This morning James Joyce will be our inspiration. In the company of a literary guide, we’ll follow in the footsteps of Leopold Bloom, the protagonist in Ulysses, with visits to the historical General Post Office on O’Connell Street, Sweny’s Pharmacy, the Palace Bar, and Trinity College. After lunch, we’ll venture into the historic working-class neighborhood of The Liberties and other spaces of literary inspiration. And, because many an Irish story started (or ended!) with a sip of whiskey, we’ll visit the Pearse Lyons distillery for a tasting experience. This evening is yours to explore Dublin’s streets at your own pace. Consider a trip on the DART to Howth or strolling along the Liffey to the favorite pubs of Dublin locals in Stoneybatter.

After breakfast this morning, we’ll set out together traveling west. The west of Ireland is noted as a distinctive part of the “soulscape” of Ireland, both as a notion and a physical place that holds sway over much of the country’s art, literature, and lore. On our way, we’ll share some of these tales before taking a pause in Galway city, rightly famed for its culture, arts, and gastronomy. A local guide will introduce us to the irresistible colored streets before we enjoy time for independent exploration and lunch. In the afternoon, we’ll continue further west past rugged shaggy white sheep and onwards to the unpretentious company of lively Westport. We’ll get to know each other even better this evening over dinner followed by a stroll through the streets to find a toe-tapping traditional music session.

Facing into the fearsome Atlantic ocean off the west coast, Clare Island is a storied place heavy with history, majesty, and myth. Today we’ll catch a ferry from Louisburgh in County Mayo out to this mountainous island that seems a world away. The island, like Louisburgh, is furrowed with the potato beds that betrayed the local inhabitants so cruelly in the past. They are as integral a part of the landscape of the island as the castle that sits at the entrance to the half-moon harbor and was once the home of Granuaile, the pirate queen of Connaught. Sheltering in the island’s harbor walls is a boat named The Dolphin and within her hull, she holds rare casks. These casks are the treasures of a visionary voyage that has united the Irish traditions of seamanship and distilling rare and celebrated spirits and showcases the resilience of an island community through Clare Irish Whiskey. On this island visit, we’ll experience the past and present through her folklore, myths, and tales.

The Nobel Prize-winning poet, William Butler Yeats, will take center stage today as we explore the region around Sligo. This area had a formative influence on the poet after he spent his childhood summers here. It has often been said that the otherworldliness of the countryside, combined with local folktales and Yeats’ own imagination, created a Tír na n’Óg (Land of Youth) of the heart. To explore this country, from Ben Bulben to Knocknarea and Drumcliffe Churchyard to the Glencar Waterfall, creates a personal connection, outside of time and space, in which the spirit of the writer and mind of the traveler can coexist for a brief and unforgettable moment. This evening, we’ll arrive in Donegal, a charming coastal village on the Wild Atlantic Way with time to relax in the coastal surroundings for the evening. A local food writer and Donegal native will join us for a drink this evening to share her passion for the west coast.

Myth and legend seem to always accompany the people in this part of the world and today, a local Gaeilgeoir (Irish language enthusiast) will introduce us to the tales of Cúchulainn, Queen Meadhbh. Weather permitting, we’ll take to the high sea to step foot on Tory Island. To visit Tory Island is to take several giant steps back into the past, to a time when English was not spoken. Here stories are told not only with words but also through art, and on Tory, we can see the history of “primitive” art and artists who were attracted by the “constant flux of light and color”. Should sea conditions mean our island visit is ill-advised, we will explore the peninsula and onwards to Slieve Liag, the highest sea cliffs in Europe. Before the arrival of Christianity to Ireland, this was an ancient place of pilgrimage with ancient stone remains dotted around the area. This evening, music and sean nós (unaccompanied) singing will accompany a pub dinner.

Today we traverse the wild coastline from the Irish Republic into Northern Ireland. The Northern Causeway Coast is one of the most stunning drives in Ireland and, arguably, all of Europe. Today we’ll experience her little-explored western edge, marked by winding roads as we venture further north and then east through the magical scenery of Glenveigh National Park. We’ll experience a land bursting with myths and legends such as the Children of Lir, the Grey Lady, and the Vanishing Lake. We’ll stop in Derry for an interpretive walk along the historic city walls, which were built in the 1600s to protect the Scottish and English planters that had moved to Ulster as part of the Plantation of Ulster. We’ll walk the remnants of these walls and through local neighborhoods, hearing local stories, history, and witnessing the collision of current affairs. From here, it’s time to make your own conclusion about one of Northern Ireland’s most famed myths – that of the Giant’s Causeway. Legend has it that the giant Fionn Mac Cumhaill was living in Northern Ireland when another giant, Benandonner, threatened Ireland from his home in Scotland. Fionn retaliated by tearing up chunks of the Antrim coastline and hurling them into the sea. The newly-created path – the Giant’s Causeway – paved a route over the sea for Fionn to reach Benandonner. When you see and feel its majesty, you can decide if you choose myth over geology! From here, we'll travel south to Belfast.

This morning, we’ll learn about the history and politics of Northern Ireland with a guided walking tour taking in Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods and the Peace Walls. We’ll follow this up with a visit to the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry at Queen's University to celebrate the Belfast son and poet who transcended borders and united political foes. Heaney, who died at age 74 in 2013, was from a Catholic and nationalist background. This identity was manifest in his famous line: “Be advised my passport’s green. No glass of ours was ever raised to toast the Queen.” But poems like Death of a Naturalist, Digging and Mid-Term Break tapped into a humanity that cut across the political divide and enchanted readers around the world. In the afternoon, there will be time at leisure to explore the city. This evening, we’ll share a farewell dinner together before moving to the Crowne Bar across for a night dedicated to creating and sharing our own stories.

It’s time to say farewell to this extraordinary region and its rich literary heritage. We’ll help you transfer to the airport for your departing flight. If you’d like to spend a few extra nights in Belfast or indeed anywhere in Ireland, we’d be happy to recommend places to stay and things to do on your own. Until the next adventure!