Welcome to Ireland! Upon arrival in Dublin Airport, you can collect your rental car and make your way to the city of Dublin. Start your Ireland immersion with a visit to Trinity College for a viewing of the Library and Long Room. The Library’s history dates back to the establishment of the College in 1592 and it is the largest library in Ireland! Today, it has 5 million printed volumes including the most famous of its manuscripts, the Book of Kells, and the Book of Durrow. These were presented by Henry Jones, Bishop of Meath and former vice-chancellor of the University in the 1660s. This evening, you can enjoy a bite to eat in Dublin’s trendy Temple Bar district before continuing to Chester Beatty Library for a viewing of the Library. The Chester Beatty Library is an art museum and library which houses the great collection of manuscripts, miniature paintings, prints, drawings, rare books and some decorative arts assembled by Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875-1968). Learning Experience: Trinity College Visit, Chester Beatty Library Visit Overnight in Dublin

Today, you will start your morning with a unique workshop! Just outside of Dublin lies the beautiful fishing village of Howth. The 3-hour village studio writing experience will take place in Lara O’Brian’s own venue, overlooking one of Ireland's most charming working harbors, and surrounding views of Ireland's eye (island). It is beautiful, has great cafes, restaurants and the group will be well taken care of with tea and coffee, biscuits! In the 3-hour workshop, you will write prompts that open up life story and capture memories. Visiting from outside Ireland, Lara will weave in the beautiful elements of their surroundings and encourage the participants to write about life experience and nature. Learning Experience: Howth Writing Workshop Meals included: Breakfast Overnight in Dublin

After breakfast, you will begin your day with a tour of the Dublin Writers’ Museum. The Dublin Writers Museum was established to promote interest through its collection and displays in Irish literature and the lives and works of individual Irish writers. The Museum presents the literary heritage left to us by writers of the past. It complements the smaller, more detailed museums devoted to individuals like Joyce, Shaw, Yeats and Pearse, and brings to life the writers and their times with photographs and portraits, letters, first editions and evocative personal possession! ! Housed in a stunning 17th Century Georgian building, the James Joyce Centre is dedicated to promoting understanding of the life and works of James Joyce. Set over three floors, the Centre covers Joyce’s life and work with a permanent interactive exhibition on Ulysses. Whether you’re a true Joycean or a literary novice there is plenty to learn about and a wonderful insight into the Dublin that inspired Joyce’s work. Learning Experience: Dublin Writers’ Museum Meals included: Breakfast Overnight in Dublin

After breakfast, it’s time to check out of the hotel and continue your journey towards Glasnevin Cemetery. Since 1832, more than 1.5 million people have been interred in Glasnevin. This hauntingly gorgeous Victorian Garden cemetery covers 124 acres of glorious parkland with plenty to appreciate. From the ordinary to the truly extraordinary, these people helped shape the Ireland of today. Each guide is passionate about sharing their love of history. Articulate and animated, they skillfully turn a learning experience into a period of magic with a careful balance of enthusiasm, sensitivity and even fun! After your visit, you will depart for Northern Ireland and reach Belfast, where great poets and writers were born such as: poets such as Samuel Ferguson, John Hewitt, Derek Mahon, Michael Longley and Louis McNiece, as well as writer C.S.Lewis of The Chronicles of Narnia books and three times Booker prize nominee, Brian Moore. In the afternoon and if time allows, you will follow the C.S.Lewis Trail where you’ll view sites that influenced and inspired the young author! Learning Experience: Glasnevin Cemetery, C.S.Lewis Trail Meals included: Breakfast Overnight in Belfast

After a full Irish Breakfast, you will check-out of the hotel and continue on the way to Giant’s Causeway where you will make a stop to explore the land of the Literary Legend, Seamus Heaney! Seamus Heaney’s Home Place is centered in the Nobel Prize winning poet’s heartland. Here, you will experience an amazing journey through the world of Nobel Prize winning poet Seamus Heaney and explore, through his words and imagination, the people and place that so inspired him; his mother, his father, his brother Hugh, Barney Devlin at The Forge, and many more friends and neighbors from the local area. Immerse yourself in the full impact of his writing through the audio-visual displays in our multi-award winning exhibition, which also includes previously unseen artifacts; including his school desk from Anahorish primary school, handwritten transcripts and books kindly donated by the Heaney family. Afterwards, enjoy a scenic drive north to the Antrim Coast where you will visit Northern Ireland’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Giant’s Causeway. This natural wonder was the result of volcanic eruption 60 million years ago and is famous for natural amphitheater's of hexagonal columns. You will enjoy a guided journey on one of the site’s recently upgraded walking trails. Afterwards, you will continue on your route towards Derry. Learning Experience: Seamus Heaney Journey, UNESCO site the Giant’s Causeway Journey Meals included: Breakfast Overnight in Derry

This morning, you will begin with a beautiful panoramic tour of Derry! ! Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second biggest city in the Northern Ireland, with a historic town centre with 400 year-old city walls. Still intact and retaining the original gateways, this is the best-preserved walled city in Ireland. You will walk the city walls as you learn about the many literary figures linked to this city. Afterwards, you will begin the journey to Sligo, a county steep in Irish history. It is known as Yeat’s county as the poet, William and his brother, Jack, hail from this county. Your drive will take you along part of the Wild Atlantic Way, featuring dramatic cliffs and poetic vistas. Enjoy stops along the way to stretch your legs and take in the views. Visit the Lissadell House, and the ‘Countess Markievicz’, as well as the childhood home of Constance and Eva Gore-Booth, built by Sir Robert Gore-Booth in 1830 and designed by Francis Goodwin. The house is now fully restored and open daily for guided journeys with expert guides. During the journey, you will hear about poet W. B. Yeats who was a frequent visitor of the House and also it is possible to hear about Victorian lifestyle by visiting both upstairs for the gentry and downstairs for the servants. In the afternoon, you will enjoy a drive to Rosses Point where you’ll have views of Oyster Island and Coney Island before continuing on for a visit at Drumcliffe Graveyard, where Yeats is buried. Learning Experience: Derry Journey, Childhood home of Constance and Eva Gore-Booth Visit Meals included: Breakfast Overnight in Sligo

Welcome to Sligo! Sligo has a great literary heritage through its connection to WB Yeats. You will begin the day with a 3-hour immersive workshop lead by Gerard Beirne, a highly trained and experienced editor and facilitator in the area of creative, academic, and wellness writing. Gerard is an award-winning author who has published six books of poetry and fiction (novels and short stories). He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Eastern Washington University, USA. He is also a past winner of Hennessy New Irish Writer of the Year Award and has been shortlisted for the Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award, the Danuta Gleed Literary Award, and Bord Gais Irish Book Awards. Depending on the guests’ interest, Gerard will tailor the workshop to the guests’ preferences. There are a variety of workshops available to choose from. You can choose an “Introduction to Creative Writing”, in which guests will learn how to generate ideas and turn them into stories, poems, novels, plays, memoirs etc. - how to develop characters, settings, and dialogue, and how to structure plot - use imagery, metaphor, rhythm, rhyme, and other poetic techniques. Or, friendly and informal - a mix of discussion, instruction, and writing exercises with individual guidance. The “W B Yeats Writing Workshop” is the opportunity to explore the poetry of WB Yeats while learning to write or improve upon your own poetry. In the afternoon, you will join the Poetry & Boat Journey across Lough Gill to view the “Lake Isle of Innisfree”, the island made famous by W.B. Yeats. This spectacular immersion includes a full commentary by Captain George who recounts the history and recites the poetry associated with the lake and the surrounding areas of Sligo and North Leitrim. Learning Experience: Writing Workshop, Poetry & Boat Journey Meals included: Breakfast Overnight in Sligo

Today, you can enjoy a journey of the beautiful Connemara Region; a land of lakes and rivers, bogs and misty mountains! You will be immersed into a land of small villages where Gaelic is still the spoken language and where little has changed little since the beginning of time. It is without a doubt the wildest and the most romantic part of Ireland. Connemara is a vast peninsula bordered by the arid and rocky coastline of Galway Bay in the south; a land characteristic for its stonewalls and thatched cottages. On its northern shore, the land is harsher and more secret, with spectacular views of the Ocean and the beautiful fjord of Killary Harbour, as well as the steep mountains overlooking numerous lakes and large bog areas. Connemara is a real paradise for Nature lovers and those in search of strong emotions. The first stop of the day will be at Kylemore Abbey, a Benedictine monastery founded in 1920. Originally built as a private home for the family of a wealthy politician from Manchester in 1867, the nuns opened an international boarding school and established a day school for local girls, which closed in June 2010. You will have the chance to discover the restored rooms of the abbey, the walled gardens and the gothic church. In the afternoon, you will visit the The Sheep & Wool Centre which is a wonderful way to observe this working farm, where man and dog work together as one. Gain a wider understanding of handling these lovely, intelligent dogs and how it is done with one handler. Afterwards, you will embark en-route towards Galway. Overnight in Galway area. Top Tip: If guests would like to extend their stay and discover more of the area, add a night or two in Galway and visit the famous Cliffs of Moher* and Aillwee Cave*. Alternatively, guests have the opportunity to take the ferry to Aran Island* and explore Dun Aengus* and more. Learning Experience: Connemara Region, The Sheep & Wool Centre Meals included: Breakfast Overnight in Galway

Today, you will partake in a full-day workshop with Irene Graham for The Creative Writers Workshop! Depending on your interests, Irene has multiple workshop available. Why not try her “Memoir Writing Workshops”? The workshop is based on right-brain/left-brain writing techniques. Being exercise based, the workshop provides techniques on how to trigger memories, and how to focus, develop and start writing a memoir. Alternatively, you have the option to dive into her “Fiction Workshop”. The workshop is based on right-brain/left-brain writing techniques. Being also exercise based, the workshop provides techniques on how to tap into creativity and imagination, and develop characters and setting, with in-depth discussions on novel writing. Learning Experience: Creative Writers Workshop Meals included: Breakfast Overnight in Galway

This morning before departure, you will visit the monastic settlement of Clonmacnoise, which is Ireland's most important monastic site, overlooking the River Shannon. The site was founded by St. Ciaran in the 6th century and consists of a walled field containing numerous early churches, high crosses, round towers and graves. Afterward, you can make your way back to Dublin airport and say “Goodbye” to Ireland. But don’t leave yet! Extend your journey on one of our numerous photography, art and culture programs throughout the world! Need to head back? We look forward to welcoming you on another Learning Journeys immersion. Choose to journey back to Italy or consider one of our journeys abroad in Greece, France, Germany, South Africa, Costa Rica, and more! Learning Experience: Clonmacnoise Visit Meals included: Breakfast