An Taisce The National Trust for Volume 1 Issue 3

The 13th International Conference of

National Trusts

13-17th September, 2009,

Optional Post Conference Tours We have organised for you four tour options of 2 nights and 3 days to each of the 4 corners of Ireland that provide outstanding value for money. If you desire we can arrange individual tailored itineraries at extra cost. Discover Ireland’s natural beauty, outstanding coastlines and its cosmopolitan cities mingled with spectacular countryside and unique cultural heritage. Coupled with great entertainment and superb outdoor facilities, Ireland ensures visitors have a unique personal experience. Immerse yourself in our tradition of creativity, entertainment and openness. It is a place to reconnect with ones self and colleagues. Ireland’s diversity in history, landscapes and heritage has made it difficult for us to choose our most appealing places to visit and there is surely something for everyone. Further information or bookings: [email protected]

Conference Tours

Ireland East Hugh was granted the Liberty of Meath by King

Henry II in 1172 in an attempt to curb the expansionist 17th-19th September policies of Richard de Clare, (Strongbow). Construction of the massive three storied Keep, the central stronghold of the castle, was begun c. 1176 on the site of an earlier The Boyne Valley is probably one of the most interesting wooden fortress. This massive twenty-sided tower, which areas in Ireland to visit. The massive megalithic tombs and is cruciform in shape, was protected by a ditch, curtain passage graves at Newgrange, Dowth, Knowth and wall and moat. Loughcrew, Newgrange were constructed over 5,000 years ago (about 3,200 B.C.), making them older than Stonehenge The Boyne is renowned for its diverse wildlife. The river in England and the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. Newgrange was built during the Neolithic (or New Stone contains many protected wildlife habitats and contains a range of wildlife species including whooper swans, Age) by a farming community that prospered on the rich lands of the Boyne Valley. Knowth and Dowth are similar otters, salmonid fish and many others. The navigation, mounds and together with Newgrange they have been running 30 km from Navan to Drogheda, is held in trust designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. by An Taisce, it runs through the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Battle of the Boyne site, historic mills and designated nature reserves. The royal site at The Hill of Tara, known as Temair in Gaeilge, was once the ancient seat of power in Ireland – 142 kings are said to have reigned there in prehistoric and Rates per Person = € 212.00 (minimum of 10 people) historic times. In ancient Irish religion and mythology, Temair was the sacred place of dwelling for the gods and was Single Supplement: € 50.00 per person. the entrance to the otherworld. Saint Patrick is said to have INCLUSIONS: come to Tara to confront the ancient religion of the Pagans at its most powerful site. 2 Nights Accommodation at Hotel, Trim, Co. Meath or similar. The Monastery at Kells was founded in 804 by monks from Full Irish Breakfast Daily. St, Colmcille’s Iona. As well as the Book of Kells, finished Dinner on each evening at the hotel. here around the 9th century, the monastery is famous for its Luxury motor coach transportation with Round Tower and High Crosses. driver/guide as per the itinerary inclusive of driver’s maintenance. Entrance fee to Loughcrew Cairn; Trim Trim Castle, the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland, was Castle; Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre and constructed over a thirty-year period by Hugh de Lacy and the Hill of Tara. his son Walter. Hotel service charges & taxes.

Northe rn Ireland includi ng Visits to Nation al incomparable plant collection. Frances and Charles, the 3rd 17th-19th September Marques of Londonderry, became celebrated figure, leading a glittering social life and travelling extensively. They collected Officially, part of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland’s beauty is works of art and furniture on their travels and brought them back intertwined with tragic history, rich culture and the renowned friendliness of its people. The to and among their more spectacular acquisitions wild craggy mountains, splendid lakes and sweeping coastline make it an ideal playground for were the 22 chairs used at the Congress of Vienna. walkers, cyclists, hikers, rock climbers and sailors. But there are lots of things to keep those after a dose of culture enthralled, too. With and cathedrals, forts and scenic gardens, get Stop off at – The great sea inlet of Strangford set for some spectacular sightseeing. This spectacular part of Ireland is packed with things to Lough is one of Northern Ireland’s greatest attractions, and one do. of Europe’s most important wildlife sites. It is recognised globally as a Ramsar Site – a designation given to wetlands of international is a National Trust property, open again after a closure of importance for large numbers of breeding or over-wintering birds. more than twenty years, albeit to a very limited extent. The parkland of the 18th-century thatched cottage, once a manor house, was laid out by John Enroute back to Dublin visit in Strangford, Co. Sutherland, 1745 to 1826, a disciple of Capability Brown. There are fine views Down. Castle Ward is full of personality. Situated in a stunning of the Mournes and Newry. The walled garden is under cultivation and with location overlooking Strangford Lough, the lawns rise up to the some impressive mature trees. The 18th-century mansion was home to Isaac unique 18th-century house and its Gothic façade. Continue to Corry, General in Chief of the Irish Volunteers and later Chancellor of the Irish in Strangford, Co. Down. Murlough Parliament. National Nature Reserve is a fragile 6000-year-old extraordinarily beautiful dune landscape, fringing on one of Northern Ireland’s City is nestled beside the River Lagan and Belfast Lough clanked by the most popular beaches and overlooked by the rounded peaks of Castleereagh Hills on the south and the Antrim Hills on the north. Belfast the to the south. blossomed as a commercial and industrial centre in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, and thanks to its thriving linen, rope-making, tobacco and shipbuilding industries, became the most industrialised city in Ireland. Check in for dinner & overnight at Jurys Inn Belfast – Located near the Crown Bar, also Rates per Person = € 221.00 (Minimum of 10 people) part of the National Trust. Single Supplement: € 62.50 per person. After breakfast, enjoy a short panoramic tour of Belfast City. Your city tour will extend from one end of the city at which affords fine views of the INCLUSIONS: city, the port and the river to the magnificent edifice of Stormont on the far end

of the city. In between you will see prominent Victorian buildings intermingled 1 Night Accommodation at Armagh City Hotel or with new modern contemporary and classical building. View the murals of the similar Shankhill Road and the Falls Road which marks a bygone turbulent time in 1 Night Accommodation at Malone Lodge Hotel Belfast not so distant past. Belfast City or similar Full Irish Breakfast Daily. Travel north of Belfast to visit Patterson’s Spade Mill (NTNI Property) – Dinner on each evening at hotel accommodation. Patterson’s Spade Mill is the last surviving water-driven spade mill in Ireland. Luxury motor coach transportation with driver/guide as All of the original machinery is intact and the mill is still producing garden and per the itinerary inclusive of driver’s maintenance. turf-cutting spades on a daily basis. Half Day City tour in Belfast City with local tour guide. Hotel service charges & taxes Afterwards travel to the Peninsula to visit Mount Stewart House & Gardens which offers the visitor one of the most complete gardens in the care of the National Trust. The garden, designed by Edith, Lady of Londonderry from 1921, includes almost every style of gardening and supports an

Visit the ArgoryStrangford (NTNI Lough Property) which was built in the Belfast1820s on City a hill Halland Mount Stewart House & Gardens has wonderful views over the gardens and 320 acre wooded riverside estate. This former home of the MacGeough – Bond family has a splendid stable yard with horse carriages, harness room, acetylene gas plant and laundry. Take a stroll around the delightful gardens or for the more energetic along the woodland and riverside way-marked trails.

Th e We st of Ireland

Ireland West Mullaghmore (An Taisce Property) located just north of Gortlecka, in the heart of the Burren National Park and bordering onto Lough 17th -19th September Girraun is one of the best known features of the Burren. Mullaghmore The West of Ireland boasts a unique cultural heritage rich in tradition. This enchanting place is is part of the internationally recognized Karst landscape of the Burren, filled with wonderful atmospheric towns and villages, extraordinary scenery, dramatic forts, created by prehistoric agricultural practice and maintained today by

abbeys and shrines, stunning countryside, long stretches of amazing coastline and superior hotel farming activity. accommodation. Continue to the Cliffs of Moher, stretching for 8 kilometres and 214 In the afternoon, depart Dublin City and travel west towards the Midlands of metres over the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Unchanged for millennia Ireland. In the heart of Ireland, visit Mongan Bog (An Taisce Property) owned the landscape of the Cliffs of Moher has, for centuries, welcomed by An Taisce. Mongan Bog is one of the few remaining semi-intact midlands visitors who come to marvel at their splendour and be at one with

raised bogs in Ireland (Foss 1991). It lies at the core of the Clonmacnoise nature. Heritage in Co Offaly. It is a valuable addition to the growing network of peat Afterwards, overnight with dinner at the Falls Hotel. The Falls Hotel land reserves. The bog is believed to be 9,000 years old and was formed in a basin is an ideal base from which to discover the west coast of Ireland. It is between two east-west trending eskers. well positioned for Counties Galway, Limerick, Kerry and of course, Clare. The hotel itself is surrounded by 50 acres of woodland and Afterwards, travel to nearby Clonmacnoise – An Early Christian site founded by St. Ciarán in the mid-6th century on the eastern bank of the River Shannon. The riverside walks. It has two restaurants, a large bar, Aqua Fitness Club, River Spa, 140 bedrooms and nine duplex apartments. site includes the ruins of a cathedral, seven churches (10th–13th century), two round towers, three high crosses and the largest collection of Early Christian After breakfast, travel to Bunratty Village to visit & grave slabs in Western Europe. The original high crosses and a section of grave Folk Park. Bunratty Castle is the most complete and authentic slabs are on display. The long and varied history of Clonmacnoise is recounted in medieval fortress in Ireland. Built in 1425 it was restored in 1954 to its an audiovisual presentation shown in the visitor centre. There are also exhibitions former medieval splendour and now contains mainly 15th and 16th that deal with the flora, fauna and landscape of the region. century furnishings, tapestries, and works of art which capture the

Continue towards Galway for dinner and overnight at the Maldron Hotel mood of those times. Today, the castle stands peacefully in delightful grounds. Wander through the castle and marvel at the finest collection Galway or similar. The Hotel is excellently located beside the picturesque village of Oranmore. Enjoy a full Irish breakfast at the hotel before departing for Co. of medieval furniture in the country which brings to life a vital part of Clare. Stop off in Gort, Co. Galway, a medium-sized market town on the Galway our medieval past. Within the grounds of Bunratty Castle is Bunratty to Ennis Road, situated in a gap between the Slieve Aughty Mountains and the Folk Park, where 19th-century life is vividly recreated. Set on 26 acres, Burren to the south. In Gort, see the Crane, a good example of a cut stone the impressive park features more than 30 buildings in a “living” Market Weigh House. During An Taisce ownership, the Weigh House has been village and rural setting. restored and used as a tourist information centre. Rates per Person = € 251.00 (minimum of 10 people) Afterwards travel through the area known as the Burren – a vast, bare, eerie Single Supplement: € 51.00 per person. limestone plateau which covers much of Co Clare and is gradually being established as a national park. Here the limestone is deeply fissured and most of INCLUSIONS: the rivers have gone underground creating an extensive cave system. 4,000 years of farming has largely denuded the country of trees and vegetation but the Burren 1 Night Accommodation at the Maldron Hotel Galway or is noted for the “opposite” contrasts of its flower population with Mediterranean similar. and Alpine species flourishing side by side. 1 Night Accommodation at Falls Hotel Clare or similar. Full Irish Breakfast Daily. Dinner on each evening at hotel accommodation. Luxury motorcoach transportation with driver/guide as per the itinerary inclusive of driver’s maintenance. Entrance fee to Clonmacnoise; Bunratty Castle & Folk Park.

Coach parking at the Cliffs of Moher (Visitor centre at the cliffs not included). Hotel service charges & taxes.

The Cilffs of Moher

The Sou th and Sou th We st

Ireland South & South West 17th-19th September After this spend a night in the magnificently situated Dromhall hotel. The picturesque South & South West of Ireland is famed for its relaxed pace of life and outstanding natural beauty and scenery. Each county offers endless opportunities to see The following morning, travel to Killarney National Park to visit exceptional landscapes and taste mouth-watering gourmet delights. and Gardens. Muckross House is a 19th-century manor house, beautifully situated close to Muckross Lake, second largest En route to Co. Cork stop off in Cashel, Co. Tipperary to visit the Rock of of Killarney’s three lakes. Now a major visitor centre, the house has two Cashel. A spectacular group of medieval buildings set on an outcrop of main themes, the environment of the National Park and the folklore of limestone in the Golden Vale including the 12th-century round tower, High County Kerry in the 19th and 20th century. Skilled craft workers carry on Cross and Romanesque Chapel, 13th-century Gothic cathedral, 15th-century some of the traditional crafts of Kerry as their predecessors did in bygone Castle and the restored Hall of the Vicars Choral days. The gardens informal in size are noted for their fine collection of rhododendrons and azaleas, extensive water gardens and an outstanding The next day after the breakfast visit the . Situated 8 km rock garden of natural limestone. from Cork City, this historic castle is most famous for its stone, which has the traditional power of conferring eloquence on all who kiss it. In Depart Killarney and travel towards Adare & Limerick. Adare Village is the grounds of the castle, the Rock Close, and its surroundings is a one of Ireland’s prettiest villages. The village is characterised by thatched curious place of ancient trees and far more ancient stones, by legend a roof cottages, Tudor style houses, beautiful gardens and ivy clad medieval garden of druidic origin and a centre of worship in pre-Christian days. churches in picturesque surroundings on both sides of the street beside The place has an aura of magic and mystique with Wishing Steps, the river Maigue. Witch’s Kitchen, Druid’s Cave and many other delights, telling a story of centuries past. Rates per Person = €253.00 (minimum of 10 people)

Continue towards Kanturk, Co. Cork to visit Kanturk Castle (An Taisce Single Supplement: € 45.00 per person. Property). Kanturk town is the capital of the ancient Barony of Duhallow. The castle was the 9th property held by the National Trust INCLUSIONS: UK and the only one outside the UK. Its ownership provides an 1 Night Accommodation at Blarney Woollen Mills Hotel, important parallel of the development of the Heritage Trust Movement. Blarney, Cork or similar. The castle was built for MacDonogh MacCarthy, Lord of Duhallow 1 Night Accommodation at Dromhall Hotel Killarney, Co. around 1601 as a defense against the English. But news of its building Kerry or similar. reached England where the Privy Council, being uneasy about its Full Irish Breakfast Daily. purpose, ordered that building work should stop. Dinner on each evening at hotel accommodation. The next stop is Killarney town in Co. Kerry. Killarney was the first Luxury motorcoach transportation with driver/guide as per the

tourist destination in Ireland and has a tradition of welcoming visitors itinerary inclusive of driver’s maintenance. Entrance Fee to ; Blarney Castle; Muckross for almost three centuries. The town of Killarney – one of Ireland’s best known tourist destinations – lies adjacent to the boundary of the House & Gardens. National Park on its north-eastern edge. Monarchs, poets, artists, writers Hotel service charges & taxes. and composers have visited and have been inspired by the unique and unsurpassed beauty of the region. Its world famous National Park and Muckross House & Gardens offer wonderful experiences never to be forgotten.

Muckross House Blarney Castle