IRISH GARDENS & NATURE (8 Days / 7 Nights)

Destination: Dublin, Limerick, Kerry, Kilkenny, Ireland

"DAY 01: DUBLIN

Arrival at Dublin Airport. In the morning we will enjoy a Panoramic Tour of Dublin and in the afternoon we will visit the National Botanic Gardens, covering 19 hectares lanked by the River Tolka. These gardens were founded in 1795 by the Royal Dublin society, in the north side of the city. You can tour the gardens with a guide or alone and discover the most interesting plants and their history, how and when they were introduced to Ireland. The highlight of the visit is the recently restored Glasshouse, dating from the 1843-69, and defined as a curvilinear glasshouse. It was designed by Richard Turner, who was also responsible for the Botanic Gardens in Belfast and the palm house of Kew Gardens, in London. Overnight in Dublin.

DAY 02: DUBLIN (The Wicklow County)

South of Dublin, is County Wicklow, known as ??he Garden of Ireland’. It offers beautiful gardens all in different in style, design and flora. In the heart of its gentle and rounded hills rests Enniskerry, a very picturesque village, home to the Powerscourt Gardens we will visit. These are a magnificent example of aristocratic gardens from the 19th century, laid out with taste and imagination. The terraced Italian gardens, are embellished with statues descending towards a pond, the Japanese gardens and a pet cemetery are only a few highlights of this visit. In the afternoon, we will visit the Mount Usher’s Gardens in Ahford. These gardens are the most typical and best preserved of Robinsonian gardens (’natural gardens’ where plants grow freely), including more than 4000 species, gathered from all corners of the world. The vegetation (rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, eucalyptus...) will reach their apogee between mid-May and mid-June. Overnight in Dublin.

DAY 03 ??DUBLIN / LIMERICK

This morning, we will leave Dublin and travel to Kildare to visit the Japanese and St. Fiachra’s Gardens. The Japanese gardens were founded by Lord Wavertree and laid out by the Japanese gardener Tassa Eida in 1906-1910. They symbolise the ’life of man’. St. Fiachra’s (the patron saint of gardeners) Gardens are the last addition. They capture the raw power of the Irish landscape within a natural setting of wetland, rocks and lakes. They were designed to celebrate the Millennium. After lunch, on your way to Limerick, we will make a small detour to visit an extremely elegant house and its gardens: Emo Court. The house was designed in 1790 by James Gandon, the famous English architect who is responsible for the Custom House and the Four Courts, to name only a few of his masterpieces. The Gardens were first laid out in the 18th century for an earlier house. They are famous for their sweeping formal lawns, statuary and fine trees. There is a spectacular avenue of Wellingtonia, which are giant sequoias, now 150 years old. Overnight in Limerick.

DAY 04: LIMERICK / KERRY

We will leave Limerick and follow the coastal route until we reach a very charming and romantic place: Glin Castle Pleasure Grounds and Walled Garden. Beautifully situated on the river Shannon estuary, this 1785 Georgian house became Glin Castle when crenellations and Gothic details were added in 1820’s. It contains a unique collection of Irish paintings, Irish furniture and decorative arts. The pleasure grounds and park were planted with beech, oak and yew at the end of the 18th century. The walled garden’s grey stone walls are lined with fig trees, pears and clematis. The gardens of Glin, with their combination of a riverside setting, amphitheatre of trees and fruits and vegetables walled gardens, are typical representations of the gardens of Ireland.

At the end of your tour of the gardens, you can relax and enjoy a morning tea & scones at the Castle Gate Coffee shop, which was the Castle Lodge House, on the outskirts of the property. In the afternoon, we will arrive to Kerry where we will discover some spectacular gardens in the Killarney National Park. Muckross Gardens are located in one of the most beautiful natural settings found in Ireland. The grass lawns resemble beautiful green carpets and the size of the rhododendrons among other plants will astonish you. Muckross House, built in 1843 by the Herbert Family, in Elizabethan style, is one of the most graceful and elegant residences of Ireland.

Overnight in Kerry.

DAY 05: KERRY (Dingle Peninsula)

The Dingle Peninsula is the most northern of the Kerry peninsulas. Rough and wild, but also still agricultural, it remains attached to traditions. The road, boarded by astonishing tall fuchsias, brings you to Dingle, a thriving fishing town. The discovery of the peninsula continues along the Eagle Mount and the sheer cliffs of Slea Head. Here the blue of the marine landscape surrounds the Blaskets Islands, deserted since 1953, and in the distance are the two rocky Skellig Islands, where the ruins of an early Christian Monastery can be found. The Dingle peninsula is an area of great charm with its villages painted in bright colors and its dramatic and beautiful landscapes.

En route, you will also have the opportunity to visit Gallarus Oratory. Built without any mortar and dating from the 9th century, this oratory has remained intact throughout the centuries due to the quality of the stone work. Resembling a boat turned upside down, this oratory was used by the monks to pray. This site is very popular. Overnight in Kerry.

DAY 06: KERRY / KILKENNY

Today you will be leaving this magnificent county, which the locals call ’the Kingdom’ and you will travel north east to Kilkenny. In the morning you will visit Annes Grove Gardens. These gardens are graciously romantic. Laid out in the early 20th century, although they are Robinsonian in style (like Mount Usher’s), they also incorporate 18th century ’ornamented glen’ and landscape. In the woodland area you will see a great collection of rhododendrons, magnolias, rare trees and shrubs. There is also a walled garden with rose beds. This garden is a very secret one, narrow winding paths will bring you to surprising places. This is a very beautiful garden lesser known and off the beaten track.

Continue on to Kilkenny, the medieval city. Capital of the county and called ’the marble city’, Kilkenny is the most interesting and best preserved of the medieval Irish cities. It owes its immense charm to the different monuments such as the impressive ’Butler?? Castle’, built on the banks of the Nore river or the remarkable St. Canice’s Cathedral, the second largest of the country. Walk through the narrow and winding, little streets, typically medieval, and you will discover its secret charms.

Free time to discover the pleasures of the city or optional visit at the end of the day of the Kilkenny Castle, which was built on the site of a fort founded by Strongbow and was the principal residence of the Butler Family for 600 years. Rebuilt and modified throughout the centuries, you will visit the superb Victorian style apartments. The Long Gallery shows an interesting collection of paintings. Surrounding the castle is a park of 50 hectares.

Overnight in Kilkenny.

DAY 07: KILKENNY / DUBLIN

The last day of your visit will bring you back to the capital City. However you still have some great discoveries to do. The first one will be the Altamont Gardens, Tullow in County Carlow. They are large and beautiful old gardens, both formal and informal with lawns and clipped yews going down towards a lake. The particularity of the gardens is the profusion of roses, old fashioned and modern types. Beyond the lake, you will discover a glen, carpeted with bluebells and ferns.

Before returning to Dublin, you will be able to stop at one of Ireland’s award-winning garden centers to allow you to bring home some seeds or some small plants. Jo"

Contact Info.:
Newport Beach, California, United States

Phone: + 1 (949) 724-0911
4500 Campus Drive, Suite 440
Newport Beach, CA 92660 USA