Sold Out! The tour is sold out this year, but get in touch with any questions
We’re heading into the heart of Ireland’s southwest, where the sheepdogs are smarter than most people and the pubs know how to keep a secret. You’ll marvel at cliffs along the Wild Atlantic Way, sip whiskey with new friends, and meet locals who are keeping traditions alive. There’s brown bread to bake, a folklore walk where myths feel less like stories and more like memories, and ice cream made from cows with their own fan club.
You won’t find this kind of Ireland tour online. It’s not mass-market or bus-based, and it’s definitely not budget. What it is: a luxury, small-group experience with meaningful access and thoughtful pacing. We didn’t design this itinerary to check boxes, we built it to go deeper into the places we do visit. Every stop has purpose, and every day leaves room to enjoy it. Come ready for the kind of stories you’ll still be telling next year — and maybe a few you’ll politely leave out.
The Irish Welcome You Didn’t Know You Needed
If you took our advice and arrived a day early, we will scoop you up from your hotel in Cork City and kick things off without a rush. Everyone else will land at Cork Airport by 10:30am and will meet the group for a proper welcome to the Emerland Isle.
Before settling into our first home base in Kenmare, we will spend a few hours getting to know Ireland the way we like best, through local hands, small towns, a bit of food, and a lot of curiosity. We will share lunch along the way and ease into the rhythm of the week with a stop that is relaxed, personal, and just a little unexpected.
Later, we head to Kenmare, a picture book town that still feels real. We will check into our historic hotel, a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, and you’ll have time to catch your breath before meeting up again for a cozy pub dinner. Expect rich roasts, music that makes your foot tap whether you want it to or not, and the kind of first-night energy that feels like a reunion, even if you just met. Overnight in Neidin … or as we say today, Kenmare.
From farm to frost … Kerry remembers
After breakfast, we will stay close to home but go deep into Irish tradition. First, a visit to a small crafts center in town where women kept the lace trade alive during times when it was the only thing putting food on the table. The display is quick, personal, and full of quiet power. Then, it is off to the Ring of Kerry for something a little louder, a sheepdog demonstration on a working farm where the stars of the show run on four legs and never miss a cue.
We will enjoy lunch nearby, then make our way back to Kenmare for a little downtime. Later in the afternoon, we pop into the local brewery named after Antarctic explorer Tom Crean. He was a Kerry native who went from farming sheep to saving lives on the ice. The beer is good, but the stories are even better. Dinner tonight is on your own, though if you are not sure where to go, we have opinions. Lots of them.
The veils are thin, and the past still speaks
Today we head to Skibbereen, a town shaped by resilience and quiet strength. You will learn how the Irish Famine forever marked this part of the world, not through a textbook, but through stories told where they happened. Afterward, we lighten the mood with a hands-on cooking experience that brings tradition back to the table. You will bake brown bread from scratch and share seafood chowder around the table like old friends, just the way Irish kitchens were meant to be used.
Back in Kenmare, there will be time to rest before one of the most quietly magical moments of the trip. We will head to an ancient stone circle for a guided folklore walk, led by someone who treats old stories like trusted friends. She might talk about fairies, she might talk about loss, she might talk about both in the same breath. Either way, you will walk away with goosebumps and at least one story that sticks.
A day of wild seas, soft scoops, and castle walls that talk back
We say goodbye to Kenmare and aim the wheels for Dingle, a harbor town that fits more color into its streets than seems necessary. Weather-willing, we will hop aboard a boat for a spin around the Blasket Islands, where seabirds wheel overhead and the Atlantic puts on its best blue. Back ashore, there is time for a stroll, a bite of something fresh off the quay, and a creamy scoop of ice cream made from Kerry cows that live like royalty.
Next, we trade fishing boats for turrets and head to Ballyseede Castle. Ivy climbs the stone walls, suits of armor stand guard in the hallway, and afternoon tea waits in the drawing room. Take a short wander in Ballyseedy Woods or simply explore the grand rooms and hidden corners of your new address. Tonight, you sleep where lords once plotted and, if local legends are true, a friendly ghost still keeps watch. Overnight near Tralee.
The Cheese Course You Didn’t See Coming
We leave the castle behind this morning and make our way toward the coast again, but not before a stop that surprises everyone. Tucked into the hills near Macroom is a family-run buffalo farm where Italian water buffalo call Ireland home. You will meet the animals, see how the mozzarella is made, and enjoy a laid-back lunch featuring cheese so fresh it squeaks. It’s unexpected, delicious, and just the right kind of odd (and a special nod to My Bella Vita’s Italian heritage).
In the afternoon, we continue on to Kinsale, a harbor town known for food, color, and that cheerful sense of being on vacation even when you live there. Once checked in, the evening is yours. You might wander the harbor, book a table at a restaurant, or just settle in and enjoy a slow night in a new town. Overnight Kinsale.
A town that cooks like it means it
This morning is all about flavor and place. We have something special lined up that highlights the local food scene in a way that is hands-on, personal, and rooted in the land and sea around us. You will meet the people behind the plates, taste what they are proud of, and learn why this little corner of Ireland has become one of its most celebrated food towns. It is relaxed, curious, and just the right amount of delicious.
In the afternoon, we will visit a nearby whiskey distillery where the equipment gleams and the stories flow just as easily as the samples. You will learn how the whiskey is made, why it matters, and how to drink it like someone who knows what they’re doing. The evening is free for you to explore more of Kinsale — the gourmet capital of Ireland — or simply enjoy being exactly where you are.
From emigrant footsteps to your own journey home
We start the day with a trip to Cobh, the final port of call for many Irish emigrants and a place where personal history and national memory overlap. At the heritage centre, you will trace the journeys of those who left, the ships they boarded, and the stories they carried with them. Whether your ancestors passed through here or not, it is a moving and powerful stop that ties together much of what you have seen and felt this week.
Afterward, there is time for a gentle stroll through the nearby manor if you like. Back in Kinsale, we will gather for one last dinner together. You will raise a pint with new friends, pass around a few inside jokes, and mark the end of a trip that managed to feel like home without ever standing still.
From here, the path is yours
This morning, we say our official goodbyes. For some, it is off to the airport and back to daily life, hopefully with a few extra laughs and a few fewer unused souvenirs. For others, the trip continues. Some guests will begin a deeper dive into their Irish roots with a personalized heritage experience. Others may head onward to another corner of Europe. Whatever comes next, we are here to help make it smooth, meaningful, and maybe even a little magical.
However you continue, this week has given you more than just memories. It has given you stories, flavors, and faces that will stick. And maybe, just maybe, it has planted the seed for your next adventure.
