Itinerary
Day One
Arrive Dublin (Note, guests wishing to explore Dublin at length are advised to add a few days at either end of tour. The Davenport Fax: 1 661 5663)Mid afternoon: 2 hour City Walking Tour conducted by notable identity who will give a cultural and historical orientation.
Welcome Drinks and Dinner at the Tea Rooms, one of Dublin's most elegant yet unpretentious dining rooms with sublime modern cuisine.
O/N Clarence Hotel , a miracle of modern design, elegance and great location on the river.
Day Two
Breakfast at leisure - the first encounter with the bounties of a full Irish breakfast.
Coach departs, an hour south of Dublin to tour Powerscourt, the early 18thC Palladian mansion built by Richard Wingfield and largely destroyed by a fire in 1974. However, the magnificent and meticulously maintained gardens remain and are amongst the finest in Ireland.
A Picnic Lunch will be enjoyed in a scenic spot.
After lunch we continue down the Old Military Road route through the Wicklow Mountains with its colourful bogs, granite escarpments, dramatic glens and waterfalls to reach the historic precinct of Glendalough. An historian will guide us around this established monastic site established in the 6thC.
The night will be spent at one of the most prestigious of Ireland's Blue Book properties owned by Catherine Dundon, Dunbrody House, located in the wild Hook Peninsula near New Ross
Dinner & O/N Dunbrody House
Day Three
After a leisurely breakfast, leave New Ross via the famous town of Waterford .Out of Waterford, we may stop at Lismore for a cleansing Guiness at Buggy's Glencairn Inn where all time champion and humorist Ken Buggy will pass on his wisdoms about Soda Bread. We pass Cork for a Tour of Cobh and the Heritage Museum that records the massive Irish Emigration. Whilst visiting one of the world's largest natural harbours, we will also visit the famous smokehoue of Frank Hederman.
Lunch can be taken at a typical pub in Cork before we return to Youghal via a tour of the oldest distillery in Ireland, the Jameson Heritage Centre at Midleton.
Return to Youghal where our hosts are Kate and John Fitzgibbon and our abode the enveloping comfort of Aherne's that has been run by the family since 1923. Old world charm combines with modern comfort and their dining room is renowned for its dazzling fresh and local seafood.
Dinner & O/N Aherne's
Day Four
After a leisurely breakfast, people can do cliff walk around the charming fishing village and cliffs of Ballycotton and surrounds.
Lunch will be taken at the Ballymaloe Cafe, part of the famous Ballymaloe Cooking School compound. After Lunch, Tour of gardens at Ballymaloe that includes walled kitchen and herb gardens, orchard, shellhouse, and herbaceous borders.
3 PM Tastes of Ireland Demonstration with Darina Allen of the Ballymaloe Cookery School.
Before leaving Shanagarry we can visit the Ballymaloe Shop that stocks a superb range of Irish crafts.
Late afternoon departure for nearby Mallow.
Built in 1720, the Relais et Chateau, Georgian Heritage House of Longueville is owned by the O'Callaghan family. The estate boasts many scenic wooded walks and most of the produce from its gardens and streams is designated for the highly regarded kitchens of William O'Callaghan.
Dinner & O/N Longueville House
Day Five
After breakfast we will depart for the nearby racetrack where we have secured tickets to the members stand for a day at the Horse Races at Mallow. For Dinner this evening, we will go to nearby Assolas House, "a little republic of pleasure" with exquisite gardens and a romantic river. Here, Hazel Bourke prepares the most wonderful food.
O/N Longueville House
Day 6
After another sumptuous breakfast we leave Mallow towards Bantry Bay (Bike hire available from Bantry for the fit and adventurous)for the truly peaceful, unspoiled and least visited peninsula of Sheep's Head. and some few hours of Walking. After a snack lunch taken at one of the local inns we will settle into one or other of our chosen locations for the evening:
the delightful Blair's Cove House located on Dunmanus Bay and owned by a Swiss couple Phillipe and Sabine de Mey or
Fortview House near Goleen, owned by Violet O'Connell.
The afternoon is free for you to enjoy the peaceful and scenic surroundings.
Early evening, we will collect guests to take them to the ferry at Schull for the 20 minute trip to Heir Is.
Island Cottage awaits as the most unlikely eating experience in Ireland. From disembarking there is a kilometre stroll to the tiny cottage owned by John Desmond and Ellmary Fenton where John cooks what has been available to him that day, in a model of utmost and authentic cuisine honed by years at the Ritz, owning his own business in Paris, years of teaching and considerable expertise in patisserie.
Our very special guests this evening will be John and Sally McKenna, authors of the highly respected Bridgestone Guides to Ireland's best places to stay and eat and a font of knowledge about Irish gastronomy, its evolution and traditions. They are both witty and erudite and extraordinary ambassadors for all of Ireland's charms.
Departure will be just on the pumpkin hour for the return ferry journey.
Dinner at Heir Is.
O/N Fortview House and Blair's Cove
Day 7
A sleep-in will be in order before breakfast and an easy morning. Depending on weather conditions we have the option of once again taking the ferry from Schull, this time to Baltimore, or we will travel by road via Skibbereen.
A visit to Creagh Gardens and a walking tour of this 20 acre informal woodland garden.
After lunch there will be the opportunity for some lovely coastal walks.
Early evening we will descend on Customs House, owned and managed by two wonderful Australians, Susan Holland and Ian Parr. Out of season, Susan paints and together they work in distinguished kitchens abroad. Ian is a reserved and knowledgeable host. Susan is the cook, her speciality though not exclusively, the locally landed fish and seafood. The cooking here is simply brilliant.
Dinner Customs House
O/N Fortview House and Blair's Cove
Day 8
After breakfast, we leave for Glengariff on the remote Beara Peninsula with its startling natural beauty. We will undertake a guided walk through the spectacular hills and dales with marvellous coastal scenery.
After lunch (arrange a picnic pack or take a snack in one of the local inns at your own convenience)Travel scenic route via Healy's Pass and to Kenmare, a delightful town of stone facades and decorative plasterwork, vivid colours, jovial pubs and fine restaurants. This is also a good place to shop for fine, if expensive Irish crafts such as linen and lace.
Accommodation will be divided between the town's two most charming and hospitable Country House Hotels:
Shelburne Lodge owned by Tom and Maura Foley, "a shrine to good taste and marvellous atmosphere" and
Sallyport House owned by Jennie Arthur and testament to meticulous Irish standards of housekeeping and serenity.
Dinner at your own discretion. Recommendations for Kenmare :
(Packies owned and run by Maura Foley renowned for her original cuisine which blends traditions with new ideas. Tel 41508
La Cascade Restaurant at Sheen Falls Lodge. Tel 41600. Reputed to be grand, quiet, with superb service, the food utilises luxury ingredients
Cafe Indigo. Tel 42356. " Wonderfully modernist and minimalist with Mediterranean-French inspired contemporary cuisine.
The Limetree. Tel 41225. An imaginative menu presented in a charming 1830's school
D'Arcy's Tel 41589. A favourite of the Foleys)
O/N Shelburne and Sallyport
Day 9
After breakfast there is a leisurely departure from Kenmare skirting the very popular and tourist-populated Ring of Kerry via Muckross (home to Muckross House, an imposing Victorian Mansion with beautiful manicured gardens, especially in Spring) and Killarney with its 10,000 hectare National Park that houses lakes, mountains, Ross Castle, and Traditional Farms.
We need to arrive in Listowel for Lunch and a serious Whisky Tasting. Allo's Bar and Bistro Is like "the bar from heaven" presided over by the immensely hospitable Helen Mullane.
A sobering Afternoon tea will be enjoyed at Glin Castle which has been in the Fitzgerald family for over 700 years. Standing on the banks of the Shannon river, the large estate has woodlands, parklands and inspirational kitchen gardens. The Earl of Glin still resides there and in the house we can view a marvellous collection of Irish furniture, paintings and decorative objects. Our host is the mercurial New Zealander, Bob Duff.
From Glin we travel inland to Co Limerick along scenic back roads to the village of Ballingarry for our stay at Mustard Seed at Echo Lodge, "an oasis of the most stylish country living", managed by the ebullient host, Dan Mullane. Dan's personal history, love of travel and individual taste imbue this special house with a memorable ambience.
An elaborate Supper will be enjoyed in one of the dining rooms.
O/N Mustard Seed Lodge
Day 10
Late breakfast can be enjoyed before our departure via the delightful village of Adare and the medieval town of Ennis for the breathtaking Cliffs of Moher for bracing Atlantic walks. After finding lunch in one of the many "musical" pubs of Doolin, guests have the option of walking the "green roads" of the Burren region. These bare limestone hills are an extraordinary and unique place which supports an amazing mix of Mediterranean, Arctic and Alpine plants and is a wealthy treasure trove for botanists and explorers of historic ruins.
Accommodation tonight will be in the pretty fishing village of Ballyvaughan.
Dinner & O/N Gregan's Castle at Ballyvaughan
Day 11
Following breakfast, we will reach the prosperous, once walled and still Gaelic city of Galway. Some free time will allow you to wander and explore the maze of narrow streets, old stone and wooden shopfronts and bustling pubs for some lunch.
We continue on to Clifden, the capital of Connemarra, a wild and barren region of stunning valleys, pale grey mountains and shimmering lakes.
Here, we will settle into the oldest building, The Quay House, originally a harbourmaster's house owned by Paddy and Julia Foyle, renowned for their gracious hospitality. Furnished with fascinating antiques and unusual decorative pieces, the house has an avant-garde air.
For the afternoon, guests have the option to while away the afternoon or undertake some guided walks.
The evening is free and the most recommended restaurant in town is High Moors.
O/n Quay House
Day 12
After breakfast, we can arrange cycling, walking or golfing in Connemarra. Lunch will be taken at your own convenience.
Early evening, guests will assemble for a small drinks party before going out for our finale dinner.
O/n Quay House
Day 13
After an early breakfast, we Depart towards Dublin to reach the National Horse Stud at Kildare by late morning. Here we will enjoy a private guided tour of the National Horse Stud that includes a stroll through the Japanese gardens and a newly created Garden of St Fiacre that is dominated by a peninsula of fissured limestone surrounded by water and woodland walks. The visitors centre includes a restaurant where it is possible to have a light snack or some lunch.
Immediately after the tour we continue to Dublin in time to reach the airport by mid afternoon for your flights home
PM Arrival in Dublin
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