The Great Southern & Western Coast

Check-in is 20 minutes prior to Train Departure Time - look for our check-in hosts in the yellow jackets!

Check-in beside the Customer Service Desk at Heuston Station where our representative will be waiting for you in their bright yellow jacket!

Your departure station, Dublin Heuston, was opened in 1844 as the headquarters of the Great Southern & Western Railway and is now the official principal station of Iarnród Éireann – Ireland’s national railway company.

As your train departs, we travel in a south westerly direction, passing Inchicore, railway engineering works and then some of Dublin’s western suburbs – soon we are in the lush fertile countryside of County Kildare, Ireland’s Kentucky. Look out for the many stud farms near the track. The train passes through the town of Newbridge, home to the famous Newbridge Silverware.

We now enter the Curragh of Kildare, which soon comes into view on both sides of the line. The Curragh (pronounced: Curra) is famous for its racecourse, home of the Irish Derby. At this time of the morning you are likely to see some of Ireland's finest bloodstock being put through their paces. The Curragh is also the headquarters of the Irish army and their buildings can be seen in the distance to the east.

We pass the town of Kildare, and the Church of Ireland (Protestant) Cathedral of St. Brigid’s – completed in 1223 – can be clearly seen to the south (left hand side when facing direction of travel). We cross the River Barrow at Monesterevin and enter Co. Laois.

Our train journey makes a stop at Portlaoise (pronounced: Port Leesh-eh). Departing Portlaoise, we soon enter Co. Tipperary and pass the town of Templemore. Shortly after, we pass Loughmoe Castle which can be clearly seen on the southern side of the train, built in the 15th century, the Purcell family lived there until 1760. The next stop is at the town of Thurles. At our next stop – Limerick Junction – a number of Railtours Ireland clients will be leaving the train for the Cliffs of Moher tour. Please remain on the train for the Cork, Blarney Castle and Cobh Heritage Day Tour! Our final stop before Cork is at the town of Mallow.

We arrive into Cork Kent Station for 09:35 and we transfer to our Railtours Ireland tour coach, passing through Cork City en route to Blarney Village and historic Blarney Castle & Gardens, built in 1446 by Dermot McCarthy. You will have time to kiss the famous stone, which is said to bestow the gift of eternal eloquence on those lucky enough to do so. There is also time for shopping and lunch at Blarney and we recommend that you have lunch there, as this will be the only opportunity during the day to have a substantial meal.

We depart Blarney Castle for Cóbh, via the city centre, taking in some of the city sights while en route to our next destination.

On arrival at Cóbh, we will visit St. Colman’s Cathedral. We will then proceed down along the sea front passing the former White Star Line offices en route to the beautifully restored Victorian railway station/transatlantic terminal. This is now the Cóbh Heritage Centre, home to the Queenstown Story. The centre also houses much information about the Great Famine and subsequent Irish Emigration; 3 million Irish people emigrated from Cóbh, (principally to the United States) including Annie Moore, whose statue is located in front of the heritage centre.

Depart Cóbh by train to Killarney, where the rest of the evening is free. There is a large selection of cafés, restaurants and bars in Killarney town as well as many opportunities for live traditional Irish music and entertainment.

Enjoy your Ful Irish Breakfast at leisure before departing on your Ring of Kerry tour.

There are plenty of stops along the Ring of Kerry for morning tea, lunch and photo stops etc. Ireland’s highest mountains are located in Kerry and Carrauntouhil, which can be seen en route, is the highest, standing at 1041 metres.

We will make a stop at the Kerry Bog Village Museum, which gives people an insight into how people lived and worked in rural Ireland in the 18th century. The village is the only one of its kind in Europe. Later on the approach to Waterville there are views (weather permitting) of the Skellig Rocks (islands), where Star Wars 'The Force Awakens' was recently filmed.

We will make several photo stops, a stop for lunch and one final stop at the pretty village of Sneem, for about 30 minutes, or as directed by your tour leader.

An essential part of any visit to Ireland, this tour circles the magnificent MacGillycuddy Reeks and runs through its many passes and valleys along the shores of Dingle Bay and Kenmare Bay. There is an unspoilt nature to Ireland's most beautiful region and the Ring of Kerry provides many unforgettable memories as it passes through the many picturesque villages such as Glenbeigh, Waterville and Sneem and returns via Ladies View, the famous Lakes of Killarney and through the Oakwoods of Killarney's magnificent National Park.

At the end of the tour you will be brought to Killarney for your second night.

The Dingle Peninsula has the most rugged Atlantic coastline in Kerry and is scattered with forts and pre-historic huts such as the Gallarus Oratory. Much of Irish heritage is maintained in this Irish-speaking region including traditional music and art forms.

Considered by many to have some of Europe's most spectacular scenery, the peninsula also supports both a rare and unique assortment of flora and fauna. Slea Head is the most westerly point in Europe and standing there, looking towards America, instils a feeling of excitement and empathy with the millions of emigrants who took this route. There are splendid views around Slea Head, especially of the Blasket Islands and the scattered rocks.

The Great Blasket Island, evacuated in the 1950’s, produced a number of books in Irish. The best-sellers, translated as 20 Years a Growing by Maurice O' Sullivan, and The Island Man by Thomas O’ Crohan, were both produced here. In the 20th century some 60 books, mostly in Irish, have been written in the immediate area.

At the end of the day's touring, you will be returned to Killarney for a third overnight in Killarney Town Centre.

Enjoy your full Irish Breakfast at Leisure.

07:30 Depart Killarney by road to Limerick to join the Bunratty Castle and Cliffs of Moher Tour.

Arrive into Limerick where we will join our Railtours Ireland tour coach. Limerick has a population of about 90,000 and its city charter was granted in 1197AD, making it older than London! As we cross the river Shannon - Ireland’s longest river - you will see views of King John’s Castle to the right. The castle was completed in 1200 and marks the origins of the city.

Limerick’s most famous author, Frank McCourt, grew up here and the city was the setting for his famous book Angela’s Ashes. Limerick is also the birthplace of celebrated BBC radio DJ, Terry Wogan and Hollywood star, Richard Harris. We will pass the GAA grounds of Páirc na nGael –the home ground of County Limerick’s Hurling and Gaelic Football teams. Limerick is also the home of Irish Rugby and we will pass Thomond Park, the Rugby stadium.

After a brief city tour we travel onto Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. The castle was completed in 1425 and, after many years of neglect, has been restored to its former glory. There is also a folk park here which you will have time to explore.

After the visit to Bunratty Castle and Folk park we make our way to Co. Clare. There is a lunch stop at a local pub before arriving at the Cliffs of Moher, which are among the highest sea cliffs in Europe. There is plenty of time to visit Ireland’s second most popular tourist attraction and your host will advise you of the departure time. From here, we take the coast road for much of the way to Galway, with time for photos along the Burren. This is a national park and the word 'Burren' comes from the Irish Language, meaning ‘rocky place’. It is a unique lunar landscape of limestone which was described in 1649 by one of Oliver Cromwell’s men as: “No tree to hang a man, no water deep enough to drown him and no soil deep enough to bury him”. Today the Burren is noted for its diverse flora with few parallels elsewhere in Ireland or, indeed, Europe.

We continue along the coast road to Black Head, passing the quaint coastal villages of Ballyvaughan and Kinvara before joining the main road to Galway. There will be some free time in Galway to explore the streets around Eyre Square or grab a bite to eat before catching the train back to Dublin Heuston.

We depart from Galway by train at 19:20 and return to Dublin.

Arrival into Dublin Heuston Station at 21:45hrs.