Ireland: The Luck of the Irish

Overview

Pounded for eternity by its surrounding seas, Ireland’s coastline is best explored by ship. The country’s intimate size affords seafarers an in-depth exploration of both its coastal gems and inland treasures. We will search the cliffs, castles, backstreets and hollow tree trunks of Ireland and Northern Ireland, for stories of its saints, heroes, mythical creatures and convivial locals, as we immerse ourselves in the witty and wondrous world of Ireland’s greatest export: the Irish.

Welcome to Dublin. On arrival at Dublin airport make your way to the Arrivals Hall to meet our representative, followed by a transfer to our group hotel.

This evening offers time to relax in preparation for our ‘day out in Dublin’ tomorrow.

Dublin, the vibrant capital of Ireland, is a city brimming with energy and resilience. Once under British rule, Dublin has emerged with a distinct sense of identity, leading Ireland as a proud member of the European Union and reflecting its evolving role in modern Europe. The city serves as a hub of artistic and cultural expression, with global musicians like U2, whose impact resonates from their Dublin roots, having invigorated its creative scene. Dublin’s vibrant pub culture offers a lively social fabric, where traditional and contemporary influences merge to create a city to explore both day and night.

Choose your favourite ‘Your Choice’ experience for a morning full of all things Irish, with time to explore Dublin this afternoon, before we gather for a Welcome Event this evening.

Option 1- Morning experience: Walking Dublin

Option 2 – Morning experience: An EPIC Tale of Emigration

Option 3 – Morning experience: The Guinness Story

After breakfast, we travel to Kilkenny for a visit to Kilkenny Castle en route to the Douglas Mawson.

Considered Ireland’s best preserved medieval city, Kilkenny mixes small town intimacy with a big city buzz.

Few buildings in Ireland can boast a longer history of continuous occupation than Kilkenny’s monolithic castle and few have a more fascinating family story. Kilkenny Castle’s 800 years of history is associated with the rise and fall of the Marshal and Butler families who rose in nobility from Earls to Dukes. In 1967 the owners sold the castle to the Kilkenny Castle Restoration Committee for a mere £50.

We make our way further south to the county’s namesake, Waterford. Known as the city where culture meets the ‘craic’ (that is Irish for a good time), Waterford is a modern city with a layered history. Waterford became a Viking settlement, which is reflected in its people even today. It emerged from the Middle Ages as a trading port with the wealth from goods that came from as far away as Newfoundland, the profits of which funded the construction of the many Georgian Mansions that line the city’s streets. A town for those who enjoy a good stroll, Waterford is easy on the eye, offers plenty to see and as its reputation suggests, is full of fun. Your time here is free to stroll this easily navigated city.

This evening, we complete an important safety briefing, before enjoying a ‘Welcome aboard’ dinner, where we meet our crew and Aurora Expeditions team.

Once a port town, always a port town, Cork sits proudly on an island in the middle of the Lee River. Surrounded by water, the city’s salty air tells the story of Irish emigration, with its historical harbour of Cobh and shores of Kinsale, famed as the port of boarding for the Irish who left for foreign lands. If your ancestors are Irish, there is a high chance they came through Cork. Today, the city has a flair for great gigs and modernised traditional dishes and is considered an Irish food mecca that is centred around its restored 18th-century English Market.

Our morning shore excursions offer you the opportunity to ‘get the gift of the gab’ or follow those Irish who left their homeland for foreign shores. This afternoon, aboard the Douglas Mawson, we’ll indulge in a quintessential Irish experience with a private whiskey tasting. More than just a spirit, this ‘saintly’ brew embodies Ireland’s essence.

A local expert will share their deep passion and knowledge, guiding us through the rich heritage, meticulous craftsmanship, and captivating stories that define this amber treasure. Prepare to immerse yourself in the world of Irish whiskey and discover why it holds such a special place in the heart of Ireland.

Personalise your exploration with our included ‘Your Choice’ experiences.

Option 1- Morning experience: Cobh, the Titanic Experience & the Queenstown Story

Option 2 – Morning experience: Blarney Castle and the Blarney Stone

Option 3 – Morning experience: The Seaside Gem of Kinsale

We arrive at Bantry Bay and tender to shore. The harbourside town of Bantry is the gateway to the touring route known as the Wild Atlantic Way. It is easy to see why Ireland’s colour of choice for everything is green, from its national sporting uniforms to its flag, as we drive the famed Ring of Kerry, tread the trails of Whiddy Island or explore the Beara Peninsula, surrounded by the lush grass covered hills and dales of the Emerald Isle. For those choosing a morning excursion, Bantry itself is small enough for a comfortable stroll in the afternoon, with artisan shops, friendly cafes and, of course, plenty of pubs to try a local brew.

The wild beauty of Irelands western coast is on show today, along with the life it offered, past and present. Here we meet small town Ireland with an insight into a different side to the Irish.

This evening, we will be going ashore to meet them on an Irish night out. To be sure there will be music, singing and plenty of storytelling or this simply would not be Ireland.

Personalise your exploration with our included ‘Your Choice’ experiences.

Option 1 – Morning experience: Meet the Mayor of Whiddy Island

Option 2 – Morning experience: The Beara Peninsula

Option 3 – Full-day experience: Ring of Kerry

It is time to join our breakfast club this morning as we sail at sunrise towards the Skellig Islands. Off the coast of County Kerry, two rocky pinnacles rise from the Atlantic Ocean. The Skellig Islands are world-renowned for their ornithological and archaeological significance. Skellig Michael is the site of a well-preserved monastic outpost of the Early Christian period and is now designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Little Skellig is equally renowned in matters of ornithology. As the home of 27,000 pairs of gannets, it is the second largest colony of such seabirds in the world.

Some 1,400 years ago a congregation of monks were searching for a place to practice their religion in complete solitude and isolation. Determined to build a monastery on these remote islands, generation after generation of monks hand-carved 600 stone steps with the simplest tools to build a hilltop monastery 180 metres above the pounding waves. The survival of the terraces, oratories and six corbel stone beehive huts are to this day a testament to their skill and dedication. The archaeological remains show the dramatically spartan conditions in which the monks lived; however, after enduring several Viking raids, the monks eventually left the island in the 13th century. The site has subsequently become a place of Christian pilgrimage.

Note: The Office of Public Works (OPW) manages the Skelligs, and they no longer allow cruise ship passengers to land on Skellig Michael. Visitor numbers to Skellig Michael in recent years have reached the maximum permitted by UNESCO and any violation of UNESCO criteria will affect the future UNESCO status of the island. From the elevated height of our vessel, we will enjoy a cruise of the islands before reaching Dingle Bay and tendering ashore.

Once described by National Geographic Traveller as ‘the most beautiful place on earth’, Dingle is away from the general ‘tourist route’, affording us exclusive access to the wild west coast. Dingle itself has a bohemian flair and is famous for its hardware pubs where you can enjoy a brew and buy wares. We enjoy lunch onboard before tendering ashore to experience a slice of Ireland’s rural lifestyle, while viewing the wild side of the country and the Irish who call County Kerry home.

Personalise your exploration with our included ‘Your Choice’ experiences.

Option 1 – Afternoon experience: Dingle Peninsula and Tralee

Option 2 – Afternoon experience: Life on the Land – Past and Present

Option 3 – Afternoon experience: Dingle Bay Kayaking

The breakfast club meets again this morning as we sail the fabled Cliffs of Moher. Towering over the West Clare coast, the Cliffs of Moher are best seen in the early morning from the sea. Visually spectacular, they sit astride the striking landscape of the Burren on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. At a height of over 200 metres at O’Brien’s Tower, and following the coast for almost 13 kilometres, these ancient cliffs were formed over 320 million years ago, and today form part of the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark. We enjoy a slow sail along the cliff face, before inching into Galway Bay and tendering to Galway town.

This popular west coast seaside town of Galway attracts a steady flow of local visitors. The Irish come here to walk its long promenade and as tradition dictates, kick the walls end for good luck, enjoy fish and chips straight from the newspaper and, of course, ‘go on the gargle’ in its cosy pubs.

Personalise your exploration with our included ‘Your Choice’ experiences.

Option 1 – Morning experience: Dunguaire Castle

Option 2 – Full-day experience: Galway and the Workhouse Museum

The fishing village of Killybegs is gateway to the rugged beauty of Slieve League Cliffs and the dramatic backdrop of Ireland’s own Table Mountain, Ben Bulben. Jutting out of Sligo’s northern edge, the peninsula of Mullaghmore pokes into the North Atlantic. Land and sea meet in confluence along the coast of County Sligo, a landscape of jagged mountain peaks that inspired the work of Nobel-winning poet William Butler Yeats.  We sail into the harbour of Killybegs early afternoon with time to explore the nearby cliffs and their cliffside walk or learn about sustainable whiskey distilling at the family owned and operated Adara Distillery.

Personalise your exploration with our included ‘Your Choice’ experiences.

Option 1 – Afternoon experience: Slieve League Cliffs

Option 2 – Afternoon experience: Adara and the Adara Whiskey Distillery

Our overnight sailing takes us to Northern Ireland, and the fascinating city of Londonderry. Simply known as Derry to the Nationalist (Catholic) population but still referred to as Londonderry by the Unionist (Protestant) population, this ‘border’ town has seen it all. The sectarian ‘Troubles’ of this predominantly Nationalist city may have blemished its reputation, but in recent years these tensions have eased, and although some suburbs retain their sense of division, strolling the streets is safe and the general population are happy to share stories of their stormy past and ambitious future. We come alongside on the river Foyle, the now open, natural border between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Choose to ‘stay in town’ to hear the city’s fascinating story, or head north to the coast to follow fables of giants and failed dynasties.

Personalise your exploration with our included ‘Your Choice’ experiences.

Option 1 – Morning experience: Londonderry~Derry – Past, Present, Future

Option 2 – Morning experience: The Ulster Folk Park

Option 3 – Full-day experience: Dunluce Castle, Giant’s Causeway

It is fair to say Belfast has endured its share of turbulent times. Famines, disease, invasions and recessions have painted a picture of a resilient city, but it was the more recent period known as ‘The Troubles’ that defined its image of division. Barbed wire, armed soldiers, and constant bomb searches kept tourists away. Today, however, Belfast has transformed, thanks to open political dialogue and foreign investment. The city feels lighter, as if a heavy burden has been lifted from its shoulders.

Our day in Belfast is filled with stories of the workers who toiled for 14 hours a day to build the world’s most glamorous ship, the Titanic, the employment it created, and the race to finish her. Located on the site where the ship was built, the dockyard’s Titanic Experience may answer a few of our questions. From the dockyards, our tour skips ahead to the days of ‘The Troubles’ as we are guided through Unionist and Nationalist neighbourhoods. We peek at Belfast’s ‘quarters’ before turning south and returning to Dublin for our final night in Ireland’s capital.

Our evening is a farewell to our fellow explorers and a celebration of all things Irish as we kick up our heels at an authentic traditional Irish dancing show, accompanied by a few ‘jars’ and a delicious Irish Farewell dinner.

After breakfast, we bid farewell to all the Irish who have shared their stories with us, past and present, with a smile on our face and a story on our lips. An airport transfer shared with your fellow explorers is included for your onward flight.