Vagabond Tours is hoping that visitors of Irish descent will make the effort to explore their particular pasts when visiting the Emerald Isle.
Robb Rankin, owner of Vagabond tours, says that travelers should meet up with Aoife Fitzgerald, the mother of “Vagaguide” Rhys, who can assist with doing some digging on your ancestry or with local experts in towns, including Kinsale, Dingle and Clifden, among many others.
Vegabond Tours can also arrange for serious research before and after the tour in the National Archives and National Library of Ireland in Dublin; PRONI in Belfast; local archives in town libraries; and parish archives (Catholic and Protestant).
Travelers can connect the emigration dots while on tours like the 6-Day Ancient Ireland Tour. This itinerary visits:
- Cobh: The last port of call for the Titanic and departure point for famine emigrants (Conde Nast Traveler in 2019 named Cobh one of “Europe’s Most Beautiful Small Towns”)
- Dunbrody Famine Ship in New Ross (Wexford): This is an exact replica of a 19th-century Irish emigrant vessel
- New Ross, where the Kennedys originated
- An optional detour to Béal na Bláth, site of the ambush and assassination of Michael Collins
To begin to appreciate the emigration story, Rankin suggests that either before or after the tour guests book a Back Cab Tour to explore the history of Belfast.
Vagabond Adventure Tours are for active travelers who want to mix up hiking and biking and other outdoor adventures with history, culture, dining and shopping. Driftwood Journeys of Discovery follow similar itineraries but at an intimate and in-depth looking and lingering pace, sans the physical exertion.
For more details, itinerary, images and inclusions, visit vagabondtoursofireland.com.
Related Stories
Hurricane Lorenzo Could Hit Ireland as Major Storm
Ireland Invests $113 Million Into Historic City of Kilkenny