| Though we chase the light and weather for the best opportunities, here's our planned itinerary: The trip will begin on Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Galway, meeting in the Galway Bay Hotel lobby at 3pm. We stay in the Galway Bay hotel (4- Star!) for 2 nights- just a short stroll from the beautiful walking zone in downtown Galway. We'll tour the city and then settle in for the evening.
On Monday we'll take a ride into the countryside through Connemara and visit Kylemore Abbey to photograph the wonderful settings and reflections along the lake. Along the way we'll stop for both photos and sightseeing. On Tuesday, July 2nd we head south to Kerry via the charming seaside village of Doolin. We will also visit the beautiful Cliffs of Moher on the way. We'll stay in Killarney at the International Hotel Killarney (4 Star!) for three nights and use that as our base to head out each day for more sightseeing and photos. Killarney is also a beautiful town filled with great shops and restaurants so we make sure that there is plenty of time for taking it all in at your own pace. While in Killarney we'll head out each day and visit the Dingle Peninsula, The Ring of Kerry and more. On Friday the 5th we head over to Cork and stay at the Blarney Woolen Mills Hotel (3 Star, but get's a rating of 4.4 out of 5!) hotel for one night. We have stayed here on our last four trips and love both the hotel and the location. For one, it is right across the street from the Blarney Castle and its surrounding park. Even if you don't want to "kiss the rock", it is a wonderful place for photography and the grounds and castle are stunning. For those looking to do some shopping, the hotel is connected to the Blarney Woolen Mills (hence the name) which a huge, multi-story store filled with all manner of Irish Wool items. Diane and I always spend too much money there! Saturday brings us to Dublin for two nights. We stay at the Trinity City Hotel (another 4-Star property!) that is right across the street from the Tram Station. This offers a short and easy ride to the pedestrian shopping zone if you are interested. While in Dublin, we'll visit the Guiness Storehouse and Tour Trinity College with the amazing Book of Kells. We will also plan a trip out to Tara Hills, a Stone Age Site known as the Seat of the High Kings of Ireland! We'll have a final night dinner and show at the "Irish House Party" Sunday night before finishing our tour on Monday, July 8th. |
