Ireland 13 Days: June 4-16, 2018

Come with us on this grand sightseeing tour and see it all!

Worry-free Coach & Fly! Combining coach travel with convenient flights to help you make the most of your time!

Shannon Ferry Titanic BelfastGlendalough

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Tour Notes: Please refer to the Terms and Conditions as outlined in the General Information section of our current catalogue (available on request). We recommend that everyone have travel insurance, especially when travelling outside of Canada. A deposit is required at the time of booking an overnight tour in order to guarantee the

reservation.Travel arrangements made by: Great Canadian Holidays Inc., 353 Manitou Drive, Kitchener, ON N2C 1L5 TICO# 2280154 PLEASE NOTE: A valid passport is required for entry into the United States.

Come with us to beautiful The Emerald Isle!

NEWTOUR

13 Days: June 4-16, 2018

Includes:• Transfers to Pearson International

Airport from your hometown• Return flight from Toronto to Dublin• Luxury motor coach transportation • 11 nights accommodation• 11 full Irish breakfasts• 8 dinners • St. Patrick’s Cathedral • Powerscourt House and Gardens • Glendalough • House of Waterford Crystal• Mizen Head Lighthouse & Maritime

Museum• Muckross House & Gardens• Cliffs of Moher & Atlantic Edge

Experience• Dun Aonghasa • The Giant’s Causeway• Titanic Belfast• Shannon Ferry

• Ferry to Inishmore• Tour of Inishmore• Jaunting Car tour of Killarney

National Park• Services of Great Canadian Holidays tour

director throughout

$4875 Twin $5575 Single

Day Seven – Tralee - Shannon Ferry - Cliffs of Moher - Galway: This morning, we bid farewell to Killarney and travel to Tralee, capital town of County Kerry and famous for The Rose of Tralee Festival. We continue to Tarbert where we board the Shannon Ferry, which crosses the Shannon Estuary to Killimer. From here we take the coast road to the majestic Cliffs of Moher which rises to a height of 600 ft over the Atlantic Ocean. Following some free time to view the cliffs, our tour continues through the lunar type landscape of the Burren, from the Irish word “bhoireann” meaning, “a stony place” or “a rocky place”, which is a good description for this 350 sq. kilometers limestone plateau in North Clare. We contin-ue along the shores of Galway Bay to Galway City for a two-night stay.

Day Eight – Aran Islands: Today we take a break from the hustle and bustle of the mainland and travel to Rossaveal where we will board a ferry to lnishmore - the largest of the three Aran Islands and one of the high-lights of the Wild Atlantic Way. The island is steeped in history and resembles an outdoor museum with over 50 different monuments of Christian, pre-Christian and Celtic mythological heritage. We will take a mini bus tour of the island which will include a stop at the world renowned forth of Dun Aonghasa which stands over a dramatic 300 foot cliff that spans the entire western part of the island. We will have time to walk to Dun Aongha-sa and enjoy the spectacular views before boarding the ferry for our return journey to Galway City.

Day Nine – Galway - Sligo - Donegal: This morning we depart Galway and travel to Donegal. Our first stop this morning is in Knock in County Mayo. It was here on the 21st August 1879 that Our Lady appeared to 15 people ranging in age from 12 to 75. Knock is now an inter-nationally recognized Marian Shrine. Pope John Paul II visited in 1979, commemorating the centenary of the ap-parition, and Mother Teresa of Calcutta visited the Shrine in June of 1993. One and a half million pilgrims visit the Shrine annually. From here we travel to Drumcliffe in County Sligo - set against the striking backdrop of the Benbulben Mountain. It is best known as the final resting place of one of Ireland’s great poets W.B. Yeats. Found in the churchyard, his grave is marked with a simple headstone with the inscription, “cast a cold eye on life, on death, horseman, pass by.”We continue to Belleek on the banks of the River Erne, most famous for the fine Parian China produced here at Belleek Pottery, the oldest pottery in Ireland. The china is valued by collectors from all over the world. Following a guided tour, we continue to Donegal town for a two-night stay.

Day Ten – Donegal: Today we enjoy a tour of County Donegal, the most north-westerly county in Ireland. We stop in Ardara - centre of the Donegal homespun and knitting industry where we experience a hand weaving demonstration in the Triona Design Center. We also have some free time for shopping and a complimentary Irish Coffee before departing. Our tour then winds its way around the Blue Stack mountain range before stopping for lunch in Leo’s Tavern - family home of Ireland’s in-ternational singing star Enya. Poets, painters and writers have never fully succeeded in conveying the varied beauty of this wonderland of mountains, lakes and coast-line. We continue through the scenic Finn Valley before returning to Donegal town.

Day Eleven – Giant’s Causeway - Belfast: This morning we depart Donegal and travel to Derry City on the banks of the River Foyle. Derry City was founded in 546AD and still retains its 17C walls. Following an orientation tour of the city, we have some free time to take a walk on the 17C walls and the new Derry Peace Bridge over the River Foyle. This 235 metre long pedestrian bridge opened in 2011 and bridges a 400 year old physical and political gap between two sides of a once divided community. We continue to Limavady where you begin the Antrim Coast Road Drive to the Giant’s Causeway - a remarkable ba-saltic formation made of approximately 37,000 columns and ranked as one of the natural wonders of the world. Our tour continues along the Antrim Coast Road Drive with spectacular views of the northern coastline before arriving in Belfast City.

Day Twelve – Belfast City - Dublin: This morning we enjoy a tour of Belfast City. We see the City Hall - one of the finest Classical Renaissance buildings in Europe, the Linen Hall Library which has been lending books for over 200 years, the Grand Opera House often described as the most beautiful Victorian theatre in the world. We drive by the many murals that Belfast has become famous for. They depict the history and political views of both tra-ditions and are a way of marking territory. We also visit Titanic Belfast, a new state of the art visitor center which tell the stories of the ill-fated RMS Titanic, and her sister ships RMS Olympic and HMHS Britannic. This afternoon we travel to Dublin and enjoy a farewell dinner in our hotel.

Day Thirteen – Home: We board our flight in Dublin and return home, with a lilt in our step and wonderful memories.

Day One – To Dublin: Convenient shuttles bring us to-gether at Pearson International Airport in Toronto, where we board our overnight flight to Dublin.

Day Two – Arrive Dublin - City Tour: Following arrival at Dublin Airport, we’re met by our tour director and escorted to our awaiting motorcoach. This morning we enjoy a tour of Dublin City, founded as a Viking settle-ment and has been home to the Irish Parliament since the creation of the Irish Free State in 1922. On our tour, we see the Georgian Squares with their 18th Century houses, the Phoenix Park (the biggest town park in Europe), stat-ue-filled O’Connell Street and the fashionable Grafton Street. We visit Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, an architectural and historical site which has been at the heart of Dublin history for over 800 years. Following hotel check in, the remainder of the afternoon is free.

Day Three – Powerscourt House & Gardens - Glen-dalough - Avoca - Waterford: This morning we depart Dublin and travel south to County Wicklow known as “The Garden of Ireland.” Our first stop this morning will be Powerscourt House and Gardens. Powerscourt House, badly damaged by fire in 1974 has been refurbished and opened to the public. The gardens at Powerscourt were laid out when the house was rebuilt in 1731. From here we continue to Glendalough (Valley of Two Lakes) where we travel back in time to the 7th century with a guided tour of this remarkable early monastic settlement. Our tour continues through the beautiful Vale of Avoca to the Avoca hand weavers (the oldest in Ireland) and in a guided tour experience this very old craft. From here, we travel to Waterford City, where we spend the night.

Day Four – House of Waterford Crystal - Queen-stown Story - Kinsale: This morning we visit the House of Waterford Crystal and see highly skilled local crafts-men demonstrate crystal blowing and cutting in the new state of the art visitor center. We then continue along the southern coastline, travelling through Dungarvan, Youghal and Midleton to Cobh. Cobh was one of the

main points of emigration during the great famine and was also the last port of call of the Titanic. Here we visit “The Queenstown Story” which portrays the hardship of life on board the ship as it sailed to the “New World”. Annie Moore, the first ever emigrant to be processed on Ellis Island when it officially opened on 1st January 1892 also left from Cobh with her two brothers. We continue to Kinsale, a historic fishing town on the southern coast-line of County Cork, for an overnight stay. It has some old cobble stone streets and many interesting shops and pubs. It is also renowned for its restaurants and is known as the gourmet capital of Ireland.

Day Five – West Cork - Mizen Head - Bantry - Killarney: This morning we depart Kinsale and travel along the south-ern coastline to Skibbereen. We continue to Ballydehob and from here to Mizen Head - the most southerly point of Ireland. Here we will visit the award winning Maritime Mu-seum and Heritage Attraction. You may wish to take the ten-minute walk along the path, down the 99 steps and across the Arched Bridge over the crashing waves to the Lighthouse. Following this adventure, we travel to Bantry and continue over the Caha Pass to Kenmare. From here, we continue to Killarney taking in a 20-mile stretch of the famous Ring of Kerry. This evening we will check into our centrally located hotel for a two-night stay.

Day Six – Killarney - Muckross House: This morning, we will travel in traditional style on board an Irish Jaunting Car to the Killarney National Park. Our journey winds its way through some of the oldest oak forests in Ireland and by the famous Lakes of Killarney to Muckross House and Gardens. Here we will have a guided tour of this Victorian Mansion built in 1843 and is one of Ireland’s leading stately homes. This afternoon we are free to enjoy the town of Killarney which has a variety of shops, pubs and restau-rants. Other leisure activities include bike riding, guided walks, fishing and golfing. There are three 18-hole champi-onship courses and two 9-hole courses within 10 minutes of Killarney. Our coach will be available throughout the day for transfers to golf courses and other attractions.

Ireland, The Emerald Isle !We’re thrilled to bring you this exceptional tour to Ireland! The Emerald Isle has long captured the hearts and imaginations of travellers, with its history, rugged beauty, friendly people, and culture. Make your reservation early and be sure to join us on this adventure.