Dublin Mini-Tour

Day 1 – Dublin

Depart for Dublin, the beguiling capital of Ireland. From its medieval structures to its extensive Georgian Architecture this very diverse and popular European city offers as much to see and talk about as it did when Jonathan Swift or James Joyce lived here.

Day 2 – Dublin

Fàilte! Welcome to the Emerald Isle. Your TSA Tours guide waits to greet you at the airport and then escort you on a Dublin City Tour. See the National Gallery, artistic Merrion Square, the National Museum, the elegant expanse of Phoenix Park, the Abbey Theatre and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Also visit Dublin Castle. Built on the spot of the first Viking fortress, this castle was the seat of British rule in Ireland for 700 years (until 1922). Located where the Poodle and Liffey Rivers came together making a black pool (“dubh linn” in Irish), Dublin Castle was the official residence of the Viceroy who implemented the will of the British royalty. The castle features impressive state apartments and the Heraldic Museum. The rest of the day is free for exploration and discovery.

Day 3 – Dublin

This morning you will tour Trinity College. Started in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I to establish a Protestant way of thinking about God, Trinity has long been Ireland’s most prestigious college. Originally the student body was limited to rich, Protestant males. Women were admitted in 1903 and Catholics, while allowed entrance by the school much earlier, were given permission to study at Trinity by their own church in the 1970s. The Old Library is home to an original copy of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic, the oldest Irish harp (from the 15th century), and stacked to its towering ceiling, 200,000 of the library’s oldest books. The artistic prize of the library (and all Ireland) is the magnificent Book of Kells stored in the library’s treasury. Written on vellum in the ninth century, probably by Irish monks in Iona (Scotland), and taken to the Irish monastery at Kells in 806 after a series of Viking raids, this decorated copy of the four gospels is arguably the finest piece of art from what is called the Dark Ages.

Day 4 – Dublin

Today is free for explorations with your advisor. Grafton and Henry Streets in Dublin are a shopper’s paradise, playing host to some of the best known shops and labels in Europe. Along these streets you will also find colorful pubs, fancy shops, street singers and lots of browsers. Or visit St Stephens Green, a spot which provides an oasis of peace in the bustling center of Dublin.

Day 5 – Dublin

Depart from Dublin. Board your flight home with magical memories of your days in Dublin.