DAY 1 – DUBLIN, IRELAND
Welcome to Dublin. On arrival at Dublin airport make your way to the Arrivals Hall to meet our representative, followed by a transfer to our group hotel. At the hotel, visit our hospitality desk in the lobby to meet our team who will provide you with useful information regarding pre-embarkation procedures and about your time in Dublin. You will also receive cabin tags for your luggage. Please clearly label the tags with your name and your cabin number on the ship.
This evening offers time to relax in preparation for your ‘day out in Dublin’ tomorrow. Your group hotel has a popular restaurant and is close to plenty of corner pubs and cosy restaurants should you wish to ‘share a jar’ or try some local cuisine.
Accommodation: Dublin Hotel (or similar)
DAY 2 – DUBLIN, IRELAND
Dublin, the vibrant capital of Ireland, is a city brimming with energy and resilience. Once under British rule, Dublin has emerged with a distinct sense of identity, leading Ireland as a proud member of the European Union and reflecting its evolving role in modern Europe. The city has been home to some of the world’s most influential literary figures, including Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, W.B. Yeats, and George Bernard Shaw. Iconic landmarks such as Trinity College, home to the esteemed Book of Kells, highlight its storied past, while the city also serves as a hub of artistic and cultural expression, with global musicians like U2, whose impact resonates from their Dublin roots, having invigorated its creative scene. Dublin’s vibrant pub culture offers a lively social fabric, where traditional and contemporary influences merge to create a city to explore both day and night.
Choose your favourite ‘Your Choice’ experience for a morning full of all things Irish. Your evening is a welcome to our fellow explorers and a celebration of all things Irish as you kick up your heels at an authentic traditional Irish dancing show, accompanied by delicious Irish Welcome dinner.
Personalise your exploration with an included ‘Your Choice’ experiences.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Welcome Reception (canapes).
DAY 3 – EMBARKATION (WATERFORD)
After breakfast, travel to Kilkenny for a visit to Kilkenny Castle en route to the Douglas Mawson.
Considered Ireland’s best preserved medieval city, Kilkenny mixes small town intimacy with a big city buzz. The former home to the seat of the medieval Irish parliaments, it rivalled Dublin in importance which is evident in its imposing Norman buildings and marble-clad facades, even today.
You make your way further south to the county’s namesake, Waterford. Known as the city where culture meets the ‘craic’ (that is Irish for a good time), Waterford is a modern city with a layered history. Invaded by the Norsemen in 914, Waterford became a Viking settlement, which is reflected in its people even today. It emerged from the Middle Ages as a trading port with the wealth from goods that came from as far away as Newfoundland, the profits of which funded the construction of the many Georgian Mansions that line the city’s streets. A town for those who enjoy a good stroll, Waterford is easy on the eye, offers plenty to see and as its reputation suggests, is full of fun. Your time here is free to stroll this easily navigated city, before transferring to the Douglas Mawson.
This evening, you complete an important safety briefing, before enjoying a ‘Welcome aboard’ dinner, where you meet your crew and Aurora Expeditions team.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 4 – CORK
Once a port town, always a port town, Cork sits proudly on an island in the middle of the Lee River. Surrounded by water, the city’s salty air tells the story of Irish emigration, with its historical harbour of Cobh and shores of Kinsale, famed as the port of boarding for the Irish who left for foreign lands. If your ancestors are Irish, there is a high chance they came through Cork. Today, the city has a flair for great gigs and modernised traditional dishes and is considered an Irish food mecca that is centred around its restored 18th-century English Market.
The morning shore excursions offer you the opportunity to ‘get the gift of the gab’ or follow those Irish who left their homeland for foreign shores. This afternoon, aboard the Douglas Mawson, we’ll indulge in a quintessential Irish experience with a private whiskey tasting. More than just a spirit, this ‘saintly’ brew embodies Ireland’s essence.
DAY 5 – BANTRY & THE RING OF KERRY
You arrive at Bantry Bay and tender to shore. The harbourside town of Bantry is the gateway to the touring route known as the Wild Atlantic Way. It is easy to see why Ireland’s colour of choice for everything is green, from its national sporting uniforms to its flag, as we drive the famed Ring of Kerry, tread the trails of Whiddy Island or explore the Beara Peninsula, surrounded by the lush grass covered hills and dales of the Emerald Isle. For those choosing a morning excursion, Bantry itself is small enough for a comfortable stroll in the afternoon, with artisan shops, friendly cafes and, of course, plenty of pubs to try a local brew.
The wild beauty of Irelands western coast is on show today, along with the life it offered, past and present. Here you meet small town Ireland with an insight into a different side to the Irish.
This evening, you will be going ashore to meet them on an Irish night out. To be sure there will be music, singing and plenty of storytelling or this simply would not be Ireland.
Personalise your exploration with our included ‘Your Choice’ experiences.
DAY 6 – DINGLE & SKELLIG ISLANDS
It is time to join the breakfast club this morning as you sail at sunrise towards the Skellig Islands. Off the coast of County Kerry, two rocky pinnacles rise from the Atlantic Ocean. The Skellig Islands are world-renowned for their ornithological and archaeological significance. Skellig Michael is the site of a well-preserved monastic outpost of the Early Christian period and is now designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Little Skellig is equally renowned in matters of ornithology. As the home of 27,000 pairs of gannets, it is the second largest colony of such seabirds in the world.
Once described by National Geographic Traveller as ‘the most beautiful place on earth’, Dingle is away from the general ‘tourist route’, affording us exclusive access to the wild west coast. Traditionally a fishing port, Dingle Harbour is where you anchor and tender into town. Known for its rugged scenery, dramatic cliffs and sandy beaches, the surrounding promontory is the coastal heart of County Kerry, while Dingle itself has a bohemian flair and is famous for its hardware pubs where you can enjoy a brew and buy wares. Enjoy lunch onboard before tendering ashore to experience a slice of Ireland’s rural lifestyle, while viewing the wild side of the country and the Irish who call County Kerry home.
Personalise your exploration with the included ‘Your Choice’ experiences.
DAY 7 – CLIFFS OF MOHER & GALWAY
The breakfast club meets again this morning as you sail the fabled Cliffs of Moher. Towering over the West Clare coast, the Cliffs of Moher are best seen in the early morning from the sea. Visually spectacular, they sit astride the striking landscape of the Burren on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. At a height of over 200 metres at O’Brien’s Tower, and following the coast for almost 13 kilometres, these ancient cliffs were formed over 320 million years ago, and today form part of the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark. Enjoy a slow sail along the cliff face, before inching into Galway Bay and tendering to Galway town.
This popular west coast seaside town of Galway attracts a steady flow of local visitors. The Irish come here to walk its long promenade and as tradition dictates, kick the walls end for good luck, enjoy fish and chips straight from the newspaper and, of course, ‘go on the gargle’ in its cosy pubs.
Personalise your exploration with our included ‘Your Choice’ experiences.
DAY 8 – KILLYBEGS & SLIEVE LEAGUE CLIFFS
The fishing village of Killybegs is gateway to the rugged beauty of Slieve League Cliffs and the dramatic backdrop of Ireland’s own Table Mountain, Ben Bulben. Jutting out of Sligo’s northern edge, the peninsula of Mullaghmore pokes into the North Atlantic. Land and sea meet in confluence along the coast of County Sligo, a landscape of jagged mountain peaks that inspired the work of Nobel-winning poet William Butler Yeats. You sail into the harbour of Killybegs early afternoon with time to explore the nearby cliffs and their cliffside walk or learn about sustainable whiskey distilling at the family owned and operated Adara Distillery.
Personalise your exploration with our included ‘Your Choice’ experiences.
DAY 9 – LONDONDERRY, NORTHERN IRELAND
Your overnight sailing takes us to Northern Ireland, and the fascinating city of Londonderry. Simply known as Derry to the Nationalist (Catholic) population but still referred to as Londonderry by the Unionist (Protestant) population, this ‘border’ town has seen it all. The sectarian ‘Troubles’ of this predominantly Nationalist city may have blemished its reputation, but in recent years these tensions have eased, and although some suburbs retain their sense of division, strolling the streets is safe and the general population are happy to share stories of their stormy past and ambitious future. We come alongside on the river Foyle, the now open, natural border between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Choose to ‘stay in town’ to hear the city’s fascinating story, or head north to the coast to follow fables of giants and failed dynasties.
Personalise your exploration with our included ‘Your Choice’ experiences.
DAY 10 – DISEMBARK BELFAST to DUBLIN
It is fair to say Belfast has endured its share of turbulent times. Famines, disease, invasions and recessions have painted a picture of a resilient city, but it was the more recent period known as ‘The Troubles’ that defined its image of division. Barbed wire, armed soldiers, and constant bomb searches kept tourists away. Today, however, Belfast has transformed, thanks to open political dialogue and foreign investment. The city feels lighter, as if a heavy burden has been lifted from its shoulders.
Your day in Belfast is filled with stories of the workers who toiled for 14 hours a day to build the world’s most glamorous ship, the Titanic, the employment it created, and the race to finish her. Had they taken their time, would things have been different for the Titanic? Located on the site where the ship was built, the dockyard’s Titanic Experience may answer a few of our questions. From the dockyards, your tour skips ahead to the days of ‘The Troubles’ as we are guided through Unionist and Nationalist neighbourhoods. The occasional security gate is a reminder that the island is still contested, but nowadays the city is split into seven virtual quarters, or cultural zones; Cathedral Quarter, Titanic Quarter, the Gaeltacht Quarter, Smithfield Market and Library Quarter, Linen Quarter, Market Quarter and Queen’s Quarter, rather than walled ones. We peek at Belfast’s ‘quarters’ before turning south and returning to Dublin for our final night in Ireland’s capital, where you gather for a Farewell Event this evening.
Accommodation: Dublin Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Farewell Event – snacks and canapes
DAY 11 – DUBLIN
After breakfast, we bid farewell to all the Irish who have shared their stories with us, past and present, with a smile on our face and a story on our lips. An airport transfer shared with your fellow explorers is included for your onward flight.
Meals Included: Breakfast
