[10am] After a delicious breakfast and a leisurely morning. We’ll take a relaxing ‘Jaunting car ride through Killarney National Park, the local traditional horse & carriage experience for 150 years.“When in Venice, one takes a Gondola; in Killarney, it’s a Jaunting Car” - Stephen McPhilemy. Hear stories and tales from your always entertaining ‘Jarvey’ (carriage driver) and enjoy the blissful lakeside views.

 Always a highlight for our Tour-Guests

[10.30am] We’ll enjoy one of our trademark ‘Mini Ring of Kerry’ Tours visiting picturesque Kenmare, famous for it cute shops and colourful streets, maybe you'll take time to go and see it’s ancient stone circle, built by our ancient pre-Celtic ancestors even before the Celtic Druids got the credit! A place of strong spiritual energy.

[2pm] Stop up at Molls gap on the Ring of Kerry and take in the breathtaking scenery, a real highlight.

 Enjoy a stroll though the gardens of Muckross House. You’ll enjoy free time in the lakeside lawns before and have time to tour the beautiful stately home.
[4pm] Back in bustling Killarney with the evening free to to dine, dance, sing, shop or relax!

[9.30am] After a spectacular breakfast we'll depart Killarney for the one hour scenic drive to magical Dingle. 

[11am] Arrive in Dingle and after an orientaion tour by bus we’ll break for an artisan coffee or maybe a Murphys Ice-Cream.

[11.30am] We'll enjoy the famous ‘Historic Dingle Walking Tour’ with excellent loca-guide, born and bred in Dingle, taking in all the history of this charming seaside village and meeting its great local characters

[2.30pm] We'll visit Sean Daly, a good friend of ‘Essential Ireland Tours’ and the former Master-Cutter at Waterford Crystal, a chance to get up close and personal with a renowned craftsman.

[3.30pm] Dingle Falconry Experience! Hold and fly majestic Birds of Prey in this once in a lifetime experience. ‘Essential Ireland Tours’ has our very own Falconry School and we offer our Tour Guests a unique opportunity to experience the ancient Irish art of Falconry, which came to prominence in 12th Century Ireland with ancient Norman clans like the Fitzgeralds and Fitzmaurices.

We have our very own School of Falconry with 50 birds of prey and a Master Falconer and 2 other full-time falconers who will introduce you to a wide range of Birds of Prey as you slip on a long leather glove (very medieval!) and hold and fly Hawks, Falcons, Owls and Orla (our majestic Golden Eagle). All on the beautiful backdrop of Dingle Harbour, a great photo opportunity but an even greater travel experience…

[5.30pm] Checkin at Milltown House, our exclusive luxury waterfront Guesthouse and former home of Hollywood actor Robert Mitchum (in town to film Oscar winning ‘Ryans Daughter’ in 1969), now home Seamus & Ogie, our Gentle-Giant Irish Wolfhounds. Check in here is always a special event, with a remarkable warm hospitality that ‘Essential Ireland’ and all our team are renowned for.

[6.00pm] Complimentary Dingle Gin & Tonic cocktails in our very own ‘Robert Mitchum Bar & library’. 

[9.30 am] After our home-made breakfast in the waterfront glass conservatory at Milltown House, we will load up our luxury ‘Essential Ireland’ Tour Bus and head ‘back-west’ to enjoy a guided tour of scenic Slea Head and the coastline of the Dingle Peninsula (now even more famous since it became the set for Star Wars!) The finest scenery in Ireland? You’ll decide.  

We will take our time, relax and enjoy the beauty and make lots of stops,  a short-hike to Slea Head and discover Kilmalkedar church with its Celtic carvings and spiritual beauty. Visit Cuminole beach  (a delightful sheltered cove) and enjoy some complimentary wine or craft beer, and some fine Irish cheese. The higlight of today is always the Blasket Island Interprative centre, presenting the rich Gaelic culture of the western tip of the Dingle Peninsula and it's islands.

[4pm] A Dingle craft-beer  tasting session, including the first beer in Ireland made by a female brewer, always a treat.

[6pm] Free time to explore this quintessential Irish village.

Free time in Dingle. Evening free for dinner and maybe you'll enjoy a Dingle Musical Pub Crawl, always a great chance to meet the locals.

[8am - 10am] Enjoy a delicious home-cooked and leisurely Irish breakfast.

[10am] Free day in Dingle to enjoy a host of possible activities, or just relax and update your travel journal before our fun evening ahead.

Some guests enjoy a tour of the Dingle whiskey distillery or weather-permitting a Dingle Sea Safari. And some just prefer a day of shopping, snacking and trying out a few more of Dingle's 56 pubs!

5pm: Gather in our very own library-bar for a Dingle whiskey tasting.

[6pm] A home-cooked meal by our private chef, wine inclued. All ingredients sourced within 10 miles of Dingle. Such an enjoyable experience.

[7 pm] A gala private concert of brilliant music and dance, one of the consistent highlights for all tour-guests.

Enjoy a home-cooked dinner.

During and after dinner we will have a private gala performance, with some of  finest traditional musicians in Dingle coming to entertain us, including a world champion Irish dancer (subject to him being in town, hes often on tour globally these days, fingers crossed we'll meet him!) We are excited to introduce them to you.  

This Dingle food and music evening is always a holiday highlight for many Tour-Guests.

Farewell to Dingle 

[9am] Depart Dingle after Breakfast

En route to the majestic Cliffs of Moher we'll make a comfort stop in the Burren.

(advisable to pick up a sandwich here for lunch, the cafes at the Cliffs of Moher are often very busy)

Enjoy the cliffs of Moher with time to hike and explore.

[5pm]: Arrive in lively Galway. Enjoy an orientation walk through the bustling and historic city-centre.  Free for dinner. Your 'Essential Ireland' Guide will suggest a pre-dinner meet-up in one of the funky and fun pubs in the latin-quarter.

[10am] We will have a late-morning departure to give you some strolling time in Galway city-centre.

[11am] Departure for Dublin via Clonmacnoise. Drive across the midlands of Ireland to the bogland of County Offaly. Our Chief-Guide, Stephen, is a judge in the ‘Best Place in Ireland to Holiday’ competition for the National newspaper, the Irish Times, and recently lamented that travel in Ireland was a like a donut, all sweet around the outside with nothing in the middle. We will prove that theory wrong today with a visit to the ancient monastic city of Clonmacnoise perched on the banks of the epic River Shannon.

[12noon] Guided tour and afterwards ensure you have ample free time to explore the Celtic crosses and Round Towers and see where Pope John Paul II said Mass here in 1979.

Free for lunch.

[2pm] Depart for the Capital City.

[3.30pm] Arrive in Dublin around 4pm for our grand finale - a visit to one of the most famous Brewery’s in the world, learn the history of this iconic Irish institution enjoy the all-glass Gravity Bar on the top floor. We’ll see all of Dublin from the comfort this 360 degree vantage point. A fitting, historic and all-weather venue for us to say goodbye as a group.

 Arrive back in Dublins fair city, where we will say our goodbyes and drop you back to the exact same spot that we departed from.

Go n-éirí an bóthar leat / may the road rise to meet you.

* we can only drop off at the point that we departed from in central Dublin (for 2024 this is the Leonardo Hotel at Christchurch Cathedral).  Due to understandably strict driver-hour legislation, under no circumstances can we drop tour-guests off anywhere else in Dublin city-centre and/or Dublin Airport hotels and/or Dublin airport. Occasionally a few tour-guests still ask if we can drop them off somewhere other than the designated drop-off point, but the answer will always have to be a polite 'no'. Taxis are easy to hire from the drop-off point. 

Many thanks for your understanding. :)