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Summer 2005: Destination Ireland
Sep 21, 2004 8:00 AM
By Tannika King - Faculty
Darlington students, parents, faculty, friends and alumni are invited to kick off the summer with a 10-day tour of Ireland.
The trip will depart May 23 and return June 2, according to coordinator Donald Sweeney, Upper School science teacher. “Weather will play a part in our itinerary, but normally the weather is nice in May and June, so we hope to achieve all planned,” he said. “We will tour Cork, Killarney and Dublin, and hopefully all cycle The Black Valley and climb Carrantuohill, the highest mountain in Ireland. Of course, those who do not feel up to these activities may go sight-seeing instead.”
The group will arrive at Shannon Airport Tuesday, May 24, and travel to Bunratty Castle, Limerick City, Adare, Croom and Charleville on the way to Cork City, the European Culture Capital of 2005. Evening activities will include a tour of Cork’s nightlife and a walk by the River Lee.
Wednesday’s agenda will include Fota Wildlife Park and Cobh Heritage Center. Formerly called “Queenstown,” Cobh is the location from which the Titanic left port for the U.S. and the burial site of those who drowned in the sinking of the Lusitania. Lunch will follow at Douglas Shopping Center before an evening in Cork. Points of interest include Barrack Street, St. Finbarr’s Cathedral (the site of the foundation of the city by St. Finbarr in the fifth century), University College Cork, County Hall, Old Women’s Jail, the Shaky Bridge, Fitzgerald Park, the Shandon Bells, City Hall South Mall, North Main Street and various shops, clubs, theaters and cinemas.
The group will begin Thursday with breakfast in Bishopstown Shopping Center and a tour of Blarney Castle where they can kiss the Blarney Stone. The afternoon will be full of history, with a visit to the site of the Battle of Kinsale, Charles Fort and lunch in Kinsale, the oldest town in Ireland. After lunch, they will take a trip to the Old Head of Kinsale and back and possibly a sailing boat trip in the harbor.
Friday’s breakfast will be served in Roches Store’s Shopping Center, after which the group will visit Kilcrea Abbey (laid to ruins by Cromwell), Macroom (the location of William Penn’s former residence prior to his travel to Pennsylvania) and Kilnamartyra before lunch in Killarney. That evening, they will visit Torc Waterfall and Torc Mountain.
Saturday’s schedule includes a 40-mile cycle through Kate Kearney’s Cottage and the Black Valley, Moll’s Gap and Ladies View. The group will pack a lunch.
Sunday, they will visit Dingle Penninsula (where John Wayne made The Quiet Man), Slea Head and Conor Pass and eat lunch in Tralee (the site from which St Brendan is said to have sailed and reached America long before Columbus). In the evening, group members can visit Muckross House, Ross Castle and go boating on Ross Lake.
The travelers will test their athletic abilities on Monday by climbing Carrantuohill. This seven-hour climb will take travelers through Hag’s Glen, Hag’s Tooth, O’Shea’s Gulley and Devil’s Ladder. Participants will pack a lunch.
Tuesday’s agenda will include visits to the Rock of Cashel (where the High King of Ireland lived), Mitchelstown Caves (to see The Tower of Babel stalagmite) and Kilkenny Castle (also called “Marble City”) before ending up in Dublin.
Wednesday, the group will tour the city of Dublin. Points of interest include Grafton Street Park, O’Connell Street, Trinity College, Dublin Zoo, Dail Eireann (the Irish Parliament), Dublin Castle, Four Courts, Christ Church, the U.S. Embassy, Abbey Theatre, Peacock Theatre, Gate Theatre (next to the Garden of Remembrance), Olympia in Grafton Street, Brazen Head (the oldest pub from Viking times), St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Bank of Ireland and Wood Quay (the foundations of old Dublin built by the Vikings).
Thursday, June 2, the group will depart from Dublin Airport.
Cost is $2,100 per person, which includes insurance, transportation to and from the Atlanta airport, airfare, accommodations (three nights at Jury’s Inn in Cork, four nights at Scott’s Hotel in Killarney and two nights at Jury’s Inn in Dublin), transportation in Ireland, four breakfasts and four dinners.
A deposit of $250 is due by Oct. 15. Final payment is due in March. For information, please contact Sweeney at dsweeney@darlingtonschool.org.
The trip will depart May 23 and return June 2, according to coordinator Donald Sweeney, Upper School science teacher. “Weather will play a part in our itinerary, but normally the weather is nice in May and June, so we hope to achieve all planned,” he said. “We will tour Cork, Killarney and Dublin, and hopefully all cycle The Black Valley and climb Carrantuohill, the highest mountain in Ireland. Of course, those who do not feel up to these activities may go sight-seeing instead.”
The group will arrive at Shannon Airport Tuesday, May 24, and travel to Bunratty Castle, Limerick City, Adare, Croom and Charleville on the way to Cork City, the European Culture Capital of 2005. Evening activities will include a tour of Cork’s nightlife and a walk by the River Lee.
Wednesday’s agenda will include Fota Wildlife Park and Cobh Heritage Center. Formerly called “Queenstown,” Cobh is the location from which the Titanic left port for the U.S. and the burial site of those who drowned in the sinking of the Lusitania. Lunch will follow at Douglas Shopping Center before an evening in Cork. Points of interest include Barrack Street, St. Finbarr’s Cathedral (the site of the foundation of the city by St. Finbarr in the fifth century), University College Cork, County Hall, Old Women’s Jail, the Shaky Bridge, Fitzgerald Park, the Shandon Bells, City Hall South Mall, North Main Street and various shops, clubs, theaters and cinemas.
The group will begin Thursday with breakfast in Bishopstown Shopping Center and a tour of Blarney Castle where they can kiss the Blarney Stone. The afternoon will be full of history, with a visit to the site of the Battle of Kinsale, Charles Fort and lunch in Kinsale, the oldest town in Ireland. After lunch, they will take a trip to the Old Head of Kinsale and back and possibly a sailing boat trip in the harbor.
Friday’s breakfast will be served in Roches Store’s Shopping Center, after which the group will visit Kilcrea Abbey (laid to ruins by Cromwell), Macroom (the location of William Penn’s former residence prior to his travel to Pennsylvania) and Kilnamartyra before lunch in Killarney. That evening, they will visit Torc Waterfall and Torc Mountain.
Saturday’s schedule includes a 40-mile cycle through Kate Kearney’s Cottage and the Black Valley, Moll’s Gap and Ladies View. The group will pack a lunch.
Sunday, they will visit Dingle Penninsula (where John Wayne made The Quiet Man), Slea Head and Conor Pass and eat lunch in Tralee (the site from which St Brendan is said to have sailed and reached America long before Columbus). In the evening, group members can visit Muckross House, Ross Castle and go boating on Ross Lake.
The travelers will test their athletic abilities on Monday by climbing Carrantuohill. This seven-hour climb will take travelers through Hag’s Glen, Hag’s Tooth, O’Shea’s Gulley and Devil’s Ladder. Participants will pack a lunch.
Tuesday’s agenda will include visits to the Rock of Cashel (where the High King of Ireland lived), Mitchelstown Caves (to see The Tower of Babel stalagmite) and Kilkenny Castle (also called “Marble City”) before ending up in Dublin.
Wednesday, the group will tour the city of Dublin. Points of interest include Grafton Street Park, O’Connell Street, Trinity College, Dublin Zoo, Dail Eireann (the Irish Parliament), Dublin Castle, Four Courts, Christ Church, the U.S. Embassy, Abbey Theatre, Peacock Theatre, Gate Theatre (next to the Garden of Remembrance), Olympia in Grafton Street, Brazen Head (the oldest pub from Viking times), St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Bank of Ireland and Wood Quay (the foundations of old Dublin built by the Vikings).
Thursday, June 2, the group will depart from Dublin Airport.
Cost is $2,100 per person, which includes insurance, transportation to and from the Atlanta airport, airfare, accommodations (three nights at Jury’s Inn in Cork, four nights at Scott’s Hotel in Killarney and two nights at Jury’s Inn in Dublin), transportation in Ireland, four breakfasts and four dinners.
A deposit of $250 is due by Oct. 15. Final payment is due in March. For information, please contact Sweeney at dsweeney@darlingtonschool.org.
