Tours and Excursions


Pre & Post Congress Tours

Two tours are planned and will be organised both before and after the Congress so that delegates may participate in both study tour if they wish. The tours will be two nights in duration, travelling by coach and departing from and arriving back in Dublin.


Great Gardens of the South and South West

Departing Dublin our first port of call is to Emo Court in Co. Laois. Emo Court was designed by James Gandon in 1790 for the Earls of Portarlington. The house is surrounded by extensive gardens and parkland laid out during the 18th century. Highlights include the avenue of giant sequoias, Sequoiadendron giganteum, the lake and surrounding statuary and the arboretum with its vistas towards the Slieve Bloom Mountains.

From Emo Court we continue to Killarney in Co. Kerry staying there overnight. Just outside the town are the world famous lakes of Killarney which lie at the foot of the McGillycuddy’s Reeks, Ireland’s highest mountain range. The following day we will visit the 10,236ha (26,000 acre) Killarney National Park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 1981. The centerpiece is Muckross House, a 19th century manor, surrounded by extensive gardens and parkland. Within walking distance are the lakes, waterfalls and mountains. The rarest habitat in the park is one of Europe’s only Yew woods (Taxus baccata). The area also contains extensive woods of native oak, Quercus petraea and Strawberry tree, Arbutus unedo. In the shade of these ancient woodlands lies a rich diversity of bryophytes, lichens and fungi and the rare Killarney fern, Trichomanes speciosum.

The next day we leave Kerry and cross the Caha Mountains into the rugged landscape of West Cork. The pretty fishing village of Glengarriff is our next stop and from there we take a boat across the harbour to Ilnacullin (or Garinish Island as it is locally known), one of Ireland’s great garden treasures. Internationally famous, the gardens were designed in 1910 by the eminent English architect Harold Peto whose garden plan transformed a rocky island without water or soil into one of the great gardens of Europe. Peto’s plan devised a formal garden with pavilions, loggias, pools, towers, terraces and temples, with all this linked to wild Robinsonian-styled valleys and with innumerable vistas into the breathtaking coastal scenery. The climate of this sublime island garden allows the growth of rare and tender plants from around the globe, particularly those from the Himalaya and the Southern Hemisphere.

That evening we head for Cork city, Ireland’s vibrant second capital, for an overnight stay. The following morning we make our way to Fota Arboretum and Gardens near the seaside town of Cobh, the last post of call for the ill-fated Titanic. The collection at Fota contains one of the largest ranges of rare and tender trees in Britain and Ireland, established by the Smyth Barry family from the 1840s. Fota has seen extensive restoration since coming into State ownership in 1996 and many of the newer plantings are part of international conservation projects. Fota House is an elegant regency style manor with glorious neoclassical architecture and to its rear lies a Victorian orangery surrounded by superb specimens including Canary Island date palms, hardy bananas, Wellingtonias, magnolias, acacias and much more. The recently restored walled garden contains South American plants, monocot borders, roses and an extensive range of climbing plants.

From Fota we travel north to Co. Waterford to visit Ambrose Congreve’s magnificent estate at Mount Congreve near the village of Kilmeaden. This 280ha (700-acre) estate has been in the Congreve family for three centuries. The demesne is situated on the River Suir and the gardens which cover 32ha (80 acres) make the most of a very mild climate.

The gardens at Mount Congreve have been the life long passion of its owner Ambrose Congreve and his Dutch Head Gardener, the late Herman Dool. Congreve, now in his 102nd year, began planting at the age of 11 and was so inspired by the gardens of Lionel de Rothchild at Exbury in Hampshire that he began to amass the present collection at Mount Congreve from 1955. The present garden is certainly the greatest garden to be created in the latter half of the 20th century in Ireland. In the four acre walled garden is a range of 18th century glasshouses with displays of fruit, orchids, bromeliads, begonias and clivias. Beyond are extensive herbaceous borders, roses and the productive fruit and vegetable areas.

In the garden proper one meets with an even more impressive sights. Beneath a canopy of centuries old oak and beech trees lies a vast plant collection and everything grouped to form expansive displays. Boasting one of the largest collections of rhododendrons in the world, certainly the most comprehensive in Europe, the garden contains, for example, over 3,500 species and cultivars of Rhododendron, 650 named camellias and 350 named cultivars of Japanese maple. Mount Congreve represents gardening on a grand scale and is a fitting place to conclude our garden tour. From Co. Waterford we return to the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin.

Please note that this route may be subject to change.

PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME - PRE-CONGRESS TOUR

Friday June 11th 2010

Depart NBG, Glasnevin at 12.00pm. Arrive Emo Court at 1.15pm. PACKED LUNCH & brief tour of grounds. Depart Emo Court at 2.30pm. Arrive Killarney 6.00pm. Check into Hotel. 7pm. Dinner, followed by stroll through grounds to Arbutus and Yew woods.

Saturday June 12th

Depart Hotel in Killarney at 10am. Arrive Glengarriff at 11.30pm. Boat to Ilnacullin. Lunch in garden café, tour of gardens, shopping & sight seeing in Glengarriff. Depart Glengarriff at 4.30pm. Arrive Cork city at 6.30pm. Hotel, dinner, etc.

Sunday June 13th

Depart Cork 9am. Arrive Fota Arboretum. Tour of Arboretum. Depart Fota at 11am. Arrive Dungarvan at 12.00. Early lunch 12.00 to 12.45pm. Arrive Mount Congreve 1.30. Depart Mount Congreve at 3pm. Arrive Glasnevin 6.00pm.

Cost:

€393 (this includes single bedroom accommodation)
€345 (this includes a double/twin room per person sharing – please advise when registering with whom you will be sharing the room)

PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME - POST-CONGRESS TOUR

Friday 18th June

Depart NBG, Glasnevin at 2pm. Arrive Emo Court at 3.15pm. Brief tour of grounds. Depart Emo Court at 4.30pm. Arrive Killarney 7.30pm. Check into Hotel. Late dinner in hotel or locally.

Saturday 19th June

Depart Hotel in Killarney at 9am. Tour of Muckross Gardens & stroll to Arbutus and Yew woods. Depart Muckross at 11.30am. Arrive Glengarriff at 12.45. Boat to Ilnacullin, lunch in garden café, tour of gardens. Shopping in village & sight seeing in Glengarriff. Depart Glengarriff at 4pm. Arrive Cork city at 6.30pm. Hotel, dinner, etc.

Sunday 20th June

Depart Cork 9am. Arrive Fota Arboretum. Tour of Arboretum. Depart Fota at 11am. Arrive Dungarvan at 12.00. Early lunch. Arrive Mount Congreve. Depart Mount Congreve at 3pm. Arrive Glasnevin 5.30pm.

Cost:

€393 (this includes single bedroom accommodation)
€345 (this includes a double/twin room per person sharing – please advise when registering with whom you will be sharing the room)


Discovering Wild Irish Plants and Habitats

Leaving Glasnevin, the excursion will head west from Dublin through the Irish midlands to the first stop at Clonmacnoise in Co. Offaly.  Clonmacnoise is a famous monastic site founded in 545 by St Ciaran on the banks of the River Shannon, at a point where the ancient esker-topped route through the boglands of Ireland met the west.  By the 9th century it was an important religious center and place of learning, craftsmanship and trade.  After the 12th century it fell into decline but the site retains a fascinating mixture of ruined buildings, including a cathedral, churches, a round tower built in 1124 and several Irish Celtic High Crosses.

After crossing the River Shannon the excursion will head west through Galway into Co Clare to enter the Burren.  The Burren is a karst limestone region of more than 250 km² in north-west Co. Clare in the west of Ireland.  It is Ireland’s most famous regions for its flora, containing a fascinating mixture of southern and Mediterranean plant species, arctic-alpine plants and Atlantic species, characteristic of the mild and wet western boundary of Europe.  Notable species of the Burren region include Dryas octopetala (Mountain avens), Gentiana verna (Spring gentian) and a wide variety of orchid species, most of which will be in full bloom during the excursions.

On arrival in the Burren a short ‘taster’ stop will be made at Lough Bunny where a rich limestone grassland and karst flora can be seen, as well as an important alkaline marsh (fen) with its rich plant communities.  After checking into the hotel in Lisdoonvarna (an old Spa town) and dinner, if there is time an optional trip will be made for an evening walk to the world-famous, 124 m high Cliffs of Moher, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

The following day will be spent exploring the Burren and visiting a wide range of diverse ecosystems, including limestone pavements and grasslands, Fanore with its Atlantic sand-dune system, the famous Poulnabrone megalithic tomb, woodland with Quercus petraea (Oak), Fraxinus excelsior (Ash), Taxus baccata (Yew) and Hazel (Corylus avellana) scrub and the Burren National Park, centred on the beautiful mountain of Mullaghmore.

That evening, after dinner in the fishing village of Doolin, participants will have an opportunity of enjoying a music session in Doolin’s pubs, famous for some of the finest traditional music in Ireland.

The following day the excursion will return to Dublin, stopping to visit the Coole-Garryland, a national nature reserve in west Galway, on the way.  These two reserves, through their combination of deciduous woods, limestone reefs, lakes and turloughs, constitute one of the most interesting Irish vegetation and faunal complexes still in existence. The Coole-Garryland reserve contains a variety of floral habitats including well-formed high forest on deep pockets of soil, dwarf woodland on limestone pavement, a turlough complex in the Callows and Coole Lake. A large portion of this reserve was formerly owned by Lady Gregory, co-founder with W.B. Yeats and Edward Martyn of the National Abbey Theatre.

It is hoped that a short visit may also be made to Birr Castle, Co. Offaly, home of the seventh Earl of Rosse.  The castle grounds are also home to Ireland's Historic Science Centre, a museum of Ireland's historic scientists and their contributions to astronomy and botany.  The gardens of Birr Castle contain one of Ireland’s most important plant collections and are particularly rich in plants from Asia.  After leaving Birr, the excursion will head back to Glasnevin arriving at the National Botanic Gardens in time for the Congress welcome reception and delegate registration.

Please note that this route may be subject to change.

PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME - PRE-CONGRESS TOUR

Friday June 11th 2010

Depart NBG, Glasnevin @ 11.30pm. Arrive Clonmacnoise, Co. Offaly at 1.30pm. Picnic (PACKED LUNCH) & brief tour of the monastic site. Depart Clonmacnoise at 2.30pm. Arrive Lough Bunny, The Burren, Co. Clare 4.00pm. Visit Fen and limestone pavement at Lough Bunny. Depart Lough Bunny 5.00pm. Arrive Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare. Check into Hotel. 7pm. Dinner at hotel. Followed by an optional visit to the Cliffs of Moher.

Saturday June 12th

Depart Hotel in Lisdoonvarna at 9.30am. Tour the Burren: Poulsallagh, Fanore, Black Head, Ballyvaughan, Corkscrew Hill, Poulnabrone, Mullaghmore (Burren National Park) (PICNIC PACKED LUNCH). Return to Hotel, 6.00 Lisdoonvarna. Dinner at Doolin followed by traditional music session.

Sunday June 13th

Depart Lisdoonvarna 9am. Arrive Garryland, Co. Galway at 10.00am. Visit Coole-Garryland Nature Reserve (woodlands and turlough). Depart Garryland, Co. Galway at 11.30am to Birr. Lunch at Birr Castle (PACKED LUNCH). Depart Birr Castle 3.00pm. Arrive Glasnevin 5.00pm..

Cost:

€399 (this includes single bedroom accommodation)
€369 (this includes a double/twin room per person sharing – please advise when registering with whom you will be sharing the room))

PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME - POST-CONGRESS TOUR

Friday 18th June

Depart NBG, Glasnevin at 2.00 pm. Arrive Lough Bunny, The Burren, Co. Clare 5.00pm. Visit Fen and limestone pavement at Lough Bunny. Depart Lough Bunny 6.00pm. Arrive Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare 7.00pm. Check into Hotel, followed by dinner at hotel. Followed by an optional visit to the Cliffs of Moher.

Saturday 19th June

Depart Hotel in Lisdoonvarna at 9.30am. Tour the Burren: Poulsallagh, Fanore, Black Head, Ballyvaughan, Corkscrew Hill, Poulnabrone, Mullaghmore (Burren National Park) (PICNIC PACKED LUNCH). Return to Hotel, 6.00 Lisdoonvarna. Dinner at Doolin followed by traditional music session.

Sunday 20th June

Depart Lisdoonvarna at 9am. Arrive Garryland, Co. Galway at 10.00am. Visit Coole-Garryland Nature Reserve (woodlands and turlough). Depart Garryland, Co. Galway at 11.30. Arrive Clonmacnoise, Co. Offaly at 1.00pm. Brief tour of the monastic site. (PICNIC PACKED LUNCH). Depart Clonmacnoise at 2.30pm. Arrive Glasnevin 4.30.

Cost:

€393 (this includes single bedroom accommodation)
€363 (this includes a double/twin room per person sharing – please advise when registering with whom you will be sharing the room)


Optional Tours during Congress

For a relatively small island, Ireland offers a large variety of entertainment, scenery and culture. The social programme we have drawn up offers delegates and accompanying persons the opportunity to sample the atmosphere and hospitality for which Ireland is famous worldwide.


Dublin City Sightseeing Tour (Hop On, Hop Off)

This fully guided tour gives you an overall flavour of our historic and ancient city. You will see examples of Dublin's superb architecture in the Georgian Streets and Squares. This hop-on-hop-off tour will allow you to visit St. Patrick's Cathedral and Christchurch Cathedral, the Guinness Storehouse and the Old Jameson Distillery. Tour duration is approximately 90 minutes
Cost: €15.00 per person.
Details: This tour runs daily, with the first tour departing at 09.30hrs and the last tour departing at 17.00hrs.
Tour departs from: 14 Upper O'Connell Street, Dublin 1 (just outside Dublin Tourism).


The Valley Of The Kings Tours (Full Day Tour)

In the heart of the Boyne Valley, Co. Meath. You will visit the Bru na Boinne Visitor Centre, which will interpret the archaeological heritage of the Boyne Valley, which includes the megalithic passage tombs of Newgrange & Knowth. You will be taken on a guided tour in the tombs the oldest and largest Neolithic burial chamber in Europe (3000BC), which predates the Egyptian Pyramids. Lunch in not included, although a lunch venue will be available on the day.
Cost: €34.00 per person
Details: This tour runs on Mon 14th, Tues 15th, Fri 18th and Sat 19th June 2010. A limited number of tickets are available.
Times: Tour departs at 10.00hrs (check in at 09.40) and returns to Dublin at 17.00hrs approx.
Tour departs from: Gray Line desk 1, Dublin Tourism Office, Suffolk St, Dublin 2.
Please present yourself at the Gray Line desk 20 minutes before the tour departs.


The Wicklow Mountains, Valleys & Lakes (Full Day Tour)

Sit back, relax and let us take you through some of the loveliest countryside in Ireland. This tour takes you first to the pretty village of Avoca (home to the famous drama Ballykissangel), with a stop at the famous Avoca Handweavers. There you can enjoy a stroll around the village dropping into Fitzgerald's pub or visiting the famous Handweavers craft shop. The tour trail continues onto the stunning 6th century monastic settlement in Glendalough. Our guide will take you around the site, which boasts a 10th century conical roofed Round Tower as well as a St. Kevin's Kitchen and Cross. Lunch is not included, although a lunch venue will be available on the day.
Cost: €28.00 per person
Details: This tour runs daily Time: Tour departs at 09.45hrs and returns to Dublin at 17.00hrs.
Tour departs from: Stop 1, 14 Upper O'Connell Street, Dublin 1 (outside Dublin Tourism).
Please present yourself at the Gray Line bus stop outside the Gresham Hotel 15 minutes before the tour departs.


The Dublin Bay & Castle Tour (Half Day Tour)

After a brief introduction to Dublin City, you will visit the pretty coastal village of Malahide and the 14th century Malahide Castle, where you will enjoy a guided tour and have time to wander in the craft shops and gardens. The tour then trails past the pretty fishing village of Howth towards Howth Summit where there will be a 10 minute stop to enjoy the breathtaking views of Dublin Bay. The tour then continues back into Dublin via the northern coastline.
Cost: €25.00 per person
Details: This tour runs daily Times: Tour departs at 10.15 hrs. The tour lasts 3.5hrs approx.
Tour departs from: 14 Upper O'Connell Street, Dublin 1 (outside Dublin Tourism).
Please present yourself at the Gray Line bus stop outside the Gresham Hotel 15 minutes before the tour departs.

Please note that you must make your own way to all departure destinations.

Cancellation Refund Policy for Optional Tours
Before 26th May 2010 Full Refund
After 26th May 2010 No Refund