DUBLIN -- My
mothers a Murphy and proud of it, so when she asked me to travel
with her to the land of her ancestors, I began a search for a
one-week land itinerary that she could handle without difficulty.
I settled on
Globus & Cosmos six-night Dublin-to-Dublin escorted coach tour,
an all-inclusive land package (air is available, too).
The tour features
first-class motorcoach and three-star accommodations, cultural
tours, a welcome drink in Dublin, tea at the Rathbaun Farm, six
full Irish breakfasts, three three-course dinners plus airport
transfers.
We arrived in
Dublin and registered at Jurys Christchurch Inn in the oldest
quarter of town.
After mom settled
in for the night, I visited Fitzsimmons Pub in the Temple Bar
District, which is bristling with energy, music and laughter. I
sipped a Guinness as musicians in period costumes played lutes and
pennywhistles.
Our bus tour
began the next morning with an orientation drive around the streets
of Dublin, filled with lovely Georgian squares.
We passed the
statues of OConnell Street and Christ Church Cathedral and strolled
through Trinity College to see the 1,200-year-old Book of Kells and
the magnificent Old Library.
We paid a timely visit to
the Irish National Stud in Kildare, west of Dublin, to view its
stable of winners.
A colt had just
been born, and we got a close-up of a possible future frontrunner.
The National Stud provides facilities for breeders of stallions to
have their stock boarded, racehorses rested and mares
foaled.
A visit to the
fascinating Japanese Gardens on site is a must-see and one that
attracts some 150,000 visitors each year. The facility is open 9:30
a.m. to 6 p.m. daily from February to November, with 35-minute
guided tours five times a day.
Visitors are
advised to spend an additional 45 minutes going through a museum
dedicated to Irish horses and taking a stroll down Tully Walk for a
glimpse of mares and their foals.
Admission for
adults is about $10; children under age 12, about $5; and families
(two adults, four children), about $22.
Moving west, we
visited the Rock of Cashel where St. Patrick preached, and explored
Tipperary and Limerick; St. Marys Cathedral; King Johns Castle; and
Bunratty Castle.
The optional
Medieval Banquet is a good bet, and we snooped around the luxurious
Bunratty Castle Hotel, where rates from May to October run from
$108 to $200 per person, per night, with breakfast and value-added tax included.
The Auburn Lodge
Hotel was our home for two nights, a perfect spot for day tours and
savoring County Clare cuisine and entertainment. This 100-room,
stone-and-wood edifice has two excellent eateries, plus regular
live musical soirees.
The generous-size
rooms here cost $108 to $179 for two people, including taxes and a
full breakfast. The all-day Carvery at Taylor Quigleys Pub is a
must-try.
One of our
fondest memories from this bus trek across southern Ireland is
Rathbaun Farm in Galway, where we watched the farmer shear a sheep
and corral the flock with his trained dog.
My mother got to
bottle-feed one of the newborn sheep, and we shared a typical
country tea in the familys 150-year-old thatched-roof
farmhouse.
Our driver asked
us four times to return to the motorcoach, but no one wanted to
leave this peaceful haven.
We also toured
County Cork, the Lakes District and Killarney, where we enjoyed
shopping at Blarney Castle and the Waterford Crystal
Factory.
But perhaps the
most charming locale for us was the tiny fishing village of Passage
East, where pubs once outnumbered the residents and the pace of
life is slow. Romantic thatched-roof cottages, ancient castles,
rolling hills and quaint villages and public houses dot the
landscape.
Our tour, the
Introduction to Ireland, was priced at $937 per person, double,
land-only, or $1,871 air-inclusive per person from New York
(Kennedy), $2,136 per person from Los
Angeles.
Prices include
all taxes, and Globus pays commissions of 10% to 17%, depending on
volume and affiliations. For more
information, call (866) 755-8581 or visit www.globusjourneys.com.
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