Ireland
My July 18-27, 2027 tour is currently filled, but we have started a short waiting list. To add your name, click HERE, scroll down to my tour and click ENQUIRE.
Note: Inishfree will begin taking reservations for my Apr 30 - May 9, 2028 tour (to Counties Cork, Kerry & Clare) in February.
—INFO for my 2027 Tour—
Where: We'll begin in County Donegal, then wind our way south along the coast through Sligo, Mayo and Galway (before a last night in County Clare).
When: Sunday, July 18 – Tuesday, July 27, 2027
Our Tour Company: Inishfree Tours is a small family owned company that's been operating top-notch small musical tours of Ireland for almost 20 years.
Cost: The cost varies seasonally. For my 2027 tour cost per person sharing a double or twin room is $3100 US (or $6200 per couple). Cost for one person in a single room $3600. (Note that single room availability is limited).
(Cost of my 2028 tour will be less because that April/May tour is just ahead peak season.)
What does the cost of the tour cover? The cost covers 9 nights lodging, all transportation within Ireland, all breakfasts, 3 group dinners and all music and museums.
A short personal note:
For the past 15 years I've hosted these unique small tours. Our tour company's motto is: Tours for people who don't like tours! Inishfree runs relaxed tours with great care and expertise.
It's important to note that we generally stay well away big cities and large commercial tour companies and their noisy crowds. We spend most of our time in colorful smaller towns where we hear amazing local music, visit local pubs and and enjoy Ireland's incredible wild beauty.
Ireland is home-away-from home for me. The Irish are welcoming, affable, helpful and generally a lot of fun to be around. The food there is very good, and the music we'll hear in the evenings is superb.
*Getting there:
Most flights from the US to Europe are overnight flights, so those of us who live on the US side of the pond will depart rom here no later than two days before our tour officially begins on Sunday, July 18, 2027 . That means most of us will depart from the US on Friday, July 16, fly overnight and land in *Shannon the morning of Monday, July 17. That way if we have a flight delay we'll still arrive in plenty of time for the tour to kick off the following morning (July 18) and launch our tour together.
FYI, when our flight arrives on the morning of Monday, July 17 (or sooner), a taxi will be waiting to take us to our lodging—usually one of the *B&B's in nearby Bunratty (which my wonderful liason Vicki Belinoski, is happy to arrange for us).
*We are responsible for our B&B (or hotel) lodging for the evening of our arrival day. The tour officially begins the next morning.
A frequently asked question: Why fly to Shannon, and not Dublin?
The Shannon airport a much smaller, easier-to-navigate airport. We will spend the last night of our tour in County Clare in the town of Ennis, which is a short bus ride back to the Shannon airport, where (most of us) will depart for home on the morning of Tuesday, July 27..
However, Dublin's a vibrant city, and if for any reason you prefer to fly to or from Dublin in order to have some time on your own before or after our tour begin, no worries. Ireland has excellent, clean, Wi-Fi equipped bus and train transportation between Ireland's east and west coasts.
Note that most of us will gather for a lovely get-acquainted dinner in Bunratty on the evening of our arrival, but it's optional. Some of us may prefer to attend the medieval banquet at nearby Bunratty Castle)
As they say in Ireland, Sláinte! (To your health!)
Tom
PS At the bottom of this page you'll find a recording of a story I wrote after the first tour I hosted for Inishfree. Hope you'll enjoy listening. (And you are free to download or share.)
