STORYTELLERS &
TRADITION HOLDERS OF IRELAND

There are ways of seeing Ireland, and there are ways of feeling it.

This is a 6-day journey through Ireland's ancient landscapes, folklore, mythology, living traditions and local communities, guided by the people who know these places from the inside.
We will travel from the ancient heartlands of Ireland to the Atlantic coast of Sligo and Donegal. We will hear stories in landscapes where those stories have been told for generations, meet people who continue to practise traditional skills, spend time with local farmers, craftspeople and storytellers, and have plenty of opportunities to get our own hands working.

This is not a tour built around ticking off famous attractions.
It is built around people.
It is built around stories.
It is built around culture.
 

DAY 1 | MONDAY 16th NOVEMBER
Dublin to the Ancient Heartlands

We leave Dublin and begin our journey at one of Ireland's most important ancient sites, the Hill of Tara.
Tara is not simply a field with sheep. It is a place woven deeply into Ireland's story of kingship, mythology and power. This is the landscape of High Kings, ancient assemblies and legends that have travelled through Irish storytelling for centuries.
Here, the history is brought to life through storytelling rather than simply dates and information. We begin to understand Ireland through the stories that have given its landscape meaning for generations.
From Tara, we continue west for lunch before travelling onwards to Rathcroghan - one of the great archaeological and mythological landscapes of Ireland.
Rathcroghan is particularly special for anyone interested in Irish mythology. This is the legendary landscape associated with Queen Medb and the Táin Bó Cúailnge, and the ancient landscape contains stories of kings, warriors, the supernatural and the otherworld.
It is exactly the kind of place where Ireland's history and mythology begin to blur into one another.
By evening, we settle into our accommodation in Strandhill, giving us two nights beside the Atlantic.

DAY 2 | TUESDAY 17th NOVEMBER
Local Life, Fire and Craft

We wake in Strandhill and begin a very different kind of day.
Today is about working hands, local knowledge and the people behind Ireland's traditions.
We visit a traditional Irish Farm, where you get an opportunity to experience local culture at a human level. This is about seeing how people work with the land and understanding rural Ireland through the people who actually live it. Here, you'll put your hands into the Irish bog.
Then comes an unforgettable experience of Blacksmithing. Not just a demonstration where you stand at a safe distance and watch someone else do all the interesting work.
You get involved. Step into the world of the traditional blacksmith and have the opportunity to work with the tools, materials and techniques yourselves.
There is something very different about learning a traditional craft when you can feel the heat, hear the anvil & hammers, and actually put your hands to the work.
It is one of the reasons this journey is different from a standard sightseeing tour. We want guests to leave having done something, not simply having seen something.

After lunch, we continue to Carrowkeel, one of Ireland's extraordinary ancient landscapes.
Carrowkeel's passage tombs are thousands of years old, sitting high in the landscape with extraordinary views across the surrounding countryside. Standing among these monuments gives us a very tangible connection with people who lived here long before the Ireland we know today existed.
The day finishes back in Strandhill.
 

DAY 3 | WEDNESDAY 18th NOVEMBER
Knocknarea, Ancient Stories and the Atlantic Coast

We begin the morning with Knocknarea and a storytelling hike.
This is Ireland at its best: landscape, walking and story coming together.
Knocknarea dominates the Sligo landscape, crowned by the great cairn traditionally associated with Queen Medb. As we walk, the mountain becomes more than a geographical feature. The stories attached to it turn the landscape into something alive.
This is one of the themes running throughout the entire tour: learning to look at Ireland differently.
A stone becomes a monument.
A mountain becomes a character.
A field can become the setting for an ancient story.
And a local person can hold knowledge that simply cannot be found on a standard tour itinerary.
We stop for lunch before continuing north towards Benbulbin and the Gleniff Horseshoe.
These are some of the most dramatic landscapes in the northwest, but once again, our focus is not simply on taking in the view. We will explore the stories, folklore and local traditions connected to the landscape.
This is where the scenery becomes part of the storytelling.
We then continue into Donegal Town for the night.
 

DAY 4 | THURSDAY 19th NOVEMBER
The Wild Atlantic Coast and Living Craft

Today takes us into some of the most spectacular scenery in Ireland.
We travel towards Slieve League, where the cliffs rise dramatically from the Atlantic.
The scale of the landscape is impressive enough on its own, but we will approach it through the stories and history that belong to this part of Donegal.
Then we meet another important part of the journey: the people who continue to keep traditional skills alive.
Explore local craft and the relationship between Donegal's landscape, farming traditions and hands working the Loom at a traditional wool producers.
Again, the emphasis is on participation and connection. We want to understand not just what is made, but why these traditions matter and how they have survived.
After lunch, we continue to meet the people and hear the stories of Donegal, including local Seanchaí, whose storytelling brings another personal voice and perspective to the landscapes around you.
This is one of the things that makes the tour so distinctive. We are not asking one guide to tell you everything about Ireland; we are introducing you to different people, each with their own knowledge, experience, stories and connection to their land.
We return to Donegal Town for the night.

DAY 5 | FRIDAY 20th NOVEMBER
Farming, Food and Traditional Craft

We leave Donegal Town and spend the day meeting more people who are actively involved in their local communities and traditional ways of working.
We explore an organic-based approach to local farming and culture & community.
This is an opportunity to get closer to the land and to the people working with it, rather than simply passing through the countryside. You will be put to work and rewarded with home made scones, and tea.
After lunch, we continue to a foraging & wild cooking workshop with a cultural & ecological educator where traditional knowledge gives us another opportunity to get our hands working. We will chat, sing songs and tell stories around the fire.
By evening, we arrive in Dunfanaghy, on Donegal's Atlantic coast.


DAY 6 | SATURDAY 21st NOVEMBER
Glenveagh and the Journey Home

Our final morning takes us into Glenveagh National Park.
After several days immersed in ancient landscapes, folklore, farming and traditional craft, we finish with a nature & folklore walk through one of Donegal's great wilderness landscapes.
Glenveagh offers a fitting final day: mountains, lakes, open country and the feeling of being properly immersed in the landscape.
After lunch at Glenveagh, we will begin our journey back towards Dublin.
And by this point, the landscape will look different to you.
You will have heard its stories.
You will have met some of the people who keep its traditions alive.
You will have walked through places where mythology and history still sit side by side.
And you will have had the chance to put your own hands to some of the skills and crafts that form part of Ireland's living culture.
Drop-off to your Dublin accommodation. 
 

There are many ways to travel around Ireland, but this is not a generic Ireland tour. There is a world of difference between simply being told about Ireland and experiencing it through the people, stories, traditions and landscapes that make it what it is.

This journey has been built around the Storytellers and Tradition Holders of Ireland’s West, giving you the opportunity to meet the people who carry these traditions, hear the stories that have shaped the landscape, and experience Ireland through those who know it best.

Wild Irish Tours is interested in the Ireland that exists behind the obvious attractions.

The Ireland of the storyteller.
The farmer.
The craftsperson.
The blacksmith.
The person who has grown up hearing the old stories.
The person who knows why a particular mountain matters.
The person who can explain a tradition because they are still practicing it.

We believe this kind of access and connection is extremely rare in Irish tourism. It is not something we have bolted onto a conventional sightseeing itinerary. It is the foundation of the journey itself.


WHAT IS INCLUDED
• Transportation throughout the tour
• Accommodation with breakfast
• Driver and guides
• Storytellers
• Entry fees
• Experience and activity fees
• All arranged visits and experiences outlined in the itinerary

WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED
• Flights to and from Ireland
• Accommodation in Dublin before & after the tour
• Lunches
• Dinners
• Drinks and snacks
• Personal expenses

ACCOMMODATION
• Two nights in Strandhill.
• Two nights in Donegal Town.
• One night in Dunfanaghy.

FOOD
Lunches are not included in the tour price, giving guests the freedom to choose what they would like each day.
Dinners are also not included, allowing guests a little more freedom in the evenings.


If you are looking for an Ireland that feels genuine, personal and deeply connected to its landscape, heritage, and traditions, this is the journey we have built for you.

To book your place, simply email Naomi at info@wildirishtours.com