Strabo Photo Tour Collection

Ireland: From County Mayo to County Kerry and Beyond

Join accomplished photographer Frank Lavelle on a new itinerary, taking you from Western Ireland in County Mayo to the Dingle and Beara Peninsula’s in County Kerry. Frank travelled through County Kerry on bicycle many years ago, and he invites you to join him on his return journey. The Dingle Peninsula, a remote finger of pure countryside, is a magical place. It has mountains, rugged coastline, small towns of character, and a remarkable concentration of prehistoric and early Christian monuments. The Ring of Beara is a road circuit round the mountainous less-traveled Beara Peninsula. We will use the small town of Glengarriff as our home base as we explore this rugged and desolate landscape. This is a place for unspoiled scenery and solitude.

This departure, limited to a maximum of ten participants, is intended for people of all levels of interest and accomplishment in film, or digital photography. We also welcome non-photographer spouses or friends who might like to sketch, write, or simply enjoy experiencing the culture of Ireland. While the emphasis will be on photography, this is also a cultural journey, which we believe will enhance your ability to capture the essence of Ireland in images. While we have specific itineraries, we have the flexibility to make unscheduled stops for opportunities along the way.

Itinerary

May 6: U.S. – Shannon

Your journey to Ireland begins with an overnight flight from the U.S. to Shannon, Ireland.

May 7: Shannon – Hillcrest House

We will be met at Ireland’s Shannon International Airport and driven north to Westport, on the shores of Clew Bay. The first afternoon we can relax, perhaps enjoy conversation in the library. Perhaps take a late afternoon drive to capture the sun set. (B aloft, D)

May 8 - May 10: Western Ireland

Each day we will visit typical areas from our home base at Hillcrest House. It is not possible to see everything in this region during our visit, so we will visit key areas. Our focus will be areas that will give us a chance to photograph a variety of subjects with an emphasis on details and patterns. Our guides will plan each day considering the weather, interests of the group, and special events taking place during your time in Ireland.

Hillcrest House lays half way between the City of Westport and the Village of Newport. They both capture the flavor of true Irish towns with their tree-lined, brightly colored doors, windows with lace curtains and flower boxes, and colorful shops. We often stop at Carrigahowley Castle, which is one of the many strongholds of Grace O’Malley, the adventurous sixteenth century Pirate Queen.

The village of Murrisk has an interesting abbey located on Clew Bay. Murrisk is also the location of the beginning of the path to the top of Croagh Patrick, Ireland’s Holy Mountain. Pilgrims climb to the top, sometimes barefoot or on their knees. We can hike up just a short way to the statue of St. Patrick for a spectacular view of Clew Bay with its hundreds of islands.

There are many more ruins of abbeys from which to choose. Some of our personal favorites are the Ross Errilly Friary and Burrishoole Abbey. Round towers were designed as bell towers to call worshippers to prayer, and later used to protect Irish monks and their libraries from the Norman invaders. We will find a famous example at Turlough (and another at Aghagower) standing amid a field of ancient carved gravestones.

Achill Island is the largest island off the Irish coast. To get there, we’ll drive over the bridge at Achill Sound, its link to the mainland. The island, wrought by wind and water is an arrangement of rock, cloud, and cliffs falling off to the sea.

A day in Connemara will take us through the romantic heart of the west where we will see some of the most stunning landscapes in all of Ireland. As we climb up into the hills there is a great stop near the Sheefry Bridge with small waterfalls in the creek, sheep, and foxglove in summer, rocky barren mountains, and a picturesque cottage that often has laundry hanging in the yard. The next destination is Doo Lough, a pretty lake nestled in the mountains, with a sad history of people lost in a flood during the time of the famine.

There is a reason that Ireland is so green, and if by chance we have the opportunity to experience one of these rainy days, there are still many interesting things to do. The new Museum of Country Life is part of the National Museum of Ireland. Galway and Sligo are cities that offer great shopping and interesting and colorful buildings to photograph. Overnights Hillcrest House, (B, D)

May 11: Westport – Ennis

We will leave Hillcrest House early this morning, driving south to Ennis. Depending on weather conditions we may have opportunity to photograph an area of rolling hill, sheep and a myriad of stonewalls, on a hillside flowing down to Lough Corrib. Tonight we will stay at the Temple Gate Hotel, which rests on the site of a ninteenth century convent. Overnight Temple Gate Hotel (B)

May 12 - May 13: Dingle Peninsula

We continue on to the Dingle Peninsula, which thrusts out into the Atlantic, claiming Ireland’s most westerly point. Here, majestic hills soar over vast bowls of unspoiled valleys, glittering mountain streams tumble down to lakes, summer hedgerows blaze with fuchsias, and soft, golden beaches stretch for miles.

The region boasts of some 2000 prehistoric and early Christian remains. We make our way along the lovely Slea Head Drive, looking out onto the resplendent Blasket Islands, offering us a grand land and seascape. There will be photographic opportunities along the way as we will be overwhelmed with Iron Age and early Christian rocks and ruins. Clustered on hillsides over the cliffs are beehive-shaped stone huts built by monks as a place of worship. Those interested in a broader perspective of the Dingle Peninsula may take an optional tour at the Gallarus Oratory, dated between 800 and 1200 AD, and view a wonderful aerial video of Dingle’s historic sites. The oratory is the most complete example of early Christian architecture to be found anywhere in Ireland, and is in the form of an upturned boat. Our bed and breakfast accommodations are just a ten-minute walk to the Town of Dingle, where the harbor and painted storefronts will delight our senses. Overnights Heaton House (B each day, D one evening)

May 14 - May 15: Beara Peninsula

Leaving Dingle behind, we make our way through the Killarney National Park to the Beara Peninsula. Beara’s rugged and desolate landscape offers a haunting canvas for the lonely explorer, this is a place for unspoiled scenery and solitude. The Village of Eyeries overlooks the Atlantic, with beautiful painted houses and flower displays on nearly every window. The spectacular Caha and Slieve Miskish Mountains march down the center of the peninsula, separating the Beara’s rocky south from its lush northern shore. We will pass through some of the highest peaks, making unscheduled stops to photograph the beautiful mountain and lough views as we transverse The Healy Pass.

Despite its Irish name, ‘Rugged Glen’, Glengarriff is an oasis of subtropical colors and lush woodland. There are lovely walks in the nearby nature reserve or we may take an optional ferry ride to the unusual gardens on Garinish Island. Overnights Eccles Hotel (B each day, D one evening)

May 17: Shannon – Home

After breakfast this morning, we’ll say good bye to our new friends in hopes of seeing them again some day, perhaps even at Hillcrest House. (B)

Accommodations

In County Mayo, your home away from home, Hillcrest House, was renovated for the sole purpose of accommodating photography groups. Its homelike quality adds to the relaxed atmosphere of the trip. You’ll enjoy traditional Irish breakfasts and dinners during your time at Hillcrest House. Transportation is provided in a roomy tour van, which is large enough for the group and our equipment. We’ll then spend two evenings on the Dingle Peninsula and two near the Beara Peninsula, having enough time to explore their unique landscapes. Lunch will be at various restaurants and pubs, or we can stop in town and have a picnic lunch wrapped for our daily excursions in the field.

Guides

Please contact us for more details.

Food & Drink

Please contact us for more details.

Notes

Frank Lavelle has been a photo educator for the past thirty years, teaching all levels of black & white and color photography, as well as alternative printing and other specialty courses. He has teaching experience at such institutions as Corcoran School of Art, Trinity College, Northern Virginia Community College, and University of Delaware, where he earned an MFA in Photography. For twenty-four years he was the Director of Photographic Education for the Smithsonian Associates in Washington, DC, overseeing a program that offers approximately eighty-five courses per year.

All the while, Frank continues to pursue his own work by photographing here and abroad, exhibiting regularly at the Kathleen Ewing Gallery in Washington, DC. In addition to teaching and producing fine art work, Frank has continuously worked in the commercial field. His photography utilizes many formats including pinhole, plastic cameras, 35mm, panoramic, medium format, and view camera; printing with traditional black & white materials, platinum and palladium, gum bichromate, cyanotype, and type C color. Most recently, Frank has become interested in using Photoshop’s “digital darkroom” as an alternative to the traditional darkroom.

Olcan Masterson, a walking authority on the history of western Ireland, has spent many years exploring the hills and back roads of the area. An accomplished musician as well, he has spread traditional Irish music all over Europe and the U.S. with his flute and tin whistle. Mostly though, he is a living embodiment of Irish charm and hospitality. He will show you the spirit and soul of Ireland, as few visitors will ever experience it. You’ll get a view of the land and the culture that comes with living it, not merely visiting it.

Pricing Info

Tour land cost: $3,495 US Dollars based upon minimum of 8 paying participants. There is a small group surcharge of $300 if 5-7 paying participants. All our program prices are based on double occupancy unless noted in exceptions.

Single room supplement: $495; single rooms are subject to availability and are not guaranteed. We try to accommodate travelers who request single accommodations, as well as travelers who are looking for a roommate. If a single room is requested, or if we are unable to find a suitable roommate, you will be required to pay the supplement.

Note: The land costs on international tours is based upon current exchange rates. Although the rate has been relatively stable, should it change, there may need to be an adjustment in the land cost.

General Tour Info (includes, excludes and other details)