The Emerald Isle

Settle in, relax and get ready to discover a fascinating city, the hometown of many distinguished writers such as William Butler Yeats, Jonathan Swift, James Joyce, George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker (author of Dracula), and Samuel Beckett

Visit St. Patrick's Rock, an outcrop rising from the Tipperary plain which once was the seat of the kings of Munster. St. Patrick is believed to have come here in AD 450 to christen King Aenghus.

The Rock of Cashel is topped by the most interesting monastic ruins in Ireland. They include a 12th-century Round Tower, a High Cross, the Romanesque Cormac's Chapel (1134), the 13th-century Cathedral, the 15th-century Castle, and the restored Hall of the Vicars Choral, which serves as the Visitors Entrance and houses a small museum of artifacts found on the site.

Modern attractions include an audio-visual show and exhibitions.

Proceed to Blarney, a village in the south of Ireland.

Not to be missed, of course, is Caisleán na Blarnan, a medieval fortress with an impressive keep. According to tradition, or a tad of blarney, the gift of eloquence is granted there by kissing the Blarney Stone.

Pay a visit to the Blarney Woollen Mills, a restored factory complex built in 1823 for spinning and weaving wool. It's now the world's largest store with an inventory of Irish-made goods. If it's made in Ireland, food or fashion, it's there!

Proceed westward through Killarney National Park and its many lakes to the cheerful town of Killarney. The 3,414-foot peak of Carrauntoohil dominates the view to the west, surrounded by heather-covered hills.

A visit is included to Bog Village, a replica of an early 18th-century community typical of southwestern Ireland with its small thatched houses. Learn how peat harvested from bogs was used as domestic fuel.

Enjoy a visit to Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. This formidable castle has been restored to its original 16th-century beauty, Tudor furnishings and all. Bunratty Folk Park is a meticulous re-creation of rural life in Ireland at the turn of the century. Taste butter being churned or purchase some woven handicraft.

Your journey continues to Limerick, the setting for Angela's Ashes, Frank McCourt's 1996 memoir. This is also the country's fourth-largest city, with an eventful history that mirrors the country's tumultuous past.

View some of the most spectacular cliffs in all of Europe, with sheer drops of over 600 feet.

Ride on the Mid West portion of Western Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way, crossing the vast limestone plateau of the Burren National Park, known for its unusual combination of Alpine and Mediterranean flora. Pass by Corcomroe Abbey, whose ruins, almost indistinguishable from the stones of the plateau, inspired W. B. Yeats' verse play The Dreaming of the Bones.

Proceed to a lively university city which got its name, Dún Bhun na Gaillimhe, when it was but a "Fort at the mouth of the Gaillimh."

Images of the Irish countryside are still vivid as you race the sun home aboard your jet airplane. Arrive home later today, eager to share your discoveries with family and friends.