It's a great day for the shamrock
For the flags in full array
We're feeling so inspirish
Sure because for all the Irish
It's a great, great day!
by Roger Edens
Whether you have Irish ancestry or not, every day is almost guaranteed to be a great day when you visit the Emerald Isle. The scenery, the song, the friendliness, and now even the food make Ireland a destination worth visiting or returning to. As St. Patrick's Day approaches, here is a glance at some Irish offerings:
Aer Lingus is having its annual fare sale, with Web-only prices from Boston to Dublin or Shannon beginning at $358 round trip April 1-30. As the airline notes, however, "Seats are limited and fares may not be available on all flights and dates."
Visit aerlingus.com.
A new, twice-weekly Boston-Knock flight from the Scottish airline Flyglobespan takes off in May, starting at $478 round trip. This will be the first trans-Atlantic service from Knock International Airport, County Mayo .
Visit flyglobespan.com.
Not everyone thinks of Ireland as a place to see by train, but Rail Europe promises you can easily get from city to city on the rails. An Ireland Pass, good for five days of unlimited travel to be taken within 30 days, costs $186. Those days need not be used consecutively.
Call 877-257-2887 or visit raileurope.com .
If, however, you prefer to drive along the winding roads of Ireland (and don't mind paying considerably more for gas than you would here) Massachusetts-based Brian Moore International Tours has a package that begins at $679 and includes air fare, an economy car with manual transmission, and five nights of vouchers for bed-and-breakfast inns.
Call 800-982-2299 or visit bmit.com for a look at many other offers as well.
Escorted tours remain popular. CIE Tours International has several, including the 2007 Taste of Ireland, which begins at $985 and includes air fare, five nights' hotel, seven meals plus tea and scones at a farmhouse, and these must-see attractions for the first-time visitor: a dinner show at Doyle's Irish Cabaret, a Bunratty Castle medieval banquet, Dublin's Georgian doors, the Blarney Stone, the Ring of Kerry, the multimedia Dublin Experience show at Trinity College, and the Cliffs of Moher .
On the other hand, return visitors might want to spend more time by themselves in the bustling capital . Dublin at Leisure, starting at $292 land-only, features airport transfers, two nights' hotel, a full Irish breakfast, a city tour in an open-deck bus, and a visit to the Dublin Experience.
Call 800-243-8687 or visit cietours.com .
