The county of Carlow was made “shire-ground” by King John. The town is in the fertile, limestone valley of the River Barrow. This river was famous separating the English from the Irish clans. Here, where a tributary, joins the Barrow River, a four angled lake is formed. It’s worth...
On the road from Limerick to Killarney is the village of Adare. It lies on the River Maigue. This beautiful little place is worth seeing on any tours of Ireland. Great thatched cottages and local shops and crafts. At Ireland and Scotland Luxury Tours we usually stop for a...
‘It’s a far cry to Loch Awe!’ The exact meaning of the old shout is in dispute, but it was probably a confident boast of the inaccessibility of Campbell territory, which includes this 23-mile-long loch. Loch Awe is studded with ancient timber dwellings, called crannogs, and...
This is the principal bridge across the River Liffey, in Dublin. It is the main life line between North and South Dublin. You will definitely cross it on any tours of Ireland! It was once known as the “Carlisle Bridge” and was rebuilt in 1794, and then again...
In mountain parts of Donegal, you may see small pockets of corn ripen among stone and heather. There is an immense patchwork feel to the land. At Ireland and Scotland Luxury Tours Donegal is one of our favourite places to visit. There are a good number of “Drumlins”...
A mere three miles long by one and a half wide – composed of Torridonian sandstone, curiously unrelated geologically to neighbouring Mull – Iona is richer in Christian association than any other Scottish Island. In 563AD St Columba left Ireland with 12 companions to come...
This lake is definitely worth seeing on any tours of Ireland. In a superb setting of mountains, called the Twelve Bens of Connemara, lies Ballynahinch Lake. This forms part of the famous Ballynahinch fishery. A fine salmon river empties the lake into a creek of Bertraghboy Bay. The West...
This town is the capital of County Fermanagh and worth visiting on any tours of Ireland. It stands on the winding River Erne between Upper and Lower Lough Erne. At this strategic bridgehead the Maguires built their castle in the 15th century. Enniskillen was home to two of...
First-time visitors to Edinburgh usually have in mind at least two essential sights: the castle and the palace. Holyrood – comprising the abbey, the park and the palace – begins at the northern slope of Arthur’s Seat. The original palace was begun in about 1500...
Narrow Water Castle is at the bottle neck of the Newry canal which runs into Carlingford Lough. It was built after the restoration of King Charles the second to protect the commercial town of Newry and its strategic hinterland of Down, Armagh, and Louth. Carlingford is a...