Irish Heritage from the Celts to the 20th Century!
DISCOVER IRELAND
May 24 - June 4, 2010

Our aim is to gain an appreciation of the wonderful island of Ireland in all its manifestations, both cultural and historical. As the travel guide writer H.V. Morton wrote in 1930 in his famous In search of Ireland, 'Ireland is a wonderful country...at any time it is possible to hear two diametrically opposite opinions about everything...including the weather.'

On this journey, we shall aim to meet some of the great Irishmen and women of the past from Molly Malone to W.B. Yeats, from Jonathan Swift to the great 'liberator' Daniel O'Connell, and from Oliver Goldsmith and Edmund Burke to Arthur Guinness. Moreover we shall meet them in the places that they made great and this will place their achievements in context.

Among other highlights we shall have an extended visit to Trinity College Dublin where we shall see the Book of Kells in the glorious library. We shall visit the famous National Museum of Ireland in Dublin where we shall have two lectures, on the Vikings and on Medieval Ireland, and also its country section in Mayo where we shall be enlightened on life in rural Ireland over the centuries. On our travels we shall see many of the 'thousand shades of green' and, as well as staying in Dublin and Galway, we shall have two nights in the small town of Birr in the central part of the country where we are likely to enjoy the authentic 'craic' of the Irish country pub!

To gain insights into the 'other' Ireland we shall spend three days in the north and we shall go over the border several times. There we shall visit Enniskillen - one of the most beautifully situated towns in the world - situated in the Fermanagh lakeland. We’ll also enjoy the great Ulster hospitality for which the province is well known, especially the breakfasts - the famous Ulster fry.

We will visit the fascinating city of Londonderry or Derry, depending on your point of view, which boasts the best preserved city walls in Europe. There we shall have two contrasted insights into Irish history. We will visit the Apprentice Boys museum named after the lads who slammed the gates on James II's advancing army in 1689, an event commemorated every year.

From the walls we shall see 'Free Derry', an overwhelmingly republican part of the city on the opposite side of the River Foyle. No visit to the north would be complete without a visit to the Bushmills distillery, the oldest in the world, where we shall certainly sample the products, and to the Giant's Causeway just along the coast.

We shall also note that the families of more US Presidents hail from Ulster than from anywhere else. No fewer than 13 occupants of the White House were of direct Ulster descent, 12 Presidents including U.S. Grant and Woodrow Wilson and General Ross who ate Mr Madison's supper in 1814. He was an Ulsterman too!

Cultural aspects will be well explained by guides in each of the main sites we shall visit. The tour leader, historian Dr. Ian Stone, is of Irish descent on both sides and has a detailed knowledge of Ireland. Those of musical tastes will have them met by his co-leader Olga who is a professional concert pianist. We hope to include two recitals during the trip.

Trip Fee: $3,850 per person twin share + air fare $695 + tax JFK/Dublin, with return from Shannon. Single Supplement: $795

FOR RESERVATIONS & A BROCHURE, PHONE MARISA, (800) 252-4910 or Email

Betchart Expeditions Inc. - 17050 Montebello Road - Cupertino, CA 95014-5435

Brochure (Requires an Adobe pdf reader to view)