10 Day Tour of Ireland: Dublin & Northwest 9 nights Day 1: Arrival at Dublin Airport and you are met by our experienced driver and tour manager. You are transferred a short distance to the pretty village of Malahide to visit Malahide Castle ; set in magnificent gardens, this 14 th Century Castle is furnished with beautiful period furniture together with an extensive collection of Irish portrait paintings, mainly from the National Gallery. Following your visit and time for independent lunch we proceed to Dublin City for an orientation tour of the City before checking-in to your hotel. Overnight and dinner at your Dublin Hotel. Day 2: Full Irish Breakfast at your hotel. You commence our tour of the capital city, Dublin, a place where tradition and cultural heritage have merged seamlessly over the centuries to create a unique atmosphere. You enjoy a panoramic tour of Dublin featuring the Four Courts , Leinster House (the seat of the Irish Parliament), the National Gallery , Georgian Squares and O’Connell Street. You then stop at Trinity College and proceed through the grounds of this hallowed education site. Through the famous Library you will stroll and view the Book of Kells and the Book of Durrow which have been described as “the most beautiful books in the world.” Second overnight in your Dublin Hotel. Day 3 Full Irish Breakfast at your hotel. Leaving Dublin today travel to Galway. En route visit the Ancient Christian Settlement at Clonmacnoise . Situated on the banks of the River Shannon this settlement was founded in 548AD by St. Ciaran and this once great mediaeval city is one of Irelands Great Holy Places, renowned as a Centre of Piety and Learning. Arrive in Galway -'The city of the Tribes' and enjoy a stroll around the city. Over night in your Hotel in Galway. Day 4 Full Irish Breakfast in your Hotel. Today is free to explore Galway City at your own pace. Why not take a walk through the narrow streets of Galway. See the historic buildings of Lynch’s Castle and St. Nicholas Church . Take a stroll through Eyre Square and later visit the seaside resort of Salthill. Overnight in your Galway Hotel. Day 5 Full Irish Breakfast in your Hotel. Today enjoy a full day tour of the Connemara Region. You will visit Kylemore Abbey: the convent of the Benedictine Nuns of Ypres, beautifully set on Lake Kylemore. Visit the picturesque Abbey (reception rooms, video and exhibition), and enjoy a stroll to the beautifully restored Gothic Church. Then enjoy the rugged scenery of Connemara, the barren landscape and lakes dispersed through the country side. It’s onwards to Roundstone where you will visit Malachy Kearns, better known as Malachy Bodhran amongst folk musicians. He works at his craft of making Ireland’s oldest product the Bodhran. In the hands of a skilled player the Bodhran can be a subtle and exciting instrument – striking the skin in a variety of ways, one hand tucked in behind the skin, pressing and moving to vary the colour and the intensity of the sound. Return to Galway. Over night in your Galway Hotel. Day 6: Full Irish Breakfast at your Hotel. Today you are driven northwards to Sligo via County Mayo. Stop in the picturesque town of Cong where the Quiet Man starring John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara and Barry Fitzgerald was made. Enjoy a tour of the 'Quiet Man' visit locations from the film such as the dying man's house, Innisfree, Castletown, the river fight scene, 'hats in the air' scene, Rev. Playfairs house, Pat Cohan's Bar and many more. After the tour explore the Quiet Man Cottage Museum and take in some of the local history. Arrive in Sligo town and enjoy some free time at leisure. Overnight in your Sligo Hotel. Day 7: Full Irish Breakfast at your Hotel. Today visit Sligo Abbey : known locally as the Abbey, this Dominican friary was founded in the mid-13 th century by Maurice FitzGerald. The site contains a great wealth of carvings including Gothic and Renaissance tomb sculpture, well preserved cloisters and the only sculptured 15 th century high altar to survive in any Irish monastic church. Then visit Yeats Memorial Building : founded in Sligo in 1958 in order to commemorate and honour the memory of W.B. Yeats, and to promote appreciation of his poetry and other writings. Next travel to Drumcliff Church and visit the final resting place for W.B. Yeats. Overnight in your Sligo Hotel. Day 8: Full Irish Breakfast in your Hotel. Today you travel to Donegal stopping in Belleek to visit Belleek Pottery Visitor Centre : “Situated on the banks of the River Erne, visiting Belleek is like a step back in time. The methods and techniques developed by the very first craftsmen are still followed today. See the casting, fettling and flowering shops to see how craftsmen design, mould and shape the parian china.” Its then onwards to Donegal and visit Donegal Castle : Built by the O'Donnell chieftain in the 15th century, beside the River Eske, the Castle has extensive 17th century additions by Sir Basil Brooke. The Castle is furnished throughout and includes Persian rugs and French tapestries. Following dinner at your hotel, enjoy an a visit to Leo’s Tavern, renowned for its music being the birth place of world famous musical talents Enya, Clannad and Moya Brennan. Overnight in your Donegal Hotel. Day 9: Full Irish Breakfast in your Hotel. Tin the late morning travel to Omagh to visit the Ulster American Folk Park . This fifty acre outdoor museum tells the story of the floods of emigrants who left Ireland for the Americas in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. There are over twenty different houses and buildings with costumed guides and craftsmen demonstrating some of the crafts and skills brought from Ulster to America. Afterwards we continue to our hotel at Dublin Airport or the Dublin suburbs. Day 10: Early morning transfer to Dublin Airport and bid farewell to the Emerald Isle. .