St. Patrick's Catheral, Dublin, Ireland
We are at the very early stages of deciding on the itinerary, so details will be subject to adjustment as plans are confirmed. So, consider this an early draft.
We leave Ottawa on Saturday, Aug 4 and fly to Dublin, most likely via Toronto. On arrival Sunday morning Aug 5 we drive to Galway on the west coast of Ireland, where we will stay for five nights. We expect to stay in student accommodation at the National University of Ireland Apartments on the edge of the city.
Galway is a small city but is the capital of the Gaelic West and has a long history. It is the only coastal city in Ireland that really seems to open up to the sea, with its docks hard by the compact city centre. While at Galway we shall do some fairly intensive rehearsing, but there will be time to explore the area, and we may be able to sing a service at The Collegiate Church of St. Nicholas, the largest medieval parish church in Ireland.
Galway’s surroundings offer wild landscapes and thriving traditions, including the beautiful region of Connemara to the north west, and medieval churches and castles to the southward. Offshore are the rocky Aran Islands. We will probably have one of our “Mystery Tours” during one of our days at Galway (people can sign up for a day adventure that unfolds one surprise site after another).
On Friday we will drive from Galway to Belfast in Northern Ireland, taking a leisurely route with plenty of sightseeing on the way. Belfast city centre has grandiose architecture and magnificent Victorian pubs. There are also some great places within easy reach to visit in the surrounding countryside, and we are hoping to organize a tour to take in at least the spectacular Antrim Coast Road and the Giant’s Causeway (as it happens, the Bushmills Distillery is quite close by as well).
We expect to stay in university accommodation belonging to Queen’s University, and will be seeking to sing a Choral Eucharist on Sunday Aug 12 at the Anglican Cathedral Church of St. Anne’s.
We will leave Belfast on Monday morning Aug 13 for an easy run to Dublin, arriving before lunchtime. We are booked to sing a week of services at St. Patrick’s Cathedral starting on Monday. Accommodation is likely to be at King’s Hospital School or the Church of Ireland Theological Institute both of which are on the edge of the city accessible by public transit. Dublin is of course a lively city, and very walkable, with much to see, including notable Georgian houses, the Book of Kells at Trinity College, the site of the first performance of Handel’s Messiah, and the Guinness brewery.