2014 Storytelling Tour of Ireland

Transcription

1 2014 Storytelling Tour of Ireland Calling all Storytellers and Story Lovers This tour is a unique opportunity for storytellers and story-lovers from the USA to attend the third annual International Storytelling & Folklore Festival at Sneem one of Ireland s most beautiful villages on the famed Ring of Kerry. It will be hosted by international seanachie (Irish Storyteller), Batt Burns, ( who has been leading tours of Ireland for over twenty years. He will tell stories, recite the poetry of his homeland and acquaint you with the history and legends of the Irish nation. Leading the tour from the US will be Mike Mazur, the well-known Cleveland storyteller, a man steeped in Irish tradition and with strong Irish roots. He has worked with Batt on an Irish tour previously. While the three day festival will be an integral part of the tour, a further five days will be spent enjoying the breath-taking scenery of other parts of Ireland, a country steeped in history, tradition and ancient custom. Numerous opportunities will be afforded to chat with Irish people in congenial surroundings and get a real feel for this ancient land. Batt Burns Irish Seanachie

2 Connemara West of Galway Day 1. Monday November 3 rd You will be met at Dublin Airport by Batt Burns with a cead mile failte (a hundred thousand welcomes) by Batt Burns. You will be taken on a quick bus tour to give you an overview of the city. Morning visit to St. Patrick s Cathedral where Jonathan Swift was once Dean. Batt will describe the rich history of this ancient building. Later, we will visit Phoenix Park and see the residences of the President of Ireland and that of The US ambassador. Batt will talk about Dublin writers George Bernard Shaw, William Butler Yeats, James Joyce, Samuel Beckett and others. Enjoy the Georgian architecture of Merrion Square where Batt will do a short presentation at the statue of Oscar Wilde. Early dinner and overnight in a city centre hotel.

3 Day 2, Tuesday November 4th After a hearty Irish breakfast gather in a hotel meeting room for Batt s presentation An Introduction to Ireland. He will give a little of his own background as well as some basic Irish history, some information on climate, physical features, Irish language, economy and customs. This will act as a backdrop to the tour and should make the whole trip more meaningful. Your morning tour will include Trinity College, where Batt will give you the interesting history of this 16 th century university. See the magnificent Book of Kells, an illuminated copy of the Four Gospels. There will also be a visit to a notorious Jail, Kilmainham, where many Irish revolutionaries were either incarcerated or executed. This afternoon is free to relax at a coffee and pastry shop, do some shopping in the Grafton and Nassau Street areas or take optional tours that might include the wonderful National Museum, the Guinness Brewery, or the Jameson Distillery. Individual evening options include pub hopping in the Temple Bar area. Dinner on your own and overnight in the same hotel. The Book of Kells

4 Day 3.Wednesday November 5th Cross the Midlands of Ireland via Athlone and Ballinasloe and hear Batt talk about poets from that area. Arrive in the City of The Tribes, Galway, with its quaint, narrow streets, shops and interesting galleries. You will surely hear Gaelic spoken on the streets, for this historic city is the gateway to Ireland s largest Gaelic-speaking area, Connemara. You will be accommodated in a city centre hotel within easy reach of the many pubs which feature great music. (Breakfast and dinner included.) Day 4.Thursday November 6th Travel to The Burren area of County Clare, a one hundred square mile lunar-like landscape of limestone pavements and spectacular erratics, which are relics of the Ice Age. The area is rich in history, and its unique mix of Lusitanian and Arctic flora has fascinated botanists for centuries. The Cliffs on Moher, which rise 600 feet from the Atlantic, is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Ireland. Its ultra modern Visitors Centre is one of the finest in the country. Travel South to Sneem. Enjoy a little of the wonderful lake, mountain and woodland scenery variously referred to as Beauty s Home and Heaven s Reflex. Settle in to the lovely Sneem Hotel with a welcome cocktail. Dinner/overnight at the Sneem Hotel. The Cliff of Moher

5 Day 5. Friday November 7 th Sneem Village The Storytelling Festival will begin this afternoon and people can pick and choose the activities and presentations that they wish to attend. Dinner and overnight in Sneem Hotel. Day 6. Saturday November 8 th Enjoy the many festival activities all day. Full copy of the programme will be ed to you as soon as it is complete. Dinner and overnight in Sneem Hotel. The main festival concert will take place in Sneem Hotel tonight at 8.30 p.m. Day 7. Sunday November 9th After breakfast, there will be a trip to the famous pre- Christian stone fort of Staigue, where Batt will share stories of the Fairy World. Move on to the museum home of one of Ireland s most famous leaders, Daniel O Connell. Stories and folklore about the great Liberator abound and Batt will share some of them. Return to Sneem for some late afternoon festival activities.

6 Day 8 Monday November 10 th Travel over the Cork/Kerry border to Blarney Castle with its famous Blarney Stone. We will have time to kiss the Blarney Stone if you so wish, and to shop in the extensive Blarney Woolen Mills which houses gifts and crafts from throughout Ireland. You will have an opportunity here for lunch on your own. Later we visit the Rock of Cashel, Ireland s most important ancient religious site. This massive limestone outcrop, which dominates the Tipperary countryside, was originally the seat of the kings of Munster but later it was handed over to the Church in the 10 th century. You will see a perfectly preserved Round Tower, the magnificent Cormac s Chapel (1127), the 14 th century ruined cathedral, the bishop s residence and the well-restored Vicar s Choral. In the late afternoon we travel on to the city of Dublin for dinner and overnight in a city centre hotel (breakfast and dinner included). ) ROCK OF CASHEL Tipperary Day 9. Tuesday November 11th Bid goodbye to the Emerald Isle and new found friends at the end of a memorable trip. Enjoy final hours in Dublin before catching international return flight to U.S.

7 Keeping Cost Down In an effort to keep this trip as economical as possible all participants will make their own travel arrangements. Aer Lingus has very economical fares out of New York and Boston to Dublin, Ireland, in November of each year. Orbitz is also capable of offering competitive air fares. It is difficult to predict the exact cost of the land side of the trip because it is dependent on the exchange rate of the dollar and also on the number of participants. A ball park figure is somewhere between $1550 and $1600 per person sharing accommodation with a single supplement of about $260 for those who wish to room on their own. These figures are based on having a minimum of 15 people on the tour. Obviously, the more we have on the trip the cheaper it gets. If you are interested please contact Batt Burns by at: battburns@yahoo.com