The Ireland of Song and Legend June 11-20, 2018

When we think of Ireland, we imagine rolling green hills and lush green meadows spilling down to the billowing sea, a tootling Irish ute somewhere in the air. While such scenes do exist on the Emerald Isle-and we will see a few-there is more to Ireland than her breathtakingly beautiful landscape and much to enjoy in her bright and storied cultural heritage.

W&L's latest tour of Ireland will focus on Irish legend and literature. We'll begin in Dublin with comfortable lodgings at the elegant boutique Buswells Hotel near Trinity College. Here we'll devote a few days to exploring several of the haunts of Ireland's beloved writers, including a performance at the Abbey eatre, as well as visits to the institutional treasures of the nation's most important city. Thereafter, we'll take a leisurely drive to the West, the traditional heartland of authentic Ireland, to Galway. In addition to many sites in and about Galway, we'll visit the house owned by Nora Barnacle, James Joyce's wife, and two sites associated with the great Irish poet W.B. Yeats, Coole Park and Thoor Ballylee. On our way from County Galway to County Sligo, we'll travel through County Leitrim. Here, we'll savor rugged mountain ranges and the West's rolling green countryside, visiting several sites of history and legend along the way.

In Sligo, the spiritual home of W.B. Yeats, we'll spend three nights at the cozy and picturesque four-star Clarion Hotel. Here, we'll enjoy a Rose of Innisfree Boat Tour on Lough Gill, a tour of Parke's Castle, and a visit to Drumcliffe Church and Cemetery, where Yeats is buried. The magnificent, meticulously restored Lissadell House and estate will be the highlight of our penultimate day before returning to our final night's accommodations at Buswells in Dublin.

This tour will be led by popular W&L professor and Irish scholar Marc Conner, along with select guest speakers.