Description

If you like your amateur drama local and lively then this is the trip for you.  The amateur drama movement has always been strong in rural Ireland. So in the spirit of our ‘Get to Know Us’ tours, join us for a week-long local drama festival in the lovely village of Kiltyclogher, Co. Leitrim, the county of a wide range of writers from much-missed John McGahern to adopted home of DBC Pierre.  You will be introduced to local amateur dramatic enthusiasts who will guide you through the programme of events for the week and you will get a real sense of the fabric of this lovely local community.

As your evenings will be full of drama, we will spend the late mornings and afternoons visiting the beautiful countryside and sites around Kiltyclogher in Leitrim, across to the wonderous megalithic tombs on the Bricklieve Mountains and to the castles of County Sligo.

Our specific itinerary will be determined by the weather and by you, so we’ll plan ahead around a 4-day forecast so we can enjoy the sunshine outdoors when we have it.  And the great thing about being with a small group is that we can be flexible.

Working itinerary:

Day 1, Sunday: Arrive into Dublin Airport We will meet you and make our way down to Sligo by bus or train.  It’s simple and a great way to get into the rhythm of the country. From the station we’ll take you to your B&B or hotel to settle in and get over your jet lag so you’ll be refreshed for the full week ahead.

We’ll get you to the best place to eat and, if you’re up for it, get your holiday off to a good start by showing you around some of the best music pubs in town.

(If you’re arriving in earlier & spending a few days in Dublin, just let us know if you have any questions about Dublin and we’d be pleased to help.  If you travelling to Sligo independently as a result we’ll give you all the information, including bus or train timetables that you need and meet you at the station.)

Day 2, Monday: so just because you can’t visit Ireland without visiting the evidence of our magnificent Neolithic heritage, we’ll start off on Sunday with a gentle walk in foothills of the Bricklieve Mountains.  The highpoint of this walk is the Neolithic tombs found in these hills, the jewels of Ireland’s ancient history.  There is a tremendous sense of awe in standing in these incredible structures which are over 3,000 years old.  Time-permitting, we will join our friend Sue at Sathyai Sai Donkey Sanctuary, to see the great work she does rescuing donkey’s and ponies so they can live their lives out on this beautiful mountain with views stretching up to the great cliffs of Donegal.

We’ll have a light lunch nearby and then there’s an option of some free time to explore the lovely town of Sligo before we head north to Kiltyclogher for the play.

Day 3, Tuesday:  We will start the day by exploring the Wild Atlantic Way.  We’ll get our first glimpse of Benbulben, truly an iconic mountain and explore the world of that great poet WB Yeats from the grounds surrounding the magnificent period residence of Lissadel House in the beautiful Magherow peninsula in north County Sligo overlooking Drumcliff bay, to his resting place in Drumcliff, nestled at the foot of the majestic Benbulbin.  Lissadell is former home of the Gore-Booth family (Constance later became Countess Markievicz, the first woman elected to the British Parliament & Minister in the first Irish Parliament).  Expect to learn about the people who lived on the estate too ;-).  After lunch we then head off to meet some local farmers and learn about the lives and issues facing small farmers in the west of Ireland.

Day 4, Wednesday:  We will spend some time learning a little about the history of Kiltyclogher in the morning.  This is the ancestral home of Sean McDermott, one of the leaders of the 1916 rising and signatory to the proclamation; who was executed for his part in the Rebellion.  We explore the bye-roads of this beautiful, rural county and visit 17^th Century Manorhamilton Castle.  The castle overlord Sir Frederick Hamilton was to become a bye word for cruelty down the centuries as a result of his brutality in suppressing uprisings led by the O’Rourke Chieftains whose land he had seized.  There will be a chance to see the beautiful Glencar Waterfall in the afternoon as we cross into County Sligo before we travel to the Lake Isle of Inisfree, made famous in the poetry of WB Yeats.  It’s a perfect literary transition into the evening before we return to Kilty for the continuing drama festival.

Day 5, Thursday:  We will head over towards Drumshanbo to visit a craft brewery and, weather permitting, we will walk part of the Miners’ Way over the mountains (very accessible) and finish up taking a tour of the old mines in the village of Arigna.  It’s a fascinating window into an industrial age in what is otherwise a very rural, natural part of the country.

We’ll have you back in Kilty for the evening for the next play in the festival.

Day 6, Friday:  We will spend Friday visiting the south of Donegal, spending some time in Donegal town and visiting the lovely Donegal Castle, which remains an imperious monument to both Irish and English might. Dating to the 15th century. The castle was rebuilt in 1623 by Sir Basil Brooke, along with the adjacent three-story Jacobean house. The drama festival will be building to its final flourish and you’ll be back in time to get good seats.

Day 7, Saturday:  It’s your last day in the West of Ireland, so you decide if you’d like to finish off with a stroll along the beach at Strandhill in Sligo followed by a relaxing seaweed bath (a guaranteed pleaser), or a walk up Knocknarea Mountain (a firm favourite for families in Sligo) to catch a fantastic view of the west coast as well as visit to Queen Maedb’s Grave – you decide.   Either way, we’ll finish the evening in Kiltyclogher for the last evening of the drama festival.

Day 8: Sunday:  It’s the last day in the west so if you’re heading back for a flight we’ll make sure to get you on the best train or bus to get you to the airport on time.  If you’ve got some time, we’ll have coffee at Osta, a lovely locally-owned café on the banks of the Garavogue.  Sligo has a lovely art gallery with a great collection of Jack B Yeats’ paintings as well as modern art for the more contemporary art lover.

Dates don’t suit?

We’re organising additional tours so, if the dates above don’t suit you, please get in touch with us.