2-Day Cork, Blarney Castle and Ring of Kerry Rail Trip from Dublin

On arrival in Cork at 09:35, we transfer to our Railtours Ireland tour 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 chieftains, Cormac McCarthy. Explore the beautiful gardens and you will have 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 here, as this will be the only opportunity during the day to have a substantial meal. You depart Blarney at 13:30 hrs approximately.

On arrival at Cóbh (pronounced: 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 once again 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 a plethora of information about the Great Famine and subsequent Irish Emigration – 3 million Irish people emigrated from Cóbh (principally to the United States), including Annie Moore, whose statue is located in front of the heritage centre. 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.

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. An essential part of any visit to Ireland, 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 unspoilt 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.