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Luxury Irish Food Tour for Senior Travelers
Galway, Spanish Point, Cliffs of Moher, Ballyseede...
Galway, Spanish Point, Cliffs of Moher, Ballyseede, Dingle, Kenmare, Beara Peninsula, Kinsale, Cork City
Ireland's traditional food is far more complex than a dozen ways to cook a potato. On this handcrafted tour, you will be shucking fresh oysters, sampling exquisite cheeses, dining on organic lamb and beef, and sampling everything from fish and chips to single malts. Moving at a relaxed pace around Western Ireland during these 11 days will highlight both Irish and Gaelic culinary traditions, including seafood on the Wild Atlantic Way and cooking demonstrations from revered, Irish chefs.
Galway – Traditional Pub Fare
You will fly into Shannon on Ireland's West Coast and will be transferred to Galway, which is the old city of tribes. You should note that flying into Dublin will increase this transfer time to nearly three hours. Plus, the capital city is one place where a lot of the food is designed for tourists, rather than just for locals. After checking into your boutique hotel, you can take a short stroll around the old city center before a welcoming dinner at an old-world pub. Your guide will join you and start talking you through local cuisine as a mix of classic West Coast dishes are shared around the table.
Dinner, Breakfast
Galway – Exceptional Irish Sea Oyster Shucking
Shellfish do not come much fresher than at a legendary restaurant on County Clare's coast. All the best catch comes into the harbor, and it only has to cross the road to the kitchen. You should think lobster, oysters, crab, seasonal mussels, and a few unique specialties from these rich Atlantic waters. You can eat beside the dock where it landed, and it is essential to be here for lunch because this is when the seafood is at its freshest. All the oysters that you can shuck are for starters. Then, you can try fresh lobster that is stuffed with tomato and mozzarella and then wrapped in ham and topped with creamy pesto mash. The crab cakes and prawns are not bad either. Your delicious lunch will be followed by a guided tour of Galway as you are still easing into your vacation.
Spanish Point – Lunar Beauty at the Burren and Smokehouse Flavors
The Burren is a strange place. Thousands of flat and circular rocks cover the landscape like giant skipping stones that got stuck on a green valley. Bronze-Age tombs and rock formations stand on this lunar valley, further adding to the mystique. Magnificent dolmens meet with alpine flora, and the vista is always special, whether you choose to take a walk or not. As with other days on this gastronomic tour, you will not miss out on Ireland's iconic attractions. Although today is leading towards smokehouse flavors, you can take your time at the Burren.
You will now be in County Clare and make a stop in Lisdoonvarna, which is a hamlet where you can taste the results of wild yeast brewing. Expect some old-fashioned Irish stories here along with some lunchtime meat that has been smoking out back. The night will be spent at Spanish Point, where your guesthouse will have a lovely view over the Atlantic. You will begin your evening with a guided tasting of Irish whiskey with a particular focus on peaty whiskeys before a smokehouse dinner that incorporates wild Irish Sea vegetables and some quirky County Clare cheeses.
Ballyseede – Foraging for Ingredients, the Cliffs of Moher, and the Wild Atlantic Way
The Cliffs of Moher are a symbol of Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way. Imposing and dramatic, they suggest nature's power and wild land. You will not find farms here, but food does grow, as will be demonstrated on a foraging foods tour. Led by a champion local chef, the foraging tour will show you the exotic and tasty foods that require a wild Atlantic environment. These will then be taken to a tiny restaurant near the coast, where they will be integral to your cooking demonstration. Again, the experience will be memorable for traditional dishes and ingredients, but the major highlight will probably be the laid-back atmosphere and a chance to share stories with one of Ireland's culinary legends.
Dingle – Fish and Chips and Craft Beer on the Dingle Peninsula
Cliffs appear like sentinels along the Dingle Peninsula. Rising vertically, they stand guard over Ireland, providing a sublime setting for today's journey. You will follow the Slea Head Drive past knife-edged drops. When arriving in Dingle, you have to try the fish and chips. Sustainably sourced and locally caught, this is arguably the finest fish and chips in Ireland and Britain. The hake is soft but crispy, and the chips are based on 300 years of tradition.
The afternoon will be free, and you will find a lot of charm in Dingle, which is a harbor-side town that has a pub for every 40 residents. These pubs can also be a good place for you to experience Irish singing and dancing although that will come later in the evening. First, you will meet Ireland's first female craft brewer and sample a selection from the hand-pumped casks. It is unfiltered, unpasteurized, and quite different from Ireland's other brews. Dingle Bay crab is a recommended stop this evening either at a street food type stand or one of the town's fine dining restaurants.
Kenmare – Farm Produce Along the Ring of Kerry
With its epic mountains and vibrant valleys, the Ring of Kerry really is as spectacular as the postcards suggest. You will drive it today, and you can have dozens of photo stops along the way. The main destination is a small sheep farm, where sheep-shearing and sheepdog demonstrations will give you a good sense of life out here. The highlight is fresh Kerry lamb, which will be slow-cooked and served with a breathtaking view of Ireland's highest mountains. There will be around two hours of driving today, but the tour can take all day because you will stop at various other Ring of Kerry highlights. Kenmare is a vibrant little town that is full of colorful houses and traditional crafts. You may be full from lunch, but your guide will still explain some favorite dining spots for this evening.
Beara Peninsula – A Gaelic Foodie Tour of West Cork
Into wild Southwestern Ireland, you will go, which is a land where the roads are often blocked by wandering livestock. Cork is the most Gaelic of all Irish counties, and your next four days will showcase distinct Gaelic foods and flavors. It is another gorgeous journey as you cross the Caha Pass and enter a mountainous valley that is speckled with sheep. You will make a morning stop near the pass for some chocolate tasting before going further onto mountain pastures to try the country's original farmhouse cheese. You will meet the proprietor, or cheesemaker, at Milleens and learn how these rare landscapes can create such an unusual rind in the cheese.
After lunch at the farm, the road becomes coastal, which will be a delightful ride upon squat cliffs with hardly another vehicle in sight. There will be an opportunity to stop at a small whiskey distillery and little craft brewery before you check-in to a small Gaelic guesthouse far up the peninsula. You can expect a lively Gaelic welcome and then plenty of traditional dishes this evening. You will sit down to a Gougane Barra-style dinner with your hosts, trying everything from smoked Gubbeen bacon and Clonakilty black pudding to fresh cured fish and blue cheeses. After this indulgent night of dining, you can appreciate how Gaelic food is unique from everywhere else.
Kinsale – More Gaelic Specialties and Ireland's Gourmet Capital
Mozzarella is not only from Italy. There will be a quick break from tradition this morning as you stop at a small buffalo farm, pet the water buffalo calves, and sample a marvelous selection of ricotta, halloumi, and mozzarella. Kinsale is Ireland's food capital and will take three hours to reach by car with perhaps one or two brewery or pub stops along the way. Tonight, you will dine at the town's most celebrated restaurant, where the Gaelic cuisine is so good that it has won a coveted Michelin Bib Gourmand.
Kinsale – So Many Cork Flavors to Explore in a Beautiful Old Town
After six days of touring around Western Ireland, you can now settle into three nights in one place. You will have explored and tasted, and now is the time to completely slow down while still savoring the Irish cuisine. This morning will be at your leisure, and you can find much charm on Kinsale's winding streets. After lunch, you will be guided around Black's Brewery and Distillery, where the beer is good, but the boutique spirits are even better. This is where they make Ireland's only rum, some hair-raising moonshine, and a delightful gin that is infused with heather. For this evening, you can dine in one of the city's atmospheric pubs, discovering that pub food in Kinsale can rival fine dining fare anywhere else in the world.
Kinsale – Foodie Walking Tour of Cork City
To fully experience Cork county, you still need to make a stop in Cork city. Before Kinsale came along, it was Cork city that led Ireland's food scene. On a half-day tour, you will taste local delicacies by first spending a few hours in a fresh produce market. Here, you can sample smoked mussels and gelatinous, black pudding along with all types of sausages and strange, old foods. To complete your food experience, you will spend the afternoon at an old castle, indulging in a cup of afternoon tea while discussing everything you have tasted.
Shannon – Departure
From Kinsale, it will be a two-hour drive back to Shannon for your outbound flight. You should be aware that this tour can be customized further to continue to Dublin should you wish.
Spend three nights in Ireland's gourmet capital, experiencing a sublime range of traditional Gaelic flavors
Forage for ingredients around the Wild Atlantic Way and join a chef for a cooking demonstration
Enjoy Europe's finest fish and chips in Dingle and shuck wild oysters near Galway
Explore Gaelic-speaking Ireland and its very distinct cuisine, including Clonakilty black pudding and Gubbeen bacon
Spend half a day on a Ring of Kerry farm, which is the best place to taste local Kerry lamb
Visit a number of craft breweries and enjoy a tasting with Ireland's first female craft brewer
Taste at a couple of local whiskey distilleries and compare blends with single malts
Experience many of Ireland's most iconic sights and attractions, including the Burren, Cliffs of Moher, and Kenmare
It was the Irish potato famine that led the 19th and early 20th-century flight of Irish immigrants to America. Over a century on and perceptions of Irish food still revolve around the potato. There are a dozen ways to eat the Irish delicacy: mashed, baked, roasted, boiled, wedged, chipped, diced, and much more. However, the potato is not the only traditional Irish food. Look beyond the stereotypes because this country has always had a vibrant food scene. Notions of organic cuisine are not new here. They have been practicing them for as long as anyone can remember. In Ireland, the food is fresh, local, creative, and has been virtually unchanged by foreign influence.
On this food tour, you will really taste and live the tradition from craft brews to fish and chips and black pudding. There will be a complete range of flavors from shucking fresh oysters to farmyard dining and the distinctly Gaelic dishes of Cork. Part of your tour will involve the stunning restaurants in which you can dine. A list has been handcrafted and will lead you a journey through regional specialties. Most of the tour will involve hands-on experiences, so you can taste and learn more than what is possible in restaurants. For example, on day four, a local guide will show you wild ingredients that can be foraged near the Cliffs of Moher before providing a live cooking demonstration.
This tour moves at a relaxed pace and has been handcrafted for senior travelers. Your 11 days will be exclusively spent in Southwest Ireland, which is the region that holds the country's best food along with many of its most iconic attractions. So, in addition to the tasting, you will be discovering places like the Burren, Ring of Kerry, and Dingle Peninsula. It will not just be the food either. While Ireland does not do wine, it knows all about whiskey and beer. You can go whiskey tasting at distilleries and pubs along the way, and you will learn that Irish beer is not only limited to Guinness.
After flying into Shannon, you will spend the first two nights in Galway. Day two will be relaxed and features Irish Sea oyster shucking beside the dock where the catch has landed. You will experience the Burren's lunar splendor en route to Spanish Point on day three with the day's gastronomy, focusing on smokehouse style flavors. Day four will reveal the secrets of the Wild Atlantic Way and includes a foraging and cooking demonstration. This night will be spent in a castle, and like each other night on your tour, the places you stay are part of the unique Irish experience.
For day five, you will be cruising around the Dingle Peninsula, sampling craft beer and Europe's finest fish and chips. Then, you will explore the Ring of Kerry and enjoy sublime farm produce before a night in the blissful town of Kenmare. The final four days will be focused on Gaelic cuisine. You will discover the Beara Peninsula and its peculiar gastronomic tradition before three nights in Kinsale, which is Ireland's gourmet capital. There is so much food to enjoy, and your guide can tailor a tasting journey to your interests, including nearby Cork city and authentic farm to table meals.
After 11 days, you will be raving about how delicious Irish food is. Perhaps the highlight of your tour is how incredibly unique it is. Everybody does foodie tours in Italy or France, but there is something wonderfully authentic about choosing Ireland. Foreign influence has not altered the cuisine, and traditional dishes have been proudly preserved to the modern day. There is also a wonderfully laid-back attitude towards cuisine. This is not a country of haughty fine dining or pretentious attitudes to perfection. On this tour, you will really feel the love for cooking and gastronomy, which is something that is free from perceptions or conceited ideals. Above all, it is this love for food that can make Ireland a paradise for foodies.
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