The Presidents Tour
Private escorted tour | 10 days | Start any date
More than 20 US presidents, from Andrew Jackson to Barack Obama, can trace their roots back to Ireland. This tour will take you from Ballyporeen, Co Tipperary, in the south of Ireland where Ronald Reagan’s great-grandfather was born, to Cullybackey in North Antrim where the thatched farmhouse which was home to Chester Alan Arthur’s father still stands.
Along the way we will visit not only places connected to Irish American presidents and those which tell the stories of other Irish emigrants to America, but also some of the most scenic and fascinating parts of Ireland.
Often we head well off the beaten track, reaching a less well known Ireland of small villages and rural areas that few visitors to Ireland ever see and where people have more time to stop and chat. If you are fascinated by history, and especially by the history of Irish America, this tour is for you.
Tour Highlights
- See the small village of Moneygall, where President Obama’s Irish ancestors lived, and visit the grave of his ancestor John Keaney in St Canice’s Cathedral.
- Tour Co Tipperary, the place where Ronald Reagan’s great grandfather spent his youth
- Visit the Kennedy homestead in Co Wexford and its unique collection of Kennedy memorbilia
- Explore the Dunbrody, a 150 year old ship typical of those boarded by Irish emigrants fleeing famine for a new life in America
- Visit the ancestral homes of Andrew Jackson, James Buchanan, Chester Alan Arthur and Woodrow Wilson
- See the old and new lives of emigrants from Ulster to America made vividly real at the wonderful Ulster American Folk Park
- Learn the story of the Kilkenny born architect who designed the White House and find out where he got his inspiration.
- Visit the Titanic Dock, where the ill-fated ship was built and from where it sailed to its maiden and only voyage.
- Catch the ferry to Devenish Island, with it ancient monastery and round tower.
