Running Rings Around Kerry and Other Irish Sites

Backpackers touring Ireland this summer who don’t want to arrange everything themselves can join up with two companies that cater to independent budget travelers.

Tir na nOg Tours operates guided three- and six-day tours that give you the chance to sit in a 4,000-year-old stone circle, kiss the Blarney Stone and sample Irish whiskey. And Stray Ireland offers a service in which you can travel at your own pace, hopping on and off the bus and taking up to six months to cover the full route.

Tir na nOg has been showing backpackers around Ireland since the early ‘90s. The strangely spelled name means “Land of Eternal Youth” in Gaelic and refers to a mythical island off Ireland’s west coast where people remain young forever. The company limits each group to 20 passengers. Tour fees include transportation, guide services, shared-room accommodations, light breakfasts and site entrance fees.

The six-day tours cost about $240 and start in Dublin on Mondays. The Northern Route includes visits to the Hill of Tara near Navan (the coronation site of the kings of Ireland until the 5th century), Newgrange (a megalithic tomb built about 3000 BC), Belfast and the walled city of Derry.

The six-day Tir na nOg Southern Route takes you from Dublin to Wicklow, Kilkenny, West Cork, Kerry, Galway and back to Dublin.

Three-day tours of Northern Ireland are also available, departing from Dublin on Mondays and Fridays, for $126. Nights are spent in Belfast and Derry.

For more details, contact Tir na nOg Tours, 57 Lower Gardiner St., Dublin 1; telephone 011-353-1836-4684, fax 011-353-1855-9059, Internet https://www.tirnanogtours.com. This office is two minutes from Dublin’s main bus station.

Stray Ireland bills itself as “backpacking without the hassle.” It’s a guided tour, but you can break your trip as you choose, taking up to six months to cover the route. Buses pass each point along the route at least three times per week during the busy summer months. Accommodations are not included in the tour price, but the guide can book you a bed at your choice of hostels en route, and you’ll be delivered to the door and picked up when you want to move on. Seat reservations must be made for each leg of the bus journey at least 48 hours in advance, or you’ll be traveling standby.

It takes a minimum of six days to cover Stray Ireland’s full route. Fares, which start at about $195, include transportation, guiding and various activities en route. Whenever the group stops for an activity that involves an additional fee, a free activity is also available.

The Stray bus travels from Dublin to Galway. Departures are guaranteed from Dublin on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Three-day Stray Ireland tours are also available, starting at $95.

For further details on Stray Ireland, visit its office at 6 S. William St., Dublin; tel. 011-353-1-679-2684, fax 011-353-1-670-7740. If you are traveling via London, you can get more information from the Stray Travellers Network at 171 Earls Court Road, London SW5; tel. 011-44-171-373-7737, Internet https://www.straytravel.com. Stray trips can also be booked through STA Travel, tel. (323) 934-8722 or (800) 777-0112, Internet https://www.sta-travel.com.