School STEM Tour

Today we arrive to Dublin with pick up at the airport and drop off to your city-center hotel. Lunch is served at the hotel at 12pm. At 2pm we'll get a chance to stretch our legs and explore the city on foot this afternoon on an easy walking tour to help us beat the jetlag and get our bearings in the city's center. We return to the hotel at 5pm for dinner at 6:30pm with some live music and our trip orientation meeting.

• Arrivals
• Lunch
• City Center Accommodation- 3 star or better (nights 1, 2 & 3 of tour)
• Afternoon walking tour
• Welcome Dinner

Today after breakfast at 8:30am, we will take the pleasant walk at 9:30am to Epic The Irish Emigration Museum along the river Liffey, taking in along the way several important monuments and buildings in Dublin City Center. The award-winning museum is the world's first fully automated self-guided and uses technology to take us beyond the stereotypes of what it means to be Irish. At the Museum, we'll get a chance to learn about the importance and influence the Irish have had for centuries on other cultures. There is also the opportunity, if you have Irish heritage, to pre-book an appointment into the adjacent Irish Family History Centre (IFHC) and discover something about your own family's unique background, here as well. (Please contact us about this add-on so we can assist with booking an appointment for you). After EPIC, we'll take our lunch at one of Dublin's favorite pizzeria's for teens (and parents!) and fuel up for a visit to the Jeanie Johnston Tall Ship. We end the day with dinner in the famous Temple Bar area in City Centre and a live theatre show at 8pm all together about the history of Dublin.

• Breakfast
• Liffey Walk and Monuments
• EPIC Museum visit
• Group Lunch
• Jeannie Johnson
• Dinner in Temple Bar
• Theatre Show

Today after an 8:30am breakfast, we all head across the Liffey for a walk into the Trinity College Campus where we'll learn about this centuries' old hub of Irish intellectual activity, stroll the campus, and see the Book of Kells in the famous Library on campus. Tour Organizers will also have their choice of pre-booking a half-day STEM workshop either with the Physics Department, the Sports Science Department, or the Entrepreneurship Department for their group, depending on your group's interests. (When booking your school tour, we will provide details on each to help you decide which workshop will be best for your goals). We'll have lunch either in the College Green area at a local eatery or on Campus at the Science Gallery, before heading back over to our STEM workshop this afternoon. After the workshop we'll walk up the famous pedestrian-only Grafton Street to enjoy the bustle, before heading back into the city center for our group dinner at 7pm. We return to the hotel after dinner for an early night, getting ready for our day trip tomorrow to the seaside and Wicklow Mountains.

• Breakfast
• Trinity College and Book of Kells visit College Green or Science Gallery lunch (depending on STEM Workshop booked)
• Afternoon STEM Workshop of your Organizer's Choice at Trinity College
• Early evening stroll up famous Grafton Street
• Group Dinner in City Center

This morning we have an 8am breakfast and head out on to our private bus for a 9am sharp start down the coast to gorgeous Dun Laoghaire (pronounced "Dun Leary") town, formerly known as Kingstown in honor of King George IV's 1821 visit to the town. It boasts a 200 year old man-made walkable pier, stunning views, and the best ice cream cone in Ireland (double cream recipe with chocolate flake bar!). If weather is not nice enough for a walk on the pier (wrap up warm and yes, we'll still eat ice cream as the Irish do in the cold!) we'll visit the Viking town of Dalkey, your guide's native town and just 2 miles down the coast. Here we'll visit their Castle and Museum for a look at life in the early days of Ireland before our terrific 'Pub Lunch'. After lunch, we make our way out of County Dublin southwards to County Wicklow to spend a most excellent afternoon exploring the legendary 6th Century monastic settlement of St Kevin in Glendalough (pronounced "Glen da Lock", meaning "Valley of two lakes"), Wicklow. Here we will learn about the very early origins of Christianity in Ireland, before the Vikings landed, and get a chance to take in the breath-taking scenery on a walk around the lakes before heading back to city center for a fabulous evening meal together.

• Early Breakfast
• Visit to the South County Dublin Coast
• Viking Village visit
• Pub Lunch
• Glendalough Tour and Walk
• Group Dinner- City Center
• Nature Resort Lodging for Nights 4, 5 & 6; students are in purpose-built 24/7 supervised hostel accommodation while adults are in 4 star hotel resort next door

This morning we make our way across Ireland's green fields and hills to the West Coast and the European Capital of Culture 2020 City, Galway. We arrive just in time for a stroll into the city and a chance to enjoy some lunch and an afternoon of shopping in chaperoned smaller groups. We'll meet up again together at 6pm at one of Ireland's oldest medieval Taverns for a delicious dinner and to enjoy some live traditional Irish Music. We head up the road to our resort and hotel after a fine evening of good Irish "Craic" (pronounced "Crack", meaning fun) in Galway!

• Early Breakfast
• Travel to Galway City
• Lunch of your choice
• Free afternoon to shop, explore Dinner at Medieval Tavern with Traditional Irish Music Session
• Late check-in Mayo resort

Today after a terrific breakfast, we'll get out to explore a little of the famed Wild Atlantic Way landscape. First, we make our way over to the iconic Kylemore Abbey (formerly a castle) to have a morning visit around this national landmark, learn about its tumultuous history, famous former residents, and current residents, the Benedictine nuns. We'll also get to walk the gardens and take in the unforgettably gorgeous views. After lunch at the Abbey's restaurant, serving an award-winning buffet with traditional home-made brown bread and Irish butter, pastries, scones and more, we will have a choice of participating in one of three terrific afternoon activities: 1) Surfing the Atlantic (for the truly adventurous)  2) Kayaking on the fjord (yes, Ireland has fjords, too!) or 3) A wonderful hike in the hills behind the Abbey. Dinner is back at our resort with a movie to relax after a full day of fresh air.

• Breakfast
• Kylemore Abbey & Walled Victorian Garden's visit
• Buffet Lunch
• Afternoon Activity of choice: Surfing / Kayaking / Hiking (water sports are weather dependent)
• Dinner at resort
• Movie after dinner

Today our students will get to work on a STEM project all day, working with our guests and of one of the best STEM education groups in all of Europe, Connemara Maths Academy. This is no ordinary Workshop! Group Organizers can choose from several half-day or full day themed workshops for their students to enjoy, depending on the goal and primary interests of the group. Activities can also incorporate several of the resort as they wish. Included in our tour you may select from activities such as: Kayaking, Hiking, A Spa Day (for adult chaperones only), Cycling, Mountain Biking, and more. Certain activities such as ziplining, golf and horse riding are also available for an add-on fee. (Please enquire upon booking). A packed picnic lunch is available when full day activities are booked away from the resort or else lunch will be provided in the dining room between activities on site. Dinner is served for you at the restaurant between 6 and 9pm followed by an optional story teller or music session in the lounge.

• Breakfast
• Free day at resort and spa
• Optional activities included
• Optional extra activities such as golf, horse riding can be pre-booked for an add-on fee
• Lunch on your own schedule at resort or optional packed picnic lunch to-go
• Dinner served at resort restaurant between 6 and 9pm
• Optional after dinner entertainment of story teller or musician

We head out at 9am sharp for the iconic Cliffs of Moher. Enjoy heart-stopping views of the Wild Atlantic Ocean from this incredible perch on the edge of Europe, looking back towards North America. After a picnic lunch (indoors depending on the weather), we'll make our way to Bunratty Castle and Folk Park for a look back in time at this 15th century medieval restored castle and animated village, replicating life in a 19th century Irish country town, complete with doctor's office, shops, cottages and more. Take your time this afternoon and enjoy visiting all the Castle and Folk Park has to offer, including a last minute chance to shop for some lovely authentic gifts, crafts, and souvenirs in the Castle Shop. At 5:30pm we enter the dining hall to enjoy our final evening's meal together with some excellent entertainment, including song, dance and a well-produced, full medieval Irish Banquet complete with great "Craic" for our last evening together in Ireland. After dinner we board our bus around 8pm for the 2 1/2 hour trip back to our comfortable, Dublin hotel.

• Breakfast at resort
• Travel to Cliffs of Moher
• Enjoy pre-packed picnic lunch (Outdoors weather permitting)
• Bunratty Castle & Victorian Folk Park
• Medieval Banquet Dinner
• Return to Dublin after Dinner to hotel- 3 star or better convenient to airport for early morning next day return flights home

Today is Departure Day from Dublin Airport