Add-on for the Gourmet Food Tour and Premium Whiskey Tour to cover per person costs.

Two hours north of Dublin lies Belfast the second largest city on the island of Ireland. Belfast’s is steeped in history as an industrial city at the forefront of tobacco, shipbuilding and linen. It was once the pre-eminent city on the island. It is also widely known for ‘The Troubles’ – the sectarian conflict that erupted into a para-military war over 30 years.

This tour is tailored according to your interests. There is so much to see and do we offer a range of options for you to choose from. You can choose site visits, a walking tour, panoramic city centre tour, a visit to west Belfast and witness where the centre of the ‘Troubles’ occurred.

Belfast has a distinct history in an Irish context as it is closely tied to the British world across the Irish Sea. This is where Britain and Ireland mix the most. The history is long and complex and a detailed and multi-faceted approach is taken by your guide who will tease out these narratives in an easy to follow way.

The development of Belfast as an industrial city is equally fascinating. Belfast is a bridge that tells a distinct tale of the relationship between the British and the Irish. You can visit the redeveloped Titanic Quarter and experience the Titanic Visitor Experience. The history of Belfast’s legendary docklands and the re-emergence of this post-industrial tourist quarter is the story of the rebirth of this community. For fans, and there are always fans, of HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ series you can visit where the studios are located nearby also.

West Belfast was the location of much of the violence of ‘The Troubles’, the 30 years conflict that came to an end in 1998. Today much of the area is given over to tourism as the post conflict period sees a major influx of tours. You can visit these area’s with your guide and if desired take a deeper tour with a local Belfast specialist guide.

As with everywhere else in Ireland food and pub culture is rich and a memorable lunch is guaranteed. A trip into the Cathedral Quarter to experience the ‘new’ emerging Belfast is also recommended and a beer/whiskey tasting and/or cheese tasting is possible also.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE: Your safety and well-being are his first priority. He is one of a very small and elite cohort of professional guides with his level of training. Jim is a qualified guide, holding BOTH the Dublin City and Environs and National Badges and registered with Fáilte Ireland’s (The State Tourism Development Board). He has passed and it certified with Fáilte Ireland’s current Covid-19 Health and Safety Charter. He is a licenced SPSV (Limousine) driver with appropriate insurance and vehicle licencing. Finally, he is a well known and active member of the Approved Tourist Guides of Ireland, the trade body for tourist guides in Ireland.

This is a day trip from Dublin down into the heart of the Irish countryside. You will pass thru fields of lush pasture to arrive in Cashel first. Here the main attraction is the Rock of Cashel which served as the seat of the Kings of Munster. It is a stunning setting with layers of buildings from a 500 year period Irish history.

Highlight has to be Cormac’s Chapel, known as Ireland’s Sistine Chapel. It is the jewel in the crown of Irish Hiberno-Romaneque church building that has been painstakingly restored. You are stepping back 1,000 years to witness the fresco’s and carvings from the golden age of Irish history.

After lunch in one of the many award winning food offerings in Cashel you will take the scenic route thru lush landscape passing by forgotten medieval towns, even the locals are unaware of, to arrive in Kilkenny.

This is truly the medieval capital of Ireland and is rich in architectural history and stories. It really will be a case of having to choose which venues to visit, from the serenity of the 800-year-old Black Abbey to the ultra-modern Medieval Mile Museum. There is Rothe House and St Canice’s Cathedral too and if that was not enough there is Kilkenny Castle. (This is enough for a day itself!)

Late in the afternoon you will depart for a quick return journey to Dublin via the motorway, time to reflect and catch up on the day.

All our guides are qualified and badged by Fáilte Ireland – the National Tourism Development Agency. They are also trained in Fáilte Ireland’s current Covid-19 Safety Charter. 

Newgrange (Bru Na Boinne in Gaelic) is older than the pyramids in Egypt dating from 3200BC. It was a site of major importance in Ireland. The highlight of this day will be when you enter into this burial mound and trace the steps of the ancients and witness a recreation of the rising sun illumination the darkened chambers.

You will follow on from Newgrange to Drogheda for a lunch stop. After a delicious lunch you will vist visit the best medieval monastic ruin in Ireland at Mellifont and the follow on from here with a visit to Monasterboice early Christian site dating back 1,500 years. Here you will see the stunning carved Celtic crosses depicting scenes from the Bible.

You guide will inform you all the way thru these sites and bring them alive with historically accurate narratives and personal interpretations also. The day will conclude with a visit to Slane Castle and its newly opened distillery.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE: Your safety and well-being are his first priority. He is one of a very small and elite cohort of professional guides with his level of training. Jim is a qualified guide, holding BOTH the Dublin City and Environs and National Badges and registered with Fáilte Ireland’s (The State Tourism Development Board). He has passed and it certified with Fáilte Ireland’s current Covid-19 Health and Safety Charter. He is a licenced SPSV (Limousine) driver with appropriate insurance and vehicle licencing. Finally, he is a well known and active member of the Approved Tourist Guides of Ireland, the trade body for tourist guides in Ireland.