Jan 10, 2014

Tour castles, cliffs and cathedrals on the Emerald Isle with a breathtaking tour with College of the Mainland’s Mainland Chorale June 18-26. Participants will enjoy the chorale’s two evening performances of American classics while exploring the Irish landscape, culture and history each day.
 
The chorale’s third international tour, the excursion spans three well-known cities: Killarney, Cork and Dublin.
 
The trip will begin at Killarney at the soaring Cliffs of Moher towering 650 feet on Ireland’s west coast. Participants will view the natural majesty of the Ring of Kerry, Killarney National Park and Lakes of Killarney and watch a sheepdog demonstration by an Irish expert.
 
The City of Cork offers whiskey tasting at the Old Midleton Distillery, shopping at Blarney Woollen Mills and a peek into the past of Irish emigrants at Cobh Heritage Centre. Sightseeing highlights will include Macroom Castle, once home of Pennsylvania founder Willliam Penn, and Blarney Castle, a medieval stronghold.
 
Dublin will not disappoint with a visit to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, 12th-century Kilkenny Castle and Trinity College, home of the illuminated manuscript the Book of Kells. A trip to the Guinness Storehouse and time to explore Dublin’s attractions independently round out the tour.
 
The tour costs $3,539, which includes round-trip airfare, breakfast and dinner daily, sightseeing and entrance fees and the services of a professional tour manager throughout the visit. An installment plan is available. May 15 is the deadline to register.
 
To raise funds to support the Mainland Chorale’s trip to Ireland, the group is hosting a raffle of an all-inclusive holiday trip to Paris Nov. 6-10, 2014. The trip includes round-trip airfare, select meals, and hotels. Raffle tickets cost $10 each or six for $50. The drawing will be held April 4. All proceeds will support the Mainland Chorale.
 
For more information on the Mainland Chorale, comprised of COM students and community members or the Ireland tour, contact Heffel at jheffel@com.edu or 409-933-8200.