Are you interested in stories, travel, new experiences, seeing new sights, hearing new sounds, standing where history has been made, Celtic lore, poetry, Irish music and language, and inspiring new vistas, both in nature and within yourself?
You are invited to join me and an extraordinary group of fellow travelers on a Storytelling Tour of SW Ireland this summer.
I've been to Ireland many times and love it there: the people, the sound of the Irish brogue, the stories, music, literature, poetry, history, lore, landscape, and more.
I've designed this trip to show you many of the highlights of the SW corner of the Emerald Isle and escort you to the extraordinary Cape Clear Island Storytelling Festival with tellers from all over the world.
Registration is now open.
Full details are below. Space is limited.
SW Ireland: Counties Cork, Kerry, and Limerick
Travel Itinerary
August 31 - September 9, 2015
Monday, August 31, 2015
7:15 am Leave Seattle on Delta Airlines
3:40 pm Arrive JFK Airport
7:26 pm Leave JFK
Tuesday, September 1
Arrive Shannon Airport, Ireland 7:00 am. I will met your flight and take you to our our professional coach driver/guide who will escort us in a small-ish 30-person coach.
We begin our tour by traveling to the spectacular Cliffs of Moher, the #1 tourist attraction in Ireland, rising approximately 700 feet above the pounding Atlantic waves and stretching to 8km.
We'll visit the Interpretive Centre - housed in an underground building, a huge domed cave contains images, exhibits, displays & experiences.
Next we'll continue on to Limerick and enjoy a panoramic tour of the capital of Ireland’s Mid-West region; Limerick. Conquered by the Vikings in the ninth century, this bustling modern city has a rich medieval past, which resounds around its ancient streets. Spend some time exploring the city. Return to your hotel in Limerick.
Overnight – Clarion Hotel, 4 Stars
Hotel Website
Wednesday, September 2nd
Today after breakfast our excursion will take us for a tour of the Dingle Peninsula, thrusting out into the Atlantic, Ireland’s most westerly point.
Experience the Gaeltacht peninsula, where the Irish language is spoken and preserved and is home to some 2000 sites of prehistoric and early Christian remains.
Here majestic hills soar green and purple over vast bowls of unspoiled valleys, and glittering mountain streams which tumble down to lakes.
Look out over the Atlantic towards the west, to the rocky islands of the Blasket and the Skelligs, site of St. Fionan’s early Christian monastery dating to 600 A.D. The beehive stone huts where the monks lived are perched there above the sea. The Skelligs are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Drive on to Dingle, a bustling and picturesque market town and fishing port. Dingle has long been well supplied with pubs and charming shops; in recent years the number of pubs has hovered around 52, and the variety is almost as great as the number. There are large, modern pubs and pubs so small that five’s a crowd. Irish abounds. You can hear the tunes of the pipes, fiddles, flutes, and bodhrán, Irish frame drum, as you walk down the sidewalks of this charming little town. "Good craic," they say, pronounced "crack" and meaning fun, having a laugh, or having a good time.
Gallarus Oratory, Dingle Peninsula, Stone Church 600-900 C.E.
"Travel is fatal to predjudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness." ~ Mark Twain
Take time to stroll around the town before being driven to your hotel. End your day in Killarney. Overnight
– Killarney Plaza, 4+ Stars Hotel Website
Ferry to Cape Clear Island
Thursday, September 3rd
This morning our driver will take us to Baltimore West where we will take the ferry to Cape Clear Island. I'll lead an evening Group Gathering to introduce the festival and tell stories. Overnight
– Cape Clear Hostel or Bed & Breakfast
Click Here to See Hostel Website
Storytelling Performance, Cape Clear Island
Friday, September 4th
Cape Clear Storytelling Festival, a 3-day extravaganza of international renown. A terrific program of performances, story swaps, concerts, historical walks and talks are organized every year.
Interested in history and nature? Join the heritage walk with Diarmuid O'Drisceoill. Want to improve your storytelling performance skills? Take part in one of the workshops. Interested in music and dancing? Banjo? Various music sessions and set dancing afternoons abound. Friday and Saturday night experience the headliners performing their stories. Click here to learn more Cape Clear Storytelling Festival
MAP
Overnight
– Cape Clear Hostel or Bed & Breakfast
Saturday, September 5th
Cape Clear Storytelling Festival. Overnight
– Cape Clear Hostel or Bed & Breakfast
Sunday September 6th
Cape Clear Storytelling Festival and Evening Group Gathering. Overnight
– Cape Clear Hostel or or Bed & Breakfast
Monday, September 7th
We will depart Cape Clear this morning aboard the ferry to meet our driver and coach at the Baltimore Landing. We will travel to Cork, Ireland’s second largest city (or the “real capital” of Ireland as the inhabitants like to call it!) Crisscrossing the city’s bridges over the River Lee, you’ll see the medieval Old Town, the university, City Hall and the Shandon Bells of St. Anne's, first rung in 1752.
Next visit the English Market. In the old days, stalls sold local foodstuffs, and shoppers haggled with the stall owners. Overnight
– Kingsley Hotel, 4 Stars Hotel Website
Tuesday, September 8th
This morning visit Blarney Castle, built nearly six hundred years ago by one of Ireland’s greatest chieftains, Cormac MacCarthy.
The Blarney stone itself is set in the wall atop the castle just below the battlements on the parapet walk. Perhaps you've heard legend has it that The Blarney Stone imparts the gift of eloquence to those who kiss it.
Blarney is also home to the famous Blarney Woolen Mills, a building that dates back to 1793. Here you will have time to enjoy a browse through the wide range of beautiful Irish clothing, crystal, linen, and handicrafts.
The 15th century castle was meticulously restored in 1954 and given to the nation by its owner, Viscount Gort. The castle displays an impressive collection of tapestries, European furniture from the 15th and 16th centuries, and paintings.
Walk through the streets of the Folk Park, recreating everyday life as it was in rural Ireland some 100 years ago. It contains houses, a pub, fully operational blacksmith’s forge, a printers shop and a draper’s.
Next, step back to medieval times and relive the atmosphere of the sumptuous living while enjoying a 5-course meal in the Great Hall where you’ll be entertained by the singers and musicians. (B)
Overnight – Bunratty Castle Hotel,
4 Stars Hotel Website
Plus, We Will Have "Insider Moments" Along the Way Such As...
• Being welcomed into the cities you stay in (or visit) by local experts who live there.
• Having locals hop onto our coach or take us for a walk around their neighborhood.
• When asked, these friendly locals readily share their tips for where to shop, eat or just stroll around, so you can seamlessly fit in as you explore in your free time.
Wednesday, September 9
Return flight to Seattle
11:15 am Leave Shannon on Delta Airlines
1:30 pm Arrive JFK Airport
4:05 pm Leave JFK
7:25 pm Arrive Seattle
Included in This Trip
Included:
1. Round-trip coach airfare from Seattle to Shannon, Ireland on August 31, 2015, return to Seattle September 9 including with one 50 lb max. suitcase checked free.
2. Airport Transfers to and From Shannon Airport
3. 8 nights travel and lodging as listed on itinerary above, Sept 1 – 8 based on double occupancy twin beds. 4 nights in 4-Star Hotels on the Mainland, 4 nights on Cape Clear Island at the Hostel in twin beds.
4. Hotel porterage for 1 piece of luggage per person
5. Breakfasts prepared at each of your 4 carefully selected mainland hotel accommodations and Cape Clear Bed & Breakfasts. (At the Hostel on Cape Clear Island, breakfast is self-pay in the village or bring your food from grocery store to the Hostel.)
6. I will personally meet you on the 7:15 am Delta Flight at Shannon airport on Sept. 1 and accompany you throughout the trip, to Cape Clear Island, the festival, and back to Shannon, on Sept. 9
7. I'll be telling stories and and poetry along the way: Irish Myths, Folktales, and Legends
8. Private 30 seat Touring Coach with Irish professional driver/guide while on the mainland
9. Services of driver/ guide on the mainland as stated in itinerary
10. Excursions as listed in the itinerary above to:
• Cliffs of Moher
• Killarney
• Limerick
• Dingle Peninsula
• Cape Clear Island
• Cork
• Blarney Castle
• The Blarney Stone
11. Free time to shop, visit the pubs, enjoy the music, talk with the locals, and explore
12. Irish Night Dinner and Show in Killarney
13. Round Trip Ferry Tickets to Cape Clear Island
14. Pre-Storytelling Festival Evening Group Gathering and Storytelling on Sept 3
15. Post-Storytelling Festival Evening Group Gathering, Wrap-Up, Debrief, and Stories on Sept 6
16. Medieval Banquet in Bunratty Castle September 8
17. Service charges and taxes
Excluded, Traveler Pays
Excluded:
Travelers are responsible for:
1. Additional services you choose while touring
2. Excess baggage fees: $100 for 2nd suitcase
3. Lunches, meals, and snacks other than specified
4. Breakfasts at the Hostel on Cape Clear Island
5. Expenses of personal nature and incidentals at the hotels
6. Transportation, sightseeing and admissions other than specified
7. Tips and gratuities: $3-5, or Euro equivalent, per day, per person suggested for the Coach Driver. $2 per day, per person, suggested for Local Experts
8. $85 entrance fee to Cape Clear Storytelling Festival
9. Travel insurance
Flying Business Class or First Class,
Using Miles,
Luggage,
Trip Extensions,
and Single Rooms:
1. Want To Fly Business or First Class? Delta Airlines will charge the rate on the date you reserve your place. Once you register and make your deposit, I'll refer you to our travel agent to make those arrangements for you.
2. Use Miles? If you want to use miles to book your ticket, or arrange your own travel and meet us at Shannon Airport at 7:15 am Sept 1 to join the group for the land portion, deduct $1,400 from $3,995 = $2,595 total.
If you want to use your miles, please book your airline ticket right away because the airlines block a limited number of seats to book with miles during the high-travel summer season.
Our flights on Delta included in this trip were selected for their prime travel times and connections: only 1 stop at JFK Airport in New York City with just a short layover on both outbound and return flights.
3. Extend Your Trip? If you'd like to create a longer trip and include visits to other destinations, our travel organizer, who knows Ireland well and has trusted sources there, can help you make those customized arrangements. Once you register, I will send you our travel agent's contact information. There will be a $50 fee for an outbound change other than August 31, and $50 for return change for any date other than September 9.
4. Additional Luggage: First suitcase is free, 50 lbs. max. 2nd suitcase charge is $100.
5. Single Room: A limited amount of single rooms are available for $420 additional for the 4 nights on the mainland. Please let me know when you register if you want a single room.
6. Cape Clear Hostel: Lodging on the picturesque little island is very limited, mostly in local’s homes, and rooms get booked a year in advance after the festival in September each year. The island is inundated with Storytellers from around the world for this event. There were 450 Storytellers the last time I was there. We were very fortunate to secure rooms with twin beds at the Cape Clear Hostel. See the Hostel at Cape Clear Hostel
Walking Roads Along the Bay on Cape Clear
Walking:
The mode of transport on Cape Clear Island is mostly by foot. There are very few cars on the narrow little paved roads with stone railings where one can sit, admire the scenery, rest, and chat. There will be Storytellers up and down the roads, in the pubs, all over the place! Conversations can be easy and interesting with tellers from around the world. You will need to be able to walk a mile or so at your own pace in order to get around on the island, to the Village and the various classes and performances.
Tellers and Listeners Gathering Before A Performance on Cape Clear
Minimum 10 People, Maximum 24.
Cost: $3,995
8 Nights: September 1-9, 2015
Payable in 3 Payments
1. $1,200 Deposit to Secure Your Place.
If the trip is canceled for any reason, you will receive a full refund of your $1,200 deposit. Otherwise, your deposit is nonrefundable.
2. $1,397.50 Payment Due April 30, 2015
3. $1,397.50 Balance Due June 21, 2015
By check, MasterCard, Visa, or Discover.
After you have registered and paid your $1,200 deposit, please call Lindagail with your credit card number to charge your 2 payments of
$1,397.50 on April 30, 2015, and $1,397.50 on June 21, 2015.
An Informal Storytelling Gathering Near the Ferry Landing on Cape Clear Island, Ireland
Cancellation Policy:
Because deposits will have been paid to reserve your place for flights, tour company, and lodging, if you cancel your trip, these penalties will apply:
• From Registration - June 2, 2015:
$1,200 per person cancellation penalty
• June 3 - July 31, 2015:
$1,800 cancellation penalty
• August 1 - August 14, 2015:
$3,400 cancellation penalty
• August 15 - August 31:
100% cancellation penalty
Optional Travel Insurance:
I highly recommend you purchase trip cancellation/travel insurance to protect your investment.
Policies costs approximately $125-$175 per person depending upon your age.
Travel insurance covers you if you are unable to make the trip lost luggage, hotels in case the trip is delayed, illness (yours, or a family member's making you unable to travel) dental, and medical. Check each policy for the specifics.
You can buy your travel insurance from a variety of sources. Upon registration, I will send you contact information for the company I have selected if you want to compare coverage and rates.
Passport:
Please check your passport's expiration date. It is required to be valid through March 9, 2016, or beyond, six months past the conclusion of our trip. Please renew you passport now if necessary.
If you need a passport, go to the post office, pick up an application, get passport photos as specified, and send in your application. It normally takes 6 - 8 weeks to get your passport once you submit your application.
No visas are required to enter Ireland from the U.S.A.
Registration Is Open:
Space is limited. To secure your place and pay your $1,200 non-refundable deposit:
"May you always have these blessings... A soft breeze when the summer comes, A warm fireside in winter, And always the warm, soft, smile of a friend." ~ Traditional Irish Blessing
"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." ~ Saint Augustine, 354–430 C.E.
"All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware."
~ Martin Buber, Philosopher
