To Ireland with The Dubs!

25 March - 3 April 2011

Space is limited this year, so sign up early to be guaranteed lodging in band hotels. Your specially arranged tour package of the Emerald Isle includes roundtrip airfare from: JFK/SNN/DUB/JFK (*SFO, Chicago extra), plus eight (8) nights accommodations as follows (or similar):

THE SHOWS

Day 1
March 25 Friday

USA to Ireland: Depart USA for overnight flight to Ireland. Dinner and in-flight entertainment is served shortly after take-off.

Day 2
March 26 Saturday

Shannon-Bunratty-Cliffs of Moher-Limerick: Upon arrival at Shannon Airport, you will be welcomed by your professional Irish Driver/guide and Hammond Tours Staff. After boarding our Elegantly appointed Irish Coach, we travel to Bunratty Castle for a photo opportunity and stretch. We travel via Lahinch, home to the Lahinch Golf Course. Lahinch comes from the Irish name for Peninsula as it has water on three sides. Originally it was developed as an ideal respite for the legendary, ''Black Watch Regiment'' of the British Army. Today it is considered one of the finest links courses in the world. We then witness The Majestic Cliffs of Moher, which rises up 700 feet from the rugged Atlantic Ocean. This amazing sight will forever be etched in your mind after today. We then enjoy a panoramic tour of Limerick which includes St. Johns Castle, the infamous Treaty Stone and the boyhood home of the now famous author Frank McCourt of ''Angela's Ashes'' fame. Our journey continues to our Limerick Hotel for overnight. Overnight Clarion Hotel Limerick. Dinner at our hotel this evening.

Day 3
March 27 Sunday

Limerick-Foynes-Killarney: We continue to Foynes. Foynes, Ireland, became the center of the aviation world from 1939 to 1945. On July 9th 1939, Pan Am's luxury Flying Boat, the "Yankee Clipper" landed at Foynes. This was the first commercial passenger flight on a direct route from the USA to Europe. During the late 1930s and early 1940s, this quiet little town on the Shannon became the focal point for air traffic on the North Atlantic. Also noted, Foynes invented "The Irish Coffee" to warm the travelers against the brisk chill. Time to visit the Flying Boat Museum before we travel south to Killarney, in County Kerry. Sites of interest in the town reflect its strong religious and educational history. Killarney was a monastic settlement from the 5th or 6th Century and house settlement began here from around 1500. Explore colorful laneways, a fine cathedral and experience the ambience of busy streets in the town centre. Nestled amidst deep, lake filled valleys with astounding sights such as the famous Ladies' View (named after Queen Victoria's Ladies' in Waiting) and the MacGillicuddy Reeks - Ireland's largest mountain range, home of Carrauntoohil the country's largest peak. Killarney itself is a lively hub of activity. Dinner and overnight at the Killarney International hotel.

Day 4
March 28 Monday

Killarney: Today you have the option of enjoying the town of Killarney or joining us on a fabulous optional tour this afternoon, Killarney Cruise & optional Jaunting Cart Ride. Cruise on Killarney's largest lake, Lough Lein, in the comfort and safety of a modern vessel. Drift through the island on board 'The Lily of Killarney' cruiser and relax in the beauty and splendor that surrounds you. The final part of the Tour will see you on board a traditional jaunting car where you will ramble through the Killarney National Park and Ross Castle with the local Jarvey. This spectacular tour will inform you on the history, legends, and folklore of the area, and if you are lucky enough you might just bump into the odd 1 or 2 Leprechauns!!! We are also happy to arrange golf and horseback riding if requested. Overnight Killarney International Hotel. Dinner is on your own. Optional: Killarney Cruise & Jaunting Cart Ride.

Day 5
March 29 Tuesday

Killarney-Blarney-Cork: Breakfast is followed by a leisurely departure from Killarney where many new friends have been made. Our journey takes us east over the Kerry and Cork Mountains to Macroom where we pause for a short visit. This is the main market town for the Gaelic speaking region to the west. Macroom Castle dates from the 13th century and was the seat of the McCarthys of Muskerry. Oliver Cromwell granted it to Admiral Sir William Penn whose namesake son spent much of his childhood here and later founded the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Our next stop, Blarney Castle, is home to the blarney stone, which legend has it bequeaths the "gift of eloquence" to all who kiss it. Time to shop at the woolen mills or stop in Christy's Pub for a Pint! We depart Blarney and enjoy a panoramic tour of Cork City, home to several magnificent churches including St. Ann's and St. Finbar's cathedral. Cork City is the second largest city in Ireland and takes it name from the Irish word Corcaigh meaning "marshy place." The ancestral home of America's automobile pioneer, Henry Ford is located here. After a swift check-in, the rest of the day you are free. You might enjoy an optional visit this afternoon to The English Market, located at the top of Patrick Street, the city's principal shopping street. Inside the covered market is a wide variety of stalls selling meat; fresh and smoked fish; bacon, black and white puddings; tripe and drisheen. There are a couple of wonderful stalls stocking Irish soda and brown bread, as well as the best cheese in Ireland. These sit comfortably alongside sophisticated displays of olive oils, adjacent to the fresh vegetables and of course the pride of Irish cooking, the potato. Dinner and overnight at The Imperial Hotel Cork. Optional tour tonight to Cork City Gaol's (Jail). Mingle with the ghosts and inmates past. Listen for the shuffle of the inmate's feet in the atmospheric setting of the West Wing. Do all of this in the dark!

Day 6
March 30 Wednesday

Cork: Today you have the option of relaxing or joining us on an optional tour this afternoon. We first will visit Cobh Heritage Center. From 1848 - 1950 over 6 million adults and children emigrated from Ireland - over 2.5 million departed from Cobh, making it the single most important port of emigration. This exodus from Ireland was largely as a result of poverty, crop failures, the land system, and a lack of opportunity. Irish emigration reached unprecedented proportions during the famine. Many famine emigrants went initially to British North America (now Canada) because of fare structures and government regulations, but the majority subsequently settled in the United States. The famine resulted as a consequence of widespread potato cropÊfailure. Failure of the crop was not unusual in Ireland so the partialÊfailures in 1845 did not cause particular concern. In 1846 the potato crop failed completely and in the years 1847-1849 there was either total or partial crop failure of whatever potato crop could be planted. Escape was seen by many as the only chance for survival. Between 1845 and 1851 over 1,500,000 people emigrated from Ireland. A moving exhibit! We travel via Midleton, famous for its school, Middleton College, founded in 1596 and its distillery founded in 1825 which manufactures Irish whisky or what many Irish refer to as "Uisce Betha" meaning "Water of Life." We enjoy a tour of the Midleton Distillery. We next travel to Midleton. The Jameson tour commences with an informative audio-visual presentation. Guests accompanied by a tour guide then follow the Old Distillery Trail through the various historic and architecturally unique buildings - Mills, Malting Houses, Corn Stores, Stillhouses, old Offices, and atmospheric Warehouses. The visitor can encounter superbly restored machinery and dramatic recreations of many of the steps in whiskey production. Visitors can see the largest Pot Still in the work with a capacity of 32,000 gallons and the Old Waterwheel manufactured in 1825 to provide motive power prior to the days of electricity, and still turning today. Each visit culminates in the Jameson Bar with the Irish Whiskey tasting session when you may have the opportunity of becoming a qualified Irish Whiskey Taster with a presentation diploma! Overnight Imperial Cork Hotel. Dinner is on your own.

Day 7
March 31 Thursday

Cork-Cashel-Kilkenny: After a full Irish Breakfast, we depart Cork and travel north to Cashel. We visit the impressive Rock of Cashel. The Rock of Cashel, with its well preserved ecclesiastical remains, is one of Ireland's most spectacular landmarks, rising above the surrounding plain and dominating the land route southward. The large Cathedral, ancient round tower and the very early Romanesque Cormac's Chapel, perched on a dramatic outcrop of rock, were silent witnesses to many of the stirring events of Irish History; St. Patrick converted the local King Aenghus, here in the 5th century; Brian Boru was crowned King of Ireland on this spot in the early 11th Century. We continue to Medieval Kilkenny. The Butler Family bought the Kilkenny Castle in 1391 and lived there until 1935. They were Earls, Marquesses and Dukes of Ormonde and lived in the castle for over five hundred years. They were a remarkable family, resilient, politically astute and faithful to the crown and to Ireland as dictated by the politics of the times. These loyalties determined their fortunes and career, and so too the fortunes of their seat some time to browse through Kilkenny. We then arrive at Lyrath Estates. Set amid 170 acres of mature parkland and just 1.2 kilometers from beautiful Kilkenny City, Lyrath Estate Hotel fuses stunning contemporary hotel design with the elegance of its original 17th century house, meeting and exceeding everything you would expect from a leading hotel. Dinner and overnight at Five Star Lyrath Estates.

Day 8
April 1 Friday

Kilkenny-Dublin: After breakfast today we travel north through Naas, home of The Irish National Stud Farm (no april fools joke here please!). We continue on to Dublin where upon arrival we enjoy a panoramic tour of this 1000 year old city. Overnight Camden Court Hotel. Optional: Literary Pub Crawl this evening. Join Dublin actors for a stroll through Dublin's most noted pubs. The actors give you the background to the writers they feature. They tell you about the great pubs of the city and how the pub culture got started, and how important it was for the trade of writing.

Day 9
April 2 Saturday

Dublin: After breakfast the day is yours, or you may enjoy this optional Historical Walking Tour of Dublin. In just 2 hours, this award-winning and entertaining 'seminar on the street' conducted by history graduates of Trinity College, explores the main features of Irish history - Dublin's development, the influence of the American and French Revolutions, the Potato Famine 1845-49, the 1916 Rising, the War of independence, partition - and concludes with the current peace process. The tour commences at 11:00AM and meets at the Trinity College Front Gate. Time this afternoon to browse Dublin. Overnight Camden Court Hotel.

Day 10
April 3 Sunday

Dublin-USA: After breakfast we are transferred to nearby Dublin Airport. In the off chance that you missed shopping opportunities, Dublin has a large Duty-Free Shop that you can visit once you are checked in for your flight. In the traditional Irish way we wish you ''Safe Home.''