Experience the essence of Irish culture in Ennis, County Clare, where you’ll view Ireland through the eyes of its people. This exciting and immersive stay program showcases Ireland’s renowned cultural traditions as well as its dramatic landscapes. 

Starting at: $4,990 * Price includes special offer Make a Reservation Ask Us A Question or Call 855-330-1542
 Cliffs of Moher
Cliffs of Moher
 The idyllic town of Ennis
The idyllic town of Ennis
 Evening street scene in Ennis
Evening street scene in Ennis
 Lively music in a pub. Credit: Brian Morrison, Ireland Tourism
Lively music in a pub. Credit: Brian Morrison, Ireland Tourism
 Typical landscape in Ireland. Credit: Ireland Tourism
Typical landscape in Ireland. Credit: Ireland Tourism
 Landscape of the Burren
Landscape of the Burren
 The Polnabrone Dolmen, the Burren
The Polnabrone Dolmen, the Burren
 Loop Head Peninsula
Loop Head Peninsula
 Birr Castle in western Ireland
Birr Castle in western Ireland
 The Great Telescope at Birr Castle
The Great Telescope at Birr Castle
 Landscape of the fabled Aran Islands
Landscape of the fabled Aran Islands
 Dramatic 300 foot cliffs on the Atlantic coast, Inishmore
Dramatic 300 foot cliffs on the Atlantic coast, Inishmore
 The ancient stone fort of Dun Aonghosa on the cliffs on Inishmore
The ancient stone fort of Dun Aonghosa on the cliffs on Inishmore
 Stone fences on Inishmore at dusk
Stone fences on Inishmore at dusk
 Adare Castle
Adare Castle
 Typical cottage in lovely Adare
Typical cottage in lovely Adare
 Bunratty Castle
Bunratty Castle

County Clare: A One-Week Stay in Western Ireland

9 days from $4,990

Experience the essence of Irish culture in Ennis, County Clare, where you’ll view Ireland through the eyes of its people. This exciting and immersive stay program showcases Ireland’s renowned cultural traditions as well as its dramatic landscapes. 

or Call 855-330-1542

Accommodations

* Click on hotel name to visit hotel web-site.

Old Ground Hotel

Ennis, Ireland

Starting life as an 18th-century manor house, the Old Ground Hotel is centrally located, right in the heart of Ennis. This attractive, vine-covered property has a notable history with connections to past political intrigue.

Owned by a private art collector, the Old Ground Hotel has a rich collection of both modern and classical art. This is displayed throughout the corridors, lounges, as well as the contemporary Town Hall bistro and the stately Brendan O'Regan restaurant. Traditional music features regularly in the Poet's Corner Bar where an excellent a la carte menu available daily.

The elegant guest rooms, adorned with a palette of pleasant blues, cream and gold, are spacious and contemporary in style with dark wood furniture and rich fabrics. Complimentary Wi-Fi access, TV, direct dial telephone, iron, ironing board, and tea/coffee making facilities are standard ameneties.



Activity Levels

Expectations: Week-long Cultural Stay featuring one town and region—and one hotel. Full-day excursions outside the town with some longer, extensive walking tours of villages, museums, and outdoor historic sites. Excursions can be over uneven terrain (e.g. outdoor sites, cobblestones, city hills, stairs without handrails, absence of elevators). Hotel centrally located for easy access to sites and restaurants during time at leisure.

Appropriate for: Travelers who are physically fit and comfortable with longer days of touring (both walking tours and coach time).

Special Air Rates/Services

FlexAir is designed to provide you with the flexibility and choice you need to personalize your air travel experience. Explore a wide range of flight options in consultation with our experienced travel professionals to select the flights, routing, class of service, and dates of travel that most fit your needs. Our partner tour operator has negotiated contracts with a wide variety of carriers that allow them to hold flight reservations and then issue your ticket close to departure without additional fees. This protects you from the need to purchase published-fare tickets, which must be ticketed within 24 hours of purchase. FlexAir reservations provide the flexibility to adjust reservations without penalty and to accommodate extensions and upgrades right up until ticketing time, usually around 60 days before departure. We look forward to providing you with more choice and the best possible itinerary for your air travel plans.

Program Includes:

  • Guaranteed transfers featuring assistance and luggage handling between your destination airport and your overseas accommodations upon arrival and departure (in most cases). We will provide you with all of the details you need to guarantee your transfer.
  • Air schedule change and delay assistance. Book FlexAir to ensure assistance should schedule changes or delays impact your air travel plans.
  • Flight insurance worth up to $250,000, subject to policy terms, is automatically included.
  • Confirmed airline seat assignments at the time of booking based on availability and airline policy.
Reading List

Highly Recommended

For the Love of Ireland: A Literary Companion for Readers and Travelers
Luck of the Irish: Our Life in County Clare
By: Williams, Niall, Breen, Christine
DK Eyewitness Ireland (Travel Guide)
By: DK Eyewitness
A Traveller's History of Ireland
By: Neville, Peter

Also Recommended

Ireland: A Luminous Beauty
The Time of the Tans: An Oral History of the War of Independence in County Clare
By: Mac Conmara, Dr. Tomas
How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe (The Hinges of History)
By: Cahill, Thomas
The Celts: A Very Short Introduction
By: Cunliffe, Barry
Opened Ground: Selected Poems, 1966-1996
By: Heaney, Seamus
Truth About Irish P
By: Eagleton, Terry
In Search of Ancient Ireland: The Origins of the Irish from Neolithic Times to the Coming of the English
By: Carmel McCaffrey, Leo Eaton
Connemara Mollie: An Irish Journey On Horseback
By: Bradt, Hilary
Kilmoon: A County Clare Mystery
By: Alber, Lisa
Irish Fairy and Folk Tales
By: Yeats, William Butler
Ireland: A Traveler's Literary Companion (Traveler's Literary Companions)
Ireland Unhinged: Encounters With a Wildly Changing Country
By: Monagan, David
The Celtic World
History of the World Map by Map (DK History Map by Map)
By: DK

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Travel Insurance

For the convenience of our travelers, Smithsonian Journeys includes a basic medical expense and evacuation plan through Trip Mate, a Generali Global Assistance & Insurance Services brand, at no additional charge. This plan provides post-departure Medical and Dental coverage of $250,000 per person and Emergency Assistance and Transportation coverage of $1,000,000 per person (U.S. Residents Only). Note: For full details regarding these coverages please review the following Plan Documents here.

In addition, we recommend that travelers purchase a travel protection plan to help protect their travel investment from unforeseen events such as cancellation due to illness, flight delays due to adverse weather, baggage loss, and more. For your convenience, Smithsonian Journeys offers an optional Travel Protection Plan administered by Trip Mate, a Generali Global Assistance & Insurance Services brand. For those interested, optional "Cancel for Any Reason" coverage is available for an additional charge. Note: Certain eligibility requirements apply and Cancel for Any Reason coverage is not available to New York residents. For full details regarding this coverage please review the following Plan Documents here.

To learn more about the Travel Protection Plan, you may visit https://www.generalipartner.com/smithsonianjourneys or call the administrator, Trip Mate, a Generali Global Assistance & Insurance Services brand at (866) 501-3252.

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