Sustainable and Conscientious Travel in Ireland

Arrival

Welcome to Ireland! At Cork airport, you will be met by your chauffeur in the arrivals hall where you will enjoy a comfortable private transfer to Ballymaloe House Hotel. Enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure. Option to visit Midleton Whiskey Distillery time permitting.

Ballymaloe House Hotel is a family-owned, luxury country house hotel and restaurant, nestled in the lush East Cork countryside. A tranquil retreat with a celebrated farm-to-fork dining experience, 300-acres of farmland and the very best of Irish hospitality; internationally recognised as the birthplace of modern Irish cuisine.

An award winner for its sustainable practices, Ballymaloe House in Cork offers a blend of historic charm, and luxury experience. A very special experience for the food lovers, relaxation seekers, outdoor enthusiasts, and sustainable tourism followers.

Ballymaloe Estate and Award Winning Cookery School

Day at Ballymaloe Estate learning about their sustainable practices. Take part in one of their award winning cooking classes either privately or join a group of international like minded individuals.

When Myrtle and Ivan Allen opened their family home to the public in 1964, the world was a much more sustainable place. In the early 80’s Ivan wanted to move away from using fossil fuels as an energy source. A few years later, in 1984 his son Rory purchased Ballymaloe’s first Biomass Straw Boiler, and the fossil fuels were not used ever since.

They continue to research and embrace green initiatives throughout every aspect of Ballymaloe House, Shop & Café, gardens, and farm operations. Biomass boiler provides heating and hot water, and in 2021, they installed solar panels on the roofs of existing outbuildings, which now produce 50% of their electricity.

They are renowned for our farm-to-fork cooking practices, use produce grown in the their gardens, and reared on the farm or source them locally, significantly reducing the carbon footprint. The land around Ballymaloe House Hotel is sustainably managed, with an emphasis on biodiversity and nature preservation.

The Ballymaloe Organic Farm School is an exciting new venture led by Darina Allen, Co-Founder of the world renowned Ballymaloe Cookery School, Sustainable Food advocate and Farming for Nature Ambassador.

Its mission is to educate and empower people to value and practice the principles of sustainable food production and consumption, regenerative farming and regenerative lifestyle to create a climate positive and equitable food system.

West Cork: one of the last bastions of “old Ireland”

Meet your driver-guide in the lobby of your hotel, he will be with you for the remainder of the trip.

Head to West Cork, one of the last bastions of “old Ireland”; a pocket of pretty towns, with Irish-speaking Gaeltacht communities, and where organisations, people, businesses and schools are leading the way in terms or sustainability, green living and better connection to the land.

Leaving Ballymaloe, make a short stop in Cork City to visit the English Market and continue to Clonakilty Distillery which sustainably partners with local suppliers to further utilize their by-products.

Lunch at Pilgrims Restaurant in Roscarbery and meet the Chef. The restaurant is known for its use of woodland plants for its sustainable menu, such as gorse flower and seaweed.

Enjoy the evening at your leisure back in Liss Ard Estate. Nestled on the southern coast of West Cork, Liss Ard Estate epitomizes the enchantment of the Irish countryside on a vast domain covered with cypresses and century-old cedars.

This elegant Georgian-style manor offers bright guest rooms furnished in a modern country style and divided between three buildings, each with its unique character. Its restaurant features in-season produce from the garden and meat and fish supplied by local producers, for a farm-to-table culinary experience.

On the grounds, take the time to enjoy a nearly metaphysical experience, contemplating the sky from the Sky Garden, a giant earth-and-stone crater lined with emerald grass, the work of renowned artist James Turrell.

Permaculture, foraging & smoke house foodie trail

Today meet Adam Afoullouss, award winning organic farmer, permaculturist and specialist and resource sharing. Adam previously lectured in Brisbane, New South Wales, Australia at the Permaculture Research Institute.

Explore West Cork, including a Farm to Table Foodie Trail and optional visits to Farmers Markets on Fridays and Saturdays. In the morning go on a foraging trail in Myross Woods, followed by a lunch of the produce foraged.

In the afternoon meet Sally Barnes at Woodcock Smokery and learn about the traditional ways of smoking fish in the Irish way of days gone by. Sally is one of the key figures in Ireland’s food renaissance of the last forty-plus years. Alongside other pioneer women in the Irish food community, Sally has ensured that Ireland’s indigenous food culture is celebrated and experienced by locals, visitors, and international tourists.

Killarney National Park UNESCO Biosphere Reserve

Depart West Cork and head to Dromoland Castle by way of Killarney National Park and the Ring of Kerry.

Certain parts of national park have gone largely undisturbed for several hundred years, which has allowed a variety of species of flowers and plants to thrive. Some of the plants found in the area are unique in Ireland. The National Park has been designated a biosphere reserve because of the presence of such rare species. The red deer in Killarney National Park are the last surviving indigenous herd of red deer in Ireland. The Killarney herd has been there since Neolithic times.

Stop for lunch in the idyllic town of Kenmare and visit Tom Crean micro brewery. Tom Crean was an intrepid Antarctic explorer alongside Ernest Shackleton and is one of Ireland’s unsung heroes. His granddaughter run the brewery.

After your stop in Kenmare and Killarney, continue to Dromoland Castle.

Enchanted Ireland

Explore the Shannon Lakelands with private experience.

Get to see the parts of Ireland many rarely do & enjoy a diverse range of experiences as you discover a ‘secret’ Ireland with specially curated private experiences. Gain exclusive access to a range of unique locations & extraordinary private properties, combined with a burst of genuine Irish hospitality as you meet the locals. Fuse these locations with elements of Irish art, architecture, castles, culture & more with a carefully chosen selection of locally sourced artisan food & drink tasting experiences. With exclusive access, this is a true private behind the scenes taste of Ireland like never before.

One of the experiences you will have will include a a visit to a bog to meet with a local artist. Nestled between blanket bog and dense forest escape to this hidden retreat and feel cocooned by nature. Totally hidden and off the beaten track this enchanted location reveals Ireland at its most authentic offering you deeper insight to the culture and countrymen of this storied isle, with lush tastings of local artisan producers, a restored 18th century cottage and outbuildings with revelry inspired by centuries gone by. Combined with an indulgent insight to the now protected Irish peat bog which when combined has a greater carbon lock-up than the rainforests.

Plant to Plate experience at Ashford Castle

Drive to Ashford Castle where you will enjoy a very special Plant to Plate experience.

Cré, meaning soil or earth, represents the rich foundations on which the Ashford Estate’s Kitchen Gardens were built. This immersive experience includes a tour of the historic Kitchen Garden where you will forage and taste produce. Following this, you are invited to a hands-on cooking session with the Castle’s Executive Head Chef, Liam Finnegan, at Squire Danagher’s cottage, culminating in a flavourful three-course meal crafted from seasonal homegrown ingredients. This unique experience highlights the symbiotic relationship between gardener and chef as well as offering a memorable culinary experience in the historic building where ‘The Quiet Man’ was filmed.

Explore Irish waters

Today you will meet with Dr. Sam Afoullouss, a Marine Biologist on the coast in Connemara.

You will start with an insight into marine biology in Ireland. This will be followed by a chance to get into the water and to see the underwater wildlife up close and personal. Sam is also a certified Diving Instructor and he can guide you through the water.

Ireland has the second biggest shark in the world that you can go snorkeling with – the basking shark, but thankfully it has no teeth!!  Season permitting you can enjoy a guided tour snorkeling with the basking sharks.  Other options season permitting can be diving with dolphins, visiting puffin sanctuaries, exploring kelp forests, touring to off-shore Islands, and meeting traditional fisherman whose families have fished in this location for generations.

Undiscovered Connemara

Tour to Bundorragha Harbour where you will visit mussel and oyster farms along the fjord, with explanations and demonstrations of what is involved.  Sample fresh oysters with a glass of Guinness or white wine.

On returning, travel along the fjord to a scenic spot or deserted island (weather permitting) to enjoy a special picnic lunch.

After lunch, a visit to a deserted Famine Village, only accessible by boat, where you can begin to understand the complex tragedy of the famine. This includes everything from the dependency on the potato to the culture and politics of the time and the harsh evictions that soon followed and scattered the Irish to the four corners of the world. A very special and memorable day to treasure forever.

Heritage of Sligo on Horseback

You will head to County Sligo today, discovering this amazing county on horseback.

You will meet your guide and archaeologist at the stables where you will set off on your tour. Throughout the experience, your guide will point things out to you along the route and will offer to take photos and videos of you while riding. This leaves you free to soak up the experience and the magnificent Sligo scenery. After a small country lane, you enter fabulous sand dunes filled with natural flora such as the pyramid orchid. Rabbits, hares, foxes and sheep inhabit this beautiful area. You might even hear a skylark sing overhead. You’ll walk or trot along one of the most secluded beaches in Ireland as waves roll in and seabirds pick for crabs in the seaweeds. Your guide will tell you about the local Spanish Armada and Irish famine history of this area. An impressive castle called ‘Classiebaun’ stands proud in the distance on Mullaghmore Headland making the beach one of the most scenic in Ireland. Mullaghmore is the signatory point in Sligo on the Wild Atlantic Way.

On return home, Benbulben Mountain dominates the skyline. When you return after your fabulous experience, you will be served tea/coffee, treats and biscuits at the stable yard and you can give your horse a carrot for making you feel free and wonderfully refreshed. Back to Mount Falcon to relax for the evening.

Burren UNESCO Global Geopark

You will venture back south today, heading for the Burren for a guided hike through this amazing landscape.

The Burren (meaning ‘great rock’) stretches across northern Clare, a windswept, lunar-like landscape of barren grey limestone that was shaped beneath ancient seas, then forced high and dry by a great geological cataclysm. Wildflowers in spring give the Burren brilliant, if ephemeral, colour amid its stark beauty. Villages throughout the region include the music hub of Doolin on the west coast, Kilfenora inland and charming Ballyvaughan in the north on the shores of Galway Bay. South of Ballyvaughan, a series of severe bends twists up Corkscrew Hill. Built as part of a Great Famine relief scheme in the 1840s, the road leads to prehistoric and Iron Age sites including Gleninsheen Wedge Tomb, Poulnabrone Dolmen and Caherconnell Fort.

Throughout the region, there are fantastic opportunities for walking and rock climbing. A part of the Burren forms the Burren National Park, the smallest of the six National Parks in Ireland. Option to visit a private brewery and a smokehouse. Enjoy your evening in Gregans Castle situated in the heart of the Burren.

Cliffs of Moher and Aran Islands

Continue your exploration of County Clare today, first with a visit to the Cliffs of Moher, a sheer precipice running for some 8kms along Ireland’s west coast and soaring some 700 feet above the Atlantic Ocean, these cliffs are among the most famous in Europe and are a must see. Meet a storyteller at a private location beside the Cliffs and learn about myths and legends from the Isle of Ireland.

Drive to Doolin and ferry to one of the Aran Islands. A true Irish experience awaits, locals speak Irish as well as English in a setting of Celtic churches of historical significance. Your day will include unique cultural experiences, traditional music, dance and crafts, local food producers and pubs & restaurants that ooze character and personality. The emphasis will be on providing a local experience and frequenting areas not widely known to mass tourism. Genuine local people who will share their experience in a very personal and up front manor is what we believe in.

Return to Doolin and enjoy your final evening at your leisure back at Gregans Castle.

Departure

Departure day. Enjoy a comfortable private transfer to Shannon airport in time to catch your flight home.