Imagine waking to the sound of Ireland’s countryside in Spring
Spring in Ireland is beautiful. Hedgerows and woodlands brim with wildflowers. Lambs frolic in the fields. The days are getting longer and warmer. What’s not to love?
On the Gaelic calendar, spring starts on St Brigid’s Day, February 1st, with a celebration marking the end of winter. And what better way to celebrate than with a relaxing guided private tour of Ireland in Spring 2024.
Ireland has some of Europe’s freshest air, flowing right off the Atlantic, and the greenest lands. This suggested tour highlights three incredible properties where you will wake up to fresh country or coastal air every morning. We guarantee you will feel far from any troubles from the moment our Driver Guide meets you at Dublin airport.
Traveling in your private, spacious, luxury vehicle, your Driver Guide will introduce you to Ireland’s tales and stories of as you travel through the Ancient East and onto the Mount Juliet Estate in Co Kilkenny. The estate has a compelling history, splendid Georgian architecture, and luxurious accommodation. In the paddocks of the 400-acre estate, foals are sure to be kicking up their heels in the sunshine.
With this as your luxury base for two nights, your Driver Guide will introduce you to local craftspeople and artisan food producers, with whom we can arrange private workshops and tastings.
Take the scenic 20-minute drive into the small medieval city of Kilkenny to experience its color and culture with a personalized walking tour or visit the wonderful St. Mary’s Medieval Mile Museum. Back on the estate, golf and horse riding can be arranged before relaxing afternoon tea or a sumptuous dinner in the Lady Helen restaurant.
From here, you will travel to The Burren region in the southwest, where you will experience an unusual lunar-like rugged landscape, one of only 120 UNESCO Geoparks in the world. Staying in Gregan’s Castle for two nights you will enjoy gastronomic delights and cozy corners, right on the edge of this protected area. We will arrange private visits to the renowned Burren Smokehouse and special ways to view more well-known attractions such as the Cliffs of Moher, as well as relaxing walks or more challenging cycles.
The next leg of your tour brings you to the splendor of Ashford Castle in Co Mayo for three nights. Here, surrounded by the magical estate, you can live like a lord or lady in luxurious accommodation overlooking Lough Corrib. You will be perfectly placed to explore Connemara’s stunning Sky Road and National Park, the ancient Kylemore Abbey or Galway city’s winding streets. Or perhaps you might enjoy visiting a local oyster farmer and enjoy a private picnic on the beach? This is an area full of riches and as the Telegraph newspaper states, it is “the western edge of Europe that few tourists reach”.
Contact our Travel Advisors who will be delighted to customize this tour for your 2024 vacation. We can also offer our portfolio private rentals or hand-picked, family-run guesthouses for all nights.
Map
Dublin
Kilkenny
Cashel
The Burren
Cliffs of Moher
Galway
Connemara
Dublin
ACCOMMODATION
Mount Juliet Estate
5 Star Hotels Ireland
Country manor house
Gregans Castle Hotel
Country manor house
Ashford Castle
5 Star Hotels Ireland
Spring delights Ireland
It’s time to experience springtime in Ireland
Experiences
Why not enhance your tour with some of these recommended Experiences along the way. These can be arranged with your Travel Advisor when customizing your itinerary to ensure a rich, memorable tour.
Farm Friends
Ask anyone in Ireland if they are related to a farmer and they’ll surely say yes! We have built great relationships with some of the extra fun people whose live and breath agriculture and they’ll be happy to welcome you onto their working farm. Depending on the season, meet new-born lambs, watch sheepdogs at work, clamber over freshly baled hay or see traditional ploughing in action.
Burren Smoke House
The Burren Smokehouse is a family-run business that was set up in 1989 by Birgitta & Peter Curtin. They researched the smoking traditions in Ireland and in Sweden and the idea of the Smokehouse was born. For over a century now, the Curtin family have owned the 'Roadside Tavern' nearby which was the first place where their own smoked salmon was served. Its quality became known very soon, and pubs, hotels and restaurants in the Lisdoonvarna area started to order salmon from the Smokehouse. At that time three people were working in the Smokehouse, today there is a team of almost 20. Orders started to come in from all over Ireland, followed by those from hotels and restaurants in the UK. Nowadays, the Burren Smokehouse supplies smoked salmon all over the world, within 48 hours.
About Burren Smoke House
The Burren Smokehouse is a family-run business that was set up in 1989 by Birgitta & Peter Curtin. They researched the smoking traditions in Ireland and in Sweden and the idea of the Smokehouse was born. For over a century now, the Curtin family have owned the 'Roadside Tavern' nearby which was the first place where their ownsmoked salmon was served. Its quality became known very soon, and pubs, hotels and restaurants in the Lisdoonvarna area started to order salmon from the Smokehouse.
At that time three people were working in the Smokehouse, today there is a team of almost 20. Orders started to come in from all over Ireland, followed by those from hotels and restaurants in the UK. Nowadays, the Burren Smokehouse supplies smoked salmon all over the world, within 48 hours.
Visitor Centre
In 1995, we opened our visitor centre to showcase the traditional way of smoking, our products and those of other food producers in the area. Visitors can get a tasting of our Burren smoked Irish salmon and watch a DVD presentation about the smoking process. They can discover mosaics inside and outside our shop that are telling the story of the "Salmon of Knowledge".
We carefully source our quality raw materials for the Burren Smoked Salmon, Trout and Mackerel.
“We believe in Finest Quality Food Products, good customer care and a good group of team workers to ensure that we keep up our standards.”
Burren Brewery
The Roadside Tavern in Lisdoonvarna, County Clare, is a local institution that started as a pub in 1865 and expanded to include a bakery as the years went by. In 2001, Peter Curtin embarked on creating a microbrewery bringing in a Master Brewer and they now brew their own range of beer in the same room above the pub in which Peter was born. Their Black is a creamy stout that is nuttier than Guinness and their Red rich in malty flavour. The brewery is named after the karst ecosystem that covers much of this part of Clare. A visit to the family’s Burren Smokehouse is also a must.
Foraging on Land and Sea
Foraging is a great way of gathering tasty and natural ingredients from hedgerows, fields, woods, country lanes and pathways of Ireland, not to mention the seaweed on the coast! If you would like to spend a few hours outdoors and slowly exploring the countryside and beaches, let us introduce you to one of our foraging friends!
Fireside Storytelling
Ireland is the land folklore, legends and storytelling. At Ireland Chauffeur Travel, we adore Ireland’s famed fireside storytelling sessions and we want to share that with you. We will arrange an authentic, engaging and private storytelling and music session with one of our favourite famed storytellers … and all in the comfort of your hotel or local pub
The Quiet Man
Do you remember ‘The Quiet Man’? Let us arrange a private tour from the Ashford Estate and the nearby village of Cong. Cong village also has a beautiful abbey worth visiting as well as The Quiet Man Cottage and Heritage Center. The Squire Danaher's House from the movie is on the grounds of the castle.
