Aug. 5, 2017 Departure

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Howser54
Howser54
in The Best of Ireland
Looking forward to our Best of Ireland trip. Any tips by recent travelers would be appreciated. Anyone else going??

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  • AlanS
    AlanS
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    Howser54 wrote:
    Looking forward to our Best of Ireland trip. Any tips by recent travelers would be appreciated. Anyone else going??

    Be prepared for any type of weather- hot, cool, wet, dry. Search the forum archives for more info.
  • CalKat
    CalKat
    edited July 2017
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    You are in for a treat. We went on this trip in September 2015, our first Tauck experience. Have now been on 3 more since then with another one planned. We were lucky and only had 1/2 day of rain, but be sure to take light weight waterproof jackets and umbrellas. Athletic shoes are fine. Dress is very casual in Ireland, and although there are a few hotel restaurants that require a jacket, there are usually other less formal restaurant options. We found there was plenty of free time on this trip to see things we wanted to at our own pace. Don't miss the falconry experience. We especially enjoyed Northern Ireland. Let us know if you have specific questions.
  • AlanS
    AlanS
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    Since you are on a Small Group departure, the falconry experience might be held at the beautiful Mount Juliet Estate where the tour spends two nights. It was for us last year this time- it was free. Other optional activities there included golf (lesson?), archery, riding, and fishing. If you really don't get enough falconry, you can probably do it again at Ashford Castle (for a fee?). During our falconry experience at Mt. Juliet, in addition to flying hawks, we also had the opportunity to hold large barn owls- they were docile, beautiful and incredibly soft. Like a cat, they like to be rubbed/petted on their foreheads between their eyes.

    This is a wonderful trip. Oh, and believe what I said about being prepared for weather- it was a bit damp during our falconry experience at Mt. Juliet and again at Jerpoint Abbey (and a few other times) but no real downpours- we get more rain in one afternoon here in North Carolina than we had in two weeks in Ireland.

    During free time at Mt. Juliet (before/after dinner or after breakfast) take a short walk down to the breeding farm paddocks behind the estate- you can see them from the dining room windows- where you'll see a bunch of mares and new foals.

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  • CathieOK
    CathieOK
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    My husband and I and two other couples will be on the August 5 small group tour. We are arriving on the 2nd and plan to take advantage of being there early. We are all from Oklahoma. Cathie
  • franniface
    franniface
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    Howser54 wrote:
    Looking forward to our Best of Ireland trip. Any tips by recent travelers would be appreciated. Anyone else going??


    Howie, we'll be there...Fran & Tom lol
  • id4elizabeth
    id4elizabeth
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    We'll be there too - Elizabeth & Joe from Virginia. We get in very EARLY on the 4th - wish now I had planned to get in a couple of days earlier than that. Hope our room is ready at a decent time.

    Weather looks cool and damp. Having to rethink what we were going to wear. Shorts and short sleeved shirts are coming out of the suitcase to be replaced by jeans and long sleeved shirts.

    Does anyone know about making reservations for things like golf and spas before we go? Do we do that once we get there or are we supposed to contact the hotels ourselves to book ahead of time?
  • Howser54
    Howser54
    edited July 2017
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    CalKat wrote:
    You are in for a treat. We went on this trip in September 2015, our first Tauck experience. Have now been on 3 more since then with another one planned. We were lucky and only had 1/2 day of rain, but be sure to take light weight waterproof jackets and umbrellas. Athletic shoes are fine. Dress is very casual in Ireland, and although there are a few hotel restaurants that require a jacket, there are usually other less formal restaurant options. We found there was plenty of free time on this trip to see things we wanted to at our own pace. Don't miss the falconry experience. We especially enjoyed Northern Ireland. Let us know if you have specific questions.


    Thanks for all the informations and adviice. We are so excited for this trip.
  • Howser54
    Howser54
    Options
    AlanS wrote:
    Since you are on a Small Group departure, the falconry experience might be held at the beautiful Mount Juliet Estate where the tour spends two nights. It was for us last year this time- it was free. Other optional activities there included golf (lesson?), archery, riding, and fishing. If you really don't get enough falconry, you can probably do it again at Ashford Castle (for a fee?). During our falconry experience at Mt. Juliet, in addition to flying hawks, we also had the opportunity to hold large barn owls- they were docile, beautiful and incredibly soft. Like a cat, they like to be rubbed/petted on their foreheads between their eyes.

    This is a wonderful trip. Oh, and believe what I said about being prepared for weather- it was a bit damp during our falconry experience at Mt. Juliet and again at Jerpoint Abbey (and a few other times) but no real downpours- we get more rain in one afternoon here in North Carolina than we had in two weeks in Ireland.

    During free time at Mt. Juliet (before/after dinner or after breakfast) take a short walk down to the breeding farm paddocks behind the estate- you can see them from the dining room windows- where you'll see a bunch of mares and new foals.

    IMG_4401-r.jpg

    IMG_4440-r.jpg

    IMG_4354r.jpg

    IMG_4443r.jpg




    Thanks for the great tips and photos. My wife loves the owls. We look forward to our journey.
  • Howser54
    Howser54
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    Thanks to all for all the helpful advice. We love hearing from other people joining us on this trip. We will be traveling with two other couples from Long Island. Glad Tom's parole hearing went well so Fran and Tom will be able to join us (lol). We are arriving a day early and will be attending Bunratty Banquet at Bunratty Castle at 5:30. Look on line for tickets as it is one of the top attractions in Shannon. Again thanks to all and to our fellow tour members.Looking forward to a great trip.
  • mazalea
    mazalea
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    You'll have some free time in Dublin. Last spring we signed up online for a meet up with an Ambassador at The Little Museum, through its City of a Thousand Welcomes program. It's free. We met with Brian who was fantastic. He took us to a nearby pub (could have gone for tea but who'd want that??) and we spent several hours with him talking about everything Irish under the sun. Aside from the Falconry School of Ireland, it is one of our favorite memories. I did book some activities/restaurants directly with hotels etc before we left, and then found I wanted to change them as the tour progressed. Oh yes, we went horseback riding at Mt Juliette, too. Have good craic!
  • tardy
    tardy
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    we will be doing this trip in Sept.. hope you have a great time.. please do a trip review when you get back.
  • British
    British
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    Oh gosh Tardy, will you be ok on this tour, Tauck travelers are never tardy????
  • tardy
    tardy
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    HaHa... our sign in name doesn't reflect our speed... Well not yet anyway... the morning of day 11 could be problematic...
    but we will do our best to be in our seat for departure on time.... all good..

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