Ireland

Upon arriving in Dublin, you’ll take the airport bus into the city center, followed by a three-minute walk to our hotel. After checking in, you can settle in and recover from jet lag before joining your fellow travelers and our guide for coffee. Originally from the region we’ll explore during the coming days, she’ll introduce us to the week ahead. She’ll lead us through Dublin’s streets for an opening look at the capital and the history that influenced it. That evening, we’ll gather at a restaurant beside the River Liffey, which runs through the heart of the city. As we share a welcome dinner with two courses, we’ll get to know the women we’ll be traveling with!

We’ll begin with breakfast at a café near our hotel, giving us an unhurried start before we leave Dublin and travel west to Ballina. The drive takes four hours, with a restroom break so we can stretch our legs. City suburbs soon give way to pasture, peatlands, market towns, and rolling hills beyond the Shannon. By midday we’ll be welcomed into our guide’s home for a baking lesson with her mother, a cookbook author. Together we’ll prepare scones, potato cakes, and brown bread, then sit down for tea and taste everything we’ve made! In the afternoon, the focus turns to whiskey. We’ll learn how it is distilled, how time in the barrel affects its flavor, and what separates the main styles before comparing several samples. Our day continues at an archive holding 100,000-plus items from four centuries of Ireland’s history, including letters, maps, photographs, newspapers, and political material. By late afternoon we’ll check into our hotel, where we’ll stay for the next three nights. The evening is open for rest and dinner wherever you choose.

Ireland’s legends take the lead as we cross into Sligo for the Queen Maeve Trail on Knocknarea. The five-mile route gains 1,100 feet and should take approximately three hours. Rated moderately challenging, it includes a steady climb with occasional sharper or uneven sections. Our path enters the trees before emerging onto the mountainside, where Sligo Bay, Strandhill, farmland, and distant ridges spread before us. At the summit stands an immense cairn thought to be 5,000 years old. It has never been excavated, but folklore identifies it as the resting place of Queen Maeve of Connacht, said to have been buried upright and facing her enemies. After the descent we’ll head to Strandhill, where you can choose a café or restaurant for lunch. From there, the road traces the coast through the village of Easky, pausing at its pier before a drink overlooking Aughris Head. We’ll finish in Enniscrone with a stroll along its sweeping beach. Those who wish can book a seaweed bath at a bathhouse that has welcomed guests since 1912. We’ll arrive in Ballina by evening, leaving you to choose dinner independently.

Looms in motion, birds of prey, and an eccentric castle make for a day of contrasts. Our first visit is a woollen mill that has produced blankets, scarves, and homewares since 1892. We’ll trace raw wool through every stage of production and see the machinery turn it into finished textiles. We’ll have coffee and stop by the shop before moving on. Falconry follows. We’ll meet hawks, falcons, and owls at close range while hearing how they behave, how falconers work with them, and what their care involves. Under a falconer’s supervision, we’ll even have the opportunity to hold some of the birds ourselves and discover how this centuries-old practice works alongside conservation. Lunch can be purchased at the castle estate before we explore Belleek Castle and its dungeons. Sailor and adventurer Marshall Doran restored the property in the 1960s, filling its rooms with weaponry from the Middle Ages, fossils, and maritime curiosities. A walk through Belleek Woods will take us outside. For dinner, we’ll take our seats in the castle’s former library.

The Atlantic comes into full view as we leave Ballina and travel roughly 45 minutes to Downpatrick Head on Mayo’s north coast. Here we’ll set out on a three-mile walk across an exposed headland. With only 164 feet of elevation gain, this is an easy-to-moderate outing, although damp grass and wind exposure can add challenge. From the cliffs Dún Briste rises 148 feet above the water, with bands of rock visible across the gap. Seabirds circle overhead as we hear the legends linking this place to Saint Patrick, including the tale of how the sea stack separated from the mainland. After the hike we’ll enjoy a picnic prepared with produce from the region before continuing to Wild Nephin National Park. At the visitor center we’ll learn about the Nephin Beg Mountains and Owenduff Bog, one of Europe’s few intact blanket bog systems. From the grounds we can see the peaks, ocean, and Achill Island, our destination for the night. We’ll cross the bridge to Ireland’s largest offshore island and settle into our B&B for a two-night stay. Dinner together at a restaurant near the B&B will bring our arrival day on Achill to a close.

The road winds between mountain slopes as it carries us to Keem Bay, a horseshoe-shaped cove tucked beneath emerald hills at Achill’s western tip. Once we reach the sand, we can wander the beach and take in the setting. Anyone ready to brave the chilly water can opt for a swim! Lunch will be available to purchase at a café with an adjoining craft shop to explore. Afterwards we’ll head to the foot of Slievemore for a two-and-a-half-mile walk through the Deserted Village. Rows of roofless cottages stretch along the hillside, telling a deeper story than the village’s name suggests. Many families left during the Great Famine for nearby Dooagh, while others emigrated. Yet the settlement remained part of life on Achill for almost another century, with descendants returning during summer to graze livestock and stay in the cottages until the 1940s. We’ll end on the shoreline with a private sauna session, moving between the heat and fresh air. A dip in the sea is optional before warming up again. Dinner and the rest of the evening are at leisure.

Leaving Achill, we’ll curve along the shore of Clew Bay toward Westport, with the drive itself becoming part of the experience. Over 100 islands formed by ancient ice dot this inlet, with Croagh Patrick rising across the water. We’ll spend roughly two hours in the vehicle, divided into shorter stretches and punctuated by stops. At Rockfleet Castle, a compact tower stands at the water’s edge. It was one of the strongholds associated with Grace O’Malley, the seafaring leader who controlled much of these waters during the sixteenth century. We’ll also visit Burrishoole Abbey, a Dominican friary founded in 1470. Its church ruins, tower, and weathered arches sit beside a tidal inlet with the Nephin Beg Mountains beyond. Lunch will take us to an oyster farm near Westport. We’ll follow the shoreline to see how the oysters are cultivated, discover how the tides influence their growth, and watch a shucking demonstration before tasting them at the source. By midafternoon we’ll reach Westport and check into our centrally located hotel. The remaining hours are yours to browse the shops, stop for a drink, find a pub with live traditional music, and choose a restaurant for dinner.

Our greatest hiking achievement awaits as we set out to climb Croagh Patrick, the 2,507-foot mountain known as “the Reek.” The 3.7-mile return route begins near sea level and is expected to take four hours. The ascent is sustained and finishes with a steep upper section over loose stone. We’ll move at a measured pace and pause whenever needed. As we gain height, Clew Bay and its islands unfold below us. A white chapel at the summit stands as a reminder of centuries of pilgrimage. According to legend, Saint Patrick spent 40 days fasting here. When the weather cooperates, we can see across the bay to the ocean. Lunch comes after the descent, with everyone choosing and paying individually. Driving totals two and a half hours, broken up by visits. In Doolough Valley, mountains rise on both sides of a dark ribbon of water, with the scenery unfolding throughout the drive. We’ll stop at a memorial connected to the Doolough Tragedy of 1849, offering context for the area’s famine history. From there, Killary Fjord awaits, a 10-mile inlet carved by glaciers between Mayo and Galway. The day concludes at an active sheep farm, where trained dogs respond to whistles and spoken commands as they race across the hillside and guide the flock. Back in Westport, you can choose where to have dinner and enjoy the night however you like.

We turn east toward Dublin’s coastline, leaving the mountains of Mayo behind. The drive to Howth takes three and a half hours, including a stop for coffee, restrooms, and a chance to stretch our legs. Along the way, the highlands gradually recede, replaced by peatlands, farms, and towns across Ireland’s heartland before we reach the capital’s outskirts. In Howth you can select lunch from the seafood restaurants and cafés around the harbor. We’ll explore the waterfront, see fishing boats come and go, and walk a section of the cliff path above the Irish Sea. From here we can look across to Ireland’s Eye, an island lying just beyond the harbor. A 45-minute drive brings us to our final hotel, close to the Dublin Airport. After settling in, we can rest before gathering for our farewell dinner. Over one last meal, we’ll reflect on the trails, stories, drives, and conversations shared from one side of Ireland to the other.

After breakfast, it will be time to say goodbye. Based on your departure time, we'll arrange for the hotel's airport shuttle to transfer you to the Dublin Airport. The drive takes approximately 10 minutes.