54404IRE
Bunratty Castle visit
· Entrances to Bunratty Castle are paid by voucher.
· Book your visit to Bunratty so the group gets a guided tour of the castle. SEE YELLOW PAGES FOR ALL PHONE NUMBERS/OPENING TIMES ETC.
· You can make a photo/rest stop in Adare village (use Heritage Centre – Tel: 061 396 666).
· BOOK MEALS IN KILLARNEY AS SOON AS YOU GET YOUR ENVELOPE OR WHEN YOU RECEIVE YOUR TRIP ASSIGNMENT AND CHECK WITH THE OFFICE AS THEY ARE OFTEN ASKED NOW TO BOOK THE MEALS IN ADVANCE.
Dublin – Bunratty
Rest stops – services on the M7 at Junction 14, Mayfield or Barack Obama Plaza at Drumbaun.
Bunratty Castle – visit and lunch
The castle and folk park site is a little separate from the Woolen Mills (part of the Blarney Woolen Mills group). As groups often wish to visit this too, not least for lunch, it is a good idea to drive into the Woolen Mills car park, do a loop, then drive to Bunratty folk park entrance and drop off. Point out the route back to the Woolen Mills and arrange to meet them back on the coach there. This saves too much to-ing and fro-ing. Tell the group to be very careful on the road between the Mills and the Castle.
Pay your entrance to Bunratty, hand out the free maps of the site and walk the whole group down to the left until you reach the castle. Announce your arrival to the guide and ensure the group know how and when to rejoin the coach, at the Woolen Mills car park, before handing over.
Best lunch options are probably the cafeteria in the Woolen Mills, which can be a little slow, but there are also the pub and tea room in the folk park and Dirty Nellie’s Pub outside the castle.
Killarney Activities
Jaunting Cars through the National Park to Ross Castle. Round trip 1 hour from hotel. Ring Billy or Mark Tangney – Tel: 087 2571492, 6-8 pax per car.
Shops open till late – sometimes till 8pm
The Killarney Avenue Hotel – 064 663 2522 This hotel has a cultural show on each season and at some point it is highly likely that their promotional staff will introduce themselves to you.
Siamsa Tire – a 45 minute drive to Tralee for Folk Theatre/Irish dance show. Avoid ‘Children of Lir’, but the other shows are good. Tel: 066 7123055
Summer Festival (August). Ask at the hotel for pubs with music and other events. They could always go for a walk in the National Park. Kilarney races run into the late evening.
Photo Stops:
Castleisland viewpoint (ask your driver if you are unsure). It sums up everything about the west of Ireland. In the distance you can see the MacGillycuddy Reeks, Dingle Bay and the mountains to your right are the Slieve Mish Mountains of the Dingle Peninsula.
Aghadoe Heights A great photo stop if the weather is good. If the weather is inclement you can perhaps fit it in the next day. The coach will park and the group need to cross the road to the viewing point. Make sure they watch out for traffic. Just before you arrive at the photo stop, coming from the Killarney direction, you will see a ruined church and graveyard