Drew University Ireland Tour 2004

Cost
Air and ground travel, three- and four-star hotel accomodation, 18 meals and admission to over 30 attractions
for only $2949 per person/double if you deposit-$500-by February 1st!
After February 1st cost is $3199 per person/double
(Single room supplement is $600)

Contact information
For more information, please contact
Tour Director
Dr. Bill Rogers
wrogers@drew.edu
or
Assistant Tour Director
Terrie McCoy
tmccoy@drew.edu

Flight information
June 20, 2004 Depart from Newark Liberty Airport on Continental Airlines flight 22. Departs Newark at 8:20p.m. New Jersey time. Arrives in Dublin at 7:45a.m. Dublin time.

July 3, 2004 Depart from Shannon Airport on Continental Airlines flight 25. Departs Shannon at 10:00a.m. Shannon time. Arrives in Newark at 12:05p.m. New Jersey time.

Hotel Details
Note: When calling or faxing from the United States to Ireland, the international code is as follows: Dial 011 353 and drop the zero on the area code. Ireland time is five hours "ahead" of New Jersey time.

June 21, 22, 23 Lansdowne Hotel 27-29 Pembroke Road Ballsbridge, Dublin Tel 01-668-2522 Fax 01-558-5585 Email: lanhotel@iol.ie
June 24, 25 Radisson Hotel, Limavady Portrush, Co. Antrim Tel 44 (0)28 777 22222 Fax 44 (0)28 777 22313 Email: reservations@radissonroepark.com
June 26, 27 The Great Northern Hotel Bundoran, Co. Donegal Tel: 353(0)71 9841204 Fax: 353(0)71 41100 Email: reservations@greatnorthernhotel.com
June 28, 29 Galway Bay Hotel The Promenade, Salthill, Galway Tel: 353 (0)91 520520 Fax: 353 (0)91 520530 Email: info@galwaybayhotel.net
June 30, July 1 Temple Gate Hotel The Square Ennis, Co. Clare Tel: 353 (0)65 682 3300 Fax: 353 (0)65 682 3322 Email: info@templegatehotel.com

June 20 (Sunday)- United States to Dublin
Depart Newark airport. Arrive Dublin June 21 in the morning.

Evening Option- Go to see The Shaughran by Dion Boucicault at the Abbey Theatre , Ireland's National Theatre. Dion Boucicault is sometimes described as the father of modern Irish theatre. The Shaughran is described as a highly entertaining, melodramatic play, The Shaughraun is a combination of a rollicking farce, a fish-out-of-water comedy and a gentle morality play. The dastardly Corey Kinchela, the forces of the crown and a liberal dose of nineteenth century Fenian politics contrive to keep the various lovers apart. But in the end love will triumph with more than a little help from Conn the Shaughraun and his faithful dog Tatters. William Butler Yeats and Lady Gregory founded this famous acting company of the Abbey Theatre in 1904. Now housed in a modern building, the Abbey specializes in performances by Irish playwrights, both classical and modern. (Cost not included in package.)

June 22 (Tuesday)- Day 2 - Glendalough, Avondale House
Tour of Wicklow, including Glendalough, a magical place. An ancient monastic site, settled beside two dark lakes in a deep valley. The monastery dates from the 6th century, founded by St. Kevin. This grew to become a monastic city attracting thousands of students and teachers from all over Europe.

Visit Powerscourt Estate: site of one of the most beautiful gardens in Ireland.

Evening: CLASS SESSION; head to the Abbey Tavern for dinner and a traditional ballad session. The drive to Howth, a suburb on the north side of the city will offer great views of Dublin Bay. Built on the site of an old abbey, this pub has been in business for over 200 years.

June 23 (Wednesday) - Day 3- Dublin Castle, General Post Office, Kilmainham Gaol
AM - Tour Dublin Castle, dating from the 13th century. The castle was built on an earlier Viking site. Built as a Castle, it was once a prison and, as home to the viceroy, was the center of British rule in Ireland. Next visit the G.P.O. (General Post Office), the central scene of the Easter Rising of 1916, the start of Ireland's War of Independence. Finally, tour Kilmainham Gaol, where many of the great figures of Irish history were imprisoned and some executed, especially after the 1916 uprising.

PM-FREE AFTERNOON IN DUBLIN with option to tour Guinness Brewery. Alternate option is to tour the National Museum with Colleen Dube, a Drew CLA alumnae and her husband, the museum's Military History Curator.

June 24 (Thursday) - Day 4- Tara, St. Patrick's Trian, Limavady
AM-Travel north to the Hill of Tara, ancient site of High Kings of Ireland. Tara is best known as the seat of early Irish high kings and great open-air assemblies in the early centuries just before and after Christ.

AFTERNOON - Visit Armagh, seat of St. Patrick, stopping at St. Patrick's Trian., a three part heritage centre. Start with a walk-through tour of "The Armagh Story," then enter an audio-visiual theatre to see a 20 minute film, Belief, which profiles the many types of beliefs held by humanity. The final segment is "The Land of Lilliput," a hands on exploration of Jonathan Swift's world as outlined in his book Gulliver's Travels, which was partly written in Armagh. Continue on to Limavady.

June 25 (Friday)- Day 5 - Giants Causeway, Bushmills
AM- Travel through the "Nine Glens of Antrim" to Giants Causeway , a naturally occurring geographic phenomenon which draws visitors from all over the world every year. Tens of thousands of hexagonal and octagonal columns, formed in prehistoric times from cooling lava, line the sea's edge here. Legend has it that the giant warrior/poet Fionn Mac Cumhaill (Finn MacCool) made the Giants Causeway by throwing rocks in the sea in order to make a path across to Scotland. Some say he made this path in order to challenge Benandonner, a Scottish giant, while others say that Fionn's intention was to retrieve a lady giant from the Scottish side. Take a Jittney Bus to get a better view.

PM-Visit Bushmills Distillery, dating to 1276, oldest in the world. Learn about the distilling process and sample some of the finished prduct.

June 26 (Saturday)- Day 6 - Derry
AM- Depart Antrim; travel to Derry and spend day touring city. Visit the Tower Museum, an award winning heritage centre that depicts the Story of Derry through a series of exhibits, life-size figures, holograms, tableaux, audio-visual displays, historical artifacts and re-enactments. Next visit The Fifth Province, a multistage high-tech tour through time- past, present and future drawing from remote legends of a fifth province at the navel of ancient Ireland. The idea here is to imagine a once and future Ireland untroubled and unified.

Evening - Travel to Bundoran, Co. Donegal, a lovely seaside resort on the Donegal Bay.

June 27 (Sunday)- Day 7 - Donegal, Sligo, Yeats Country
AM- Visit Donegal town, exploring Donegal Castle, which incorporates the gabled tower of a 15th century house built by the O'Donnell family. Partially restored, the castle reflects a long and turbulent history. Next, visit Donegal Craft Village, a craft-producing complex that reconstitutes the true atmosphere and creative invironment of Donegal's cottage industries. Drive along the coast of Donegal Bay to visit the Drumcliffe Visitor Centre located in a former church. Here you can learn about the importance of monasteries in the early Christian period.

PM- Travel to Sligo Town and Yeats Country, stopping at the gravesite of W. B. Yeats in the shadow of Benulben Mountain and other sites associated with the great author. Spend time strolling through the lovely streets of Sligo Town.

Evening - CLASS SESSION; Special party at Brennan's Criterion Bar, voted on of Ireland's 100 best traditional pubs!

June 28 (Monday)- Day 8 - Famine Museum, Galway
AM- Stop at the Famine Museum in Strokestown, Co. Roscommon. The museum is located at Strokestown Park House, which dates from the 17th century. This fine mansion shows the lifestyle of the affluent owners and also the conditions of the servants and farmers of the area during the past centuries, particularly during the Great Hunger of 1845-1852. Over a million Irish died and a million emigrated during the course of these tragic years. The Museum of the Famine shows a large collection of documents relating to conditions of this dreadful time.

June 29 (Tuesday)- Day 9 - Connemara, Cong, Spiddal
AM- Visit Teach an Phiarsaigh, the museum converted from the summer cottage home of Irish patriot and poet, Patrick Pearse.

Travel to Cong, location for the filming of the movie The Quiet Man in 1952with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, and see places associated with the movie. Pass through Connemara, a region of astounding beauty and barrenness.

PM- Visit holiday resort village of Spiddal, located in the Gaeltacht (Irish speaking) section of Ireland, with its fine sandy beach, craftspeople, Irish music makers, and other creative minds visualizing ideas through the Irish language. Shop at Spiddal Craft Center, a complex of workshops producing a variety of crafts not generally available in other retail shops - a working craft centre and art gallery where latter-day artisans fashion items inspired by the beauty and heritage of the region.

June 30 (Wednesday)- Day 10- The Burren
AM- Drive around the shores of Galway Bay. Tour the Burren, one of the most striking physical features in the whole of Ireland, filled with limestone hills where many rare flowers thrive in the sheltered crevices. Visit the amazing Poulnabrone dolmen, or Portal tomb, in the Burren, one of the finest examples of Portal Tombs in Ireland. Portal Tombs were the ancient burial grounds in times long gone. These tombs usually have two imposing portals or entrance stones flanking the front of a relatively small rectangular chamber. The capstone, which sometimes rests just on the end stone and on the portal stones, is often very large. The dramatic siting of the 6,000 year old Poulnabrone Dolmen, on the limestone pavements can make as much impact on one's senses as the most famous piece of modern sculptures. . Stop in Doolin, a remote fishing village that is famed as a haunt for Irish traditional musicians.

AM- Spend morning touring Ennis and visiting area attractions, including De Valera Museum, dedicated to Irish President Eamon de Valera. Then visit Ennis Friary, the town's prime national monument. Next, take a tour of Dysert O'Dea Castle. Built on a rocky outcrop of land in 1480 by Diarmuid O'Dea, this tower house is now an archaeology centre and museum, depicting the history of the area.

PM- Go to Bunratty to visit the Castle and Folk Park where 19th century dwellings, workshops and an entire village street have been reconstructed. The Castle dates from 1425, built upon the site of a Viking fortified settlement. A complete restoration has been carried out on the Castle, which now holds a fine collection of 14th and 15th century furniture.

EVENING: FAREWELL ANQUET at Bunratty. Enjoy a medieval style banquet served in the Great Hall of the 15th century castle, during which the lords and ladies of the castle will transport you in spirit to the Middle Ages with their songs and stories.

LATE EVENING OPTION for those over 18 years- Walk from the hotel to the Glor Irish Music Centre to hear Beo Trad – Séamus Begley and Jim Murray A fantastic night of lively jigs, slides and polkas from duo, Séamus Begley (accordion) and Jim Murray (guitar). This duo's most recent CD was voted Best Traditional Album of the Year by The Irish Times. One review says, "If it's a shot in the arm you're after, Begley and Murray are the men to call on. A native of Cuas, at the foot of Mount Brandon, Begley seems to have successfully married all the wilderness of West Kerry with a sublime talent for the feather light touch, when required. Jim Murray live life in a lower key, but his accompaniment is never less that pristine. Dancing eyebrows, a sense of humour that's never less than surreal, and a penchant for wild tunes and magnificent songs makes this pair unmissable. A welcome return to the fray that'll surely sate the heartiest of trad appetites - and then some."