Thursday, August 24th Indianapolis Departure: Arrive at Dublin Airport: Meet with your English-speaking guide and driver and transfer to Belfast. On arrival, enjoy a panoramic city tour. A guided city tour is an excellent way to discover Belfast City. The tour will take in the leaning Albert Memorial Clock tower (Irelands answer to the Tower of Pisa) and the Opera House, which is one of Belfast’s great landmarks. Your tour will pass by the City Hall, the Opera house, The Crown Bar (dates from 1885), Queens University and the Botanic Gardens. Some tours will take in a visit to the Harland and Wolfe Shipyard, where the Titanic was built and launched in 1912. A visit to the Shankill and Falls road will be of interest as it will give the visitor an indication of how life was in Belfast during the troubles. Next we’ll visit Titanic Belfast. Located in the heart of Belfast, the Titanic Belfast recreates the story of the world’s most famous ship in an iconic, six floor building right beside the historic site of the original ship’s construction. Opened in April 2012 to coincide with the centenary of its launch, the self-guided journey begins on entering the building’s giant atrium, where the visitor is surrounded by the four ‘ship’s hull’ shaped wings which house the Titanic Experience. As you journey through the nine large galleries of the interactive exhibition, you will uncover the true story of the Titanic, from her conception in Belfast in the early 1900’s, through her construction and launch, to her famous maiden voyage and subsequent place in history. Enjoy a welcome dinner at your hotel. (D)

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Friday, August 25th – North Antrim Coast: Today we will visit the Bushmills Distillery. The Old Bushmills Distillery in north County Antrim is the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery having received its license to distill in 1608. The present distillery was built in 1885 after the original had been destroyed by fire. A guided visit commences with an excellent short film on the history and distillation of Irish whiskey, followed by a tour of the distillery. The visit finishes in the distillery pub where all are invited to partake of a wee Bush (a sample of Bushmills Whiskey). The Duration of the formal tour is 45 - 60 minutes. The distillery has a restaurant and a sales outlet. Bushmills Irish Whiskey is now owned by Diageo, one of the world’s leading premium drinks businesses. Next we’ll visit the Giants Causeway. Encounter Northern Ireland’s favourite giant Finn McCool at the new Giants Causeway Visitor centre on the North Antrim coast which opened in the summer of 2012. According to legend Finn McCool created the Giants Causeway by building stepping stones to Scotland to challenge the Scottish giant Benandonner! The new Visitor centre explores the major themes of mythology, geology, landscape, ecology, culture and social history based on the UNESCO World Heritage site that consists of 40,000 basalt polygonal columns formed 60 million years ago after a volcanic eruption. There are various interactive exhibits and short video presentations within five designated interpretive exhibition areas and the self guided visit will culminate with a spectacular two minutes audio-visual projection of a volcanic eruption flowing over the walls and onto the floor. We will return to Belfast along the coast road and this evening enjoy dinner at a local restaurant. (B, D)

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Saturday, August 26th – Downpatrick: This morning we will visit The Saint Patrick Centre. St Patrick is known worldwide as the patron saint of Ireland and is celebrated on the 17th March every year. Now discover the story of St Patrick and his place in Ireland’s history at the St Patrick Centre, located beside Down Cathedral and St Patricks Grave in the Medieval heart of Downpatrick. As the main destination on the Saint Patrick Driving Trail, which runs from Armagh to Bangor, the centre welcomes those with a knowledge of St Patrick that want to explore more detail about his background. It features an interpretative exhibition, which tells the fascinating story of Ireland’s Patron Saint. The visit begins with the impressive ‘In the Footsteps of Saint Patrick’ Imax presentation about the life of St Patrick and has aerial video footage of some of the landmark sites in Ireland associated with the Saint. Next we will visit St. Patrick’s Grave. Continuing on to the Down Cathedral overlooking Downpatrick, stands close to what is believed to be the mortal remains of Patrick, the Patron saint of Ireland. Visitors can access the cathedral via gardens at the back of the St Patricks Centre or through English street from the town centre. The Cathedral is impressive inside and has a wonderful organ and a very interesting seating arrangement. A retail area is housed at the entrance of the Cathedral. It is generally accepted that the main walls of the Cathedral date from the years after 1220. It suffered destruction on numerous occasions including during the wars with Edward Bruce in 1316 and finally, on the suppression of the monasteries in 1541, the Cathedral was laid waste. Notwithstanding its ruinous state which lasted until 1790, King James I granted a Charter to the Cathedral in 1609, providing for a Dean and Chapter. Rather than lose the connection with Patrick, the name began to be used for the growing town, which assumed the name Downpatrick. Rebuilding of the Cathedral began in 1790, it was consecrated in 1818 and the tower was completed in 1829. The Cathedral was closed again for repairs and renovations in 1986/7. Attacks of rot were so extensive that the Cathedral Board, acting on professional advice decided to remove almost the entire interior plaster walls and vaulting. What the visitor sees now is an almost entirely new interior, a replica of that which it replaced. The cost of this was upwards of £750,000 which was all raised voluntarily.

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This late afternoon/evening enjoy the Notre Dame vs. Navy Game at the Aviva Stadium – tickets will be a supplemental fee once available. (B, D)

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Sunday, August 27th – Day of leisure in Dublin: This evening enjoy dinner and entertainment at the Merry Ploughboys Pub. (B, D)

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Monday, August 28th – Glendalough & Wicklow: This morning we will visit Glendalough. This early Christian monastic site was founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century. Set in a glaciated valley with two lakes, the monastic remains include a superb round tower, stone churches and decorated crosses. The Visitor Centre has an interesting exhibition on Glendalough detailing the history, archaeology and wildlife of this area of Wicklow and includes an audio-visual show . French, Italian and Spanish guided tours are available all year by advance booking. Then we will visit Powerscourt House and Gardens. Situated at the foot of the Wicklow mountains, Powerscourt is one of the most beautiful estates in Ireland. Powerscourt Gardens are a magnificent example of aristocratic gardens from the 19th century. The gardens were initiated around 1745 and restyled in the 19th century. The gardens have many features including the Triton pool with its 30m fountain. To the left are American and Italian gardens, while below them is a Japanese garden. The Bamberg Gates to the walled garden are believed to come from a German Cathedral in Bamberg in Bavaria. There are many rare plants and wonderful views of the Great Sugar Loaf Mountain. Not to be missed is the pet cemetery with its headstones dedicated to the family dogs. This evening enjoy dinner at a local restaurant. (B, D)

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Tuesday, August 29th – Farewell: Transfer to Dublin Airport for your return flight back home. (B)

(B) Breakfast (D) Dinner

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PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

*  Round trip air from Indianapolis

*  First Class Hotels

*  All buffet breakfasts

*  Dinners as outlined in itinerary

*  Private Air-Conditioned motor coach

*  Admissions to all sights visited

*  Whisper Hearing Sets on walking tours

*  Comprehensive sightseeing

*  Baggage handling at all hotels -1 bag per person

*  Professional tour manager throughout Ireland

*  Passport case, baggage tags, etc.

*  US Departure and airport taxes