3-Day Cork, Blarney Castle, Ring of Kerry and Dingle Peninsula Rail Tour

On arrival in Cork at 09:35, we take our Railtours Ireland coach through Cork City to Blarney Village and historic Blarney Castle – which is over 600 years old and was built by one of Ireland’s Great Chieftians, Cormac Mc Carthy. Explore the beautiful gardens and take the time to kiss the famous stone, which is said to bestow the gift of eternal eloquence on those lucky enough to do so. There is also time for shopping and lunch at Blarney Village. TIP! We recommend that you have lunch there, as this will be the only opportunity during the day to have a substantial meal. You depart Blarney at 13:30 hrs. Approximately – or as directed by your Host – for Cóbh, via the city centre and a short city tour.

On arrival at Cóbh (prenounced: Cove), we will visit St Colman’s Cathedral. We will then proceed down along the sea front passing the former White Star Line offices en route to the beautifully restored Victorian railway station/transatlantic terminal. This is now the Cóbh Heritage Centre, home to the Queenstown Story to which your entrance is included. When Queen Victoria visited Ireland in 1849 she came to Cóbh and the town was renamed Queenstown in her honour – it was renamed Cóbh after Irish independence in 1922. Cóbh was of course the final port of call of the RMS Titanic and this theme is well expounded. The centre also houses much information about the Great Famine and subsequent Irish Emigration. The Lusitania was torpedoed off the coast of Cork – marking the United States’ entry to the First World War – and the small number of survivors were brought to Cóbh for refuge. Cóbh is also the headquarters of the Irish Navy and you will most likely see some navy ships.

You will be collected from your accommodation at 09:45 (or as directed by our Killarney representative) for your Ring of Kerry tour. There are plenty of stops along the Ring of Kerry for morning tea, lunch and photo stops, etc. Ireland’s highest mountains are located in Kerry, and Carrantuohill – which can be seen en route – is the highest, standing at 1041 metres. This tour circles the magnificent MacGillycuddy Reeks and runs through its many passes and valleys along the shores of Dingle Bay and Kenmare Bay. The nature of the Ring of Kerry provides many photo opportunities, as it passes through the many picturesque villages such as Glenbeigh, Waterville and Sneem. We return via Ladies View, the famous Lakes of Killarney and through the Oakwoods of Killarney's magnificent National Park. At the end of the tour you will be returned to your accommodation where, again, the evening is free.

You will be collected at 09:45 for your days’ touring, taking in the lovely vistas of the Dingle Peninsula. Listen out for Irish speakers, as Dingle is one of Ireland’s Gaeltacht, or Irish speaking regions. (We rarely use the term Gaelic to describe our national language). The Dingle Peninsula has the most rugged Atlantic coastline in Kerry and is scattered with forts and pre-historic huts such as the Gallarus Oratory. Much of Irish heritage is maintained in this Irish-speaking region including traditional music and art forms. Considered by many to have some of Europe's most spectacular scenery, the peninsula also supports both a rare and unique assortment of flora and fauna. Slea Head is the most westerly point in Europe and standing there, looking towards America, instills a feeling of excitement and empathy with the millions of emigrants who took this route. There are splendid views around Slea Head, especially of the Blasket Islands and the scattered rocks. The Great Blasket Island, evacuated in the 1950’s, produced a number of books in Irish – a best-seller, translated as 20 Years a Growing by Maurice O' Sullivan, and a masterpiece, The Island Man by Thomas O’ Crohan. In the 20th century some 60 books, mostly in Irish, have been written in the immediate area. This is also the countryside in which the David Lean film, Ryan's Daughter, was made. The film, Far & Away, was also made here. At the end of the day's touring you will be returned to Killarney Station for your return train to Mallow and onward to Dublin which departs at 17:35. On arrival at Mallow, you will change to the intercity service to Dublin, departing from the adjacent platform.