We are delighted to team up with our Ambassador for this trip....Rick McCallum.
The trip is an 9 Day, 8 night tour to Ireland. We will arrive in Dublin and go North from there, visiting some venues like a poor house, jail, underground passage tombs, Castles. You will have some investigations, Charleville Castle,. We bring you to a stone circle. We visit the Giants Causeway and so much more.
You have the pleasure of Rick's company for the duration of the tour.
This tour is based on 25 people taking part.
Rick McCallum began his stunt career in 1982, performing a fight scene with Chuck Norris on the film Lone Wolf McQuade, and has more than 75 credits to his name. Rick has performed in numerous action and horror movies, and also has doubled for Daniel Baldwin, Barry Bostwick, Greg Evigan, Oliver Platt, Chris Noth, and many horror icons, including Kane Hodder, Ra Mihailoff and Sid Haig, as well as playing the monster in Deepstar Six, and the title character in the film Darkwolf.
Rick has trained actors and actresses in fights, falls, and weapons, including the Comic Con Star Wars Challenge winning short, Saber, which won Best Film and Best Action, and also coordinated the Walking Dead webisode Cold Storage, which won the Streamy Award.
Recently, he has worked on features in Australia, the Hamptons, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Louisiana. Rick has also acted in many films, including Naked Gun 33 and 1/3, Hatchet 2, where he played the silent hunter John, and recently in Clint Eastwood’s J Edgar. He has also stunt coordinated the Friday the 13th video game.
Rick, along with Kane Hodder, are the founders of the Hollywood Ghost Hunters.
Rick is also the author of his book “Ghosts Believe in Me” which won the 2020 Paranormal Awards Book of the Year..
Rick recently been seen on the PPV specials The Conjuring House and The Queen Mary Halloween Ghost Hunt, as well as the LA Police Museum ghost hunt. He recently ghost hunted the Old Phelps Dodge Hospital live feed from Ajo, Arizona. Rick is well known for his hunts in Scotland, and he also is an honorary Lifetime member of Scottish Paranormal and is in their Hall of Fame..
1 The company requires non-refundable deposits to be paid as per the tour in a timely manner. By paying a deposit, you are agreeing to the terms and conditions of the Company.
2 Our tours are all based on double occupancy. There will be an additional supplement for single travelers, which will depend on the tour taken.
3 Payment for the deposit will hold your place; final balance payment will be 60 days before the start of your chosen tour. If you pay by credit card, you will have bank charges.
4 Installment plans are available for anyone who would like to avail of them.
5 Travel insurance is something that the company strongly suggests all clients purchase to protect their travel investment; we do not refund.
6 Due to limited capacity on coaches, there is a limit of one suitcase per passenger.
7 Participants are responsible for all their property, luggage, backpacks, phones, laptops, etc.
8 The company tour guide will give all participants phone numbers of the tour guides and driver at the start of the trip or in an email before the start of the trip. it is vital that you keep these in a safe place.
9 At the start of each day, your tour guide will tell you what time you should be ready, or to be on the bus for the next day's journey, it is up to you to contact your guide if you missed announcements on times.
10 There is a cancellation fee for participants who cancel within 90 days of the start of the trip. Please see the contract.
11 Some of our trips require walking over stony roads and pathways, it is advised to always bring strong waterproof walking shoes, and waterproof/windproof outer coats/jackets also.
12 We also advise all participants to let us know of food allergies they have.
13 Each participant is responsible for their baggage being brought from the Coach to their accommodation, except in the case where the company has booked porterage. The group will be advised where the porterage will take place.
14 Conditions, availability, or contractual obligations may warrant dates, venues, lodging, talent/celebrity headliners/hosts/guests. Ambassadors, tour guides, or transportation modes to be changed or cancelled. It is our intent and obligation, within the best of our ability, to substitute and /or accommodate equal or enhanced alternatives. We will not refund any deposits or payments towards the tour due to these conditions.
15. Conditions, availability, or contractual obligations may warrant dates, venues, lodging, talent/celebrity headliners/hosts/guests. Ambassadors, tour guides, or transportation modes to be changed or cancelled. It is our intent, within the best of our ability, to substitute and /or accommodate equal or enhanced alternatives. We will not refund any deposits or payments towards the tour due to these conditions.
16 Secret Ireland Tours operates on an 8 to 9-hour day policy. When we depart early, usually around 9 AM, we generally return to our accommodations between 6 PM and 7 PM. If we have evening excursions, we leave later in the day to comply with legal driving time regulations for our driver.
17 We do not hire additional drivers to extend the length of our tours. While some people may prefer tours lasting 10 to 12 hours, the majority do not.
18 We reserve the right to refuse service.
There is a contract link on the webpage for this tour on our website
www. SecretIrelandToursLLC.com. You are required to sign it and return it by mail (mai@secretirelandtoursLLC.com) or post...Secret Ireland Tours , 905 LIncoln rd. Dayton, KY 1074
There is a $300 NON-refundable deposit required to secure your place on this tour.
Please do NOT book flights until we give you the go ahead.
We pick you up at 9am in terminal 2 Dublin airport the first morning of the tour, and we return you to the airport after 12 noon on the last day of the tour.
We stay in two 3 star hotels and 1 Castle during our stay. The list of hotels is below.
8 breakfasts and 1 farewell evening meal
luxury coach supplied to us by a company that we have worked with for years.
Our expert driver and has been with us for 2 years, he knows Ireland like the back of his hand and he is very funny too.
All entry fee's for venues on the itinerary are covered
Expert Secret Ireland Tours guide
When we are on long journeys we like to have snacks and soft drinks on the bus in case you are hungry.
All taxes and charges in relation to hotel rooms and bus
Rick McCallum will be with us for the duration of the tour, you get to hang out with him.
Charleville Castle, Spike Island, Charles Fort.
We do not deal with airfare
Lunches or evening meals
We strongly suggest you purchase Travel Insurance to protect your travel investment Here is a link. https://www.travelexinsurance.com/index.aspx?location=17-0074&go=bp
If you feel so inclined, please tip your driver and guide. They would appreciate it.
We do our best to arrange laundry services for you, it is not included in the cost of the tour.
We pick you up at Dublin airport on or before 9am at Terminal 2 and we go from there. We take a journey to Belfast where we will stay for 2 nights.
Clifton Poor House;
Clifton House is an impressive Georgian building, set in tranquil landscaped gardens in the heart of Belfast. Opened in 1774 by Belfast Charitable Society, the building was the original Poor House in Belfast until the 1880s. For the next 120 years it was a hospital and a nursing home for older people. Today it still provides residential and sheltered housing for older people and continues to be the home from which the Society delivers its philanthropic work to address disadvantage.
Crumlin Rd Jail:
Crumlin Road Gaol first opened its gates to prisoners in 1846 and for 150 years was a fully operational prison. On March 31, 1996, the Governor of Belfast's Crumlin Road Gaol walked out of the fortified prison and the heavy air-lock gates slammed shut for the final time.
During those 150 years the Gaol has housed murderers, suffragettes and loyalist and republican prisoners. It has witnessed births, deaths and marriages and has been the home to executions, escapes, hunger-strikes and riots.
Activity Level: Low
Itinerary is subject to slight change depending on weather and other conditions beyond our control.
Giants Causeway:
The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. It is located in County Antrim on the north coast of Northern Ireland, about three miles northeast of the town of Bushmills. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 and a national nature reserve by the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland in 1987.
Bushmills Distillery:
The Old Bushmills Distillery is an alcohol distillery in Bushmills, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, founded in 1784 and owned by Proximo Spirits. Bushmills Distillery uses water drawn from Saint Columb's Rill, which is a tributary of the River Bush. The distillery is a popular tourist attraction, with around 120,000 visitors per year. It produces the Bushmills brand of Irish whiskey.
Haunted Pub Crawl:
We will take a tour around the pubs in Belfast and see if we can see any spooky stuff on our way.
Activity Level: Low/Moderate
The itinerary is subject to slight change depending on weather and other conditions beyond our control.
Newgrange Passage Tomb:
Newgrange is a prehistoric monument in County Meath in Ireland, located on a rise overlooking the River Boyne, 8 kilometers west of Drogheda. It is an exceptionally grand passage tomb built during the Neolithic Period, around 3200 BC, making it older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids. It is aligned on the winter solstice sunrise.
Hells Fire Club:
The best-known Hellfire Club story is the one in which the Devil himself appears. According to legend, a stranger joined the club members at a game of cards. Then, when one of the players dropped a card on the floor, he bent down to retrieve it and saw that the stranger had cloven hooves instead of feet.
Another popular tale concerns a young farmer who was curious to find out what went on at the club’s secretive meetings. Climbing up Montpelier Hill, he was invited in by the members and allowed to witness the night’s activities. The young man was found the next morning trembling and terrified. Tradition says he spent the rest of his life unable to speak; unable to even remember his name.
Activity Level: Low
The itinerary is subject to slight change depending on weather and other conditions beyond our control.
We give you some time to explore Dublin this morning before going to Charleville Castle to investigate. While in Dublin you can explore Temple Bar area, or check out the crypts in St Michan's Church. Visit Kilmainham Jail or just go shopping.
We pick you up at 2 pm and make our way to Tullamore where we can check into the hotel and then go to Charleville Castle for your investigation.
Charleville Castle:
Charleville Castle is said to be the finest example of gothic-revival architecture in the country. This is a veritable Gothic castle of grand proportions. It owes its "Tin Soldier Fortress" look to the celebration of victory over the third French revolutionary expedition to Ireland - the first decisive victory by Britain over the revolutionary republican movement, which was sweeping across the monarchies and their colonies at that time.
It took fourteen years to complete this gothic dream, a monument not only to a now-forgotten power but also to the people who made it possible, the Irish craftsmen and impoverished people.
Activity Level: Low/Moderate
The itinerary is subject to slight change depending on weather and other conditions beyond our control.
Rock of Cashel:
It is thought that the first main structures to be built on the site of the Rock of Cashel were erected in the fourth or fifth century AD. Said to have been founded by Conall Corc, King of Munster, it would become the royal residence of the Eóganacht Dynasty, rulers of Southern Ireland between the seventh and tenth centuries. This was the only dynasty at the time whose members were eligible to become overkings.
Brian Boru, the legendary High King of Ireland who drove out the Vikings, was crowned at Cashel in 978 and made it his capital.
However, most of the structures found today at the Rock of Cashel date not to the time of the Eóganacht Dynasty, but to between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries. These were built after the Eóganacht were ousted from power by the kings of Dál Cais in the tenth century. In 1101, the then-king of Dál Cais, Muircheartach Ua Briain, gave the Rock of Cashel to the Church. Most of the historic sites seen there today were built under the remit of the church.
Cork Jail:
Visit Cork City Gaol and get an insight into what life was like in a 19th-century prison: explore the grounds, wander the corridors, and even get locked into a cell in the prison that Countess Markievicz called “the most comfortable jail” she had ever been in!
Cork is a city with a very rich historical and archaeological heritage much of it still in evidence today. Part of this heritage, Cork City Gaol, is a magnificent castle-like building that once housed 19th-century prisoners. Take a trip back in time and wander through the wings of the Gaol, accompanied by the shuffling feet of inmates and the jingle of the warders’ keys.
Ghost tour of Cork:
We aim to fright and delight!
Hilarious, horrible histories, local tales, ghost stories & hysterical shenanigans!
We take a trip through time into old Cork on streets from the 1700’s.
Taking in the sights & waking the dead as we have the time of our lives!
A genuinely local experience, interactive, factual, comic ( it’s some Craic!) with an odd & original slant on Cork’s diverse and dark history.
Activity Level: Low/Moderate
The itinerary is subject to slight change depending on the weather and other conditions beyond our control.
Titanic Museum Cobh:
On April 11th 1912, 123 passengers came to the busy harbour town of Queenstown (now known as Cobh), to board Titanic bound for New York.
Four days later they would find themselves fighting for their lives in one of the worlds most tragic maritime disasters.
Titanic Experience Cobh is a unique visitor experience located in the historic White Star Line Building – the very place from where Titanic’s last passengers departed. Take a guided tour and retrace the footsteps of our Queenstown passengers. Featuring real passenger stories and eyewitness accounts of the tragedy.
Cork explore/Shop
We give you the afternoon off to explore all Cork city has to offer.
Activity Level: Moderate/Hard
Itinerary is subject to slight change depending on weather and other conditions beyond our control.
Blarney Castle:
Blarney Castle is a medieval stronghold in Blarney, near Cork, Ireland. Though earlier fortifications were built on the same spot, the current keep was built by the MacCarthy of Muskerry dynasty, a cadet branch of the Kings of Desmond, and dates from 1446. The Blarney Stone is among the machicolations of the castle.
Drombeg Stone Circle:
Drombeg Stone Circle is a circle of 17 standing stones which on excavation showed that there had been an urn burial in the centre. It has been dated to between 153 BC and 127AD.
The Drombeg Stone Circle, or as it is locally known as the Druid's Altar, is located on the edge of a rocky terrace overlooking the sea about a kilometer away, in Glandore County Cork.
This is a circle of 17 standing stones. Excavations in 1957 and 1958 revealed cremated bones in a deliberately broken pot wrapped with a thick cloth and buried near the center of the circle along with 80 other smashed sherds, four bits of a shale and a collection of sweepings from a pyre.
Charles Fort:
Charles Fort is a trace italienne fortification, a bastion fort with one section of the outer wall built in star fashion. It is located at the southern end of the village of Summer Cove, on Kinsale Harbour, County Cork, Ireland. First completed in 1682, Charles Fort was sometimes historically referred to as the "new fort" - to contrast with James' Fort which had been built on the other side of Kinsale harbor before 1607
Activity Level: Low
The itinerary is subject to slight change depending on weather and other conditions beyond our control.
Cahir Castle:
Cahir Castle is one of Ireland’s largest and best-preserved castles. It stands proudly on a rocky island on the River Suir.
The castle was built in the thirteenth century and served as the stronghold of the powerful Butler family. So effective was its design that it was believed to be impregnable, but it finally fell to the Earl of Essex in 1599 when heavy artillery was used against it for the first time. During the Irish Confederate Wars, it was besieged twice more.
At the time of building, Cahir Castle was at the cutting edge of defensive castle design and much of the original structure remains.
Kilkenny Castle:
Kilkenny Castle is a castle in Kilkenny, Ireland, built in 1260 to control a fording point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways. It was a symbol of Norman occupation, and in its original 13th-century condition, it would have formed an important element of the town's defenses with four large circular corner towers and a massive ditch, part of which can still be seen today on the Parade.
Fitzpatrick's Castle:
Welcome to Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel Dublin. Our 18th-century 4-star luxury castle hotel is located near the historic village of Dalkey and the coastal town of Dun Laoghaire & only minutes from Killiney Beach, nestled next to Killiney Hill, with panoramic views over Dublin Bay and beyond. The family-owned & run Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel, now in its third generation offers guests tranquility, breathtaking scenery, and old-world elegance which blends seamlessly with the hotel's modern luxury making it the ideal location for business and pleasure.
Activity Level: Low
The itinerary is subject to slight change depending on weather and other conditions beyond our control.
We ask you when you book your flights please book to arrive in Ireland before 9am the first morning of the tour and have your departure after 1pm the 9th day of the tour. All international travelers must arrive in the airport at least 3 hours before your departure time because you must go through American customs, and it can take a long time to get through Irish and American security that is why we like to get you there 3 hours early. We will not say goodbye but we will wish you a safe flight and hope to see you back with us in Ireland again soon. Slan Abhaile!
