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Ireland: it’s a patchwork quilt of emerald green hills and seaside cliffs, the birthplace of Oscar Wilde and James Joyce, the home of Guinness beer, and the destination of choice for millions of travellers each year — about 7 million in 2022 alone according to the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation.
That’s 7 million people lining up to drink an authentic pint in a cozy Irish pub, to gaze out at the Atlantic from the Cliffs of Moher, to kiss the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle. And who can blame them? Ireland’s iconic attractions were built on centuries of history, romance, legend, and lore with which to beckon visitors from all over the world.
But travellers wishing to experience Ireland in ways less ordinary will be rewarded with a nuanced perception of the country’s celebrated culture, storied people, and complicated political history.
Luckily, the expert tour designers at Collette have curated experiences for just such travellers — small group tours that take visitors to places seldom-explored, on country roads and small islands that aren’t always accessible to larger groups. Travellers on Collette’s Countryside of the Emerald Isle tour, for instance, get to meet with a family who harvests seaweed on the island of Inishmore and taste the fresh cheeses at a family-run goat farm. They’ll still get to see the stunning Cliffs of Moher, but they’ll be far away from the crowds as they sail below the cliffs on a boat.
Collette’s Best of Ireland tour was designed for travellers who want the best of both worlds; some of the country’s must-sees with some unique hidden gems as well. They’ll take a guided walking tour of Dublin, for instance, but their guide will be an expert from Secret Street Tours, a non-profit that trains citizens who’ve experienced homelessness to be guides in their own city. In Galway, they’ll visit a sheep farm and watch a dog-herding demonstration, then travel to Kilkenny for a glass-blowing demonstration at a family-owned glass company. They’ll still visit a traditional Irish pub (or two or three), but it’ll be one that’s been run by the same welcoming family for over 200 years.
Perhaps one of the most enchanting things about Ireland, is that you don’t have to do anything in particular to experience its magic. To simply watch the morning mist hovering over the verdant countryside, hear the sound of your own footsteps on a cobblestone street, and share a pint with an old (or new) friend is sometimes enough. And whatever type of adventure you’re seeking, Ireland is always worth the trip.
As Oscar Wilde once wrote: “Be always searching for new sensations. Be afraid of nothing.”
