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Literary Ireland - 12 Day Extended Tour - (Tour No. ILIT) |
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Day One - Sunday We'll also spend some time in Galway city. Just a few steps from Shop Street, by St Nicholas Collegiate Church, nestles the smallest museum in Ireland, a perfect setting in which to take you back through the romantic mists of time. This tiny turn of the century house was the home of Nora Barnacle, companion, wife and life-long inspiration of James Joyce, Ireland's greatest writer. It was here in 1909, sitting at the kitchen table, that Joyce first
met his darling's mother. Letters, photographs and other exhibits of
the lives of James Joyce and Nora Barnacle make a visit here a unique
experience. North to Sligo and home of the Irish literary revival period. We'll enjoy a day's touring through Connemara. The area is as famed for its musical roots as it is for both its literary connections and film locations. This was the setting for the classic John Wayne film 'The Quiet Man,' for example. The grounds of one local hotel actually include the famous 'Quiet Man Cottage', a replica of the dwelling used for the classic 1952 film! Day Seven - Saturday A day dedicated to W B Yeats. Highlights of our day include Thoor Ballylee, a 16th century tower that was once the home of the poet, and which became one of the recurrent symbols in his works. We'll also visit the grounds of Coole Park where Yeats often visited his friend, Lady Augusta Gregory. The lake served as his inspiration for his poem, The Wild Swans at Coole. Here too we find the Autograph Tree, a copper beach carved with the initials of Yeats and other writers of the Irish Revival. Day Eight - Sunday A drive eastward see us exploring sites associated with Cetlic writing and tradition. In addition to the main site of Tara, we've some interesting surprises up our sleeve! Day Nine - Monday Today we'll take a tour to Glendalough and Wicklow, exploring literary heritage en route. Maeve Binchy is one name that is associated with our route. We'll also begin our exploration of Dublin writers with a visit to the James Joyce Martello Tower at Sandy Cove. Day Nine - Monday Today we'll take a tour to Glendalough and Wicklow, exploring literary heritage en route. Maeve Binchy is one name that is associated with our route. We'll also begin our exploration of Dublin writers with a visit to the James Joyce Martello Tower at Sandy Cove. Day Eleven - Wednesday Bloomsday. The undoubted highlight of our tour. Every year on 16th June Dublin celebrates the life of perhaps its most famous son, James Joyce, born at 41 Brighton Square, Rathgar, Dublin. On Bloomsday (named after Leopold Bloom from Ulysses) there are events throughout the city. If you want a concise summary of the book visit www.bway.net/~hunger/ulysses.html. It's tongue in cheek but a great 'Ulysses for Dummies' style approach! You will enjoy a truly unique and memorable day joining in one of the many events of the day centred around the book. There's a breakfast, themes and costumed walks, street scene recreations and a magnificent evening 'wake'. Dinner is not included tonight to enable you to freely follow one of
the many local events. Tired but happy, you are transferred to the airport for departure home (or, alternatively, stay on in Dublin for independent sightseeing). Itinerary Note: at the time of publishing this tentative itinerary celebratory dates for Killarney's 250th anniversary and Joyce's centenary have not been finalised. Once the full programme has been published, it may necessitate our altering the running order of the tour. This will be done if, in our opinion, we can improve upon our provisional plans. Given that this will be a HUGE year in Ireland over these June dates, you are advised to reserve your place rather than wait until a final itinerary can be published. |
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