Irish Literary tour, WB Yates

TENTATIVE ITINERARY	NIGHTSTOP
Day One - Sunday
Tour participants arrive at Shannon Airport in the morning, where they are met by their Back-Roads Touring Co. representative . Our first literary highlight will be discovered almost within minutes of arrival as we spend a few leisurely hours in Limerick, so memorably written about in 'Angela's Ashes'. Depending on arrival times of tour participants, we drive via Adare and Tralee to our base at Killarney, or stay this first night in Ennis.	Ennis/Killarney
Day Two - Monday
Today we'll explore the Ring of Kerry and its literary and musical associations. Of course, there's also magnificent scenerary to enjoy and it wil come as no surprise to hear of the music the region has inspired. You'll also be seeing some very early 'literary' efforts in the Ogham stones that are sited here.	Killarney
Day Three - Tuesday
Today we tour to Cork through splendidly scenic countryside and in Cork discover the home of the writer Elizabeth Bowen, situated in Kildorery in North Cork - a small green sign, next to Farahy Church points towards the ruins of the house and walled garden. Her grave lies in the grounds of Farahy Church itself.	Killarney
Day Four - Wednesday
Departing Killarney we make our way across the Shannon via the Dingle to the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren to Galway. This is a day of spectacular scenery but we'll also be taking advantage of our itinerary to visit several interesting interpretative museums and attractions which illustrate the importance of turf cutting to the area, and put the great famine into its context.	Galway
Day Five - Thursday
Today we explore the Isles of Aran. Amongst other writers, J M Synge ('Playboy of the Western World') took much of his inspiration from here. Inishmore, is a wild and rugged place of cliffs, caves and ancient monuments, immortalised by Synge in his famous 'Riders to the Sea'. We'll also spend some time in Galway city. Just a few steps from Shop Street, by St Nicholas Collegiate Church, nestles the smallest museum in Ireland, a perfect setting in which to take you back through the romantic mists of time. This tiny turn of the century house was the home of Nora Barnacle, companion, wife and life-long inspiration of James Joyce, Ireland's greatest writer. It was here in 1909, sitting at the kitchen table, that Joyce first met his darling's mother. Letters, photographs and other exhibits of the lives of James Joyce and Nora Barnacle make a visit here a unique experience. Yet another day to treasure!	Galway
Day Six - Friday
North to Sligo and home of the Irish literary revival period. We'll enjoy a day's touring through Connemara. The area is as famed for its musical roots as it is for both its literary connections and film locations. This was the setting for the classic John Wayne film 'The Quiet Man,' for example. The grounds of one local hotel actually include the famous 'Quiet Man Cottage', a replica of the dwelling used for the classic 1952 film!	nr Sligo
Day Seven - Saturday
A day dedicated to W B Yeats. Highlights of our day include Thoor Ballylee, a 16th century tower that was once the home of the poet, and which became one of the recurrent symbols in his works. We'll also visit the grounds of Coole Park where Yeats often visited his friend, Lady Augusta Gregory. The lake served as his inspiration for his poem, The Wild Swans at Coole. Here too we find the Autograph Tree, a copper beach carved with the initials of Yeats and other writers of the Irish Revival.	nr Sligo
Day Eight - Sunday
A drive eastward see us exploring sites associated with Cetlic writing and tradition. In addition to the main site of Tara, we've some interesting surprises up our sleeve!	Dublin
Day Nine - Monday
Today we'll take a tour to Glendalough and Wicklow, exploring literary heritage en route. Maeve Binchy is one name that is associated with our route. We'll also begin our exploration of Dublin writers with a visit to the James Joyce Martello Tower at Sandy Cove.	Dublin
Day Ten - Tuesday
Our Dublin writers day, and what a day! Dublin's rich literary heritage includes G B Shaw, Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde, Seamus Heaney, Samual Beckett, Flann O’Brien, Sheridan, Swift, Brendan Behan and so many more. We'll visit museum homes, pubs and sites associated with many of these writers. And of course it's James Joyce's city, and of Ulysses. If you want a concise summary of the book visit www.bway.net/~hunger/ulysses.html. It's tongue in cheek but a great 'Ulysses for Dummies' style approach! Tonight, we enjoy a guided literary pub walk. Dinner will be a simple 'pub supper'.	Dublin
Day Eleven - Wednesday
Today is a free day. It's a day to see The Book of Kells at Trinity and other of the city's icons. Dublin is a great city to explore on foot. It's small enough to be easily walked and it's great fun to discover the alleyways of Tollbar and the magnificant shopping of Powerscourt. It's also great fun using Dublin's new tram network and the more adventurous may wish to ride it, or the DART, a little further afield and discover soem of the less visited city neighbourhoods (like Joyce's Sandycove). This is your day of 'organised independence'. You guide will be breifing you on how to make the best of your day. Dinner is not included tonight to enable you to freely follow one of the many local events.	Dublin
Day Twelve - Thursday
Tired but happy, you are transferred to the airport for departure home (or, alternatively, stay on in Dublin for independent sightseeing).
Itinerary Note: at the time of publishing this tentative itinerary celebratory dates for Killarney's 250th anniversary and Joyce's centenary have not been finalised. Once the full programme has been published, it may necessitate our altering the running order of the tour. This will be done if, in our opinion, we can improve upon our provisional plans. Given that this will be a HUGE year in Ireland over these June dates, you are advised to reserve your place rather than wait until a final itinerary can be published.