Finding jewels on the Emerald Isle

IRELAND’S history is marked by famines, wars and an emigration that sprinkled the Emerald Isle’s culture throughout the world.

But Ireland’s entry into the European Union -- coupled with a tenuous peace in Northern Ireland -- brings hope for this scenic nation’s future. Many budget packages are available that include air, hotel, car and meals at low prices -- in other words, a lot of green Ireland for a just a few greenbacks. And thanks to the Gulf Stream, winter in Ireland is relatively mild.

Celtic Tours and Ireland.com are among tour operators offering cheap packages to Ireland. Ireland.com, (800) 896-4600, www.ireland.com/travel, has a standard fly-and-drive package that offers flexibility and a chance to discover rural Ireland. You get six nights in your choice of more than 450 farmhouse B&Bs;, a rental car for the week and round-trip airfare from L.A. for $699 through February.

Or, for $100 more, you can choose the castle package. It’s essentially the same, but the last night of the trip is spent in your choice of four castles (including Ashford Castle, where actor Pierce Brosnan got married). With either package, you can fly in or out of Shannon or Dublin.

And what would a trip to Ireland be without sampling the local brew? Dublin is home to the famous Jameson and Guinness manufacturing centers, both of which you can tour, with free samples. Or book Ireland.com’s four-night escorted bus tour. You’ll see the Cliffs of Moher, the neo-Gothic Kylemore Abbey, the cities of Galway and Dublin and tour the Guinness brewery. This package includes round-trip airfare to Ireland, four nights’ accommodations (two nights in Galway, two nights in Dublin), two complete dinners, daily breakfast and sightseeing admissions. The land-only price is $239; the package with airfare starts at $699 from Los Angeles.

Celtic Tours, (800) 833-4373, www.celtictours.com, offers a cheap air-and-car-only package to Shannon starting at $475 per person, double occupancy, when you depart Los Angeles through February. Accommodations aren’t included, and the car is a standard (and you have to drive on the left side on the road).

Celtic also offers a six-night car-and-hotel package for $258 per person, double occupancy. You can choose from a selection of hotels with open vouchers (the first night is booked when you make your reservation), breakfast daily, a manual-transmission car with unlimited mileage for seven days. The deal is good until March 31, with blackout dates of Jan. 10 and March 13 to 18.

With miles of greenery, what could be a better outdoor sport in Ireland than golf? Although Dublin dominates eastern Ireland in cultural and population, the charming, quiet county of Wicklow to the south is an attractive corner of the Emerald Isle and worth exploring in its own right -- full of quaint villages, cozy pubs and the largest national park in Ireland. You’ve probably seen Wicklow before; “Braveheart” and “Michael Collins” were filmed here.

Situated between the Irish Sea and the Wicklow Mountains is Druids Glen Marriott Hotel & Country Club, 25 miles south of Dublin. This luxury hotel, opened in April 2002, has a fabulous spa and health club and a choice of top-notch restaurants and bars serving nouveau Irish food and international specialties. (Who says there’s no good food in the British Isles?)

The resort has two golf courses: Druids Glen, which played host to four Irish Opens from 1996 to 1999; and Druids Heath, a second championship course, which opened in September. Until the end of March, you get three nights at the Marriott for the price of two (room prices start at $186 a night, including breakfast). The catch: You have to join the Marriott Rewards Program, which is free.