We leave Belfast at 8.00am and travel directly to Kerry. New roads speed our journey and we arrive at the Smerwick Harbour Hotel, on the Atlantic coast of Kerry in time for dinner.

Our first stop today is Gougane Barra at Saint Finbar’s Hermitage, located in the most serene valley in the Shehy Mountains. We carry on through Glengarriff and along the north shore of the Kenmare River estuary to our base in Caherdaniel.

After a relaxing breakfast overlooking the ocean we drive to nearby Valencia Island, where we visit the Skellig Experience Centre.

In the afternoon we visit the National Park and Derrynane House, ancestral home of Daniel O’Connell.

A free day to relax and walk on the beach. If the weather is good you can visit the Skelligs - not for the faint-hearted, it involves a 50 minute sea journey and a climb up an ancient stone stairway from sea level to the monastic site (bookable at the hotel with an additional charge).

We commence our return journey today, calling at Adare en-route. Later, on arrival at Birr, we call at the castle to see the historic telescope before checking into our final hotel in time for dinner.

We spend some time this morning at Clonmacnoise, Ireland’s most famous early Christian monastic settlement. It was built some 1,500 years ago at a point where the country’s main east-west roadway (the “Eiscir Riada”) intersected the north-south flowing Shannon River - the crossroads of Ireland.

Further north this afternoon and not far from home we enjoy a final cup of tea at the Cavan County Museum, Ballyjamesduff, completing our journey through many of Ireland’s counties and much of its history.