The Emerald Pullman - 7-Night/8-Day Private Rail Tour from Dublin

Check-in at Dublin's Connolly Station 20 minutes before the train departure time (TBA). Our Railtours Ireland host will be in the station wearing a bright yellow jacket so that they are easily located. They will be located beside the Railtours Ireland check-in desk in the main concourse area of the station.

Our private and exclusive train will depart Dublin Connolly Station on Monday June 3rd 2024 and Sunday September 8th 2024.

The Emerald Pullman departs Connolly Station and travels west through Dublin's North inner city before heading southwest through the Phoenix Park tunnell and joins the main Dublin - Cork line until after Kildare town having run over the Curragh Plain, just after Kildare we turn due south through the rich rolling countryside of counties Carlow and Kilkenny before crossing the river Nore passing the ancient Jerpoint Abbey. We decend into Waterford city along the banks of the river Suir (pronounced Shure). A light lunch will be served before arrival in Waterford. This is our first stop, some two hours after leaving Dublin, and we transfer across the river to the city centre and visit the world famous Waterford Crystal visitor centre where we have a V.I.P factory and showroom tour. After a two hour break in Waterford we continue west on our Emerald Pullman through the beautiful Suir Valley leaving county Waterford and enjoying the lovely scenery of Tipperary passing the towns of Carrick On Suir, Clonmel, Cahir and Tipperary town. At Limerick Junction our Emerald Pullman reverses and heads south along the Cork main line through Ireland's Golden Vale region as far as Mallow - the junction for county Kerry. We are now in county Cork and from here we head west passing through Banteer, Millstreet and Rathmore just after which we enter county Kerry (known as The Kingdom) and Killarney where todays train journey ends. We leave our comfortable train and walk the hundred metres to our beautiful Great Southern hotel, Killarney, where we will enjoy three nights. Your evenings are free to enjoy the myriad of pubs, restaurants and entertainment which abound in Killarney. Lovely walks can also be had in the adjacent five thousand acre Killarney National Park.

At 08:55, after enjoying your full Irish breakfast at the hotel, we board the Emerald Pullman for our tour to county Cork including Blarney castle, Cork city and the port of Cobh. We head east to Mallow and turn south for Cork city enjoying the lovely countryside of county Cork en route. We descend through Irelands longest railway tunnell into Cork Kent station where we transfer by luxury coach to the beautiful village of Blarney and it's famous castle - kissing the Blarney stone it's supposed to bestow the gift of eternal eloquence on those lucky enough to perform this task! Blarney castle estate is situated in five hundred acres of stunning gardens and rolling pastures - all for your enjoyment. This is also our lunch stop*. Later in the afternoon we continue by coach for a Cork city tour and then we make for the famous transatlantic port of Cobh where millions of Irish emigrants set sail for the new worlds from the 1840's onwards - if you have any Irish ancestry the chances are this is where they sailed from. After an enjoyable visit to this town famous as the last port of call of the Titanic and where the survivers of the Lusitania were brought. We reboard our Emerald Pullman at Cobh and return via this very scenic rail route to Cork city and back to Killarney, via Mallow. Evening free in Killarney.

At 10:00, enjoy a luxury coach tour of the Ring of Kerry with several stops en route, including a lunch stop at a nice pub. We also include the famous sheep dog deminstration by the local farmer Brendan Ferris, overlooking Dingle Bay. Return to Killarney around 5pm.

Alternatively, feel free to enjoy Killarney and/or the Killarney National Park, the entrance of which is around 100 metres from our hotel.

Evening free in Killarney.

At 08:55, the Emerald Pullman departs Killarney for Mallow and Limerick Junction where we head west again and into Limerick city’s Colbert Station. Here, we reverse and head north, along phase one of the Western Rail Corridor. We cross the river Shannon at Longpavement and enter County Clare (the Banner County). We pass through Ennis and continue on into county Galway and to the junction station of Athenry (there's a famous song about the fields of Athenry) here we join the Dublin to Galway railway line and continue past the beginning of Galway Bay and into Galway city - the city of the tribes, arrival at 14:00. We now have the afternoon free to explore this vibrant and medival city before transfering through Connemara to the AbbeyGlen Castle Hotel in Clifden (the capital of Connemara).

After check-in there is a champagne reception for guests before dinner (which is included) at this very unique and special hotel.

Morning free to explore the lovely town of Clifden, with it's fabulous art galleries, jewlery and wollen shops and much more interest...

For those who wich to partake in an afternoon tour of this spetacular area we will depart our hotel at 12:00, alternatively you may which to play golf at the world famous Connemara Championship Links course at nearby Ballyconneely .

Our tour of Connemara will include the stunning Sky Road, the fabulous scenery of lakes, mountains and beaches. We will visit the iconic Kylemore Abbey as part of our tour.

Back to our hotel for 18:00, dinner is also included on night two of our stay here.

At 09:00 we depart Clifden for Galway city and rejoin our Emerald Pullman train and depart Galway for the unique journey to Belfast. From Athenry, we are on new ground for the tour and continue east through Ballinasloe and after crossing the River Suck we are in County Roscommon until we reach Athlone, cross the Shannon, and enter county Westmeath.

Our journey from Ballinasloe through Athlone and as far as Clara, County Offaly is interesting in that we cross a lot of raised bog. We continue through Tullamore and enter county Laois briefly, at Portarlington, where we head northeast and into County Kildare before revisiting county Dublin around Hazelhatch. Branching off just before Heuston Station, we take the Phoenix Park tunnel, pass Glasnevin junction, Croke Park, and arrive into Dublin Connolly Station.

The Emerald Pullman, having reversed here, now heads north through Malahide and hugs the coast from Skerries, passing Balbriggan, Gormanston, and Laytown (County Meath) before crossing the River Boyne at Drogheda and into County Louth. We pass through the border town of Dundalk and begin the long climb through the ancient pass – The Gap O’ The North, into the province of Ulster and County Armagh.

From Newry, County Down we shadow the remains of the Newry/Ulster canal as far as Portadown. From Lisborn, we are in the Lagan Valley and after passing through the southern suburbs of Belfast we arrive in Great Victoria Street Station and again walk the short distance into the adjoining Europa hotel.

Evening free in Belfast.

At 09:15, we depart Belfast Great Victoria Street Station by scheduled service train to Larne Harbour. We will have a reserved carriage on this service with our own catering trolley.

Our train passes through Belfast Lanyon Place Station (formerly Central Station) and then, using the Cross Harbour route, passes over the River Lagon with great views of the Belfast docks, the Titanic Centre, and the famous Harland and Wolfe cranes, Samson and Goliath.

We head along the north shore of Belfast Lough and out of the city. There is a nice coastal section on our route from Kilroot to Whitehead, County Antrim and another very scenic section of this line at Glynn on the approach to Larne Harbour. Here, we transfer to our luxury coach for the lovely drive of the Antrim coast road passing Carnlough, the Glens of Antrim, Cushendall and Ballycastle. There are great views of Ratlin Island and indeed Scotland on a clear day.

We visit the Giant’s Causeway, which doubles as our lunch stop. We get a view of Dunluce castle before heading back directly by coach to Belfast and our hotel arriving at approximately 17:00.

Evening free in Belfast.

We depart Belfast Great Victoria Street Station for our last journey on our exclusive Emerald Pullman special train and arrive in Dublin Connolly at (TBA)

It is here that we bid farewell to those with whom we have enjoyed a week of touring!