Just returned from the RS Heart of Ireland tour with a couple of extra days on our own after the tour was over. Thought I would share my experience for others taking this tour or independent travelers considering some of the same locations and activities.
Transportation:
We flew in and out of Shannon. The RS tour ended in Dublin. We took a tram near the tour hotel to the train station where we boarded a nonstop train from Dublin back to Limerick. It only cost 25 Euro for the two of us, but my husband bought those tickets online as early as allowed. In Limerick we caught a bus to Bunratty where we stayed at the Bunratty Castle Hotel for two nights.
Shannon is a small but highly efficient airport. Because we were flying directly back to the US we were allowed to do the US customs there. Our flight was on United and left at 9:00 am. We took a cab to the airport from our hotel in Bunratty. It cost us 20 Euro. We could have taken the bus, but the cost would have been almost the same. We got to the airport about three hours early, which wasn't necessary. There were no crowds at all. We walked right up to the check-in counter. Because we had found a great deal on Business class we were able to relax in the small lounge that is there and shared by several airlines. The clerk in the lounge told us to relax because US customs didn't open until 7:30. We walked around the corner to customs a little before 7:30. They had just opened up and there was not a single customer there other than us. There are two Global Entry kiosks on the right-hand side of the room which we used. With no one else in the room the time would have been the same, but with GE you don't have to fill out the customs form because you do it on the computer screen.
THE TOUR OVERALL: We are still processing this experience. It is the least favorite of the RS tours we have taken. In our experience the tour leader is what makes the RS experience so valuable and unique. In this case, the tour leader was the weak link. Previous tour leaders were constantly teaching- providing detailed background information to non-guided sites on the tour, instructing on everything about that location: geology, history, botany, music, culture, public transport, etc. Usually tour leaders are punctual and responsible, actively engaged with all tour members (as opposed to glued to a cell phone), and modeling appropriate behavior and decorum (instead of encouraging and participating with after-hours shenanigans). It was very disappointing. Our perspective is skewed because our most recent RS tour to Scotland was so full of learning with such a professional, knowledgeable tour leader that this tour pales in comparison. Our other two RS tours were city tours and those leaders were equally outstanding in every way.
TOUR SITES: We had beautifully dry, clear weather. That made every site we visited more enjoyable. The Cliffs of Moher and Slea Head drive were scenic, but not as dramatic to us as Helgoland on the Baltic or the Big Sur highway in California. The Blasket Island center was disappointing. Because we were given no background information by our tour leader nor did we have a guided tour at the center , the two hours we had there were more than enough. The Rock of Cashel was interesting and we had an engaging guide there. The city tour of Dublin was okay and the Book of Kells exhibit was so jammed that you were lucky to get a few seconds to glimpse at the few actual pages they displayed or to read the story boards. RS tours usually take you to crowded tourist venues early in the day to avoid crowds but we were there at peak time. Bru na Boinne was also underwhelming. Once again our leader gave us no background information about what we were going to see. We had more than two hours to wait at the visitor center before the guided tour. Actual time at the site was less than 30 minutes- maybe 7 minutes inside the passage.
Read onto Part Two if you have the interest. Or stamina.