Round Towers and High Crosses
To book, email vacation@adamsandbutler.com
or call
US & Canada Toll Free 1-800-8945712
Australia Toll Free 1-800-255982 International +353 1 288 9355
Adams & Butler: Click here for more Tours and Rental Properties
From €750 per person sharing
8 nights accommodation in charming inns and farmhouses, including breakfast, service and tax, detailed itinerary and map, and 8 days with a self drive stick shift car, to €4600 per person sharing staying in deluxe rooms in 5* hotels such as The Merrion in Dublin, Ashford Castle, Dromoland Castle, The Cliff House and Mount Juliet, with a top driver guide, an expert in Celtic and early Christian Ireland, to take you around.
There is a legend that St. Patrick, when preaching to some soon-to-be converted heathens, was shown a sacred standing stone that was marked with a circle, symbolic of the moon goddess. Patrick made the mark of a Latin cross through the circle and blessed the stone making the first Celtic Cross. Or maybe the first cross was a direct descendant of the sun discs made by a race inhabiting Ireland 4000 years ago.
Round towers are equally mysterious – a place of refuge from marauding Vikings, a look out tower, a bell tower, a phallic symbol, or an early space program? And in the Michael Caine school of “not a lot of people know that”, a belfry has little to do with tintinnabulation, or ringing bells – it is from the German meaning a high safe place.
Day 1 Arrive Dublin Airport and transfer to your city centre accommodation. Dublin has long been a centre of art & culture. The range of art & artefacts is enormous, & you will have no problem spending many hours enthralled. The city is over a thousand years old, & many of the towns & settlements that surround it are equally ancient. Successive centuries have left their distinctive overlays of character & architecture which means that Dublin has a wealth of historically significant & fascinating sights to explore such as Dublin Castle, where the Normans ruled from the 12th Century, St Patrick's Cathedral, of which Jonathan Swift was Dean, & Trinity College, famous for The Book of Kells & for its alumni who include Oscar Wilde & Oliver Goldsmith. Visit the prehistoric gold and the High Cross exhibitions at the two branches of The National Museum.
Day 2 Malahide, Monasterboice and Kells. Head North from Dublin by way of St Doolagh’s at Malahide to Monasterboice in the Boyne Valley, with its round tower and High Crosses. Then by way of the prehistoric Newgrange to Slane. St. Patrick has become synonymous with all things Irish, from shamrocks to the shortage of snakes on this Isle. As the Druids celebrated their feast day on the Hill of Tara, Patrick prepared the Easter feast on the Hill of Slane. He lit his paschal fire at Slane, before the Druids could kindle their sacred fire at Tara. Nearby is the 10th Century Donaghmore Round Tower. Carry on to by way of Bective Abbey to Tara, the ancient seat of power in Ireland, where 142 Kings reigned. Overnight near Kells in County Meath, with its round tower and five large Celtic crosses, founded by St Colmcille (also known as Columba), and once home to the Book of Kells, now kept at Trinity College Dublin.
Day 3 By way of Fore Abbey, with its seven wonders, and Belvedere House at Mullingar, and maybe some temporal spirits at Locke’s Distillery to Durrow Abbey’s High Cross which shows the Fall of Man, Cain & Abel, and the Sacrifice of Isaac. Carry on to Clonmacnoise with two round towers and seven churches, Loughrea with its Celtic revival cathedral and on by way of the magnificent remains of Ross Friary to Cong in County Mayo.
Day 4 To Ballintubber Abbey, Aghagower Round Tower, the Georgian town of Westport, The round towers of Turlough, Balla and Meelick and back to Cong.Day 5 Through Connemara to Galway and across the Burren from Kilmacudagh, with its tales of Jewish converts, by way of Corcomroe Abbey, The Cliffs of Moher, Kilfenora Cathedral, and the round tower of Dysart O’Dea. Overnight in Ennis.
Day 6 Explore Limerick, Tipperary, St Berrihert's Well near Bansha, Cashel, with its high cross and round tower, Cahir with its castle, over the mountains to Lismore to stay near Ardmore, another fine tower.
Day 7 Across the Comeragh mountains to Ahenny and Kilree Crosses, Kells Priory, Tullaherin Round Tower and Kilkenny, the medieval capital of Ireland. Overnight near Jerpoint Abbey.
Day 8 By way of Graiguenamanagh to Castledermot and Moone, possibly one of the finest crosses and then across the Wicklow Mountains to Glendalough, for one of the finest round towers. Overnight Dublin
Day 9 Depart Dublin
From €750 per person sharing
8 nights accommodation in charming inns and farmhouses, including breakfast, service and tax, detailed itinerary and map, and 8 days with a self drive stick shift car.To €4600 per person sharing
staying in deluxe rooms in 5* hotels such as The Merrion in Dublin, Ashford Castle, Dromoland Castle, The Cliff House and Mount Juliet, with a top driver guide, an expert in Celtic and early Christian Ireland, to take you around.ADAMS & BUTLER
Click here for more Tours and Rental Properties
To book emailvacation@adamsandbutler.com
or call
US & Canada Toll Free 1-800-8945712
Australia Toll Free 1-800-255982 International +353 1 288 9355