Skellig Michael: Is 6th-century rock star selling out to a galaxy far, far away? The Force Awakens Graham Clifford PUBLISHED06/09/2015 | 02:30 SHARE ‘Star Wars’ is coming back, but should it be a welcome guest on ancient Skellig, asks our reporter. SHARE Just days old, the little bird would easily fit into the palm of my hand. Nestled between the stone walls of a monastic beehive hut, the grey, fluffy storm petrel chick is sheltered from the elements. In another corner I hear a Manx shearwater cooing as the winds roll in from the Atlantic. This is Skellig Michael, monastic rock, ecological paradise and since last year, a film set. […]
Subscribe It sounds like a cliche, but South West Donegal is truly a hidden gem. Sarah Jessica Parker and hubbie Matthew Broderick have been coming to this unspoilt region to escape the glare of the paparazzi for over a decade – and from the minute we arrived, we could see why. From its rugged, beautiful scenery to its delicious seafood and unrivalled traditional craft fare, you’d be hard pressed to find a more magical Irish getway. Castle Murray House 3pm : Hold court at Castle Murray House Father and daughter team Martin and Marguerite Howley have run this charming little hideaway since 2002. Quaint comfortable and homely, Castle Murray House […]
It was an exciting and successful weekend of competitions, concerts, céilithe and sessions as the Comhaltas 64th Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann was celebrated by an estimated 400,000 throughout Sligo. The biggest event to have ever been hosted in Sligo, organisers estimate that attendance was up 30% on the previous year. Sligo seemed to pulse with Irish rhythm and revelry as age-old traditions were celebrated by fresh generations. The Fleadh Cheoil featured a week-long festival of fun with over 250 events and in excess of 8,000 competitors taking part in the All Ireland Fleadh competitions. Sligo spared no effort ensuring an entertaining event-packed programme that brought the world’s premier festival of […]
Overseas visitor numbers to Ireland grew by 12.1pc in the first five months of the year. The growth sets Ireland on a course for its best ever year in tourism. “If this trend continues we will be looking at a record year for overseas visitor numbers,” said Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport, Paschal Donohoe. Ireland is now in its fifth consecutive year of growth in visitor numbers, with the economic recovery, expanding air routes, a 9pc VAT rate for the sector and marketing initiatives like the Wild Atlantic Way and The Gathering all apparently paying dividends. 2007 was Irish tourism’s busiest year to date, with 7.7m visitors. “These are […]
Six Irish attractions have made it onto a list of the world’s top 500 must-see sights of all time, compiled by guidebook publisher Lonely Planet. The Cliffs of Moher are placed 378 on the list, “where Co Clare plunges off 214m-high cliffs”. The immense sea swell and craggy offshore islands attract big-wave surfers and puffins alike. “Northern Ireland’s most popular tourist attraction”, the “multimedia extravaganza” at Titanic Belfast, is the only museum on the island of Ireland to make the list, at number 424. With talking holograms, film footage, computer “fly-throughs” and rides depicting the ship’s doomed history, the museum “doesn’t feel macabre, celebrating instead the achievements of shipbuilders”. The […]
Though we specialise in west coast tours we can customise tours to all parts of Ireland. We can draft or amend itineraries to meet your particular cultural or recreational interests. Where possible we can draft itineraries to coincide with festivals of music, film, food, theatre literature, and a broad range of sporting events. Our Writers Trail which focuses on the places that inspired such notable Irish writers as James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, George Bernard Shaw, W.B.Yeats, Sean O Casey, Seamus Heaney, Brian Friel, Frank McCourt Demote Healy, John McGahern and Tom Murphy is a very popular tour.
The Wild Atlantic Way is Ireland’s longest defined coastal touring route. From Donegal to Cork, you can explore the rugged beauty of the west. All of our west coast Itineraries take in the more spectacular sections of this ever increasing popular route.
Avail of our Special September and October discounts for Seniors. Email us for further details.
Three Days in The West Clare and Kerry Day 1 We leave Galway and travel to Kinvara, here we stop at Dunguaire Castle which is probably the most famous land mark that is associated with Kinvara. The castle was built in 1520 by the O’Hynes clan on the picturesque shores of Galway Bay. This restored 16th century tower house sits on a rocky outcrop on the shores of Galway Bay. We then go to the Burren, this is an area of limestone rock covering imposing majestic mountains, and tranquil valleys with gently meandering streams. With its innate sense of spiritual peace, extraordinary array of flora and wildlife, and megalithic tombs and […]
Three Days In The West – Donegal, Sligo and Mayo Day 1 We start off your tour in Donegal. Donegal is one of the most unspoilt landscapes in Europe. It’s famous for its beautiful scenery, coastline, impressive mountain ranges, glens and lakes and rich reminders of a historic past. Our first stop of the day is Glenveagh National Park (over 14,000 acres), a remote and hauntingly beautiful wilderness of rugged mountains and pristine lakes. Glenveagh is the haunt of many rare and interesting plants and animals and is famous for its herd of native Irish red deer. There are a variety of short walks from which you can choose. The […]