Thanks for your interest in touring Ireland with us. Our tours are for people who don’t like tours! You’ll experience the best music and scenery, and will be steeped in the rich Irish culture and history. Ireland has a rhythm of its own and, when followed, magic happens. Our tours run over 9 days and nights. We bring 22 – 24 guests and travel in small luxury coaches. Each tour visits three (or occasionally four) counties. We usually stay for three days and nights in each county, and accommodation is in small quality hotels and guesthouses. By day we visit nearby ancient sites, stone circles, ring forts, fishing villages, beaches, heritage centres and more.
Leaders often bring their musical instruments for an occasional song along the way. We return to our hotel each afternoon, freshen up, have dinner, and by night we share music with Irish songwriters, poets, and traditional musicians at traditional ‘sessions’ of fiddles, penny whistles, guitars, accordions, tenor banjos, playing jigs and reels, and singing songs.
The tours are very relaxed and flexible. Guests come from all across the United States and Canada. Our groups tend to get very close during the course of the tours and many of our guests make life long friendships.
If you require information on a small/private tour, particularly groups of 4/5, Inishfree Tours can give you some guidance on it. Contact Paddy via email at paddy@inishfreetours.com. If you intend to do some sightseeing before or after your Inishfree Irish music tour and require transport, Paddy can also organise this, please contact him.
Shannon Airport (SNN) on the west coast of Ireland is the most convenient entry point for our tours. Eastbound transatlantic flights arrive at Shannon Airport early in the morning. We strongly encourage all guests to arrive the day before the tour starts. This not only gives you a chance to rest and to adjust to the time change (Ireland is five hours ahead of the United States east coast), but also serves as a safety net for delayed or cancelled flights, as well as missing luggage. We will facilitate booking of accommodation at B&Bs in Bunratty (not far from Shannon Airport) and you will be picked up at your B&B on the first morning of the tour.
Your immediate contact through the planning stages of your tour will be either the tour leader or a dedicated Tour Liaison based in the United States. All have years of experience and are available to answer your questions, assist with booking and in due course to provide you with the detailed briefing information you will need before your tour starts.
The following Standard Cancellation Policy applies.
~ If you cancel your tour 5 months or more before the start date we will give you a full refund less a $200 per person processing fee.
~ Less than 5 months prior, we will give you a full refund less a $200 per person processing fee ONLY if your tour slot can be filled. If your slot cannot be filled, we will give you a 50% refund.
~ Less than 4 months prior, we will give you a 50% refund ONLY if your tour slot can be filled. If it cannot be filled, we will not give any refund.
In any case where we refund money to you we will transfer the exact amount stated on the invoices that you have paid to us. Because we have absorbed the transaction costs of your payments to us, any transaction costs associated with refunding money to you will be for your account.
We strongly recommend that all guests purchase trip insurance and ensure that they are covered for medical emergencies while abroad.
Insurance is a pain…….until you need it! Please, make sure you’re covered for emergencies.
The cost is US$2,800 – US$2,900 per person based on double occupancy (two to a room) or US$3,300 – US$3,400 for single room rate (single room availability is limited). The cost covers nine nights lodging, the luxury coach, all breakfasts, three group dinners, music, island ferries and heritage centres. Please check the tour descriptions on the Schedules page for individual tour costs.
Guests pay for their own flights, accommodation on the night before the tour starts, lunches, six dinners, drinks and tips.
Please Note:
You may not be aware of a new requirement that has just gone into effect. You will have to apply for an ETA (electronic travel authorisation) IF you are going to spend any time in the U.K. Even if you are just passing through on a layover at Heathrow, you still have to do this. It is very easy to do, just follow the instructions online. It costs £10 and is good for 2 years, and it is electronically attached to your passport, so you do not have to carry any separate papers. Here is the link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-an-electronic-travel-authorisation-eta?fbclid=IwY2xjawGoO7NleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHaebi1ohmZfiMRxV4LO-m6_AHBpSGrqJsLV2ejr5zcHJuN-YMqmHLePrRA_aem_laQG_-lNBpZVItV0bSXsqg
You DO NOT need to do this if you are just flying from the U.S. to Ireland and back. This only applies to the U.K. I know some of you may be either connecting via Heathrow, or you may be spending time in Scotland before or after the tour. You DO need it for either of those situations.If you are going to a different country in Europe before or after getting to Ireland, you will need to complete a completely different process called an ETIAS. This will now be mandatory to enter into any of the EU Schengen countries. (Ireland is not a Schengen country.) For a list of those Schengen countries, go here: https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/system/files_en?file=2020-09/schengen_brochure_dr3111126_en.pdfSo if your flight to or from Ireland stops in the UK, you will need an ETA and if your flight stops in a Schengen country, you will need an ETIAS. If your flights stop in both the UK and a Schengen country, you will need both. See link below:https://etias.com/
All tours begin in Bunratty, Co. Clare where guests stay on the night before the tour starts. We will facilitate transport from Shannon Airport (10 minutes drive by taxi) to Bunratty and also booking of accommodation in Bunratty. Guests are picked up in Bunratty on the first morning of the tour. We vary our itineraries to take account of many factors such as tour leaders’ preferences, the time of year, availability of local musicians, the weather, availability of accommodation and others. The tour itineraries described on this website are guidelines only and should not be taken as guarantees that all or any of the places mentioned will be included on any particular tour. The detailed itinerary for each tour, including contact information for your accommodation, tour guide etc. will be made available closer to the start date of your tour.