BRENDAN REGAN
PHOTOGRAPHY EXPEDITIONS

IRELAND 2009

FINAL DATES WILL BE POSTED SOON.

EMAIL BRENDAN REGAN AT BRENDANMR@MINDSPRING.COM

BACK TO THE MAIN PAGE

Day 1:
Travel from the United States to Ireland

Day 2:
Arrive in Dublin Airport. Here we will meet our driver/guide who will be with us for the duration of the trip. We will then be on the road to Galway City, the starting point for our trip. After checking into our hotel you will have the option of just recovering from the long journey and jet lag, or going on a small local tour to get the flavor of Western Ireland.
Overnight: Galway City

Day 3:
Meals: Full Irish Breakfast.
Today we will journey into the magical Connemara region of County Galway. Highlights include:
Kylemore Abbey and gardens.
Ballintubber Abbey - One of the oldest abbeys in the country.
The Twelve Pin Mountains and Connemara Landscape.
Killary Harbor - Ireland's only fjord.
Croagh Patrick - Ireland's Holy Mountain. St. Patrick held mass on its peak.
Overnight: Galway City.

Green Field with ancient stones.

Day 4:
Meals: Full Irish Breakfast.
We start our travels to County Claire via Dunguaire Castle and the village of Kinvara, my hometown. From there we will be visiting the lunar like landscape of the Burren Limestone region, unique to this part of the country. Some of the flora in this unusual landscape is only found in arctic regions. We will also photograph the ancient Poulnabrone Dolmen Tomb. This is an impressive, well preserved megalithic tomb thought to be nearly 6,000 years old. Just south of this landscape we will capture the incredible landscape of the Cliffs of Moher. These spectacular cliffs jut out into the wild Atlantic Ocean. Finally we will end our daily travels in the village of Doolin, famous for its Irish Music and traditional pubs. Time to get get ready for fantastic portrait opportunities.
Overnight: Doolin

Day 5:
Meals: Full Irish Breakfast
The travel today takes us to the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry via Bunratty Castle and Folk Park in County Clare, as well as the small and picturesque village of Adare in County Limerick. Adare is considered one of the prettiest villages in the whole country. In Adare we will have a private tour of one of the oldest castles in all of Ireland. Next stop is the South Pole Inn in Annascaul. This pub has great food and was owned by the legendary Antarctic Explorer, Tom Crean. Finally we arrive in the lively town of Dingle. We will spend the rest of the day capturing portraits, cityscapes, the architecture, and the culture of Dingle town.
Overnight: Dingle.

Poulnabrone

Day 6:
Meals: Full Irish Breakfast
The Dingle Peninsula is one of the most fascinating and wildest regions of Ireland. We will begin the day touring the Western reaches of the peninsula with visits to the fascinating Gallarus Oratory and the Blasket Centre in Dunquin to learn about the Blasket Islands. Hardy Islanders have lived there since the 1950's. We will make frequent stops as we travel around the peninsula as this one of the most spectacular drives in all of Ireland. At the end of the day we will enjoy music and the pubs dotted throughout the village of Dingle. Some even serve drinks in one side of the premises and household goods in the other. This is truly a taste of old Ireland.
Overnight: Dingle

Day 7:
Meals: Full Irish Breakfast
Today we will tour the majestic Ring of Kerry. We will start at the Skellig Experience Visitor Center to understand the life of the early Christian Irish Monks that lived in the small monastery of Skellig Michael, a small island off the Kerry coast. Depending on the weather we will have the option of traveling to the island. We will also visit Staigue Fort, the finest example of a stone fort in all of Ireland. This is believed to be 2,500 years old with fine examples of 3 foot long coping stones still in their original positions. The final leg of our day will bring us to some incredible scenery from Sneem, through Parknasilla and Tahilla to Kenmare. We will head up the mountain road to Moll's Gap and Ladies View to some amazing panoramic photographic opportunities of the Killarney Valley.
Overnight: Killarney

Day 8:
Meals: Full Irish Breakfast
Our journey today takes us to Dublin via two of the most splendid historical constructions in Ireland, Cahir Castle and the Rock of Cashel. Cashel was once the seat of the Kings of Munster and the capital of the Southern Province. The Rock, which rears above the plain, dominated the ancient land routes to the south. Kings of Ireland came to this spot and St. Patrick is known to have preached here and even converted King Aenghus, the local king, to Christianity in the 5th century. Brian Boru was also crowned King on this spot in the early 11th century. Cahir Castle, once an important stronghold of the powerful Butler family, retains its impressive keep, tower, and much of its original defensive structure. It is one of Ireland's largest and best preserved castles and is situated on the rocky island on the River Suir.
Overnight: Dublin

A pint and some reading.

Day 9:
Meals: Full Irish Breakfast
A different environment indeed, the metropolitan city of Dublin. We will visit some of Dublin's important sites today on a guided tour. These will include Kilmainham Goal, Dublin Castle, Trinity College with the Book of Kells, and Saint Patrick's Cathedral. We will get a feel for the city, its history, and place as the political and economic seat of the country.
Overnight: Dublin

Day 10:
Meals: Full Irish Breakfast. Group Dinner at the Abbey Tavern Bar
Free Day. I always end my trips with a free day for you to do whatever you desire. Its a great chance to photograph more of Dublin, rest and relax, or catch up on some shopping to bring back gifts and memories. Tonight however we will have our final group dinner at the Abbey Tavern Bar complete with Irish Music in one of the liveliest venues in the city. It should be a wonderful last night to soak up the soul of the city while reminiscing on the past ten days.
Overnight: Dublin

Day 11:
Meals: Full Irish Breakfast
Departure day back to the to USA.
We travel back to the United States with a plethora of memories and lots of digital files to edit or film to develop.