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Ireland: Land of Monks and Saints

DAY 1 MADRID – DUBLIN Meeting in Madrid-Barajas Airport at the designated time to leave on a flight to Dublin. Arrival to the airport and meeting with the accompanying guide. Tour of the Cathedral of Saint Patrick. The largest catheral in Dublin and also the National Cathedral of the Church of Ireland, it is the second of the two Protestant Cathedrals of the capital. The original construction is English Gothic in style. We highlight the choir from which multicolored medieval standards hang and the tomb of Jonathan Swift, one of the most famous deans of Saint Patrick’s and author of Gulliver’s Travels. Dinner and lodging.

DAY 2 DUBLIN – EXCURSION TO REGION OF WICKLOW Breakfast Morning departure for region of Wicklow and Glendalough. Tour of the “Glen of Two Lakes”, magical place, ancient monastic settlement hidden behind two lakes and the shadow of the steep slopes of a valley. It is considered of the most picturesque landscapes in Wicklow. Lunch. The journey continues to the enchanting town of Avoca, situated in the heart of a valley, where the Avoca Handweavers, the oldest workshop of hand weaving in Ireland, can also be admired. You can take a short tour of the workshop, which is still in use. Return to Dublin. Dinner and lodging.

DAY 3 DUBLIN – BOYNE VALLEY – BELFAST Breakfast. day dedicated to the Tour of Boyne Valley, where we will be able to visit the mythical Hill of Tara, home of warriors and settlement of kings. Here laws were made and disputes between clans were resolved. From its summit, later, Saint Patrick would proclaim Christianity. Lunch. Tour of the monastery of Monasterboice, very known for its large Celtic Crosses. We continue to the North. Dinner and lodging.

DAY 4 BELFAST – GIANT’S CAUSEWAY Breakfast. Tour of the Giant’s Causeway. Visit “The Giant’s Causeway” is the largest tourist attraction in Northern Ireland. It is a unique natural phenomenon that consists of a mass of 37.000 pilars – the majority hexagonal – of volcanic basalt crimped like a giant honeycomb that enters hundreds of meters into the sea. It is perhaps the most famous of all the natural wonders in Ireland. This scenery has been declared protected space by UNESCO. Lunch. Return to Belfast along the stupendous coastal highway. Dinner and lodging.

DAY 5 BELFAST – ARMAGH – DEVENISH ISLAND – SLIGO Breakfast and departure for Armagh. Known as the religious capital of Ireland. Armagh has two cathedrals, each one perched on a hill with the one looking at the other. The Church of Saint Patrick (Anglican) is the oldest. Lunch. Continuation to Enniskillen. Passage by ferry to Devinish Island, a tranquil site, where there are only woods that will fill us with serenity. Continuation to Sligo. Dinner and lodging.

DAY 6 SLIGO -CONNEMARA – GALWAY Breakfast. Full day dedicated to the marvelous region of Connemara. It is a region with spectacular geography, almost mythical, of glacial lakes, silent and magnificent mountains, solitary roads and mute uninhabited marshes. Stop in Croagh Patrick, called also “Sacred Mountain of Ireland,” where a marvelous panorama can be enjoyed. Lunch en route. Tour of the Abbey of Kylemore, with its magnificent Neogothic Church, built in the 19th century. Only the entrance can be visited since the rest remains closed to the public because the Benedictine monks live there. Arrival in Galway. Dinner and lodging.

DAY 7 GALWAY – CLONMACNOISE – DUBLIN Breakfast. Departure for Clonmacnoise, which is the most important monastic settlement from the primitive Christian epoch in Ireland. Situated between Dublin and Galway along the Shannon River, Clonmacnoiwas concentrated a total of 8 churches, from the 11th to the 13th centuries, two towers, and a large collection of Christian symbols around the ruins of the Cathedral. Lunch. Continuation to arrive in Dublin. Dinner and lodging.

DAY 8 DUBLIN – MADRID Breakfast and, at the scheduled time, transfer to the airport, to leave on a regular flight to Madrid. Arrival and END OF TRIP