I thought it might be interesting to break up our tours and focus on stays at flagship hotels , and what we do while there. The first one that came to mind was Ballynahinch castle. At Ireland and Scotland Luxury Tours we like to provide authentic tours...
Over the winter we have had a number of clients taking our chauffeur driven tours of the North coast. Some have been just day trips , and others with one overnight stay. The feedback has been tremendous. On that tour you get to visit the world famous Giants...
Just a word of warning to all those thinking of visiting Ireland and Scotland in 2018. The hotels that we use at Ireland and Scotland Luxury Tours are not large. They are very carefully chosen for location , ambience , and authenticity. The better rooms with views can...
This genteel riverside town is dwarfed by Lismore Castle, perched romantically above the River Blackwater. Built in 1185 but remodelled in the 19th century, the castle is the Irish seat of the Duke of Devonshire and is closed to the public. However, you can visit...
Sheltered by the slopes of the Twelve Bens, this lakeside castle is a romantic, battlemented Gothic Revival fantasy. It was built as a present for his wife by Mitchell Henry (1826-1911), who was a Manchester tycoon and later Galway MP. The Henrys also purchased a...
A little to the West of the city centre, ringed by a wall 11km (7 miles) long, is Europe’s largest enclosed city park. Phoenix Park is over 1700 acres in size. The name “Phoenix” is said to be a corruption of the Gaelic Fionn Uisce,...
This charming village on the banks of the Shannon is the seat of the Knights of Glin, a branch of the Fitzgerald’s who have lived in the district for seven centuries. Their first medieval castle is a ruin, but west of the village you can...
Completed in 1802 by James Gandon, this majestic building was virtually gutted 120 years later during the Irish Civil War when government forces bombarded anti-Treaty rebels into submission. The adjacent Public Records Office, with documents dating back to the 12th century, was destroyed by fire. In...
This sleepy market town has a distinctly old-fashioned air. In the 15th century, it was a strategic site commanding access west to Clonmel and southeast to Waterford, but after Tudor times the town sank into oblivion. Ormond Castle, although once a fortress, is the finest surviving...
Despite its location close to the old walled city, this part of Dublin remained virtually undeveloped until the founding of Trinity College in 1592. Even then, it was almost a hundred years before the ancient common land further south was enclosed to create St Stephen’s...