Johnsmith - Ireland

Thanks for your interest in touring Ireland with us. Inishfree Tours has been running the tours for fourteen years. Our tours are for people who don't like tours. You'll experience the best music and scenery, and will be steeped in the rich Irish culture and history. Ireland has a rhythm of its own and, when followed, magic happens. Our tours run 9 days and nights. We bring 23 guests and travel in small luxury coaches. Each tour visits three counties for three days and nights each staying in small quality hotels. By day we visit surrounding ancient sites, stone circles, ring forts, fishing villages, beaches, heritage centers, and more. Leaders often bring their musical instruments for an occasional song along the way. We return to our hotel each afternoon, freshen up, have dinner, and and by night we share music with Irish songwriters, poets, and traditional musicians at traditional 'sessions' of fiddles, penny whistles, guitars, box accordions, tenor banjos, playing jigs, reels, and songs.

The tours are very relaxed and flexible. Guests come from all across the US. and Canada. Our groups tend to get very close making life long friendships.

Cost is $2500 per person based on double occupancy (two to a room). $3000 for single room rate (single room availability is limited). Cost covers nine nights lodging, the luxury coach, all breakfasts, three group dinners, music, island ferries, and heritage centers. Guests pay for their flight, lunches, six dinners, drinks and tips. All tours begin at Shannon Airport, SNN, 30 miles north of Limerick in west Ireland.

John's 2020 tours are all sold out - email john@johnsmithmusic.com to get on a wait list:

For more info on the other Inishfree Tours, go here: http://www.inishfreetours.com

Check out the Inishfree Tours Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/inishfreetours

Johnsmith's 2020 Tour Dates (all tours are sold out)

June 12 - 21, 2020 Counties Cork, Kerry, and Clare

June 24 - July 3, 2020 Counties Donegal, Mayo, and Clare

Sept 2 - 11, 2020 Counties Cork, Kerry, and Clare

Sept 13 - 22, 2020 Counties Mayo, Galway, and Clare

By day we hike scenic landscapes, visit old castles and abbey ruins,

and ancient graveyards.

View from the light house looking out over Dingle Bay.

We often stop at stone circles.

And by night we share music with local Irish singers and players...

some original music, some traditional, and songs by tour leaders and

anyone who wants to share a song or two.

There's lots of great music in the pubs in Doolin, Country Clare.

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!

Trips to County Clare include the Cliffs of Moher.

There are hikes in County Galway.

We can usually find a rainbow along the way.

Some trips include a boat ride to Inishbofin Island where time has stood still.

Gorgeous cycling along one lane roads around the island.

Ancient Polnabrone

Also in County Galway is the beautiful Connemara area.

Remembering our dear friend, Tom Pigott (with Johnsmith)

Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) info:

With the spread of COVID-19 and the health risks posed by the outbreak of COVID-19, we are keeping your health and safety in mind. We will monitor the situation and will post updated information relating directly to our tours right here.

Update on March 28: There are now 2415 confirmed cases and fourteen deaths in the Republic of Ireland. The Ireland government has moved from "containment" to "delay" phase. This means that all schools, colleges, childcare centers, cultural and tourist centers have been closed for the last week. Gatherings of over 100 indoors and 500 outdoors have been cancelled. Ireland has announced a lock down that will continue until April 12. At that time, a decision will be made on whether to lift, continue, or change the restrictions.

For general information and travel briefings you should rely initially on the information published by the World Health Organization and the CDC. Here are links to relevant resources that we consider to be useful in this regard: CDC info on coronavirus (COVID-19) and the World Health Organization (you will have to copy and paste the link) https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019 and Ireland Department of Health updates

For guests on June 12-21, 2020 tour or June 24 - July 3, 2020 tour: If the travel ban is extended to June and/or if Ireland is still on lockdown, we, of course will have to cancel the tour.

*If you still want to go to Ireland with us, we will have to cancel these two tours. We are currently checking with hotels to see if we could reschedule our June 2020 tours to April 2021 in the event we have to cancel. If you would still want to go to Ireland with us, you would have the option to changing to an April 2021 tour or if we could put you on a 2022 tour and apply all payments already made to your new tour. We would keep the prices the same as your 2020 tour.

* If you choose to cancel altogether, we would refund all of the money you have paid.

For guests on June 12-21, 2020 tour or June 24 - July 3, 2020 tour: If the travel ban is NOT extended to June and lock down is lifted and we do NOT cancel the tour, but you choose to cancel, our standard cancellation policy would still be in place.

Ireland has announced all borders would be closed for all non-essential travel until April 18, 2020.

Johnsmith's newest CD

John's preferred method is for you to buy the CDs directly from him by emailing him at mailto:john@johnsmithmusic.com and we will send you an email invoice that can be paid with a credit card. Please include the number of CDs you want and your address.

Price is $15 for 1 CD plus $1 shipping or buy multiple CDs: 2 for $27, 3 for $38 etc.

Or you can send a check to:

Johnsmith

24721 2nd St.

Trempealeau, WI 54661