Connaught – Ireland’s Northwest This tailor-made programme is a circular tour around Connaught. This is the smallest and most remote of the four provinces of Ireland, and an area of unspoilt landscapes of fields, lakes and mountains between the River Shannon and the Atlantic Ocean. Dream Escape provides the creativity and insider access to present the best of an area that is comparatively unknown to overseas visitors to Ireland.

Day One: Across the Midlands from Dublin into Connaught “Cead Mile Failte” – this traditional greeting will be extended to you upon your arrival at Dublin airport where you will be met by your chauffeur-guide to commence your journey across the Midlands of Ireland. At Carrick on Shannon you enter the province of Connaught and cross Ireland’s mightiest waterway. It is a short drive from here to your first hotel in the countryside of County Sligo overlooking a peaceful lake. On the way stop to visit the ruins of well-preserved Cistercian Monastery which was founded in the 12th century.

Day Two: Heritage of County Roscommon Spend a second day exploring County Roscommon. One of Ireland’s important places to visit is Strokestown Park, an 18th-century Palladian mansion which retains all of its original furnishings. The Walled Gardens have been faithfully restored to their original splendour; the peach house and vinery date back to the 1780s and the herbaceous border is considered to be the longest of its kind in the British Isles.

The National Famine Museum is located in the stable yards of Strokestown Park. The collection is the world’s best private archive on the Great Irish Famine. Later visit Roscommon where the look and feel of a traditional Irish country market town is preserved. See the ruin of Roscommon Castle, originally built by the Anglo-Norman Lord Justice of Ireland.

Day Three: From Yeats Country to the Irish Lake District Start today with a trip north to visit Sligo, an attractive regional centre situated just inland from the ocean. It is forever associated with W. B. Yeats who lived here; see the Yeats Memorial Building where there is an exhibition dedicated to the poet. Just to the north of Sligo is Drumcliffe Churchyard where he is buried in the shadow of Ben Bulben Mountain.

From here, take the road south to Knock in County Mayo, a major pilgrimage destination for Roman Catholics. It was here in 1879 that an apparition was witnessed. Now Knock is Ireland’s National Marian Shrine; it is dominated by the basilica built in 1976. Further south enter the Irish Lake District. The village of Cong sits on the isthmus between the two largest lakes; it is best known as the location of your hotel for the next three nights, a stunning castle in a large estate dating back to 1228.

Day Four: Western Mayo and Achill Island Head to the Atlantic Coast of County Mayo. First drive to Ireland’s only fjord, from where a high mountain valley leads over to the shores of Clew Bay. Then pass the slopes of the holy mountain Croagh Patrick as you head to Westport, the small town that is one of the most attractive places in Ireland. At the edge of the town is Westport House; this late 18th-century residence is the home of Lord Altamont, a descendant of Pirate Queen Grace O'Malley.

To the northwest of Westport is Achill Island, a well-known topographical feature. One of Ireland’s largest offshore islands, it is connected to the mainland by a bridge. Some of the highest cliffs in Ireland are found here exposed to the Atlantic storms. This is an excellent place to see traditional Irish landscapes best preserved from earlier times.

Day Five: The Wilds of Connemara Today is a chance to explore the western part of County Galway. This area includes Connemara, home to some of the most breath-taking scenery in Ireland and indeed Europe. Visit Kylemore Abbey, the monastic home of the Benedictine Nuns. Inside the Abbey, you will see suite of rooms which have been sympathetically restored; then stroll through the delightful Victorian Walled Gardens.

Stop in Clifden, a charming little town at the end of a spectacular drive that hugs the precipices around a small peninsula extending into the ocean. See the place where the beautiful green Connemara marble is mined; then visit a smokehouse where a range of smoked salmon products is produced. The road then passes round the waterlogged Roundstone Bog, an area where the Gaelic language is still very much in common use.

Day Six: Farewell to Connaught via Galway Drive south to the lively and picturesque city of Galway, located on the Bay of the same name. The provincial capital of Connaught has a wonderful avant-garde culture and preserves some fascinating relics of its medieval past including the Town Walls dating back to 1270. Visit the Cathedral on the west bank of the River Corrib and, of course, Galway Bay which is world-renowned for its oyster rearing industry.

Drive east to the small town of Loughrea which is noted for St. Brendan’s Cathedral, started in 1897. Although small in size it has been described as the jewel in the crown of the Celtic Revival. Later this afternoon, arrive at the airport in time to check in for your flight.

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