Belfast & Dublin Literary Tour

Depart school by coach and take the ferry to Belfast.

Begin your trip with a visit to Crumlin Road Gaol.  This former prison first opened its gates to prisoners in 1846 and for 150 years was a fully operational prison.  During those 150 years the Gaol has housed murderers, suffragettes and loyalist and republican prisoners.

Afterwards, learn more about the historical context of the Troubles with a guided walking tour of Belfast’s most notorious areas – the Shankill Road and the Falls Road.

Arrive and settle into your accommodation.

Travel by coach to the city of Derry (or Londonderry).  It’s Ireland's only remaining walled city and offers 1500 years of social, cultural and religious history.

Discover more about Derry’s Troubles History with a guided tour of Bogside, the scene of the infamous Bloody Sunday of 1972, and the city’s murals.

After your walking tour, enjoy some free time and pick up some lunch in the historic centre of Derry or at the Foyleside shopping centre.

Learn more about one of Ireland’s most notable literary talents with an afternoon visit to the fantastic Seamus Heaney Homeplace.

Afterwards, take a bespoke guided tour of Heaney’s native South Derry, to find out more about the people, places and countryside that inspired Ireland's greatest poet.

Return to Belfast.

Optional evening activity: Enjoy an evening of bowling at the Odyssey!

In the morning, pay a visit to Titanic Belfast and discover the story of the Titanic, from her birth in Belfast to her discovery on the sea bed.

Later, visit the Ulster Museum and discover everything from WW1 History to dinosaurs at the largest museum in Northern Ireland!

Depart Belfast and travel to Dublin.

Arrive and settle into your accommodation.

Begin your day with a guided literary walk around Dublin, a UNESCO City of Literature.  The guide will take you to places of interest closely associated with famous Irish writers, poets and playwrights, including James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, Jonathan Swift and more.

Afterwards, visit the Dublin Writers Museum.  Situated in a magnificent 18th-century mansion in the north of the city centre, the museum's collection features the lives and works of Dublin's literary celebrities from the past 300 years.

Then visit the Chester Beatty Library.  Manuscripts, miniature paintings, prints, drawings, rare books and decorative arts complete this amazing collection - the result of the collecting activities of one man, Sir Alfred Chester Beatty!

In the afternoon, stop by Trinity College, one of Dublin's must-see attractions.  It is Ireland's oldest university and many famous writers were educated here, including Oscar Wilde.

Spend your final morning visiting the General Post Office Museum.  This interactive museum will give you an insight into modern Irish history as the GPO was the headquarters for the 1916 Easter Rising which eventually led to the creation of the Irish Republic.

Depart Dublin and drive up to Belfast to take the ferry back to the UK.