Arrive at Dublin Airport and transfer to our Embarkation Suite (conditions apply below). Explore Dublin at your leisure before returning to our Embarkation Suite at the designated times for the group transfer to Sylvia Earle.
Important information:
- Complimentary airport arrival transfers are provided as group transfers for expeditioners arriving at Dublin Airport prior to 10:00am on Day 1 only.
- Passengers who arrive after the airport transfer cut-off will need to make their own way to the Embarkation Suite before 12:00 pm to complete mandatory check-in.
- For passengers already in Dublin, we ask you to visit our centrally located Embarkation Suite with all luggage, which will be open for mandatory check-in between 9:00 am and 12:00 pm.
- Passengers have access to our centrally located Embarkation Suite, including luggage storage, Vantage Explorations staff for voyage and city information and cabin check-in, WIFI, tea, coffee and light refreshments. Embarkation Suite location: to be advised closer to date of departure.
- As your luggage will be transported to the ship at 12.30pm and ahead of you, please ensure you place any items you require during the day in your day bag, including passports, cash/cards and medicines.
Departing our Embarkation Suite at 1:00pm, we start our ‘Forever Irish’ story at a site dedicated to Ireland’s emigration, when we meet one of Ireland’s greatest exports, its people, with a self-guided tour of the award-winning EPIC – the Irish Emigration Museum. Discover what it means to hold Irish heritage, as you meet poets and presidents, singers and suffragettes. You will meet famous folk and families, from Bram Stoker to Oscar Wilde, Ned Kelly to JFK, as you follow your souvenir-passport to find out where they came from, why they left, and the differences they have made to our everyday lives. Housed within Dublin's historic CHQ building, EPIC provides an opportunity to delve into your own Irish ancestry at the Irish Family History Centre following your tour. Alternatively, you may wish to sample an Irish coffee, try a fine Irish whiskey, or savour a pint of Guinness in one of the centre's bars and cafés, before we transfer to the port of Dún Laoghaire, to board Sylvia Earle.
This evening, join your fellow travellers for an onboard Welcome Dinner, where your expedition team will introduce you to the expedition ahead and raise a toast to the adventures to come.
Meals: Dinner onboard.
We enjoy a morning at sea to relax into shipboard life before arriving around midday at the County Cork port of Cobh. Few ports in the world tell such poignant stories of despair as Cobh. From its harbour, over two and a half million people left Ireland between the mid‑nineteenth and twentieth centuries, driven by famine, poverty, and hardship in search of survival in a new world many would never reach. Known then as Queenstown, it became a place of final farewells for the ironically named ‘famine ships’, where families parted knowing they might never meet again, and where hope mingled with fear as ships slipped toward the horizon. For countless emigrants, this was their last sight of home, including the final 123 passengers who boarded the ill-fated Titanic in 1912, adding another layer to Cobh’s enduring legacy of loss and remembrance.
This afternoon, join your local guide for a walking tour of Cobh, exploring its steep streets, colourful terraces, and waterfront where generations once gathered to depart these shores. The tour brings to life the town’s emigration history before concluding at the Queenstown Story. Here, you will enjoy a self‑guided visit through a series of immersive exhibits tracing over three centuries of Irish emigration and maritime history. Personal stories bring the experience vividly to life, from emigrants and convicts to survivors of the ill-fated Lusitania and passengers connected to the Titanic. You will encounter figures such as Jeremiah Burke, whose message in a bottle became one of the most poignant relics of the Titanic, alongside accounts of families who journeyed to North America, Australia, Canada and beyond.
Following your visit, there is time to stroll independently through the streets of Cobh, perhaps pausing along the harbour to remember those who stories you’ve heard, before returning to the ship for an early evening sailing.
Like the monks who once settled along Irelands’ remote shoreline, we find ourselves glancing skyward this morning to the weather gods, as we cruise, or possibly Zodiac ashore on one of Irelands little-known treasures.
Lying off the western edge of the Dingle Peninsula amid the vast Atlantic Ocean, the Blasket Islands tell a story of resilience won and, ultimately, lost. For generations, a small community lived here in remarkable isolation, sustained by fishing, farming, and a deep connection to the sea. The islanders spoke their own rich Irish language dialect and became renowned for their storytelling and literary legacy.
However, by 1953, worsening conditions, declining population, and the challenges of retaining young people on the islands made life unsustainable, leading to the evacuation of the remaining residents. Today, the islands stand empty of people, but alive with wildlife, home to seabirds, seals, and the ever-present rhythms of the Atlantic.
Sailing to the mainland, we find the coastal gem of Dingle – gateway to the dramatic Dingle Peninsula.
Once described by National Geographic Traveller as ‘the most beautiful place on earth’, Dingle is away from the general ‘tourist route’, affording us a lesser-known access to Ireland’s wild west coast. Visiting the Dingle Peninsula, northernmost of Ireland’s five great Atlantic ‘fingers’, offers a landscape where history, faith, and raw coastal beauty are deeply intertwined. This is an area steeped in early Christian heritage, closely associated with Saint Brendan the Navigator, born nearby in Tralee in the 5th century and famed for his legendary voyages into the Atlantic. Across these windswept slopes, monks once sought solitude, leaving behind the remarkable beehive huts that still cling to the hillsides, a testament to a life of devotion on the very edge of the known world.
Driving the Slea Head loop, the scenery builds to a dramatic crescendo. At Dunquin, we pause to walk the iconic zig-zag path down to the pier, its steep switchbacks leading toward the might of the Atlantic Ocean and the Blasket Islands beyond. With each step, the sense of remoteness deepens, the Atlantic stretching endlessly ahead.
From here, we continue to the Blasket Centre, where the story of island life unfolds, complementing our earlier visit, bringing to life a community shaped by isolation, resilience, and an enduring connection to the sea. This interactive museum holds actual footage and recordings of the islanders who survived in often unliveable conditions. We hear their stories and marvel at their tenacity. Note: Zodiac cruising or landing on Great Blasket Island is subject to permit confirmations and local conditions.
Early morning we view the famed Cliffs of Moher from the decks of Sylvia Earle as we near the coastal city of Galway, where we anchor in its natural bay and tender ashore. Our onboard genealogist typically joins the voyage this evening. Over the coming days, she will present a series of engaging talks, sharing insider tips and expert guidance on researching Irish ancestry, navigating genealogical records, and discovering the many resources available to those interested in exploring their Irish heritage.
The seaside charm of 21st-century Galway belies a far more turbulent past, with the city evolving from an early medieval settlement into a place shaped by some of the most challenging chapters in Ireland’s history.
In the mid-17th century, with the rise of Oliver Cromwell, Britain’s rule over Ireland took a brutal turn. Across the east and south, Ireland’s landowners were stripped of their lands and driven west—along with their tenant farmers—across the River Shannon into what would become known as Connacht. They arrived having lost property, status, livelihoods, and any sense of certainty about their future, many coming to a city already under siege.
When Galway surrendered to Cromwell’s forces, the transformation was swift. Much of the city’s property was seized, and many of its established Catholic merchant families were dispossessed or exiled. Others from the wider region faced an even harsher fate, with thousands forcibly transported to the Caribbean as bonded labourers—a practice remembered as being “Barbadosed.”
Today County Galway invites us to hear more about the resilience of the Irish. Those joining our locally guided walking tour will hear the stories of the city’s past, traced in the streets, buildings, and spaces that still bear witness to its transformation, before enjoying an afternoon at leisure in Galway, while those travelling inland to the Workhouse or the National Famine Museum will encounter a more confronting reminder: the human cost of political power, and the stark realities faced by those with nowhere left to turn.
Personalise your exploration with our included ‘Your Choice’ experiences.
Option 1 - Morning experience: Getting to Know Galway
Trace Galway’s transformation from a fortified medieval outpost to a vibrant cultural centre on this engaging 2-hour walk. You’ll witness Eyre Square, once backed by the city’s defensive walls, where you’ll uncover a town shaped as much by conflict as by trade. Shop Street and Lynch’s Castle who stand as a reminder of the powerful merchant families who governed Galway, and the stark justice they upheld, captured in the story of a mayor said to have executed his own son, while nearby, the hidden Hall of the Red Earl reveals a rougher early Galway, marked by rivalry and clan power. And of course, you’ll view the medieval wonders of St. Nicholas’ Church still in use today, where the past upheavals remain etched in stone. After your walk, choose to return to the ship, or linger in Galway where you may wish to experience another side of the city’s character, by trying a whisky tasting at one of the local bars or distilleries where centuries of craft and tradition are distilled into every glass, or simply follow the sound of music. In Galway, it often needs no stage or set time, step into the right pub, even in the afternoon, and you may find a ‘trad session’ already in full flow.
Option 2 – Full-day experience: The Workhouse
An hour or so inland, in the countryside of County Galway, we encounter a stark testament to some of Ireland’s darkest years.
From the 17th through to the 19th centuries, Ireland was repeatedly wracked by poverty, displacement, and famine. For those who could not afford passage to the so-called “New World,” there was often only one option left: to enter an institution known simply as the workhouse. Across Ireland, a network of 163 workhouses was established in the 19th century under the Poor Law system. At their height during the Great Famine of the 1840s, these institutions held over 100,000 inmates at any one time, and across their decades of operation, hundreds of thousands—indeed millions—of people passed through their gates in desperation.
As the name suggests, life inside was harsh. Inmates were required to work long hours in exchange for the barest provision of food and shelter, often in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. The system was deliberately severe, designed to deter all but the most destitute, with one of the cruellest aspects of the workhouse being the systematic separation of families who frequently never saw one another again.
Today, we visit a museum housed within one of Ireland’s best-preserved workhouses, a place that allows us to step inside this history. Its rooms and corridors offer a powerful insight into the choices people faced, when entering the workhouse, harsh as it was, could mean the difference between life and death. The artefacts on display, simple possessions, fragments of daily life, are more than objects. In many cases, they are the only surviving traces of the individuals who lived and died here, a quiet reminder of the human stories behind a system built on survival at its most desperate.
Option 3 - Full day experience: In the footsteps of the Great Famine
Approximately 1.5 hours' drive inland from Galway, we find a slice of Irelands history which is ingrained into the nations psyche for good reason. Offering a moving insight into Ireland’s most devastating era, the aptly named National Famine Museum, presents one of the most striking and personal accounts of the time; the fate of the tenants of the Strokestown Estate.
In 1845, Major Denis Mahon inherited the estate just as potato blight took hold, destroying the crop on which his tenants depended. As poverty deepened and rents fell into arrears, he turned to ‘assisted emigration’ for those who literally couldn’t pay their rent. In 1847, nearly 1,500 tenants were removed from the land and sent to Canada on overcrowded vessels later known as ‘coffin ships,’ with around half dying enroute or shortly after arrival.
Later that same year, Mahon was assassinated, the first landlord killed during the Great Famine. Today, the estate preserves this history through its archives and museum dedicated to all those who perished during this time. A walking trail traces part of the tenants’ journey to Dublin, marked by pairs of bronze shoes commemorating the children who perished. We will visit the estate and museum and walk a short section of this route in remembrance of those who had no choice but to leave and who never reached a new life on foreign shores.
We sail north along the Atlantic coastline to Achill Island, where we make a Zodiac landing near Purteen Harbour. Here the sea leads to the mountains beyond, creating one of the most striking landscapes on Ireland’s west coast.
We offer both a morning and afternoon walk today. Join us for both or select your favourite and enjoy a relaxing morning or afternoon on the ship.
Personalise your exploration with our included ‘Your Choice’ experiences.
Option 1 - Morning experience: Deserted Village at Slievemore
We head inland on a 5 km (3 mile) walk to the Deserted Village at Slievemore, set along the lower slopes of the mountain. Stretching across the hillside are the remains of nearly one hundred stone cottages, their roofless walls still marking the homes of a once close-knit community.
These houses were lived in into the mid-19th century, but during the Great Famine of the 1840s, life here became unsustainable. Families faced a stark choice: remain and starve, or leave behind their homes, their land, and the lives they had always known. Many chose, or were forced, to go—some moving elsewhere in Ireland, many emigrating overseas, often never to return. What remains is not just an abandoned village, but the physical imprint of that decision—of a community broken apart under pressure, its presence still visible in every line of stone.
Option 2 - Afternoon experience: Keem Bay Loop
Perched on the western edge of Achill Island; this challenging coastal walk rewards every step with breathtaking Atlantic views. Rising from the white sands of Keem Bay, the trail climbs onto exposed headlands where dramatic sea cliffs, rolling green slopes and endless ocean horizons create a powerful sense of isolation.
At around 5 km (3 miles), the route combines a steep ascent with significant elevation gain, making it a rewarding option for active walkers. On clear days, walkers enjoy sweeping views of Achill Head and across to the towering cliffs of Croaghaun, among the highest sea cliffs in Europe. This walk offers an outstanding introduction to Achill's wild Atlantic landscape. Remote, rugged and undeniably spectacular, it captures the untamed beauty that defines Ireland's western coast.
As we Zodiac ashore in County Sligo, we arrive in a landscape where history, mythology, and dramatic scenery come together. Often associated with the poet W.B. Yeats, this region is known for its striking contrasts, rugged Atlantic coastline, broad beaches, and the distinctive flat-topped silhouette of Benbulben Mountain rising above the countryside.
On its northern shores lies Mullaghmore. Today, it retains that sense of connection between land and sea, past and present as the gateway to this richly storied corner of Ireland.
After our morning walk lunch will be served on board before you can join a complimentary 20-minute shuttle transfer to the nearby town of Sligo for an independent exploration of one of County Donegal’s authentic county towns. Try a whisky tasting at one of the local bars or soak in the Irish spirit by strolling the streets of the town known as ‘the capital of the northwest.’
Mullaghmore Head Walk
A 20-minute drive from Sligo, finds us at the heart of ‘Yeats country’ at the coastal village of Mullaghmore, where we start and end our walk. Mullaghmore Head Walk (5km/3miles) is an easy walk along the stunning coastline of Mullaghmore which consists of a mixture of footpaths, off-road walking trails and quiet country roads, which offer stunning panoramic views of Donegal Bay and Slieve League beyond, the Dartry Mountains and distance views to Ben Bulben and Classiebawn Castle.
Mullaghmore village, is largely the vision of Henry John Temple, better known as Lord Palmerston, who served two terms in office as British Prime Minister. He inherited a large estate of 10,000 acres in north Sligo and not only instigated the building of the magnificent stone harbour and the main buildings that characterise the village, but Classiebawn Castle, the dominant landmark of the area. Classiebawn Castle was long associated with the Mountbatten family, serving as one of their Irish residences. The location is most strongly linked with the tragic events of 27 August 1979, when Lord Mountbatten was holidaying in Mullaghmore. While out on his fishing boat in Donegal Bay, he was killed by an IRA bomb. The incident brought international attention to this quiet coastal village, and the castle—set beneath Benbulben—remains closely tied to both the family’s legacy and that moment in history.
The fishing village of Killybegs is the gateway to the rugged beauty of Slieve League Cliffs and the dramatic backdrop of Ireland’s own Table Mountain, Ben Bulben. Jutting out of Sligo’s northern edge, the peninsula of Mullaghmore pokes into the North Atlantic. Land and sea meet in confluence along the coast of County Sligo, a landscape of jagged mountain peaks that inspired the work of Nobel-winning poet William Butler Yeats. Our experiences this morning offer an insight either into the traditional crafts or the scenic beauty of this authentic corner of Ireland.
Personalise your exploration with our included ‘Your Choice’ experiences.
Option 1 – Morning experience: Walk the Clifftop trail of Slieve League
Here we’ll hike the Slieve League, Ireland’s ultimate sea cliff experience and a signature point on the Wild Atlantic Way. Believed to be Europe’s highest accessible marine cliffs, the cliff face of Bunglas rises over 600 m / 1,968 ft above the raging ocean. The lookouts here offer unspoiled views of the Atlantic as it slams the coastline of Donegal. Slieve League boasts a raw landscape and challenging lifestyle for those who call County Sligo home.
Less experienced hikers can start from the Bunglas Viewpoint, that offer classic views of the cliffs. Most people only follow the first section of this cliff path, built out of stone steps, but within just 15-20 minutes of climbing, you’re in the wild. Follow the cliffs as long as you’d like, until you’re standing at the highest point of the Slieve League cliffs, watching diving sea birds.
More experienced hikers may want to continue all the way to the Pilgrim’s Path – a 3 km / 1.9 mi hike taking approximately 2-3 hours roundtrip. The Pilgrim’s Path is narrow and steep. Parts of it can be rocky underfoot, and boggy in other places. The trail’s name comes from the time when Ireland’s Penal laws in the 18th and 19th centuries forced Irish Roman Catholic dissenters to convert to the English Anglican Church. This meant that official Catholic worship was outlawed. However, many Catholics refused to convert, and met secretly to say mass in remote, rural places, such as Slieve League.
Option 2 - Morning experience: The Ardara Whiskey Distillery
One of the five designated heritage towns in County Donegal, Ardara has built itself a reputation as a village of craftsmen and women. The movement towards uniquely Irish goods is a growth market for the villages scattered throughout Irelands isolated peninsulas. It provides work for young people and whole families who are typically involved in production. Steeped in tradition the Ardara Distillery produces An Dúlamán Irish Maritime Gin and Sliabh Liag Whiskeys. Established by two ‘scatterlings’, James and Moira Doherty, who returned to the peninsula to build a legacy, the distillery employs 30 people in the village of 700. We tour the distillery to appreciate a sustainable, boutique side of Irish whiskey making. One inspired by the almost lost tradition for a smoky style of spirit, brought up to date with the best distillation know-how. We will learn about the history of Donegal’s distilling heritage and see skilled workers breathing new life into it. All tied together by a tasting of this unique brew.
Stretching along Northern Ireland’s dramatic Atlantic edge, the Causeway Coast is a landscape where myth and geology collide, jagged cliffs, hidden bays, and sweeping headlands shaped by both ancient volcanic forces and centuries of human story. This is a place where ruined castles cling to the shoreline, where the rhythm of the ocean has long defined both those who departed and those who remain.
Both walks today visit its most famous natural attraction, the Giant’s Causeway. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Giant’s Causeway consists of some 40,000 interlocking basalt columns lifted from the ocean by volcanic activity over 60 million years ago. Of course, according to legend, giants strode across columns over the sea from Scotland, creating what looks like a giant pathway of stepping-stones that start on land and disappear into the ocean.
In true Aurora style, our approach to the Giant’s Causeway embraces the spirit of discovery, when we experience the journey as it was meant to be; on foot, following the wild coastal paths that have long connected these shores.
Personalise your exploration with our included ‘Your Choice’ experiences.
Option 1 – Giant’s Causeway to Portballintrae – 5km (3 mile) leisurely walk
A 20 – 30 minute drive brings us to the Giant’s Causeway, where we’ll spend time exploring this remarkable natural landmark before setting out on our walk toward Portballintrae.
From here our walk follows the coastline where it eases into a more relaxed yet equally rewarding route of around 5 km (approx. 1 .5 hours.) The path follows the cliffs, offering lingering views back across the Causeway, before gradually descending toward quieter coves and open stretches of shoreline. As you continue, the landscape begins to soften, the dramatic headlands giving way to gentler terrain. The route then leads alongside the Bush River, where the pace naturally shifts as you approach the small harbour village of Portballintrae.
Portballintrae is a quiet coastal settlement, centred around its sheltered harbour and sandy beach, with a long connection to the sea through fishing and local trade. Arriving here offers a different perspective on the coastline—one where the wild Atlantic gives way to a more settled rhythm of daily life, completing a walk that reflects both the drama and the quiet beauty of this stretch of coast.
Option 2 – Dunseverick Castle to the Giant's Causeway – 8km (5 mile) moderate walk
A short transfer brings us to Dunseverick Castle, where we begin one of the most dramatic sections of the Causeway Coast. Perched on a rocky outcrop above the sea, the castle now stands in ruins, but its story reaches back centuries. The site is traditionally linked to St. Patrick, and it later became a strategic stronghold contested by local rulers, kings, and rival lords, all seeking to control this exposed stretch of coastline.
From here, we set out along a striking cliff-top route toward the Giant’s Causeway. This walk covers approximately 7.5–8 km (2.5–3 hours), following a well-defined path along the high headlands of the North Antrim coast. The route rises and falls gently at first, then opens onto more exposed stretches at Benbane Head and Hamilton’s Seat, where sweeping views extend across the Atlantic and along the coastline. Underfoot, the terrain is grassy and uneven, with sections that require steady footing. The most memorable descent comes at the Shepherd’s Steps, a steep flight of stone steps leading down toward the shoreline and the basalt columns below.
As you approach the Causeway, the landscape shifts once again—from high, open cliffs to one of the most distinctive geological sites in the world. Arriving on foot offers a unique perspective, revealing the Giant’s Causeway gradually, as part of the wider coastal story rather than simply a destination.
After breakfast, we disembark the Sylvia Earle in the port town of Troon and transfer to Glasgow airport.
Meals: Breakfast onboard
