2012: Tour Schedule

Hello Folks, and welcome to my page about the guided tours of Ireland I lead. I have led twenty-six of these musical tours of Ireland over the last seven years. All the trips have been hugely successful and great fun, creating lifelong friendships and memories.

Here is a nice YouTube link of some of the places we visit in Ireland. Blackie, the piper, is a friend of ours and plays for many of our groups in Doolin County Clare. Enjoy!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uTxitmHzy0

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April 19-28 Counties Kerry, Clare, and Galway  

June 12-21 Counties Waterford, Kerry, and Clare  SOLD OUT 

July 18-27 Counties Mayo, Galway, and Clare (yoga tour)    SOLD OUT
This tour is being co-led with Yoga Master Thomas Fortelle who I met at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA.  There will be an hour of yoga practice each morning. I'm very excited about this one. 

Sept 6-15 Counties Waterford, Kerry, and Clare  SOLD OUT - WAIT LIST ONLY

Sept 18-27 Counties Mayo, Galway, and Clare   SOLD OUT - WAIT LIST ONLY

 

PLUS
There are openings on the following musicians' tours. So if you don’t fit in one of my tours and really want to go in 2012 or their dates suit you better, let me know, and I will get you a remaining slot with them.

 

May 1 - 10   Chuck Brodsky  Counties Cork, Waterford, and Clare

June 24 - July 3 Kelly Murphy Counties Cork, Kerry, Clare  SOLD OUT

June 30 - July 9 Joe Crookston  Counties Cork, Kerry, and Clare  3 SLOTS OPEN

July 4 - 13  Kate Campbell  Counties Waterford, Cork, Kerry and Shannon    6 SLOTS OPEN

July 14 - 23  Sparky Rucker Counties Cork, Kerry and Clare  3 SLOTS OPEN

July 24 - Aug 2  Ronny Cox  Counties Kerry, Clare, Waterford and Shannon 2 SLOTS OPEN

Aug 5 -14 Onion Creek Series Counties Cork, Kerry, and Clare SOLD OUT

Aug 14 - 23  Tom Kimmel  Counties Waterford, Clare, Kerry and Shannon  10 SLOTS OPEN

Aug 30 - Sept 8  Chuck Brodsky   Cork, Waterford, and Clare 7 SLOTS OPEN

Sep 25 - Oct 4  David Francey Counties Cork, Kerry, and Clare  SOLD OUT

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Cost for 2012 tours is $2150 per person based on double occupancy. We will do our best to match up room mates if preferred. Single rooms are an additional $350 total per person for all 9 nights. The fee also includes all ground transportation, all lodging. including full breakfast. We also provide 3 evening group meals, and the cost for our featured Irish musicians, poets, writers, etc. Guests pay for their own flights to and from Shannon International Airport SNN, all lunches, 6 dinners on your own, free day activites, drinks and tips, etc.

I lead these tours with some friendly Irish guides and drivers. We take 22 guests and travel in a small luxury coach/bus. We generally stay 3 nights in each county. We stay in small hotels and an occasional B & B.	Stone Fort County Donegal - August, 2008 Group
By day we will hike scenic landscapes, visit old castles and abbey ruins,	Hiking on Inishbofin Island
and stone circles,	Ancient settlement on Dingle Peninsula
sightseeing along gorgeous coastal scenery,	on the road in County Kerry
visiting beaches, mountain tops, bogs, small fishing villages, islands, festivals, etc.	Kinsale Village, County Cork
And by night we share music with local Irish singers and players.	A "session" at Ballyshannon in County Donegal
Some original music, some traditional, and many songs by yours truly and any others from our group who may wish to share a song or two.	Gerry O'Beirne & Rosie
There's lots of great music in the pubs in Doolin, Country Clare.	Doolin, County Clare
The trips to County Kerry include a tour of the Dingle Peninsula, exploring the Sleas Head drive and other scenic destinations.	Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry
Trips to County Clare include the Cliffs of Moher,	Cliffs of Moher, County Clare
and the dramatic landscapes of The Burren.	The Burren, County Clare
Stops in Galway include a walking tour of colorful 'Shop Street'	Shopping in Galway
Also in County Galway is the beautiful Connemara area and the village of Clifden. Some trips include a boat ride to Inishbofin Island where time has stood still. Gorgeous walking along one lane roads around the island.	The Village of Clifden, the "Twelve Bens" in the background
Our last night will be back near the Shannon-Limerick area.
If interested contact: john@johnsmithmusic.com A $500 deposit is required to hold slots after confirmation from me. Balance is due in two payments, 6 months and 3 months prior to the tour dates. Ireland does require a passport. So let me know if you want to join us, and if you are alone or with family or friend/partner, male or female, and what order of preference you have in which tour and dates. Any thing else you can think of helps sort everybody out in the end. Please bear with me as we do our best to fairly fill the slots. Any questions? . Just ask.	Sharing a song along the way.
We look forward to sharing Ireland with as many of you as possible.  Thanks for the interest.	Tom Pigott and Johnsmith
Johnsmith 608-534-6656 johnsmithmusic.com Thanks to Ann & Paul Schatzkin for the photos, taken on their tour of Ireland in October, 2006.	Inishbofffin, painted by September 2005 tour guest Tom Browning of Bend, Oregon