'SHANNON PRINCESS II'

Sunday, Day 1... LOUGH REE & WESTMEATH. Guests shall be met by the Barge Guide at 3.00pm at The Aberdeen Lodge Hotel, and transferred by Luxury coach to the Shannon Princess at Quigley’s Marina in Westmeath.
“Cead Mile Failte,” ( a hundred thousand welcomes!) -Your Captain and his crew welcome you onboard the elegant Shannon Princess with a Champagne Reception. From the moment you step aboard you’ll enjoy- the tranquil ambience, skilled service & wealth of onboard facilities. Time enough to meet new friends; relax on deck or watch the world float by.
Welcome Gourmet dinner is served onboard during evening cruise.

Monday, Day 2...THE BROAD MAJESTIC SHANNON & ATHLONE.
There’s time for an early morning stroll through twisting country lanes, before we set out to explore a river wrapped in the legends of time. The Shannon Princess slips through countryside little changed through the centuries.Now a preserved area of ecological importance, relax & unwind as we float along the Shannon’s beautiful “Inner Lakes”, passing stately riverside homes & some of its reputed 365 wooded islands. Lunch is served onboard. We moor in the pretty bustling Town of Athlone.An afternoon tour of “Corlea Track way Visitor Centre” will be guided by your Captain. This off the beaten track heritage site interprets-some of the many local archaeological finds from Pagan Celtic Ireland. Including a ritual Iron Age wooden bog road, uncovered intact & carbon dated from the year 148 BC. Return to ‘Shannon Princess II’
Explore Athlone at your leisure, time for shopping, antiquing or a visit to any of the towns impromptu traditional music pubs. Gourmet Dinner onboard.

Tuesday, Day 3... MYSTICAL CLONMACNOISE & SHANNONBRIDGE
The Shannon Princess descends through Athlone Lock and follows the river as it flows south through “The Callows”. These lush grazing meadows have remained unchanged in over 1000 years and are now rich Wildfowl & Fauna Reserves.
We moor at Clonmacnoise ruins - the ancient burial grounds of High Kings of Tara & Connaught. Clonmacnoise is an atmospheric & spiritual 6th Century monastic settlement soaked in history & myth.
After a guided tour & visit to the interpretive centre we lunch enroute to Shannonbridge. Alternatively for energetic souls wishing to linger & explore, a picnic lunch can also be arranged while enjoying an undulating walk/cycle along rural byways to rejoin the barge at her overnight moorings in Shannonbridge.
Shannonbridge is a charming little walled riverside village, an excellent spot for riverside walking, swimming, and exploring.
Afternoon visit to the grounds of Birr Castle, family seat of the Earl & Countess of Rosse. Besides enjoying glorious castle gardens & parkland, the Castle is home to Ireland’s Historic Science Centre.
Gourmet Dinner onboard.

Wednesday, Day 4... JOURNEY THROUGH THE ANCIENT KINGDOMS OF CONNAUGHT & LEINSTER TO COUNTY TIPPERARY
Journey through the Ancient Kingdoms of Connaught & Leinster to County Tipperary
We travel a very evocative stretch of the River Shannon. The Shannon Princess follows the rivers gentle curves, passing crumbling ivy covered ruins, medieval garrisons & sleepy market villages. Onwards we head, in the wake of time, floating by dappled woodlands & floodplain meadows. The ever-changing landscape slipping by, decending through Meelick lock and pausing as Portumna Swing Bridge is opened to allow the Shannon Princess onto idyllic Lough Derg. We moor waterside at the foot of a gentle hill that slopes up to Terryglass village. Lunch in the village at The Derg Inn.... Time to explore this charming Hamlet before an afternoon guided excursion to Leap Castle, once the stronghold of the Princes of Ely, and reputed to be Ireland’s most haunted castle. Here you learn about the fascinating history of the castle with a personal tour by quirky owners Sean Ryan and his family,
Gourmet Dinner Onboard

Thursday, Day 5... TO THE WATERS & THE WILD... COUNTY CLARE
Today take a morning excursion to riverside Portumna Castle & Walled Kitchen Gardens, and on to Galway, a lively Anglo-Norman university town and cultural center of Irish speaking regions in the west of Ireland. Lunch is at an authentic Guinness & Oyster Bar with time to browse in the local craft shops. Return to “Shannon Princess II’ for Gourmet Dinner as we meander effortlessly down through pretty Lough Derg to Mountshannon – a lovely old estate village perched prettily above the Lough.
After dinner enjoy a moonlit ramble around Mountshannon.

Friday, Day 6... THE LAST OF THE HIGH KINGS….. THE TWIN TOWNS OF KILLALOE & BALLINA
This morning we literately go with the flow, south through Lough Derg and her many Islands, Castles & Medieval strongholds. The River Shannon carves a dramatic route through the Hills & Valleys of Munster’s North Riding before sweeping into Killaloe, once home to the court of the last High King of Ireland, Brian Boru.We moor on the Tipperary side of this elegant little Ecclesiastical town, with plenty of time for you to visit both villages & local sites of interest. After lunch set off on an excursion to the Cragganaunowen Project, which recreates Celtic culture and life during the Iron Age and early Christian Ireland.
Farewell “Slainte” cocktail reception with Captain before final Gourmet Dinner.

Saturday, day 7... KILLALOE / DUBLIN
Transfer to Aberdeen Lodge Hotel in Dublin (where your tour ends), arriving at approximately between 11: 30 a.m. and 12:00 noon

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A SAMPLE ITINERARY AND CHANGES MAY NEED TO BE MADE WITHOUT NOTICE