Gardens of Mayo

We depart this morning, with our expert gardener Brona Dore, from The Alex Hotel in Dublin. This afternoon join us on a visit to Strokestown Park & National Famine Museum, located approximately 2hrs from Dublin. The immersive National Famine Museum brings stories from the Great Irish Famine powerfully to life. State of the art exhibits & interactive displays draw on local accounts & documents to shed light on the darkest chapter in Ireland’s past. 

Later this afternoon we travel onwards to the Westport Plaza Hotel where our tour is based. An evening meal is included each night during out stay.

Following a leisurely breakfast we depart our hotel for a visit to Kylemore Abbey, Connemara on the Wild Atlantic Way. Kylemore Abbey, famous for its postcard perfect scenery, has been home to a Benedictine order of nuns for the past 100 years. Join us on a visit to the beautifully restored period rooms to learn about the tragedy, romance, education and spirituality of this fascination 1000 acre estate. 

Kylemore Abbey’s Victorian Walled Garden is an oasis of ordered splendour divided in two by a beautiful mountain stream. Today it is a Heritage Garden displaying only plant varieties from the Victorian Era.

This afternoon join us on a visit to Garden Haven in Westport. This garden was started over 20 years ago from a boggy field and is home to a mix of native trees, hedges, flower beds, a wildlife pond and tunnels. 

We will return to our hotel later this afternoon.

This morning we start our day with a visit to Ceide Fields Neolithic Site, containing the oldest known stone-walled fields in the world dating back nearly 6000 years. The award winning visitor centre is set against dramatic rock formations with a viewing platform on the edge of a 110 meter high cliff overlooking breathtaking scenery.

Following some free time for lunch (at own expense) we will enjoy a guided visit to Enniscoe House at the foot of Mount Nephin. Enniscoe is your opportunity to experience life in a heritage house. Outside the house are pastures & woodlands with lakeside walks and a carefully restored Victorian Garden.

After checking out of our hotel we will depart for a morning visit to Drimbawn Garden, located on the shores of Lough Mask. This flower garden is surrounded by an arboretum, bluebell wood, decorative rhododendron bank, orchard and woodland areas.

After some free time at leisure for lunch (at own expense) we return to The Alex Hotel, Dublin in the late afternoon.