As the son of an Irish immigrant, I have always loved Ireland and the time that I have spent there. So, it was my good fortune to recently escort our group of 31 guests on a nine-night, guided tour of Ireland.

After much work customizing our itinerary, the majority of the group set out for Philadelphia and our overnight, nonstop flight to Dublin. After a comfortable journey, we arrived early the next morning, where we met up with some other guests and were introduced to our driver/guide, Brian Hanrahan, and our adventure began.

Visits to Kilbeggan Distillery, Kylemore Abbey & Killary Harbor kicked off this great trip. The group learned about the whiskey distilling process, the history of the Abbey, and reveled in the natural beauty of the harbor.

A visit to the Cliffs of Moher and its dramatic drop into the sea highlighted our second day. I was also able to share some personal family history by taking our group to Ballyheigue in County Kerry, the town in Ireland where my father was born. Then, we headed for Killarney, our base for the next five nights.

We enjoyed a day in Dingle, the Ring of Kerry, some Irish entertainment, dinners, laughs and free time. Some of us took in a round of golf at Killarney Golf & Fishing Club. Visits to Blarney, Kinsale and Cobh gave the group great insight into Irish history and lore. Each day’s journey was accompanied by Irish history lessons from Brian, some Irish sayings, plenty of stories, jokes, and laughter.

Cashel, Ireland

Then it was on to Cashel, the seat of Irish Kings, followed by a night out in Dublin. We also took a tour of Dublin city, seeing the Book of Kells, Trinity College and Teeling Distillery, to name a few. This was all topped off by a farewell dinner in Dublin, complete with Irish entertainment, plenty of food, drink and laughter.

This was truly a tremendous opportunity for Hurley World Travel to show our guests why we love Ireland so much. Thank you for trusting us with planning this trip for you all. Until next time, taisteal sábháilte.