Celtic Connection

Meet your tour director and check into your hotel.

Get a feel for Ireland’s emerald beauty on an excursion around the Iveragh Peninsula on the panoramic coastal route, Ring of Kerry. Along the 112 miles of breathtaking views, you’ll spy 360 degrees of the vast Atlantic Ocean, the Lakes of Killarney, the Macgillycuddy’s Reeks (Ireland’s tallest mountains), and every shade of green known to the Emerald Isle.

During your journey to the capital of the Republic of Ireland, you will stop for a visit to Blarney Castle and kiss the Blarney stone. Dublin is a city steeped in cultural significance and hosts some of Ireland’s finest national treasures including the Book of Kells and the fine cathedrals of Christ Church and St Patrick’s. Dublin’s medieval streetscape is faithfully preserved around Temple Bar, where it provides the backdrop to a vibrant cultural quarter. Stretches of the City’s walls can still be found in Wood Quay and at St Audoen’s Arch.

Stop for a visit to Blarney Castle, the medieval stone structure built on solid limestone around 1466. (The slivers of windows served as a defense, enabling Lord Blarney and his men to shoot arrows at invaders while staying protected from within.) Climb the spiral staircases to the top of the castle to kiss the Blarney stone. Legend promises that if you lean backwards and kiss the stone upside-down, you’ll be granted the “gift of the gab” (the privilege of babbling questionable commentary for seven years). Before you leave, wander the path to Rock Close to ponder the druidic circle of mystical stones.

Visit the Rock of Cashel, an extraordinary ruined abbey at the top of a hill near Cashel. This outcrop of limestone, stretching 197 feet into the sky, possesses sixteen centuries of history. It was the castled seat of the kings of Munster as far back as 360 CE and remained a royal fortress until 1101. Today there are ruins of a two-towered chapel, a cruciform cathedral, a round tower, and a cluster of other medieval monuments. Inside the cathedral, ancient carvings survive in excellent condition.

Get a friendly introduction to Ireland’s capital city, compliments of your Tour Director. As you wander the streets, take in the international glamour of Ireland’s most cosmopolitan city and discover an urban landscape of Georgian buildings, castles and cathedrals.

LEAP Activity | Out of Ireland

Walk a mile in the shoes of an Irish emigrant. Uncover personal accounts of the circumstances that forced these inhabitants out of the country. Reflect on the feelings you would have felt in their shoes and discover how their departure shaped the history of Ireland.

Join a professional licensed tour guide on an adventure to Dublin’s finest attractions. Pass the residence of Ireland’s president along your journey through Phoenix Park. Within Europe’s grandest enclosed park, encounter 1,760 undeveloped acres scattered with cricket pitches, grazing cows, and red deer. Stop to eye a stone phoenix rising from flames atop the Corinthian-style Phoenix Column. Tour the roads along the River Liffey to 12th-century St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the largest of its kind in all Ireland. Get a glimpse of the neighboring park where St. Patrick (who brought Christianity to Ireland in the 5th century) baptized converts. Continue on to Trinity College, the stone-clad sprawling campus where Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett studied. Stop by the Long Room in the Old Library for a zoom-view of the illuminated edition of four Gospels, the Book of Kells. The original manuscript was penned in Latin around AD 800 by four Irish Monks who used multicolored ink from plants and bugs. Take some time to study the brilliant latticework of curvy Celtic symbols woven with animal figures that enlivens the script.

O'Connell Street is the city's main avenue, lined with shopping and monuments, including the Spire (Monument of Light).

Phoenix Park is an urban park that is one of the largest walled city parks in Europe at a size of 1,750 acres. The park is filled with large areas of grassland, beautiful tree-lined avenues, and even a herd of wild deer.

Discover Trinity College, the oldest university in Ireland. Trinity was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I. The beautiful campus features cobbled squares, gardens, a picturesque quadrangle and buildings that date from the 17th to 20th centuries. Trinity College is also home to the Book of Kells, an 8th-century version of the four Gospels decorated with elaborate scripting and illumination. We will view this famous treasure and other early Christian manuscripts in the Colonnades, an exhibition area on the ground floor of the Old Library.

Optional add-on.

LEAP Activity | Failte!

Be Irish for a day! Experience firsthand how Irish farmers tend to their land and animals. Learn all about traditional Ireland: speak their native language, dance a jig, or play the bodhran, a traditional Irish drum made from goatskin.

The capital of Scotland, Edinburgh has steep streets and stone buildings zigzagging up hills and down into small valleys, and the brooding Edinburgh Castle looms over the whole thing. Follow your Tour Director for an orientation along the Royal Mile which is located at the heart of Edinburgh's Old Town and stretches from Holyrood Palace to the Edinburgh Castle.

Walk the Royal Mile, one of the most famous and scenic city walks in Europe.

Stunning Edinburgh hides a horrific past. Witch burnings. Plague. Murder. Ghosts. Everyone in Scotland has a ghost story to tell. Hear a handful on this guided tour through some of Edinburgh's most infamous spots. Be prepared to be spooked by tales of the ghouls and apparitions that are said to haunt this old city still.

Walk the Royal Mile, one of the most famous and scenic city walks in Europe.

Perched high on a volcanic rock, Edinburgh Castle makes for an imposing and impressive sight. Explore this medieval castle, learn about its significance in Scottish history and appreciate its magnificent panoramic views of the city below.

LEAP Activity | Scottish Steps

Learn the art of Scottish dancing at a social gathering, or Ceilidh, (pronounced “Kay-lay”). Dance to live music as an instructor shows you some traditional steps.

Travel to Inverness via St. Andrews and enjoy a tour director-led sightseeing tour of St. Andrews.

Visit the Culloden Battlefield Visitor Center, commemorating when on April 16, 1746 the Jacobite army under Bonnie Prince Charlie was slaughtered here by Government troops led by "Butcher Cumberland," George II's younger son, finally ending the hopes of the Stuart restoration to the British throne. At the visitor center we will follow the audio-visual program and exhibition area explaining the battle.

The often dense mist that covers the Isle of Skye might convince you that you've actually stepped into the clouds. Visit this scenic part of the Hebrides, an island that combines mountains, lakes, and green fields into one of the most beautiful landscapes in Scotland.

Tour Stirling Castle, which dates from the Middle Ages and was an important seat of two kings; James IV and James V. View the Museum of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, presenting an excellent exhibit of colors, pipe banners, and regimental silver. From the castlethere is a wonderful view of the Wallace Monument.

Board flight home or extend your stay with a two-day trip to London.

Extend your stay | Two days in London

Not ready to go home just yet? Spend two extra days in London. Travel back to the spots you enjoyed most or explore a new part of the city.