Ireland's Table: Food, Pubs & Traditional Music

Today you dive into Dublin's legendary food, drink and music culture. You visit the famous Guinness Storehouse, following the story of the black stuff through its seven floors and learning to pour the perfect pint, ending with panoramic views from the rooftop Gravity Bar. You taste smooth Irish whiskey at a historic distillery such as Jameson or Teeling, learning how it is triple-distilled, and might join a food tour through the city's markets, cheesemongers and gastropubs, sampling Irish cheeses, cured meats, oysters and brown bread. As the day ends, you follow the music into the snug, atmospheric pubs of the old city, some centuries old, for a foot-tapping traditional session, a pint and the famous good humour of the Dubliners. This evening, savour Dublin's incomparable pub culture, music and craic. Rest well, for tomorrow you journey south to Cork, Ireland's food capital, and gourmet Kinsale.

Today you journey south to Cork, Ireland's food capital, and the gourmet harbour of Kinsale. Travelling through green countryside, you reach Cork, a characterful city built on islands in the River Lee, and explore the historic English Market, a covered food market trading since 1788, a paradise of local cheeses, cured meats, fresh fish, spiced beef and artisan produce, where you browse, taste and meet passionate producers. In the afternoon you drive to the colourful harbour town of Kinsale, widely regarded as the gourmet capital of Ireland, wandering its narrow streets of brightly painted houses, galleries and celebrated seafood restaurants around its yacht-filled harbour. The flavours and charm are delicious. As the day ends, you settle into Cork or Kinsale. This evening, enjoy a superb seafood dinner and the lively, welcoming pubs of the area. Rest well, for tomorrow you journey to Galway, a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, along the Atlantic coast.

Today you journey north up the Atlantic coast to Galway, a scenic and flavourful drive. Leaving Cork, you might visit a distillery or artisan food producer along the way, then travel up through Clare, where you can pause at the mighty Cliffs of Moher, soaring sheer from the Atlantic, and cross the extraordinary Burren, whose grey limestone hills produce famous artisan cheese and smoked fish. By evening you reach Galway, a UNESCO City of Gastronomy and one of the best places to eat and hear music in Ireland, where the River Corrib meets the sea. As the day ends, you settle into your Galway hotel. This evening, feast on fresh oysters and a pint of stout in the bustling Latin Quarter, its narrow streets lined with seafood bars, and follow the music into a pub for a lively traditional session. Rest well, ready to savour more of Galway's food and music tomorrow.

Today you savour the food and music of Galway, a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. You explore the bustling markets, seafood bars and restaurants of the medieval Latin Quarter, feasting on fresh oysters, seafood chowder and shellfish landed along the coast, and might visit an oyster farm on Galway Bay or drive out to the edge of wild Connemara to meet Gaeltacht food producers, from smokehouses to seaweed harvesters. You browse the lively Saturday market beside the church, piled with local cheeses, breads and produce. As the day ends, the pubs of Galway come alive. This evening, enjoy a farewell dinner of the finest west-coast seafood, then follow the music into one of Galway's legendary pubs for a final traditional session, joining in the conversation, laughter and good craic, reflecting on the delicious journey you have made across Ireland. Rest well ahead of your departure tomorrow.

After a final leisurely morning in Galway, perhaps a last coffee and pastry by the Corrib, some shopping for Irish farmhouse cheese, smoked salmon or whiskey to take home, or a final browse of the market, you are transferred to Shannon or Dublin Airport for your onward journey. You leave having feasted your way across Ireland, Dublin's pubs, Guinness and whiskey, Cork's English Market and gourmet Kinsale, and Galway's oysters, seafood and legendary music sessions, all warmed by the incomparable welcome of the Irish pub. The memories stay vivid long after you land, the perfect pint at the Guinness Storehouse, the stalls of the English Market, the seafood of Kinsale and Galway, and the fiddles, songs and craic of the sessions. Ireland offers food, drink, music and warmth in abundance, and you depart already dreaming of a return to the Emerald Isle for more of its delicious tastes, foot-tapping tunes and genuine hospitality.