Ireland
Hiking Ireland’s Coastal Northwest
Program No. 22544RJ
Strap on your walking shoes for an inspiring adventure along Ireland’s northwest coast, a region known for its timeless castles, medieval towns and pristine beauty.
Enroll with Confidence
We want your Road Scholar learning adventure to be something to look forward to—not worry about. Learn more
Protecting the Environment
We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Learn more
10 days
9 nights
15 meals
8B 1L 6D
1
In Transit to Program
In Flight
3
National Parks of Glenveagh
Letterkenny
4
Horn Head
Donegal
5
Slieve League Cliffs
Donegal
6
Lough Eske
Donegal
8
Aran Islands
Galway
9
Galway City
Shannon
10
Program Concludes
In Flight
At a Glance
Discover the ancient and seemingly magical landscapes of Ireland on a hiking adventure through its northwest coastal region. From Letterkenny at the northern tip of the republic down through Yeats Country to Galway and the Aran Islands, experience the country’s natural and cultural variety with experts who interpret its timeless castles, medieval town centers and unrivaled wild beauty.
Activity Level
Outdoor: Spirited
Hiking between 3-9 miles daily over terrain including mountain trails, uneven ground, rocks & gravel, tree roots, grass, mud and bog land, steps/stairs, and high plant growth. Please refer to the activity notes in the day-by-day itinerary for this program for specifics.
Participants attending this program should have some hiking experience and be sturdy on their feet with good vision and fitness with the ability to navigate the types of terrain listed.
Sturdy walking/hiking shoes are required. Collapsible hiking poles are recommended.
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Discover the gentle beauty of Glenveagh National Park, with its meandering paths and flowers such as the beautiful fuchsias and rhododendrons.
- Experience Galway, an iconic city of Ireland’s northwest, a bustling metropolitan city center with a flourishing culture.
- Take a ferry to the Aran Islands to explore the unique landscapes and prehistoric stone forts of a place where you can still hear Gaelic being spoken.
Suggested Reading List
(16 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Hiking Ireland’s Coastal Northwest
Program Number: 22544
Irish Fairy and Folk Tales
Edited by the Nobel Prize-winning poet who spearheaded the Celtic Renaissance in the early 20th century, these enchanting stories introduce a cast of changelings, ghosts, mermaids, demons, saints, priests and fairies.
Connemara Mollie, An Irish Journey on Horseback
Hilary Bradt (publisher of Bradt Guides) recalls her journey across rural Ireland among the people of Galway, Mayo, Clare and Kerry in the 1980s in this sweet -- and sublimely affecting -- memoir.
Seafaring Women: Adventures of Pirate Queens, Female Stowaways, and Sailors' Wives
A fascinating survey of women who went to sea, as wives, crossdressing cabin boys or even lighthouse keepers, during the age of sail.
The Hill Bachelors
No one writes better short fiction than William Trevor. This collection of 12 stories captures the life and people of rural Ireland.
History of the Rain
Ruth, the daughter of a dead poet, recuperates after an injury by piecing together her father's history through story, both his own and generations of family lore set in County Clare, Ireland. Longlisted for the 2014 Man Booker Prize.
Stones of Aran: Pilgrimage
A richly layered hymn to Arainn, largest of the Aran Islands, Robinson's adopted home.
Ireland Map
A colorful map of Ireland at a scale of 1:400,000, featuring insets of the road approaches to major cities, as well as an index to cities, towns and villages.
Eyewitness Guide Ireland
This superb guide is a wonderfully illustrated introduction to the country, featuring photographs, maps and short background essays on history and culture.
A Traveller's History of Ireland
From the Celts to the Norman invasions to modern-day Ireland, this short history is highly recommended for those who would like a brief overview of the Emerald Isle through the centuries.
Wild Decembers
A haunting novel of clan enmities and forbidden love in rural Ireland. Few writers have as sure a sense of place as Edna O'Brien, whose lyrical prose builds inevitably toward final tragedy.
How the Irish Saved Civilization
This bestselling history tells the generally unknown story of Ireland's preservation of classical learning in the Dark Ages, revealing how the saints and scholars, monks and scribes labored to reproduce the important texts that spread as they evangelized Europe.
For the Love of Ireland
Organized geographically, this rich anthology introduces Ireland through the words and lives of such luminaries as James Joyce, W.B. Yeats, Frank McCourt and Samuel Beckett.
McCarthy's Bar, A Journey of Discovery in Ireland
A droll account of McCarthy's encounters on a bar-hopping jaunt from Cork along the west coast to Donegal. His motto, assiduously followed, was never to pass up a bar with his name on it!
Seamanship, A Voyage Along the Wild Coasts of the British Isles
Nicolson offers an engrossing account of a coastal voyage from Cornwall, along the western coast of Ireland, out to the Faroes and to Orkney in this brief hymn to the sea.
The Pirate Queen, In Search of Grace O'Malley and Other Legendary Women of the Sea
Tales of plucky female pirates and explorers in the North Atlantic. Long interested in women and seafaring, Sjoholm journeyed from Ireland out to the Shetland and Faroe Islands, Iceland and Norway collecting folk-tales, stories and historical accounts of these remarkable seafaring heroines.
The Aran Islands
A much-loved turn-of-the-century account of the islands (as contrasted with mainland Ireland), drenched in the Celtic soul of the Irish.
