Spring into 2024 in Ireland

Escape to luxury countryside delights

Imagine waking to the sound of Ireland’s countryside in Spring

Spring in Ireland is beautiful. Hedgerows and woodlands brim with wildflowers. Lambs frolic in the fields. The days are getting longer and warmer. What’s not to love?

On the Gaelic calendar, spring starts on St Brigid’s Day, February 1st, with a celebration marking the end of winter. And what better way to celebrate than with a relaxing guided private tour of Ireland in Spring 2024.

Ireland has some of Europe’s freshest air, flowing right off the Atlantic, and the greenest lands. This suggested tour highlights three incredible properties where you will wake up to fresh country or coastal air every morning. We guarantee you will feel far from any troubles from the moment our Driver Guide meets you at Dublin airport.

Traveling in your private, spacious, luxury vehicle, your Driver Guide will introduce you to Ireland’s tales and stories of as you travel through the Ancient East and onto the Mount Juliet Estate in Co Kilkenny. The estate has a compelling history, splendid Georgian architecture, and luxurious accommodation. In the paddocks of the 400-acre estate, foals are sure to be kicking up their heels in the sunshine.

With this as your luxury base for two nights, your Driver Guide will introduce you to local craftspeople and artisan food producers, with whom we can arrange private workshops and tastings.

Take the scenic 20-minute drive into the small medieval city of Kilkenny to experience its color and culture with a personalized walking tour or visit the wonderful St. Mary’s Medieval Mile Museum. Back on the estate, golf and horse riding can be arranged before relaxing afternoon tea or a sumptuous dinner in the Lady Helen restaurant.

From here, you will travel to The Burren region in the southwest, where you will experience an unusual lunar-like rugged landscape, one of only 120 UNESCO Geoparks in the world. Staying in Gregan’s Castle for two nights you will enjoy gastronomic delights and cozy corners, right on the edge of this protected area. We will arrange private visits to the renowned Burren Smokehouse and special ways to view more well-known attractions such as the Cliffs of Moher, as well as relaxing walks or more challenging cycles.

The next leg of your tour brings you to the splendor of Ashford Castle in Co Mayo for three nights. Here, surrounded by the magical estate, you can live like a lord or lady in luxurious accommodation overlooking Lough Corrib. You will be perfectly placed to explore Connemara’s stunning Sky Road and National Park, the ancient Kylemore Abbey or Galway city’s winding streets. Or perhaps you might enjoy visiting a local oyster farmer and enjoy a private picnic on the beach? This is an area full of riches and as the Telegraph newspaper states, it is “the western edge of Europe that few tourists reach”.

 Contact our Travel Advisors who will be delighted to customize this tour for your 2024 vacation. We can also offer our portfolio private rentals or hand-picked, family-run guesthouses for all nights. 

HIGHLIGHTS

  • 7 nights in luxury countryside manor hotels: Kilkenny, the Burren, Mayo.
  • Private guided transport in luxury vehicles
  • Immerse yourself in an oasis of nature
  • Experience private tours of attractions
  • Behind-the-scenes tastings with artisan producers
  • Evenings of storytelling & music
  • Suggested accommodation: Mount Juliet, Kilkenny; Gregans Castle, the Burren; Ashford Castle; Mayo.
  • Additional inspiration: Experience colourful Galway city; enjoy the capital city of Dublin; explore ancient Wicklow.
  • Airport: Dublin
  • Regions visited: Ancient East, Hidden Heartlands, West Coast, Wild Atlantic Way.

MAP

  • Dublin

  • Kilkenny

  • Cashel

  • The Burren

  • Cliffs of Moher

  • Galway

  • Connemara

  • Dublin

ACCOMMODATION

  • Mount Juliet Estate in Co Kilkenny

    Mount Juliet Estate

    5 Star Hotels Ireland, Country manor house

    This Georgian mansion was once the residence of the Earl of Carrick. Set on a hill overlooking the River Nore, the 18th century estate is found in the countryside 20 minutes outside the medieval city of Kilkenny. Choose to stay in the traditional Manor House or laid-back Hunter’s Yard, both which have been awarded five...

  • Gregan's Castle, The Burren

    Gregans Castle Hotel

    Country manor house

    Gregans is more manor house than castle, captivating with its setting on the edge of the lunar-like, limestone landscape of the Burren in Co Clare. The 18th century house has been welcoming guests since the 1940s. Its  antique-strewn suites and rooms have just the right amount of modernity and the cosy Corkscrew Bar is the...

  • Ashford Castle Bar

    Ashford Castle

    5 Star Hotels Ireland

    Ashford Castle Hotel is a 5 Star Luxury Castle on the Banks of Lough Corrib and is perhaps Ireland’s most quintessential and beautiful castle hotels. It has everything a person could want on a vast estate of 350 acres of woodlands, park and Lakelands. The hotel boasts two fine dining restaurants, a beautiful oak-panelled bar,...

TRANSPORT

When you tour Ireland with Ireland Chauffeur Travel, you travel in luxury, style and safety. We provide the very best touring transport so your private chauffeur driver will guide you around Ireland in the latest luxury Mercedes and Land Rover Range Rover vehicle models.

EXPERIENCES

Why not enhance your tour with some of these recommended Experiences along the way! These can be arranged with your Travel Advisor when customizing your itinerary (please note Experiences are not included unless requested)

  • Farm Friends

    Ask anyone in Ireland if they are related to a farmer and they’ll surely say yes! We have built great relationships with some of the extra fun people whose live and breath agriculture and they’ll be happy to welcome you onto their working farm. Depending on the season, meet new-born lambs, watch sheepdogs at work,...

  • Burren Smoke House

    The Burren Smokehouse is a family-run business that was set up in 1989 by Birgitta & Peter Curtin. They researched the smoking traditions in Ireland and in Sweden and the idea of the Smokehouse was born. For over a century now, the Curtin family have owned the ‘Roadside Tavern’ nearby which was the first place...

  • Burren Brewery

    The Roadside Tavern in Lisdoonvarna, County Clare, is a local institution that started as a pub in 1865 and expanded to include a bakery as the years went by. In 2001, Peter Curtin embarked on creating a microbrewery bringing in a Master Brewer and they now brew their own range of beer in the same...

  • Foraging on Land and Sea

    Foraging is a great way of gathering tasty and natural ingredients from hedgerows, fields, woods, country lanes and pathways of Ireland, not to mention the seaweed on the coast! If you would like to spend a few hours outdoors and slowly exploring the countryside and beaches, let us introduce you to one of our foraging...

  • Fireside Storytelling

    Ireland is the land folklore, legends and storytelling. At Ireland Chauffeur Travel, we adore Ireland’s famed fireside storytelling sessions and we want to share that with you. We will arrange an authentic, engaging and private storytelling and music session with one of our favourite famed storytellers … and all in the comfort of your hotel...

  • The Quiet Man

    Do you remember ‘The Quiet Man’? Let us arrange a private  tour from the Ashford Estate and the nearby village of Cong. Cong village also has a beautiful abbey worth visiting as well as The Quiet Man Cottage and Heritage Center. The Squire Danaher’s House from the movie is on the grounds of the castle.