Ireland
Discovering the best of Ireland with Insight Vacations
Article and photography by Michael Morcos
“I never check the weather forecast” said our tour leader Karen, “but I do always carry an umbrella”. Those are facts about the emerald island and in the same day and even the same hour, you could get sun, cloud and rain, that is maritime weather for you.
Many decades later, after a brief visit to Dublin, I would give Ireland my full attention as it has been high on my return visit list. Since I have not been here in such a long time and don’t know when I would return, I figured to experience the best of Ireland would be with a touring company, and Insight Vacations fit the bill perfectly.
The saying ‘killing two birds with one stone’ would not apply here, as on this trip I ended up killing three birds instead. With the amazing work of the Insight Vacations team and a well-planned itinerary, I would see the stunning Trinity College Library in Dublin, marvel at the incredible Cliffs of Moher and be taken on what I would consider the best castle to visit ever with an overnight stay at Ashford Castle.
The intense itinerary crafted by the Insight team proved to be just what I wanted. We would experience the magnificence of Ireland on the ‘Irish Elegance’ tour which included beautiful Dublin, a visit to Blarney Castle (to kiss the rock), a stay in charming Killarney, and a fantastic traditional song and dance show. We would also marvel at the scenery in the Ring of Kerry, be amazed by the majestic Cliffs of Moher, get lost in the crowds in historic city of Galway, take in the beauty of both Connemara National Park and the stunning Kylemore Abbey. After all that, the best was saved for last, the ever-impressive Ashford Castle.
Delightful Insight Vacations
What a delight to have traveled with Insight Vacations. They took great care of us from pick-up right to the drop off at the airport for the flight home. The starting point was their attractive and user-friendly website that was a lot of fun to navigate and a great escape from the everyday life while dreaming of the next vacation. With detailed information of their many Irish itineraries from their travel professionals, it was easy to choose the best tour to meet our needs, schedule, and budget. Once decided, Insight helped guide us to prepare for the great journey with plenty of information and answered all our inquiries. On arrival, we would be greeted at the airport by their friendly and helpful staff and then brought directly to our first hotel were we would be already checked in with a room key in hand. From there it was just an easy matter of keeping to the meeting times.
Although the maximum capacity for this tour was 40, we were just a group of 27 English-speakers consisting of mostly most North Americans looking to embrace Irish history, culture, food, art, and nature. With fewer guests, there was plenty of room to stretch out on what would be one of the most luxurious motor coaches I have been on, with plenty of legroom.
Besides a couple of stragglers on a couple of occasions, our meeting times were incredibly precise and on such an intense tour the schedule was respected and went exactly as planned. All this comes from the marvellous work of the Insight team and our tour leader Karen.
Accommodations
Packing and unpacking is just one of the things that come with touring, unlike the all-inclusive resorts or taking a cruise where once you are settled in, you are in. Our trip required us to check in five times in just seven days. It is a major chore to stay organized while being dazzled by so many attractions, but this was made easier with the thoughtfulness and many years of experience Insight has under its belt, helping us feel at ease throughout the trip and knowing someone was taking care of all the details. To make things easier, Insight took care of our luggage and bags, taking them from our bus to our rooms and reverse from my rooms to the bus. This is both a timesaver and a back saver.
The choice of hotels we stayed at was just wonderful. Not having much time in the rooms, we would have simple requirements, like cleanliness, functionality, and of course, a hot shower and a comfortable bed for sleep. The hotels Insight choose for us were all the above and just perfect to rest and recharge. Above it all, we would be treated to great luxury properties that had the best: locations, wonderful settings with views of beautiful gardens, landscapes and natural surroundings that made us feel at home within a matter of minutes.
Breaking the mould and off the chart, Ashford Castle is in a league on its own and truly a destination of its own. Having read and seen this incredible property in print, online and in travel videos, nothing could prepare me for this memorable stay. Having followed the series Downton Abbey, I felt the charm, elegance and majesty of this bygone era at the Ashford.
It all starts at the entrance where we would drive for a few minutes through this immense 350-acre property that has untouched woodlands, a private nine-hole golf course, a mote over a canal, manicured lawn and gardens with wonderful statues, many paved walking and natural trails, a hands-on Falconry school and it also straddles a sizable river.
The site of the main building is absolutely stunning from all angles and a work of art and engineering for its time. The inside has unmatched Irish beauty, with marvellous wooden floors, walls and staircases and richly decorated with carpets and artwork. My room was equally fabulous. When entering, it certainly put a smile on my face as I discovered this impressive room and thought, I would need more than one day to thoroughly enjoy the elegance of such a masterpiece hotel. Dining on site in the main hotel restaurant was again from another era. Gentlemen are asked to wear a dinner jackets, so as to keep to traditions, a great idea that set the tone for this opulent evening where we would enjoy beautifully prepared and presented dishes that were healthy, tasty and when paired with the right wines brought us to a great ending to our day.
TTC and Insight Vacations
The Travel Group could just be the biggest touring company in the world. Not sure about this as fact, but they do have on their website some 36 different brands that could accommodate the travel styles for all generations and include their own brand that includes The Red Carnation, a hotel group that includes the Ashford and the upscale Uniworld River Cruises.
One of TTC’s divisions is Insight Vacations, with multiple tours on five continents. From this first trip with them, and from my great experience on the ‘Irish Elegance’ itinerary, I can only surmise that all their trips are handled with the same professional service as what was promised and scheduled was respected.
Onwards
What next, that is how I felt day after wonderful day as I would continuously look forward to the next adventure. Although it is up to each guest to decide on how much activity or laid-back relaxation they wanted, the ‘Irish Elegance’ tour is both easy flowing and at the same time quite demanding and all depended on the way each person wanted to take in this beautiful island. For me and many other energized guests, we wanted the full experience and see and do as much as we could in the six full days of touring. It was at times a bombardment to the senses and overwhelming to take it all.
As such, we would have little time to reflect on where we were, as a taste of something new was just about to come up. Good thing in this age is that we have smart phone cameras to capture the moment to later relive those precious experiences. I believe Insight and our tour leader Karen understood the intricacies of traveling and gave us priceless guidance on what to see and do in the many locations with the limited time there. While talking to many of the other travelers in our group, I would hear only positives about both Insight Vacations and our itinerary, so much so that I would encounter many faithful returning Insight guests from previous travels together.
Let the tour begin
On an average week, there isn’t a whole lot that I would consider very important or life changing. On this one-week tour of Ireland, there was something of great interest every single day, if not two or three amazing experiences by night-time. So much happens that to adequately describe my discoveries in the many wonderful places is almost impossible, though many words come to mind: speechless, mesmerizing, inspiring, joyful, grateful and humbling on the spectacular cliffs and during the Trinity College visits, the Ashford Castle stay, in the little things like a stop at a village pub for freshly baked scones, the drive-through the charming countryside, the historic Abbey and grounds, tasting Irish coffee, beer and whiskey, and hilariously trying to understand the friendly locals’ English accent. The joy continued in the shops that sold everything Ireland, and in the greetings by a bagpiper at Ashford Castle and in traveling and interacting with fellow travelers and sharing the wonderful Irish experience.
