have been a really nice place for an off day to break up the pace of this Ireland tour.
But onward we went to see Ireland’s oldest handweaving mill at Avoca, then through the Wicklow Mountains to vist Glendalough, the early Christian monastic site founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century. Then back to Dublin where we finished the day (and our Ireland tour itinerary) with a private after hours tour and catered dinner at the Guiness Storehouse.
While Ireland was certainly a lovely country and I am glad I took the opportunity to go, I think I would have to honestly say this not a tour package I could remotely recommend. The pace of this tour was just way to militantly fast, basically the quintessential bad bus tour where you have to get up at the crack of dawn rush to get your bags packed and grab breakfast before the bus sets out for the day.
That, and I don't know what Singles Travel International arranged with the tour provider Globus but having our singles group combined with a seniors tour group of couples for a majority of the trip really made the travel group unbearably large. Too many people (felt like you barely even met any of the people), conducted too fast (so horribly fast that it was mostly just a blur), I didn't relax and unfortunately it was just not a very satisfying trip at all in any sense.