Ireland 2025

REGISTER HERE

• Double Occupancy $4,250  p/p
• Private Room: + $1,400

• Non-refundable deposit of      $300 pp is due at registration

• Final balance due by:                Friday, June 13, 2025
   

• Roundtrip transatlantic flights
• Services of a professional tour guide/driver
• Daily Holy Mass
•  All breakfasts & 5 dinners
• Afternoon Tea at Lough Eske Castle
• Dinner & Show Local Restaurant
• Tour and tasting at Old Bushmills Distillery
• Deluxe motor-coach for scheduled transfers and sightseeing
• Whisper Sets (Audio Headsets)
• First-class accommodations at all hotels
• Admission fees for all included sightseeing
• Porterage for one suitcase per person 
• Service charges, government fees
• Tips for Driver/Guide, hotels
   

• Grand Central Hotel, Belfast

• Lough Eske Castle

• Park House Hotel, Galway City

• Trinity City Hotel, Dublin

September 22 - October 2, 2025

Spiritual Director:  Rev. Stephen Sansevere, Diocese of Trenton

Day 1.  Monday, September 22: Transatlantic flight to Dublin, Ireland 

Day 2.  Tuesday, September 23:  Dublin, Downpatrick, Belfast 
Welcome to Ireland! Upon arrival in Dublin, you will be greeted at the airport by your Driver-Guide and will begin your journey towards Belfast.  Our first stop will be to the Saint Patrick Center, the only permanent exhibition in the world about the Patron Saint.  View interactive displays on the life and story of Saint Patrick.  Before lunch, we’ll celebrate Mass.  After lunch on your own, you will visit the grave site of Saint Patrick.  We depart Downpatrick and begin our journey into Belfast.  Upon our arrival at the hotel, we’ll begin with a ‘Welcome to Belfast’ drink in the Observatory Bar of our hotel.  Dinner and overnight in Belfast. (D)

Day 3. Wednesday, September 24:  Belfast, Antrim 
After breakfast, we will begin our day with a tour to the North Antrim Coast.  Along the way, we will celebrate Mass at a local church this morning.  Next is the Giants Causeway.  Renowned for its hexagonal columns of layered basalt, the Giant’s Causeway in the only World Heritage site in Northern Ireland.  Resulting from a volcanic eruption 60 million years ago, this is a focal point of a designated area of outstanding natural beauty and has attracted visitors for centuries.  After a stop for lunch on our own, we will make our way for a whisky tour and tasting at Old Bushmills Distillery.  The company that originally built the distillery was formed in 1784, although the date 1608 is printed on the label of the brand – referring to an earlier date when a royal license was granted to a local landowner to distill whiskey in the area.  After various periods of closure, the distillery has been in continuous operation since it was rebuilt after a fire in 1885.  We will return to Belfast for some free time before dinner on your own.  Overnight at the hotel in Belfast. (B)

Day 4. Thursday, September 25:  Belfast, Armagh 
This morning, following breakfast, we depart for Armagh.  Armagh is the county town of County Armagh and a city in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish.  It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Primates of all Ireland for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland.  In ancient times, nearby Navan Fort was a pagan ceremonial site and one of the great royal capitals of Gaelic Ireland.  Today, Armagh is home to two cathedrals (both named after Saint Patrick) and the Armagh Observatory and is known for its Georgian architecture.  We’ll celebrate Mass at the Catholic Cathedral.  After lunch on your own, we’ll have some free time to explore the city.  We return to Belfast for dinner and overnight.  (B)

Day 5. Friday, September 26:  Belfast, Donegal 
We depart after breakfast and begin our panoramic City Tour of Belfast that covers breathtaking architecture and feats of engineering, including the renowned Queen's University, the giant H&W cranes, Titanic's birthplace and Cathedral Quarter and Queen's Quarter. The tour takes in the dark Crumlin Road Gaol and the world-famous Belfast murals on the republican Falls road and the loyalist Shankill road. We continue to Donegal and will have Mass at a local parish.  We make our way to the Lough Eske Castle for dinner and overnight.  This castle has a long history which is wrapped in the story of Co. Donegal and Ireland.  Powerful 14th-century clans of Donegal the O’Donnell’s had their seat here, wealthy landowners ruled from here.  In 1861, the new Lough Eske Cast, as we know it today, was built on the site of the old Brooke Mansion.  (B, D)

Day 6. Saturday, September 27: Donegal 
After breakfast, we will travel to the town of Donegal for Mass and some time to explore.  Later this morning, we’ll visit Triona Design, for some shopping.  This afternoon, we’ll have Afternoon Tea at the Lough Eske Castle.  The remainer of the day is at your leisure.   (B, L)

Day 7. Sunday, September 28:  Donegal, Mayo, Galway 
After breakfast, our first stop today is Mass and a visit to the Our Lady of Knock Shrine.  The apparition occurred on August 21, 1879, and lasted for about 2 hours.  This Marian apparition at Knock is notable for a number of reasons; two of which are that of all the Marian apparitions, this was the first and only time when Mary did not appear by herself and the most notably of all – unlike the others, Mary did not speak one word and was silent. After a stop for lunch, on your own, we’ll continue to Galway where we’ll have some free time before dinner and overnight.   (B, D)

Day 8. Monday, September 29:  Galway 
We depart after breakfast for a full day tour of the circuit of Connemara.  Tour the loop of Connemara via Oughterard & Maam Cross.  This landscape is a mixture of rivers, lakes, woodlands, rich meadowlands, rugged hills, dramatic mountains and as you near the coast you’ll stumble across a stunning unpolluted coastline of sandy beaches and blue waters.  Afterwards, we will head to Glengowla Mines and Sheep Farm, where we’ll see a sheepdog demonstration.  Glengowla is home to a working sheep farm where the Geoghegan family have farmed for generations. The sheepdogs at Glengowla are an integral part of the farming family. Enjoy the atmosphere, scenery and pet the resident Connemara Ponies.  Glengowla Mines gets its name from the mine on the property, which was abandoned in 1865 in a world where miners struggled to make a living in the Irish Famine Era.  Mass today will be celebrated at Kylemore Abbey.  The story of Kylemore – both Castle and Abbey – is a truly remarkable one. The twists of fate which its occupants experienced, from moments of romance and happiness to sadness and courage have all combined to create a fascinating history spanning over 150 years. Kylemore is home to a community of nuns of the Benedictine Order who came here in 1920 after their abbey in Ypres, Belgium was destroyed in World War I. Settling at Kylemore, the Benedictine Community opened a world-renowned boarding school for girls and began restoring the Abbey, Gothic Church and Victorian Walled Garden to their former glory. We will return to Galway for a free evening and overnight.  (B)

Day 9. Tuesday, September 30:  Galway, Clare, Dublin 
We begin this morning with Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Galway and then continue onto the Cliffs of Moher.  The Cliffs of Moher, one of Ireland’s favorite visitor experiences, the Cliffs of Moher tower over the rugged west Clare coast. Walk through the safe, paved pathways and view the incredible Cliffs that sit on Europe’s most westerly tip and enjoy the spectacular vistas over the Atlantic Ocean and the Aran Islands. Their natural beauty has inspired artists, musicians, and poets for generations, as well as absorbing scientists and geologists, drawn by the unique landscape in which they sit.  We continue onto Dublin where we have our dinner and overnight.  (B, D)

Day 10. Wednesday, October 1:  Dublin 
After breakfast, we begin our day with a panoramic sightseeing tour of Dublin, including O’Connell Street, Phoenix Park, Leinster House, Ha'penny Bridge, Georgian Houses and Dublin Doors.  Next, we will visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  The Cathedral stands on the oldest Christian site in Dublin.  St. Patrick is said to have baptized converts to the Christian faith in a well which once existed north of the tower in the present park. A river at one time flowed around the cathedral. Because of its sacred association with St. Patrick, a church had stood here since the 5th century. In 1191 the Normans built another church in stone on this site. This was rebuilt in the first half of the 13th century and is the building we see today. The first university in Ireland was founded in St. Patrick’s in 1320 and continued for nearly 200 years.  We’ll have some free to explore the city before gathering for our farewell dinner that will include music and Irish dancing.  Overnight in Dublin. (B, D)

Day 11. Thursday, October 2:  Dublin 
We will depart for the Dublin Airport after breakfast and have our flight back to the USA.