Northern Ireland, with its long history of conflict, is still undergoing an active process of reconciliation. This tour provides a unique “dual narrative” perspective, with Catholic and Protestant tour guides sharing their communities’ histories and stories. You’ll meet with local people in Belfast and Derry/Londonderry—including journalists, politicians, historians, and artists—and enrich your understanding of the conflict’s personal nature, while gaining insight into how peace was built and the hard work so many are still doing to sustain it today.
You’ll participate in Ireland’s cultural traditions and explore some of its most significant sites—such as the Peace Walls, the Book of Kells at Trinity College, the Giant’s Causeway, the Titanic Belfast building, and the Ulster Museum. And you’ll receive a rare cultural education, leaving with deeper compassion and context for both sides of this historic conflict.
Highlights
You won’t just visit Ireland; you’ll become part of it. MEJDI Tours’ socially conscious travel model focuses on the human element of their destinations—the diversity of people and their stories—in a way that benefits local communities. Meeting with local journalists and public figures to hear about the current state of Ireland, learning about the Troubles by visiting historic sites, you’ll be fully immersed in Irish culture.
We’ll visit Glasnevin Cemetery and Museum to hear the stories of Michael Collins, Daniel O’Connell, and other foundational figures in modern Irish history. We’ll experience the Unesco World Heritage Site the Giant’s Causeway as well as Cnoc Suain and the Connemara Region, a land of lakes and rivers, bogs, mountains, and small villages, where Gaelic is still the spoken language—one of the most romantic settings in all of Ireland.
We’ll also tour the Peace Walls from the Nationalist and Unionist sides of the divide, hear political narratives from both perspectives, and sit down with an expert on conflict resolution. We’ll learn how the Good Friday agreement came to fruition and what lessons we can take away from the Irish peace process.
And no tour of Ireland would be complete without visiting the Titanic Belfast building and the Ulster Museum!
The Dual Narrative Tour Framework
The “dual narrative” tour, pioneered by MEJDI in Israel and Palestine nearly 15 years ago, embodies a strong socially conscious approach. On dual narrative tours, you are led by two full-time guides who work alongside one another, each offering their own historical, political, and cultural insights at every stop on the trip. This approach opens up discussions on complex topics in a supportive and constructive atmosphere. Many of our travelers report that their dual narrative tour has inspired them to continue what they learned and become citizen diplomats in their daily lives.
Itinerary
DAY 1
Includes: Dinner
Upon your arrival at Dublin Airport, travel to the Clayton Hotel, located within walking distance of the city center. After checking in, you are free and encouraged to spend the afternoon exploring the city at your leisure or arrange a tour with our designated guide.
DAY 2
Includes: Breakfast and lunch
In the morning, our guide will take us via private transportation to visit Trinity College and the Book of Kells. We’ll then head to Glasnevin to visit the Glasnevin Cemetery and Museum to hear the stories of Michael Collins, Daniel O’Connell, and other foundational figures in modern Irish history.
Following lunch, we’ll meet with a public figure or journalist to discuss current affairs in Ireland and issues surrounding the movement for a union of Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland.
Later in the afternoon, we’ll take a history tour focused on the 1916 Easter Rising.
DAY 3
Includes: Breakfast
We’ll spend the morning traveling via private transportation with our guide to Galway. On the way we’ll make a stop at the twelfth-century Athlone Castle and enjoy lunch at the small town of Athlone. Upon arrival in Galway, where we’ll stay at the Ardilaun Hotel, we’ll enjoy a walking tour and learn about the history, culture, food, and drinks of “Gulway” and what makes it a major attraction in Ireland.
DAY 4
Includes: Breakfast and lunch
In the morning, our guide will take us via private transportation to the hillside settlement Cnoc Suain in Connemara, for a two-hour Cultural and Natural History Programme, followed by a home-cooked lunch.
We’ll then visit Kylemore Abbey, built in 1868 by Mitchell Henry, and see its most famous feature: the miniature cathedral. Kylemore Abbey has been home to the Irish order of Benedictine nuns since 1920.
After arriving and checking into our hotel in Westport, the Westport Plaza, we’ll pay a visit to a local pub.
DAY 5
Includes: Breakfast
Today, we’ll travel to Derry/Londonderry via County Sligo to see the beautiful scenery that inspired the scholar, writer, poet, and politician W.B. Yeats, who is buried at Drumcliffe Churchyard, under loaf-shaped Benbulben Mountain.
We’ll then visit Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery, which has over 60 stone circles and passage tombs—making it one of the largest Stone Age burial grounds in Europe and the oldest megalithic cemetery in Ireland. It is a must-see for those interested in archaeology.
Later, we’ll continue toward Sligo via Belleek, where we’ll visit the Belleek Pottery Factory and see firsthand how its world-renowned pottery is created. The factory tour allows visitors to watch the pieces being removed from their molds before being fired and decorated by the Belleek artists.
Finally, in the afternoon, we’ll learn more about Yeats, one of the most famous locals of Sligo, before heading to Derry/Londonderry and the Maldron Hotel.
DAY 6
Includes: Breakfast and lunch
On this day, we’ll be joined by an additional guide for a dual narrative tour experience, beginning with a walking tour of the Walled City of Derry. Founded in the sixth century by St. Columba, Derry is the second-largest city and port of Northern Ireland. Its walls were built in 1613 to protect the town from the Gaelic chieftains in Donegal.
Later, we’ll visit the Siege Museum and learn about the Unionist tradition about Londonderry, then visit the Free Derry Museum to learn about the Nationalists’ perspective. While in the museum, we encourage you to view the political murals and learn about their significance.
We’ll end the day at a local pub for a conversation with your guides and a drink!
DAY 7
Includes: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
We’ll begin the day visiting the Giant’s Causeway, a Unesco heritage site. The Causeway was formed more than 60 million years ago when red-hot lava erupted onto the surface of the earth and was cooled by the sea to form columns.
Afterward, we’ll continue to Belfast and the Europa Hotel, then take a walking tour of the city and meet with a conflict resolution expert.
DAY 8
Includes: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Once again, we’ll be joined by an additional guide for a dual narrative tour, focusing on the troubles and solutions in Belfast. We’ll begin the morning touring the barriers and walls that still divide post-conflict Belfast, and visit the Nationalist and Unionist sides of the Peace Wall, where we’ll learn about the different graffiti and their meanings.
In the afternoon, we’ll meet for lunch with two journalists from different political traditions and learn about current affairs in Northern Ireland from their perspectives.
Later, we’ll visit Crumlin Road Gaol, a former prison situated on the Crumlin Road in north Belfast. We’ll eat dinner in a nearby pub and meet with a poet/storyteller.
DAY 9
Includes: Breakfast and dinner
On our third dual narrative tour, we’ll visit the Titanic Experience Belfast, which recreates the story of the world’s most famous ship in a new building located beside the historic site of the original ship’s construction. The center’s self-guided tour begins in its giant atrium, where visitors are surrounded by the four “ship’s hull”–shaped wings; highlights include views of the slipways where the Titanic was launched and a virtual tour of the voyage to the bottom of the sea.
In the afternoon, we’ll visit C.S. Lewis Park and learn about the work of the author of the beloved Narnia series.
You’ll then have a free evening to explore Belfast.
DAY 10
Includes: Breakfast
After a final Irish breakfast, you’ll make your own way to Dublin Airport for your departure flight home.
DETAILS
TRIP PRICE
Tour price per person:
- Double-occupancy room: $3,925
- Single-occupancy room: $4,725
INCLUDED
- Nine nights’ accommodation at the following hotels (or similar): Europa Hotel (Belfast), Maldron Hotel (Derry), Clayton Hotel (Dublin), Westport Plaza (Westport), Ardilaun (Galway)
- One MEJDI trained guide for six days
- Dual narrative days (two guides) for three days
- Private transportation for eight days (days two to nine)
- Bottled water available on the bus daily
- Meals listed in the itinerary: nine breakfasts, five lunches, three dinners
- Entrance fees at sites and honorariums for speakers
- Dedicated pre-trip customer service and on-ground support
NOT INCLUDED
- International airfare
- Travel insurance—HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
- Meals not mentioned in the itinerary
- Custom gratuities for guides, driver, and hotels (recommended for this trip: approx $90 per person)
- Anything not explicitly mentioned in the Included section