Ireland’s Southern Coast

(B)= Breakfast, (L)= Lunch, (R)=Reception, (D)= Dinner

Tuesday, September 3, 2024: Depart home
Depart home on independent flights to Dublin, Ireland.

Wednesday, September 4: Arrive Dublin, Ireland | Killiney: Walking tour | Welcome reception
Upon arrival at Dublin Airport (DUB), meet your host and tour manager at the airport and transfer to our hotel. After a light lunch, enjoy a leisurely stroll around the beautiful Killiney Hill, with superb views across Dublin Bay. Return to our hotel and gather this evening for a welcome reception and dinner hosted by your lecturer. Overnight at the 4-star Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel for two nights. (L,R,D)

Thursday, September 5: Dublin: Walking tour, National Museum of Ireland, EPIC, Traditional pub dinner
Take a guided walking tour of Dublin this morning. Founded as a Viking settlement, the Kingdom of Dublin became Ireland’s principal city following the Norman invasion. The city expanded rapidly beginning in the 17^th century, and was briefly the second largest city in the British Empire before the Acts of Union in 1800. Following the partition of Ireland in 1922, Dublin became the capital of the Irish Free State. Your host will guide you through the National Museum of Ireland, which tells the story of the habitation of Ireland through the artifacts discovered. After lunch we visit the wonderful EPIC, The Irish Emigration Museum, which beautifully tells the story of the Irish diaspora—the 70 million people worldwide who claim Irish descent! If you have any Irish ancestry, you can explore it here. In the early evening, enjoy dinner and traditional music in an Irish pub, before returning to our hotel. (B,L,D)

Friday, September 6: Ferns: St. Mary’s Abbey, Ferns Castle | Ferrycarrig: The Irish National Heritage Park | Wexford
This morning we travel south along the east coast to Ferns, the ancient capital of Leinster and seat of Diarmait MacMurragh, the 12^th-century King of Leinster. Visit St. Mary’s Abbey, site of a major research program, “Discovering Medieval Ferns,” co-led by your lecturer/host. The project investigated the two major phases of monasticism in the town (in the 6^th and 12^th centuries). From here, visit Ferns Castle, built by William Marshal in the early 13^th century, before enjoying the interactive “Medieval Ferns Experience.” After lunch in a local pub, continue to The Irish National Heritage Park in Ferrycarrig. This beautiful, 35-acre, open-air museum is an excellent complement to yesterday’s National Museum visit, as it depicts key stages in Ireland’s past through reconstructions from each period of 9,000 years of history, from the prehistoric through Norman periods. The highlight of the park is undoubtedly a visit to the “Digging and Building the Lost Town of Carrig Projects,” site of a second major research project co-led by your lecturer/host. The project excavated the first Anglo-Norman fortification built in Ireland, and through a program of experimental archaeology reconstructed key aspects of life in the castle. We will be joined for the day at Ferns and Carrig by the projects’ co-founder and principal investigator, Dr. Denis Shine, who will tell you firsthand about the many exciting discoveries made at the sites. Continue to Wexford, where we check-in to our hotel and then gather for dinner this evening. Overnight at the 4-star Ferrycarrig Hotel for two nights. (B,L,D)

Saturday, September 7: Hook Peninsula: Lighthouse, Tintern Abbey | Wexford
This morning we visit the very southeastern corner of Ireland, the Hook Peninsula, starting with a visit to Hook Head, home to the world’s oldest operational, fully intact lighthouse (at over 800 years old), set in a dramatic landscape. Afterwards, we drive the short distance to Tintern Abbey, a Cistercian abbey founded ca. 1200, where several important ruins survive, including parts of the nave, chancel, tower, chapel, and cloister. Enjoy lunch, tour the ruins, and walk in the beautiful Victorian gardens. Travel back to the town of Wexford; founded by the Vikings in the 9^th century, it was a hugely important seaport for centuries, making it an important town in the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169. Now a busy little town, traces of its checkered past are visible to the keen eye. Enjoy the evening and dinner at leisure in the town. (B,L)

Sunday, September 8: Dunbrody Famine Ship | New Ross | Waterford: House of Waterford (Crystal) | Faithlegg
Today we head westward to County Waterford, where our first stop is the Dunbrody Famine Ship. We take a guided tour of this authentic reproduction of an 1840s emigrant vessel that provides a world-class interpretation of the famine emigrant experience. Afterwards, we visit the nearby Ros Tapestry exhibit in New Ross. Conceived in 1998 and being developed by over 150 dedicated volunteers, the 15 large, embroidered panels of the Ros Tapestries depict events around the Anglo-Norman arrival in the southeast of Ireland, especially the founding of the town of New Ross by the famous Norman knight William Marshal and his wife, Isabel de Clare. From here, we continue to the Viking city of Waterford, where we have lunch and visit the House of Waterford to learn about the world-famous craft of hand-blown crystal. End our day’s journey at our hotel in Faithlegg, County Waterford, with dinner. Overnight at the 4-star Faithlegg Hotel for two nights. (B,L,D)

Monday, September 9: Ardmore: Walking tour | Faithlegg
Today we drive to Ardmore, where our walking tour will include visits to the Early Christian monastery, one of the earliest monastic sites in Ireland, probably founded by St. Declan sometime in the 5^th century A.D. The monastery was built to overlook the Irish Sea, and today it contains a wide range of archaeological features including an impressive 12^th-century round tower, an early stone oratory, a ruined 12^th-century cathedral, and two inscribed ogham stones possibly dating to the 6^th century. After a picnic lunch (weather permitting), we explore some “hidden” archaeology and history of the area before returning to our hotel in Faithlegg for dinner. (B,L,D)

Tuesday, September 10: Cork: Walking tour, PM at leisure
This morning we continue our journey westward to Cork, the rebel county of Ireland. After a short walking tour of the city, enjoy some free time and dinner under your own arrangements. Overnight at the 4-star The River Lee Hotel for two nights. (B,L)

Wednesday, September 11: Kinsale: Walking tour, Charles Fort | Cork
This morning we take a short drive to the beautiful fishing port of Kinsale, where we will explore the town by foot, at a leisurely pace with numerous stops. After lunch we visit the spectacular Charles Fort, a wonderful example of a star-shaped, 17^th-century fort. As one of the largest military installations in the country, Charles Fort has been associated with some of the most momentous events in Irish history, the most significant of which were the Williamite Wars (1689-91) and the Civil War (1922-23). Afterwards, we enjoy dinner at a traditional pub before returning to our hotel in Cork. (B,L,D)

Thursday, September 12: Drombeg Stone Circle | Baltimore
Our journey westward continues with a leisurely drive to the seaside town of Baltimore, in West Cork. Along the way, explore the archaeology of the region, which includes numerous sites from every period of Irish prehistory and history. Perhaps the highlight of the day will be the Bronze Age Drombeg Stone Circle. Drombeg is probably Ireland’s most famous stone circle, consisting of 17 pillar stones that are graded from the two large portal stones, each nearly seven feet high, at the northeast towards the recumbent stone to the southeast. By late afternoon we will have reached the picturesque seaside town of Baltimore, where we check-in to our hotel and gather for dinner. Overnight at the 3-star The Waterfront Hotel for two nights. (B,L,D)

Friday, September 13: Sherkin Island | Baltimore
Today we complete our journey to the southwestern tip of Ireland with a short ferry trip to Sherkin Island. Historically called Inisherkin, Sherkin is rich in archaeological remains dating from the Bronze Age through the later medieval period, including the remains of a Bronze Age wedge tomb, Iron Age promontory forts, and substantial medieval remains such as a Franciscan friary, the Mainster Inis Arcain, and Dun-na-Long Castle. After touring the island, we will return to Baltimore for dinner. (B,L,D)

Saturday, September 14: Killarney National Park | The Ring of Kerry | Killarney
The last stop on our journey in the southwest of Ireland is Killarney National Park, County Kerry, which we will reach via one of the most scenic drives in Ireland. There will be frequent stops along the way to visit off-the-beaten-track archaeological treasures and view breathtaking landscapes. This includes a beautiful walk along the Copper Mines Trail of Ross Island. Excavated by Prof. Billy O’Brien, the mines are situated in a beautiful bay opening out to Lough Leane. A stony shoreline opens up on a spectacular vista of the Torc and Mangerton Mountains, beyond the southern shores of the lake. This part of Ross Island has seen mining activity take place as far back as the Bronze Age right up until the 19^th century. Our walk will end at Ross Castle, a 15^th-century tower house and keep, the ancestral home of the O’Donoghue clan. Overnight at the 5-star Aghadoe Heights Hotel & Spa. (B,L,D)

Sunday, September 15: Rock of Cashel | Portmarnock, Dublin | Farewell dinner
This morning we return to Dublin, stopping along the way at the iconic Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary. The Rock of Cashel (Carraig Phádraig), more formally known as St. Patrick’s Rock, is also known as Cashel of the Kings, reputedly the site of the conversion of Aenghus the King of Munster by St. Patrick in the 5^th century A.D. Long before the Norman invasion The Rock of Cashel was the seat of the High Kings of Munster, although there is little structural evidence of their time here. Most of the buildings on the current site date from the 12^th and 13^th centuries, when the rock was gifted to the Church. The buildings represent both Hiberno-Romanesque and Germanic influences in their architecture. After lunch, we will complete our journey to Dublin, check-in to our hotel in the coastal suburb of Portmarnock, and gather for a farewell dinner. Overnight at the 4-star The Portmarnock Resort. (B,L,D)

Monday, September 16: Fly home
Transfer as a group (time TBD) to Dublin Airport (DUB) for independent flights homeward. (B)