Sunday, July 20-21. NEW YORK TRANSIT FROM NEW YORK TO GLASGOW AIRPORT VIA AER LINGUS.
Depart New York, John F. Kennedy Airport 5.40 P.M.
via Aer Lingus, flight EI 104
Arrive at Dublin International Airport 5.10 A.M.
*****CHANGE PLANES*****
Depart Dublin Airport 9.20 A.M.
via Aer Lingus, flight EI 224
Arrive at Glasgow Renfrew Airport 10.15 A.M.

Monday, July 21. GLASGOW. Arrive in Glasgow where you will be greeted by Penny and your first coach driver, Simon. Board the coach and depart for the Oban distillery where we will stop for a tour. After the tour, there will be free time for shopping and lunch. Continue on to Scotland's most famous valley, Glencoe. With its dramatic cliff faces, steep slopes, and turbulent past, Glencoe is a stunningly beautiful attraction for tourist and vacationer alike. Glencoe is also infamous as the site of the Glencoe massacre- the slaughter of the MacDonald's by the Campbells. Proceed to Fort William and the ALEXANDRA HOTEL.

Tuesday, July 22. FT. WILLIAM and FT AUGUSTUS. Depart for Torosay Castle and Gardens on the Isle of Mull, which contains a magnificent collection of paintings including the Guthrie portrait of William Wallace, dating from the 17th Century. We will stop for lunch at some point along the way. After the stop at the castle, we will proceed to Ft. Augustus on the southern shore of Loch Ness. Here we have scheduled a one and a half hour cruise on the loch, going out as far as Urquhart Castle, which stands on a rocky promontory on the north shore of Loch Ness. When it was in use, it was one of the largest strongholds of medieval Scotland. Earliest written records for the existence of a castle, partially destroyed during the Jacobite Revolution, date from the 1200's. Also worth seeing are the locks on the Caledonian Canal. We will have free time in Fort Augustus before returning to our hotel in Fort William in time for dinner.

Wednesday, July 23. FORT WILLIAM/EDINBURGH. Depart hotel in the morning for the famous Stirling Castle. Stirling Castle was the royal home of the Stuart monarchs. The castles position atop a volcanic crag, known as Castle Hill, surrounded on three sides by sheer cliffs, made this a strategic and formidable fortress during the Wars of Scottish Independence. Stirling Castle, known as the "Key of Scotland," controlled the trade route from the South to the Highlands. This is the castle made famous by William Wallace, who led the attack on its defenses when he defeated the English in 1297. Robert the Bruce, at the infamous battle of Bannockburn in 1314, again defeated the British, guaranteeing Scotland's freedom. A monument on the site recognizes the victory of the Scots. Free time for shopping and lunch. Later we will continue to Edinburgh for an afternoon city tour including Edinburgh Castle, Scott Monument, Royal Scottish Academy, Saint Giles Cathedral, Saint Andrew House, the Scottish Parliament, the Nelson Monument, and the Burns Monument. Overnight at the HERALD HOUSE HOTEL.

Thursday, July 24. EDINBURGH. In the morning, we take a trip to tour Tantallon Castle. The castle, perched upon a rocky headland overlooking the Firth of Forth, is surrounded by cliffs, offering picturesque views north to the Gannet colony on Bass Rock. The view from the castle is breathtaking, and anywhere else, Bass Rock would dominate the attention, however here it takes second place to the remarkable curtain wall of Tantallon Castle. An attack from Oliver Cromwell's army in 1651 left this castle in just a shadow of its former self, however, what remains is dramatic and impressive. We will stop for a short visit in Tweed before returning to Edinburgh where we have a free afternoon to tour the city and shop.

Friday, July 25. EDINBURGH/ WINDERMERE. Breakfast at hotel. Depart Edinburgh. Travel to the Vindoland located at Chesterholm, just south of Hadrian's Wall in northern England, near the modern border with Scotland, guarding the Stanegate. It is famous for the find of the Vindolanda tablets, one of the most important finds of military and private correspondence (written on wooden tablets) found anywhere in the Empire. After touring the site continue south to the beautiful Lake District with a stop along way for lunch in Penrith. Proceed to Windermere and the BEECH HILL HOTEL.

Saturday, July 26. WINDERMERE, CONWY, AND TRANSIT to DUBLIN. We depart Windermere in the morning, driving south to Chester for a brief tour of the city. After Chester, we continue on our way towards Ireland, passing/stopping (time permitting) at Conwy Castle on the north coast of Wales. Entering this gritty, dark stoned fortress makes you feel as if you had just taking a step back into the Medieval Era. Words alone cannot do this captivating piece of history justice. Conwy's beauty, combined with its sustained magnificence and state of preservation make this a truly prodigious historical treasure. The dramatic Snowdonian skyline presents a perfect backdrop for this prodigious example of one of humanities greatest achievements. After Conwy, we will continue along the Welsh coastline to Anglesey and the Port of Holyhead, from here we will be taking our ferry to Dublin, to make our way to the RUSSELL COURT HOTEL.

Sunday, July 27. DUBLIN. In the morning, we will take a walking tour of the city with Penny as our tour guide. The tour will include Trinity College, along with other possible stops including the Book of Kells, GPO, Grafton, O'Connell Saint, Corpus Christie, and Saint Stephen's Green. In the afternoon, we continue on to see the Megalithic Passage Tombs of Newgrange, Knowth, Dowth, Fourknocks, Loughcrew and Tara, all located in the present day County of Meath, on the east coast of Ireland. An Irish day coach will take us into Meath for the afternoon. We will also be seeing the ancient Boyne Valley Mounds at Newgrange, Knowth, and Dowth. These mounds, constructed around 3200 B.C., amazingly outdate England's Stonehenge, which dates to 2200 B.C.; and the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, which date only to around 2500 B.C. We will make a quick stop for lunch in the visitor's center, and then continue on to a were we will take a brief junket to the Hill of Tara before venturing on our way to Trimm Castle. This evening we will be having a group dinner at Gallagher's Boxty House, made famous for its light, filled potato pancake, known as boxty pancakes. Gallagher's Boxty House also serves an assortment stews, as well as steaks, seafood and vegetarian dishes. Dinner will be between 7 and 8 P.M.

Monday, July 28. DUBLIN/KILKENNY. This morning we depart Dublin and drive to the small town of Wicklow, passing Sugarloaf to arrive at Glendalough to see Saint Kevin's Monastery. From there we continue in the afternoon to Kilkenny, where we will be staying at the PEMBROKE HOTEL. Kilkenny is the smallest city in the Republic of Ireland by both area and population. This city was made famous for its supply of Kilkenny Marble, also known as Black Marble. The rich medieval heritage of Kilkenny, also known as the Marble City, was made famous in part because of the adjacent Black Quarry, which supplies the unique black marble to all corners of the British Realm. The rich history of Kilkenny is evident in the city's agglomeration of historical buildings and landmarks, and exemplified by the magnificent Kilkenny Castle. Located on a bend in the river Nore, Kilkenny Castle was used as a meeting place for the General Assembly of Confederate Ireland (the parliament of Ireland during a period of self-government between the Rebellion of 1641 and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in 1649.) The castle has been the focus of a large restoration project by the Butler family, and has had several additions to its original design. Kilkenny is arguably the pre-eminent medieval city in Ireland.

Tuesday, July 29. KILKENNY. In the morning, we depart for Waterford to take a tour of the Waterford Crystal Factory, purveyors of fine crystal products all over the world. We then drive west to the famous Blarney Castle, where, if you dare get on your back and lean out the window, held by only your feet, and kiss the "Stone of Eloquence," more commonly known as the "Blarney Stone," it is said that you will be endowed with the "gift of gab," or "the gift of eloquent speech." Just as famous as the Blarney Stone but less spoken about are the castles beautiful, extensive gardens, filled with natural rock formations and walking paths. We will take a short shopping break at the Blarney Woolen Mills before continuing on to the famous Rock of Cashel, the large ancestral seat of the old kings of Munster, which houses an incredible collection of Celtic art and medieval architecture. Later we return to our hotel in Kilkenny.

Wednesday, July 30. KILKENNY and GALWAY. We leave Kilkenny via Limerick to see King John's Castle. We then proceed to Craggaunowen Megalithic Center, a living recreation of an Irish medieval village. From Craggaunowen, we continue via Ennis to Galway, the "City of Tribes." Here we will tour Galway Cathedral, built in Hiberno-Romanesque style, an ecclesiastical style of Irish buildings that utilizes very simple, rectangular buildings, tall-detached circular towers with conical roofs, semicircular-headed openings, and an array of Romanesque ornamentation, a unique Irish style that predates the Norman invasion. Overnight in Galway.

Thursday, July 31. GALWAY and ARAN ISLAND. From Galway, we take an early morning ferry to Kilronan and enjoy a free day on Aran Island. Here, on the very edge of Europe, is an island rich in Irish Culture. The language, culture, and heritage of Ireland, combined with a unique geometry and interesting archaeology, coupled with a long-standing tradition of gentle hospitality, make this an excellent tourist destination. On the Aran Island, the spirit of Gaelic Ireland comes alive; being on the Aran Island will take you back to the days of the Celts and Early Christians. The Aran Island is also home to several prehistoric stone forts, the largest of these being Dún Aonghasa. We will return to Galway by ferry in the early evening.

Friday, August 1. GALWAY and ENNISTIMON. From Galway, we drive into County Clare and to the Burren, an approximately 250 square kilometer area of rock rich in archeological sites with a long history. The area contains several ring forts, megalithic tombs, dolmens, and a Celtic high cross. The Dolmens are particularly peculiar. Also called portal tombs, a dolmen is a burial place that has been marked with large capstones elevated at an angle, and held up by huge standing stones. These markers were created between 3000 B.C. and 2000 B.C. and it is generally accepted that they contain tombs, although they may also have had a ritual significance. From Galway, we drive to Corkscrew Hill, a Bush Gardens amusement park that illustrates old Ireland through an animated world. Next, we stop in Lisdoonvarna, a spa town in County Clare famous for its musical matchmaking festival. One last bit of free time to finish your shopping before visiting the cliffs of Moher, which rise 700 feet from the Atlantic Ocean. Drive to Ennistimon and your hotel.

Saturday, August 2. SHANNON TRANSIT FROM IRELAND TO NEW YORK VIA AER LINGUS.
Transfer to Shannon Airport in the morning for the return flight to New York.
Depart Shannon Airport 1.30 p.m.
Via Aer Lingus, flight EI 111
Arrive New York, J. F. Kennedy Airport 3.50 p.m.

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