Welcome to Vantage Explorations’ The Luck of the Irish
Pounded for eternity by its surrounding seas, Ireland’s rugged and wild coastline is best explored by ship. The country’s intimate size affords seafarers an in-depth exploration of both its coastal gems and inland treasures. We will search the cliffs, castles, backstreets and hollow tree trunks of Ireland and Northern Ireland, for stories of its saints, heroes, mythical creatures and convivial locals, as we immerse ourselves in the witty and wondrous world of Ireland’s greatest export: the Irish.
Welcome to Dublin. On arrival at Dublin airport make your way to the Arrivals Hall to meet our representative, followed by a transfer to our group hotel. At the hotel, visit our hospitality desk in the lobby to meet our team who will provide you with useful information regarding pre-embarkation procedures and about your time in Dublin. You will also receive cabin tags for your luggage. Please clearly label the tags with your name and your cabin number on the ship.
This evening offers time to relax in preparation for our ‘day out in Dublin’ tomorrow. Our centrally located hotel has a popular restaurant and bar and is close to plenty of corner pubs and cosy restaurants should you wish to ‘share a jar’ in true Irish style or try some local cuisine.
Accommodation: Camden Court Dublin (or similar)
Dublin, the vibrant capital of Ireland, is a city brimming with energy and resilience. Once under British rule, Dublin has emerged with a distinct sense of identity, leading Ireland as a proud member of the European Union and reflecting its evolving role in modern Europe. The city has been home to some of the world’s most influential literary figures, including Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, W.B. Yeats, and George Bernard Shaw. Iconic landmarks such as Trinity College, home to the esteemed Book of Kells, highlight its storied past, while the city also serves as a hub of artistic and cultural expression, with global musicians like U2, whose impact resonates from their Dublin roots, having invigorated its creative scene. Dublin’s vibrant pub culture offers a lively social fabric, where traditional and contemporary influences merge to create a city to explore both day and night.
Choose your favourite ‘Your Choice’ experience for a morning full of all things Irish, with time to explore Dublin at your own pace this afternoon. Join us for an evening of Irish food and dancing, as we celebrate the start of our journey.
Personalise your exploration with our included ‘Your Choice’ experiences.
Option 1- Morning experience: Walking Dublin
Dublin’s compact character makes it an ideal one for a leisurely walking tour. This morning, our local guide entertains us with tales of the city’s character-filled history. We will hear stories of Ireland’s past and present through the eyes of its many artists, manic Lord Mayors and rebellious citizens whilst following the park-side alleys of Dublin’s ‘backyard’, St Stephens Green, to the grand Georgian buildings of Irelands’ first university, Trinity College, which offers 40 acres of academic seclusion from the hustle and bustle of downtown Dublin, and the numerous statues, sculptures and open spaces which tell the tale of this fascinating city. Return to the hotel with your guide or branch out and explore the city further independently.
Option 2 – Morning experience: The Guinness Story
The Guinness brewery opened on this spot over 250 years ago, when Arthur Guinness signed a 900-year lease – there’s only 650 years to go. More than just an Irish stout, Guinness bridged divides between rich and poor, Protestant and Catholic, Ireland and America, making the story behind the brand every bit as compelling as the drink itself. The family's entrepreneurial legacy helped create a more liveable Dublin, with large swathes of the city rebuilt through the philanthropic efforts of the Guinness family. This morning we will see, hear and smell the secret ingredients as we travel through a series of vast machines, before our self-guided tour ends in the circular panoramic Gravity Bar, with its sweeping views across the city of Dublin. Here, we will enjoy a complimentary pint of ‘the black stuff’ while viewing Dublin from above. Choose to make your own way back to the hotel or catch a lift on our coach.
Accommodation: Camden Court Dublin (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Welcome Reception – dinner and Irish music show
We depart Dublin for Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, arriving in the late morning. Once the industrial powerhouse of Ireland, Belfast has endured more than its share of hardship—famines, disease, invasions, and economic strife have shaped a tough, resilient city. But it was the recent period known as The Troubles that defined its global image. Barbed wire, armed patrols, and curfews once deterred visitors. Today, however, Belfast is a city renewed—lighter, more open, and on the rise thanks to political progress and investment.
On arrival a short driving tour showcases stories of the workers who built Belfast offering insights into both Unionist and Nationalist communities. Occasional security gates serve as reminders of a complex past, but the city now embraces seven vibrant ‘quarters’: Cathedral, Gaeltacht, Smithfield Market and Library, Linen, Market, and Queen’s.
There’s time to grab a bite to eat while browsing Belfast’s centre before heading to the former dockyards to discover one of the city's most compelling stories. It was here that over 10,000 workers laboured to build the world’s most glamorous ships in the world's biggest ship building yard. The Titanic Experience, located on the site where the ship was built, not only brings this story to life, but it also explores the pride, pressure, and struggle tied to the legacy of one of the world's more enduring tragedies. Having completed our tour, we make our way to the port of Belfast for embarkation.
After settling into your cabin and participating in the mandatory safety briefing, we meet our crew and Vantage Explorations team at a Welcome Dinner to celebrate our voyage around the Emerald Isle.
Meals: Breakfast, Welcome dinner on board
Our overnight sailing takes us to the city of Londonderry~Derry. Simply known as Derry to the Nationalist (Catholic) population but still referred to as Londonderry by the Unionist (Protestant) population, this ‘border’ town has seen it all. The sectarian ‘Troubles’ of this predominantly Nationalist city may have blemished its reputation, but in recent years these tensions have eased, and although some suburbs retain their sense of division, strolling the streets is safe and the general population are happy to share stories of their stormy past and ambitious future.
Heading north to the coast we find fables of giants and the iconic evidence of the island's volcanic past at the Giant’s Causeway, where we offer the choice of two experiences at this iconic landmark, before sailing west to the Republic of Ireland and the cliffside gem of Killybegs.
Personalise your exploration with our included ‘Your Choice’ experiences.
An hours' drive north finds us on the northern shores of Northern Ireland where we follow the coast to the Giant’s Causeway. This region is blessed with impressive natural scenery: vast valleys, glittering lakes and cliffs hoisted up from the Atlantic. 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.
Option 1 – Full day experience: Giant’s Causeway and Londonderry ~Derry
Our 1.5-hour drive brings us to the Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre, from where you may choose to walk the
1 km (0.6 mile) route to the world-famous basalt columns or take the optional shuttle service to and from the Causeway site. Following lunch at a local restaurant, we return to Londonderry~Derry, where in recent years, artists and local communities have transformed many of its walls into striking murals that reflect the city’s history, identity, and aspirations for the future. As we pass these powerful artworks, our guide provides an insight into Derry’s complex past, exploring the civil rights movement, the Troubles, and the events that have shaped the city and left a lasting imprint on its communities, before rejoining the ship.
Option 2: Full day experience: Giant’s Causeway and the Causeway Coast to Portballintrae
A 1.5-hour drive north brings us to the Giant’s Causeway, where we’ll spend time exploring its over 40,000 basalt columns before setting out on our walk toward the coastal village of Portballintrae. Our moderately-paced walk follows an unpaved trail along the Causeway Coast eastwards for approximately 5 km (3.2 miles), tracing a spectacular stretch of shoreline between the Giant's Causeway and the harbour village of Portballintrae. The path traverses the clifftops above the Atlantic, offering views back across the famous basalt columns and the rugged Causeway headlands. As the route continues, the dramatic coastal scenery gradually softens, descending towards quieter coves and sandy beaches before reaching the lower ground around the Bush River.
Arriving in Portballintrae, we find a peaceful coastal village centred on its small harbour and broad sandy bay. Long connected to the sea through fishing and maritime trade, it offers a gentler perspective on the Causeway Coast, providing a fitting conclusion to a walk that combines some of Northern Ireland's most celebrated coastal scenery with the charm of one of its most picturesque seaside communities. Following lunch, we return by coach to Londonderry~Derry and our awaiting ship.
The fishing village of Killybegs is 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.
This morning, choose to join us on a scenic cliffside walk amid some of Ireland’s most dramatic coastal landscapes or meet the locals at the community-led Glencolmcille Folk Village, where residents of the region share the traditions, crafts, and stories of this Gaeltacht region.
Personalise your exploration with our included ‘Your Choice’ experiences.
Option 1 – Morning experience: Slieve League Cliffs
Slieve League is Ireland’s ultimate sea cliff experience and a signature point on the Wild Atlantic Way. Believed to be Europe’s highest accessible sea cliffs, they rise 2,000 feet from the ocean below. 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, while the Slieve League Cliffs Centre supports local artisans by selling their handmade specialties including items from the Donegal Tweed company and Triona, a company located only a few miles away at Adara. Choose to view the cliffs from their sturdy lookouts, or hike one of the many trails that hug the clifftops.
Option 2 – Morning experience: Glencolmcille Folk Village
Enjoy a scenic drive through Donegal’s wild and picturesque landscapes to Glencolmcille: a Gaeltacht region rich in folklore, music, and archaeological heritage. Here we visit the Glencolmcille Folk Village, founded in 1967 to honour Fr. James McDyer, a visionary priest who arrived in 1951 and inspired the community to embrace self-reliance and pride in their cultural roots. Part of his wider vision for the region, projects such as the Folk Village were created not only to provide employment in this remote community, but also to ensure that traditional skills, crafts, language, and customs would be passed on to younger generations rather than being lost through emigration and social change. Explore replica thatched cottages from the 18th to 20th centuries, along with a schoolhouse, shebeen, and craft shop, enjoy tea and scones while traditional musicians perform, join in Irish language lessons and watch Donegal tweed spinning and weaving. Rich in local character, the museum captures the spirit of a community whose lives were shaped by the rhythms of the coast and centuries-old traditions.
The west coast seaside town of Galway plays host to Douglas Mawson today when we anchor in its bay and tender ashore. Attracting a year-round flow of local visitors, Galway has the vibe of a traditional Irish resort town with plenty of pubs, restaurants and shops selling traditional products.
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 Ireland’s most authentically preserved Workhouse will encounter a more confronting reminder: the human cost of political power, and the stark realities faced by those with nowhere left to turn.
As we set sail in the early evening, prepare for a breathtaking finale — panoramic views of the legendary Cliffs of Moher, rising dramatically from the Atlantic Ocean. Towering over the West Clare coast, the Cliffs of Moher are best seen in the early morning, and from the sea. Visually spectacular, they sit astride the striking landscape of the Burren on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. At a height of over 700 feet at O’Brien’s Tower, and following the coast for almost eight miles, these ancient cliffs were formed over 320 million years ago and today form part of the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark.
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 – Morning experience: Voices from 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.
Once described by National Geographic Traveller as ‘the most beautiful place on earth’, Dingle is away from the general ‘tourist route’, affording us exclusive access to the wild west coast. Traditionally a fishing port, Dingle Harbour is where we anchor and tender into town. Known for its rugged scenery, dramatic cliffs and sandy beaches, the surrounding promontory is the coastal heart of County Kerry, while Dingle itself has a bohemian flair and is famous for its hardware pubs where you can enjoy a brew and buy wares at the same time!
On the horizon lie the deserted Blasket Islands. Both of our journeys today include time at the Blasket Centre, where we learn about the lives of the islanders who called these remote Atlantic outposts home. Although the islands were evacuated in 1953 as the population declined, their stories endure through personal accounts, photographs and oral histories. The centre offers an insight into a community shaped by isolation, harsh weather and a strong connection to language and tradition. Through these stories, we gain an appreciation of the resilience and resourcefulness that defined life on the Blaskets and helped sustain a unique culture for generations.
Personalise your exploration with our included ‘Your Choice’ experiences.
Option 1 – Morning experience: Driving the Dingle Peninsula with the Blasket Centre
As the Atlantic carves the coast, we watch its waves from our clifftop drive to Slea Head. Our route weaves and twists as we follow the peninsula, with stops to take in its dramatic scenery as the road narrows, and we literally drive to the edge of the ocean. An unforgiving land, this peninsula attracted medieval monks, who lived in beehive-shaped, stone clocháns, which we visit at the Fahan Beehive. On the horizon we see the deserted Blasket Islands; an unenviable place to live. The islanders’ stories live on, thanks to the Blasket Centre. This interactive museum tells tales of the islanders who survived in often unliveable conditions. We hear their stories, learn some ‘real Irish’ and marvel at their tenacity.
Option 2 – Morning experience: Walking the Slea Head Route with the Blasket Centre
We walk the 5km (3.1 mile) Lúb na Cille (Slea Head) trail near Dún Chaoin, where quiet lanes and coastal paths lead us through a varied landscape of rolling farmland and cliff tops shaped by generations of farming and fishing on Ireland's western edge. As we make our way along the route, wide views open across the Atlantic to the Blasket Islands, while stone-walled fields, rugged cliffs and an ever-changing coastline provide a constant backdrop. This trail offers an opportunity to soak up the atmosphere of this remote and distinctive corner of the Dingle Peninsula. We end our walk with a visit to the Blasket Centre, while the islands that dominate the horizon offer a constant reminder of the communities that once called them home. Note: Sequence may vary due to local conditions.
We arrive at Bantry Bay and tender to shore. The harbourside town of Bantry is the gateway to the touring route known as the Wild Atlantic Way. It is easy to see why Ireland’s colour of choice for everything is green, from its national sporting uniforms to its flag, as we drive a portion of the famed Ring of Kerry surrounded by the lush grass-covered hills and dales of the Emerald Isle, or choose to cross the bay to Whiddy Island for a slice of island life. For those choosing to visit Whiddy Island, Bantry itself is small enough for a comfortable stroll to fill your day, with artisan shops, friendly cafes and, of course, plenty of pubs to try a local brew.
Personalise your exploration with our included ‘Your Choice’ experiences.
Option 1 – Morning experience: Meet the Mayor of Whiddy Island
A 15-minute ferry crossing takes us to one of Ireland’s 80 islands – Whiddy Island, with a population of 30. A former World War I US Navy seaplane base known as Bantry Bay Station; Whiddy Island offers an insight into ‘island life in Ireland’. At just 3 x 1.5 miles in size, it is an island that is ideal for walking. It is famous for its red and purple hue provided in summer by an extensive planting of fuchsias and birdlife, as Whiddy is also home to kingfishers, little egrets and shags. But it is the story of its people that we have come to hear about, and we could not ask for a more local guide to show us around. He is the local publican, local postal worker, and he is locally known as the King of Whiddy Island. We learn about traditional baking and mussel farming and, of course, we wash it down at his pub with a local brew.
Option 2 – Full-day experience: The Kingdom of Kerry
A day spent driving through the Kingdom of Kerry is the touchstone against which all other beauty spots in Ireland are measured. The Iveragh Peninsula is a magical place full of myths and legends. This landscape of sandstone hills, wooded valleys and pristine lakes has inspired poets and authors to pen many a lament. A photographer’s dream, the region is dotted with quaint towns and villages. Its lands have been carved into a series of mountain passes that whisper their story as we follow the trail of the Kingdom of Kerry
Once a port town, always a port town, Cork sits proudly on an island in the middle of the Lee River. Surrounded by water, the city’s salty air tells the story of Irish emigration, with its historical harbour and shores of Kinsale, famed as the port of boarding for the Irish who left for foreign lands. If your ancestors are Irish, there is a high chance they came through Cork. Today, the city has a flair for great gigs and modernised traditional dishes and is considered an Irish food mecca that is centred around its restored 18th-century English Market.
Our shore excursions offer the chance either to acquire the famed Irish gift of the gab or to follow in the footsteps of those who left Ireland for distant shores, visiting the place where many bid a final farewell to their homeland. This afternoon, time permitting, enjoy time to explore Cork independently.
Personalise your exploration with our included ‘Your Choice’ experiences.
Option 1 – Morning experience: Blarney Castle and the Blarney Stone
If every myth, legend and limerick associated with Blarney Castle’s indomitable ‘stone’ were true, the world would be asking it to solve all our problems. Where the stone came from and how its modern-day reputation was conceived is a matter of contention, but regardless, thousands of travellers come to kiss it every week, hoping to be bestowed with ‘the gift of eloquence’. Was it a witch who was saved from drowning that revealed its power?
Was it the Lord of Blarneys eloquent reply to the land title demands of Queen Elizabeth I? Was it the Goddess Cliodhna’s hinted reply to a love-lost Cormac McCarthy? Today, we hope to find out.
Option 2 – Half day experience: The Seaside Gem of Kinsale
We drive to the coast and the picture-perfect town of Kinsale, where we hear stories of naval battles, foreign invasions and shipwrecks. Once a garrison town embroiled with invading navies, Kinsale became the natural landfall for ships sailing from the continent and the Americas. These legendary waters witnessed the final sightings of two of history's most iconic ocean liners; the Titanic and the Lusitania. In the early hours of 7 May 1915, the Cunard liner Lusitania was hit, only a mere 11 nautical miles off the coast of Kinsale, by a single torpedo shot from a German U-Boat. The people of Kinsale rallied to help but within 18 minutes she sank, with only 761 of the 1960 souls on board surviving.
Choose to remain in town or join us to to visit the memorial overlooking the site of the tragedy on Old Head of Kinsale, before taking time to stroll the streets of this colourful coastal enclave returning to Cork mid-afternoon. Note: Lunch is left at your leisure providing free time to immerse yourself in the character and charm of the town at your own pace.
We sail the River Suir this morning to the riverside port of Belview and the city of Waterford. This morning, we journey north an hour north to one of Ireland's most storied castles, whose walls have witnessed centuries of triumph, intrigue and conflict.
Kilkenny, often hailed as Ireland’s best-preserved medieval city, blends small-town charm with a lively urban energy. Once the seat of the medieval Irish parliament, it rivalled Dublin in influence—a legacy still visible in its grand Norman architecture and marble façades. At its heart stands Kilkenny Castle, continuously occupied for over 800 years and deeply entwined with the rise and fall of the Marshal and Butler families. The Butlers, who rose from Earls to Dukes, were known for high-profile marriages, including Winston Churchill’s cousin and American heiress Ellen Stager. By 1922, the castle was caught in political turmoil, occupied by Republicans and besieged by Free State forces. In 1967, the family sold it to the Kilkenny Castle Restoration Committee for just £50. Today, the castle stands as a symbol of shifting fortunes—a riches-to-rags tale that mirrors the city’s own dramatic history.
Returning to Waterford, there’s time to explore the city at your own pace, with a ship-to-town shuttle available throughout the afternoon. Known as the city where culture meets the ‘craic’ (that is Irish for a good time), Waterford is a modern city with a layered history. Invaded by the Norsemen in 914, Waterford became a Viking settlement, which is reflected in its people even today. It emerged from the Middle Ages as a trading port with the wealth from goods that came from as far away as Newfoundland, the profits of which funded the construction of the many Georgian Mansions that line the city’s streets. A town for those who enjoy a good stroll, Waterford is easy on the eye, offers plenty to see and as its reputation suggests, is full of fun.
After breakfast, bid farewell to your crew and disembark in Dublin and head continue our genealogy theme with a visit to Dublin’s EPIC Emigration Museum. Adjacent to the Customs House Quay (CHQ) building’s restaurants, cafes and shops, this award-winning museum is a highlight of any visit to Dublin, and a convenient place to grab a bite to eat, do some souvenir shopping or trace your own Irish roots at EPICs Irish Family History Centre.
The museum’s self-guided tour allows us to meet one of Ireland’s greatest exports; its people. 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 Ned Kelly to the Kennedys, 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.
Having explored the story of the Irish, we'll make our way to our hotel for our final night in Dublin.
Accommodation: Camden Court Hotel (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast onboard
After breakfast, we bid farewell to all the Irish who have shared their stories with us, past and present. An airport transfer shared with your fellow explorers is included for your onward flight.
Meals: Breakfast
