Our DW Travel Club’s CIE Ireland South Day Tripper began before ever reaching Ireland!
Weather delays stranded some of us overnight at JFK—not the start we planned, but definitely the first story of the trip! Thankfully, everyone arrived before the tour began.
Our home base was the gorgeous four-star Dunraven Arms Hotel in Adare, a historic family- run hotel dating to 1792. Adare charmed us with its thatched cottages, ancient churches and historic buildings. Evenings often found us in the local pubs, where we’d run into the same locals each night, enjoying traditional Irish music, sharing fun conversations and plenty of Irish musings.
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Once aboard our motorcoach, we met fellow travelers from Pennsylvania and Alaska. We came from different corners of the country, but it didn’t take long for a wonderful camaraderie to develop.
Our amazing CIE Tour driver and guide, Phil, was knowledgeable, entertaining and kept us informed and laughing. By trip’s end, he felt like part of our family.
At the Cliffs of Moher, thick fog hid the spectacular view. We waited it out in the gift shop, and luckily, as we left, the fog lifted to reveal the cliffs and Atlantic beyond.
From there, we traveled through The Burren for an unexpected favorite—a traditional sheepdog demonstration. The highly skilled dogs responded to whistle commands directing their every move as they gathered the sheep. Afterward, the real stars enjoyed some well-deserved belly rubs!
We drove through the scenic Dingle Peninsula, stopping at the South Pole Inn, once owned by Antarctic explorer Tom Crean. In Cobh, we toured the colorful city and Titanic’s final port of call, where remains of the passengers’ pier can still be seen, before continuing to Blarney Castle.
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Reaching the legendary Blarney “Stone of Eloquence” means having to climb approximately 125 winding, increasingly narrow stone steps—with no railings! Only one of our DW travelers dared to do it—Ms. Lorinda Marconi (78 yrs. young)!
While the rest of us said, “Yeah…no thanks,” Lorinda earned serious bragging rights as our Lone Blarney Stone kisser! We happily explored the castle grounds and Poison Gardens instead. Another fascinating bit of history!
In Killarney, we enjoyed a traditional jaunting car (horse-drawn buggy) ride, lunch and a wee bit of shopping at the Gap of Dunloe.
Our final stop was Dublin, where some toured Teeling and Jameson Whiskey Distilleries—a personal highlight of mine—bringing Irish whiskey’s history to life. Others enjoyed the Guinness Storehouse, GPO Museum, Temple Bar, Grafton Street and the Hop-On/Hop-Off Bus.
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Looking back, what made this trip memorable wasn’t any single castle, cliff, town, pub or pint. It was traveling together—even when that meant weather disruptions!
Our DW Travelers now share the memories of Ireland—One town, One story and One laugh at a time. That’s what the DW Travel Club is about—experiencing incredible places and returning home with new friends and memories.
Ireland certainly gave us plenty. Where are we going next?
DW Travel Advisors — because “Life is Meant to Be Explored”
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