Ireland County Mayo to Dingle County Kerry

Your journey to Ireland begins with an overnight flight from the U.S. to Shannon Airport, Ireland.

You will be met at Ireland’s Shannon International Airport and driven north to Westport, on the shores of Clew Bay. Depending on the time of year there may be an opportunity for the group to photograph the sunset over Clew Bay.

Each day you will visit some of these typical areas from your home base. There is no possible way to visit all of them, so your tour leader and guide will plan each day considering the interests of the group. The evenings can be spent over photographic discussions in the hotel or at a music session in town. Enjoy the sights and sounds of the many Irish pubs in Westport. They abound with traditional Irish music every evening of the week.

Visit Ballintubber Abbey, or Baile Tobair Padraig, in Irish. It is one of the oldest Abbeys in Ireland dating back to the twelfth century, named for the natural spring nearby, where St. Patrick baptized his first Irish converts. After working for a few hours in and around the Abbey you can photograph the ruins of Moore Hall, a Georgian mansion destroyed during the war of independence. Later in the afternoon, photograph Castle Bourke, on the shores of Lough Carra.

 Westport and the Village of Newport, both capture the flavor of true Irish towns with their tree- lined canals and colorful shops. Both capture the flavor of true Irish towns with their tree-lined canals and colorful shops. After a stop in Westport, drive to Murrisk Abbey, at the foot of Ireland’s Holy Mountain, Croagh Patrick. Later in the day you will be at the ocean on the west coast of Mayo at a remote rocky shore called Barnabawn Point. Your last stop of the day will be at Tully House, a private residence at the end of a quarter mile tree-lined avenue. There is an old mill along the Bunowen River, a short walk from the house.

Another day spend the morning photographing in and around the town of Cong. Photo locations include Ashford Castle, Cong Abbey, the forest, and river, as well as the town itself. After lunch you will have the opportunity to photograph an area of rolling hill, sheep, and a myriad of stonewall, on a hillside flowing down to Lough Corrib. The picturesque village of Cong was the setting for John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara’s film The Quiet Man. The King of Connacht founded the abbey ruins in the twelfth century. In 1198 the last High King of Ireland died in the abbey.

Driving north today, your first stop will be along the ocean on the Atlantic drive in Mulranny. After lunch on Achill Island, continue photographing along the ocean, and wind up at the deserted famine village at Keel. Achill Island,wrought by wind and water, is an arrangement of rock, cloud, and cliffs falling off to the sea. (B each day, first evening D)

Driving south today you will have photographic stops along the way to County Clare. Dan has his favorites and he’ll work with your Irish guide and driver to find the best at just the right time. Your destination for the next two evenings is Kilkee, on the Loop Head Peninsula. Bound on one side by the Shannon Estuary and on the other by the awesome power of the Atlantic Ocean, Loop Head has always been defined by its relationship with the water. As you drive south from Kilkee and embark on the famous drive, you’ll encounter dramatic cliffs, turbulent seascapes, and story-filled historic sites.

Drive to the very tip of the peninsula and you’ll come to the imposing Loop Head Lighthouse. There’s been a lighthouse on this site for well over 300 years; this one dates from 1854 and is open to the public. Take the guided tour and you’ll find yourself on the balcony, 75 feet above the ground, braced against the Atlantic winds as you marvel at the views.

Nearby, you might notice the E-I-R-E marked on a grassy clifftop in large white letters. This is a relic from World War II, when the writing was used to alert pilots that they were entering neutral air space. Overnight Kilkee (B, D; B)

You will take a brief ferry ride across the River Shannon, traveling to County Kerry and the breathtaking Dingle Peninsula. The peninsula thrusts out into the Atlantic, claiming Ireland’s most westerly point. Here, majestic hills soar over vast bowls of unspoiled valleys, glittering mountain streams tumble down to lakes, hints of spring flowers have begun to burst, and soft, golden beaches stretch for miles.

The region boasts of some 2000 prehistoric and early Christian remains. We make our way along the lovely Slea Head Drive, looking out onto the resplendent Blasket Islands, offering us a grand land and seascape. There will be photographic opportunities as we will be overwhelmed with Iron Age and early Christian rocks and ruins. Clustered on hillsides over the cliffs are beehive-shaped stone huts built by monks as a place of worship. The Town of Dingle has a lovely harbor and painted storefronts which will delight your senses. You will be overnighting in a much quieter town working hard to retain their Gaelic culture and language. Overnight Dingle Peninsula (B, D; B; B)

You can depart at any time today as the airport is a five-minute walk, and there are luggage carts for your use. (B)