For many years, Celtic Crossings featured a series of curated Ireland itineraries to help groups design their own personal trips. We have listed just few to show the range of interests visitors have when visiting Ireland. Even if it is your first visit, it is really helpful to start with a clear idea of what inspired you to pick Ireland in the first place. Why not join our 2017 History and Heritage Tour of Ireland?!
We always suggest starting with a list of ‘wants’ and ‘needs’. For example, you might ‘want’ to hike the coastal road along the Cliffs of Moher; but you might ‘need’ to definitely spend leisurely time standing on these majestic Cliffs to feel the winds whip off the mighty Atlantic Ocean.
Making a list helps you can refine things a little better. It isn’t the same as a checklist, but it helps you plan. For example, do you want to watch Irish dancing or actually go dancing with the Irish one night? There is obviously a huge difference!
Perhaps, you are American of Irish descent and you are curious to walk the land of your great-grandparents. Perhaps, you want to bring the journey full circle, returning to the land from which your ancestors were expelled. Do you want to actually find your family townland or is it enough to simply experience the region?
For the truly ‘culturally curious’, you are hungry to broaden your mind. By including new landscapes, history and culture, you will really understand the destinations that you visit.
On the other hand, many visitors simply want to dive into Ireland’s spectacular natural scenery, friendly people and rich cultural traditions. And that’s great too! Ireland has more to offer than meets the eye. What are you looking for? Why don’t you join us in 2017?
NEW IRELAND–Food & Festivals!
The Celtic Tiger economic boom brought tremendous investment into the country. Happily, it also triggered the return of many of its most talented immigrants. Since then, there has been an explosion in the areas of both interactive heritage visitor centres and artisan foods.
European quality coffee shops have popped up in all the small towns, serving the most delicious Irish style traditional foods as well as European inspired meals. Ireland’s restaurants are filled with Paris and New York- trained Irish chefs. Capitalizing on its rich land and sea natural resources, even pub menus boast the freshest salmon and shellfish delights.
Irish artisans are also making everything from cheese to chocolate, organic meats to handmade marshmallows as well as healthy, vegan and ‘free-from’ options.
Food & Festivals’ could be modern Ireland’s motto! The perfect tour provides a variety of treasures. Consider the Burren Slow Food Festival in Co. Clare, the Valentia Island’s King Scallop Festival, Achill Island’s Festival of the Sea, and the Galway Oyster Festival to name just a few.
Ireland is also investing heavily in opportunities to bring life and colour to your experience of heritage sites and town centres. There has never been a better time to visit Ireland!
•From Connemara to California: Retracin’ the waves of the Great Irish Diaspora
•Churches, Crosses and Holy Wells: Exploring Ireland’s Medieval Heritage
•The Irish Mind: A Scholarly Look at Ireland’s Place in European History
•Echoes from the Flagstones: Memory and Oral Traditions of the West of Ireland
•Wind in the Reeds: Tracin’ the Lineage of Irish Traditional Instruments
•Na Capaill Bhána: Exploring the Windswept Coastal Communities and Islands of Counties Clare and Galway
•Stop to Smell the Roses! An Irish Summer of Festivals (Rose of Tralee, the Rose of Clare, the Belfast Rose Week, and many more)
•From Small Potatoes: Exploring the Farms and Fishing Traditions of Ireland
•Journey to the Top of the Worlds: Sean Nós to Silver Buckles! (designed for World Irish Dancing Championships families)