CCF – Ireland, 2023

DAY 1 – DEPARTURE – Sunday, July 16

Depart Home for Dublin, Ireland

DAY 2 – DUBLIN – Monday, July 17

Arrive in Dublin, Ireland 

Airport Transfer 

On-ground Briefing
Orientation Walking Tour – The group will become oriented with their neighborhood, the public transportation systems, nearby pharmacies, markets, ATMs, etc. Additionally, an in-depth safety briefing will be provided for what to do incase of an emergency. 

Welcome Dinner – The group will be taken for an authentic dinner with a wide variety of menu options to cater all diets.

DAY 3 – DUBLIN – Tuesday, July 18

Breakfast & Day Briefing 

Dublin Walking Tour
Book of Kells and Trinity College Tour – Take an immersive guided walking tour through the rich cultural heritage of Trinity College Dublin. Learn about world famous alumni, discover ancient buildings and get an insight in to the cutting-edge innovations of Ireland’s leading University. Stepping in to the Old Library, is an awe-inspiring experience, which includes a close up look at 1,200 year old Book of Kells and access to the Long Room which is filled with 200,000 of Trinity’s most ancient books.

EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum – EPIC is a modern museum in Dublin’s Docklands that tells the moving and unforgettable story of the 10 million Irish people who left their homeland, & how they influenced and shaped the world.

DAY 4 – DUBLIN – Wednesday, July 19

Breakfast & Day Briefing 

Glendalough, Wicklow Mountains & Kilkenny – Visit Kilkenny & Listen to ancient tales of kings and witches, travel the stunning landscape of the Wicklow Gap and Wicklow Mountains, discover spectacular Glendalough, its ancient monastic settlement, glacial valleys and lakes and explore the beating heart of Ireland’s Ancient East. Get a sense of the real Ireland with the folklore and stories that shaped the nation.

DAY 5 – DUBLIN/GALWAY – Thursday, July 20

Breakfast & Day Briefing
Train to Galway (approx. 2.5 hrs)

Galway Walking Tour 

Fish ‘n Chips Dinner

DAY 6 – GALWAY – Friday, July 21

Breakfast & Day Briefing

Visit NUI – School of Nursing & Midwifery – to be confirmed

Medieval Galway Walking Tour – stroll through the medieval streets of Galway. This horrible history tour brings to life the events that shaped this city as well as Ireland and is full of stories of blood, battles and Irish black humour! From Viking raids, to the Spanish Armada, to Cromwell’s siege of the city and enslavement of the population, this tour will open your eyes to what life was like inside and outside the walls of ‘The City of the Tribes’, for the past thousand years.

Irish Music and Dance Show – Ireland’s Number 1 Music, Song & Dance Experience Performers who have captivated audiences in extraordinary and groundbreaking productions such as ‘Riverdance’, ‘The Chieftains’ and ‘Lord of the Dance’ gather together on one stage to present an unforgettable entertainment experience. 

DAY 7 – GALWAY – Saturday, July 22

Breakfast & Day Briefing
Cliffs of Moher and Burren Full Day Tour – As you travel through the Burren, listen to your expert driver/guide share information and history of Galway and surrounding area. Exit the coach to visit windswept landscapes independently and explore Ireland’s exposed limestone terrain, jagged cliffs and untamed Atlantic Ocean. Following the featured stops of the trip, you’ll travel back to Galway along the Wild Atlantic Way. 

DAY 8 – GALWAY – Sunday, July 23

Breakfast & Day Briefing 

Free Day in Galway

DAY 9 – GALWAY – Monday, July 24

Breakfast & Day Briefing 

Connemara and Kylemore Abbey Full Day Tour –

Explore the heart of the Gaeltacht (Irish-Speaking) region of Ireland. Travel through Ireland’s most untouched, rugged landscape blanketed in majestic mountains, expansive lakes, golden beaches and breathtaking valleys. Extravagantly placed on a lake in the midst of the mountains, this 19th century abbey has was originally built by Mitchell Henry as a gift to his wife, Margaret. Kylemore Abbey provided many improvements to the land after the Great Famine: reclaiming bogland, providing locals with work, shelter and even education. Today, visitors can explore the Abbey (now owned and run by Benedictine nuns), miniature Gothic Church and award winning-walled Victorian walled gardens.

DAY 10 – GALWAY/DUBLIN – Tuesday, July 25

Breakfast & Day Briefing 

Train Galway to Dublin (approx. 2.5 hrs)

RCSI Heritage Collection (open on Thursdays only) or RCPI Heritage Centre (open on Tuesdays and Thursdays) – RCSI Heritage Collections collects, catalogues, conserves and curates heritage material relating to the history and development of RCSI and of Irish medicine. We ensure its availability to the public and the promotion of scholarly study and research.

RCPI’s collections relate to the history of medicine and medical education in Ireland. These include thousands of books, archives, photographs, artworks, medical instruments and other unique items dating from the foundation of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland in 1654. 

Free Day in Dublin for those not interested in the Health Sciences Visits

DAY 11 – DUBLIN – Wednesday, July 26

Breakfast & Day Briefing

Visit UCD – The Center for the History of Medicine in Ireland (to be confirmed) –  This  is a lively, interdisciplinary community of scholars and students engaged in research and teaching in medical history and humanities, the life sciences and public health.

Dublin Literary Pub Tour – Quirky, book-themed pub tours following famous writers’ footsteps through Dublin’s cobbled streets.

Farewell Dinner & Program Closing

DAY 12 – RETURN – Thursday, July 27

Breakfast & Day Briefing
Airport Transfer

Depart Dublin, Ireland for Home