12-day tour of knitting, yarns, music and sights of the Emerald Isle
The Burren, Galway, Aran Islands, Connemara, Dublin, Killarney & The Dingle
Luxury accommodation in boutique hotels

Jean Moss	Carol Feller	Anne O'Maille

and more...
If you would like to check out our tours with previous members before booking, there is a
 travelers with jean moss group on ravelry
Highlightsof our 2011 tour of Morocco

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The craic	Molly Malone	Book of Kells	Temple Bar

PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME

		Day 1
		Meet at Shannon airport. Lunch at spectacular Cliffs of Moyer. Scenic tour of the Burren ("botanical holy ground"), stopping off at Lisdoonvarna, (its annual match-making festival in full swing), the prehistoric Poulnabrone dolmen and pretty Kinvara harbour en route to Galway city. Evening reception and dinner at Park House Hotel followed by Show and Share.
		Day 2
		Workshop on traditional Aran techniques with Ann O'Maille, co-owner of the first shop in the world to stock Aran sweaters. Afternoon to wander round this compact medieval yet cosmopolitan and cultured city. Dinner at Ard Bia restaurant on bank of River Corrib. Time to take in some traditional Irish music for those who wish.
		Day 3
		Coach to Rossaveel for ferry to Inishmore,largest of the Aran islands. Guided tour of the island by minibus – lots of insights, information and anecdotes about island life. Visit sweater shops, meet Aran knitters, see prehistoric sites, early Christian churches, all amidst heart-stopping scenery, seals and seabirds. Returning to the mainland we drive through more stunning scenery to Rosleague Manor country house hotel close to Letterfrack, Connemara. Dinner at the hotel.
		Day 4
		Workshop with Jean in the morning followed by free afternoon to relax, knit and explore the gardens.  Rosleague Manor overlooks the only fjord in Ireland and has a wonderfully tranquil atmosphere.  Dinner at the Manor.
		Day 5
		Morning visit to nearby Leenane Sheep and Wool Centre for an illustrated presentation on the Connemara wool industry past and present, followed by a yarn dyeing workshop using all the local plants. Also a chance to see a special sheepdog trial high on the hills overlooking Lough Na Fooey. Then time for some shopping in bustling and colourful Clifden. Dinner with music in a town pub.
		Day 6
		Coach to Dublin where we will stay at Brooks Hotel superbly located in the heart of the city close to the shops, museums, galleries and pubs of Grafton Street, St Stephens Green and Temple Bar. En route we shall visit Kylemore Abbey House and Gardens. Dinner at Brooks.
		Day 7
		Explore Dublin.  Spoilt for choice - colourful street life, Georgian architecture, the Book of Kells, Trinity College, statue of Molly Malone, Oscar Wilde, James Joyce Museum,  St Patricks Cathedral, Bewleys… and much more.  Workshop by Jean. Yarn shop trail - including This is Knit and Springwools.  Dublin has a lively knitting scene and there will be opportunity to meet Irish knitters.   Lots of live traditional music too and many chances to sample the best Guinness in the world!
		Day 8
		Workshop by Jean in the morning.. Afternoon free for you to shop and explore individually. Independent dining in the evening at a restaurant of your own choice. Another chance to listen to traditional music in one of the city's lively bars.
		Day 9
		Morning visit to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. Afternoon free for more sight seeing and shopping. Dinner at a Dublin restaurant.
		Day 10
		Coach from Dublin to Killarney in County Kerry. Visit Kerry Woollen Mills spinners and dyers of authentic Irish yarn. Settle in to Killarney Royal Hotel. Dinner in the hotel.
		Day 11
		Morning Workshop run by Cork-based designer Carol Feller. Afternoon trip, to Muckross House and gardens in Killarney National Park. Weather permitting a chance for a boat trip on the lake and/or a horse and trap jaunt. Dinner out at the wonderful Bricin restaurant close to our hotel.
		Day 12
		Day trip to remote and rugged Dingle Peninsula, the location for the David Lean film Ryans Daughter - wonderful scenery, prehistoric beehive huts, photogenic fishing port, local pottery and weaving. Lots of knitting and shopping possibilities. Coffee at the atmospheric Benners followed by pub lunch with traditional music! Chance to follow the footsteps of Irish celebrities to Dick Mack's.  Dinner back at Killarney Royal.
		Day 13
		Coach to Shannon Airport and farewell to the Emerald Isle.
The tour begins and ends at Shannon Airport with its excellent international routes including two early morning arrivals from JFK and Newark.
Pictures and more details of workshops and visits to be confirmed mid-September 2011.

NON-KNITTING PARTNERS & FRIENDS
We very much welcome non-knitters. There is a wealth of activities for you while your partner or friend is knitting.  Hill walking, golf, horse riding, archaeology, pubs, music. museums and galleries, just hanging out and talking to the locals….and much more.

WHAT MAKES OUR TOURS REALLY SPECIAL?
We have personally researched and sampled every bit of our tours
We have run our tours for ten years and have a reputation for excellence
We aim to create a house party feel about our trips
We spend several nights in each location to allow you to settle in and feel at home
As well as good design and beauty we appreciate the quirky side of life
Where possible we love to get off the beaten track
Above all we want you to have a great time and a memorable knitting holiday!!!



Join us on the knitting holiday of a lifetime!
RESERVE YOUR PLACE HERE
email us to get more info, or phone/fax +44 (0) 1904 6462

Highlightsof our 2011 tour of Morocco

EXTRACTS FROM SONGS & SAYINGS ABOUT PLACES WE'LL BE VISITING

The Galway Shawl
She wore no jewels or costly diamonds
No paint or powder, no none at all
She wore a bonnet with a ribbon on it
And around her shoulder was the Galway shawl.
Traditional

Dingle Bay
And there's where the small birds sing high on the mountain
That furze dressed mountain, that valley or hill
There's where the wild eagle knows its own freedom,
And fishermen's boats make their way to Dingle Bay.
Brian Warfield

Lisdoonvarna
How's it goin' there everybody,
From Cork, New York, Dundalk, Gortahork and Glenamaddy.
Here we are in the County Clare
It's a long, long way from here to there.
There's the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher,
And the Tulla and the Kilfenora,
Miko Russell, Doctor Bill,
Willy Clancy and Noel Hill.
Flutes and fiddles everywhere.
If it's music you want,
You should go to Clare.
Christy Moore   

From Clare to Here
I sometimes hear a fiddle play or maybe it's a notion 
I dream I see white horses dance upon that other ocean 
It's a long way from Clare to here 
It's a long way from Clare to here 
It's a long, long way, it grows further by the day 
It's a long way from Clare to here 
Ralph McTell

Molly Malone
In Dublin's fair city,
Where the girls are so pretty,
I first laid my eyes on sweet Molly Malone,
She wheels her wheelbarrow
Through streets broad and narrow,
Crying Cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh!
James Yorkston

Killarney
No place else can charm the eye,
With such bright and varied tints,
Ev'ry rock that you pass by,
Verdure broiders or besprints.
Virgin there the green grass grows
Ev'ry morn Spring's natal day;
Brighthued berries daff the snows,
Smiling winter's frown away.
Angels often pausing there,
Doubt if Eden were more fair,
Beauty's home Killarney,
Heaven's reflex Killarney.
Traditional

Where the River Shannon flows
Where dear old Shannon's flowing
Where the three-leaved shamrock's grows
Where my heart is I am going to my little Irish rose
And the moment that I meet her
With a hug and kiss I'll greet her
For there's not a colleen sweeter where the River Shannon flows.
Traditional

When I die Dublin will be written in my heart.”
James Joyce

Any Kerryman will tell you that there are only two Kingdoms: the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Kerry -
"One is not of this world and the other is out of this world" 
Unknown

I can't think of a case where poems changed the world, but what they do is they change people's understanding
of what's going on in the world.
Seamus Heaney

Laughter is wine for the soul - laughter soft, or loud and deep, tinged through with seriousness
- the hilarious declaration made by man that life is worth living.
Sean O'Casey