The Best of Northern Ireland: Past, Present and Future

Stephen Roche was the best tour guide we had ever experienced. Thoughtful, kind and he had a wealth of Irish history that made the trip most educational and still made it entertaining. If, and when, we decide to travel internationally, or domestically, it'll definitely be through Road Scholar. Thank you for the trip of a lifetime. Paul & Doug

This was a wonderful experience. Stephen Roche was so knowledgeable and I learned so much from his talks and especially on the bus. The speakers, Bill Rolston and Peter McLaughlin were excellent. The murals and that presentation by the Black Taxi drivers was an unbelievable experience. I also enjoyed the Titanic Center and I was impressed with the quality of that center. I couldn't follow the man that was the presenter at Bushmills and I didn't catch his humor but that is due to my hearing loss. The presenter at Giants Causeway was very difficult to understand so I didn't learn much from that presentation. Glenveagh National Park was beautiful and driving around Donegal was very nice. Leo's Tavern was a lighter and happy place to be. I loved the music. The tour of Derry's walls was great. Although Angela Hegarty put me to sleep. The Ulster American Folk Park was very interesting and I am glad we went to see that. Bru na Boinne was also an interesting stop that I had no idea that Ireland had a Neolithic site. Everyday was filled with new learning experiences and I am so glad I took this trip to Northern Ireland.

We had an excellent time in Northern Ireland!! Surprisingly there was sunshine too! The program was very well put together and the other participants made it very enjoyable. We heartily recommend Road Scholar’s program!!

The trip to Northern Ireland is a highlight--full of surprises and deep learning!!

What an interesting variety of experiences in a beautiful country. The history of the area is captivating.

The itinerary and places visited were great. Could have used more time at the Ulster American Museum and less time at the Titanic Museum.

Until I took this Road Scholar trip, I had no idea how the history and politics of North Ireland are still very much impacting current events in Ireland. It was fascinating and pertinent to conditions in the United States, historically and currently, in so many ways. I gained amazing insight from the experience.

I have finally found my roots and feel strength in the resulting "growing pains".

Top notch!

The was my first time in Ireland and I started on my own for three nights in the Republic before taking the train to Belfast to meet the Road Scholar group. One realizes after getting off the train that you are in the UK. The two countries are similar but the differences are striking. If you’ve never been to Northern Ireland, this is a fine eye-opening trip. Belfast is full of charm in addition to its troubling past and this trip shows both with taxi tours, educational lectures and stunning scenery and history sites and sights. Eileen, our guide was great. She was friendly, cheerful, well-organized, and efficient. The only negative comments I have concern the hotel in Derry. The food service was glacial, taking almost three hours for dinner the first night we ate there. Worse, if you’re a CPAP user, beware. There are no outlets on the nightstands and the nearest wall outlet accepts only a D version plug, such as what I’ve seen only in India. This forced me to string my extension cord across the room to the opposite wall near the desk and draped over the floor. This could be dangerous during the night if one is up and about. That deficiency aside, this was a wonderful trip. Don’t let Northern Ireland’s troubled past deter you from a marvelous experience with friendly people, impressive history and breathtaking scenery,

I have taken several RS trips and this was one of the best. This is my second Ireland adventure organized by EIL for RS. They do a wonderful job. I've learned a lot. I suggest you find a good timeline of Irish history and keep it handy on the trip. Excursions and lectures hop centuries with wild abandon.

The Best of Northern Ireland Past, Present and Future was an eye opener. It covered the "Troubles" to present day. Eileen our guide was knowledgeable. She was concerned about everyone's needs. We covered a lot of territory in a short period of time. I recommend this trip.

If you have never been to Northern Ireland this tour is an eye opener: history galore, beauty of landscape and up to date information on the status of relations with the Republic of Ireland.

Don't wait to visit your homeland. I am a fourth generation Irish descendant and the tour of Northern Ireland filled in much of what I did not understand.

Our trip guide, Martina was wonderful! The trip had a lot of wonderful elements but I want to discuss the things I think you could address. 1. I agreed to have you find me a roommate and assumed you’d notify me if you found one. I didn’t hear anything so wrongly assumed I didn’t have one. I was very startled when I was changing clothes in my room and someone came walking in! It would take very little for you to notify your traveler that they should expect a roommate. 2. The Belfast Hotel rooms were okay but the food was inedible! Especially dinner the first night. The chicken was so overdone you couldn’t cut it. The fish was also awful and the steamed vegetables were mush. The breakfast wasn’t much better. 3. The City Hotel Derry was awful! When we got to our room we found two small beds pushed together. As two independent women traveling separately that is unacceptable. The room was very dirty. The phone and tables were sticky, the bathroom walls and floor were dirty and the chair and carpet were ripped and grungy. The manager came to the room and agreed that it was dirty but said this was done to their standard. When we asked for a different room he resistance. We persevered and got a cleaner room with appropriate beds. The breakfast food was awful. 4. Our only free time in Derry was taken away because you changed going to the Folk Park to that afternoon. I had to give up the Folk Park tour because I wanted to explore the beautiful city of Derry. The next day we only had the Newgrange experience and then to the hotel. Road Scholar only got us tickets to walk around Newgrange instead of spending the additional few dollars that would’ve allowed us to get inside the burial chamber and to also see the Knowth burial chambers. The entire group was very annoyed and disappointed. The Folk Park and the entire Newgrange experience was something I was really looking forward to and didn’t get to experience on tour. All because of poor planning on Road Scholars part.

I loved this program. Although this was my fourth trip to Ireland, it was my first experience in Northern Ireland and it changed my perspective on the country and the people. I would recommend to anyone visiting Ireland, go first to the north to get a sense of the true history of the people, the Troubles and the country, and then visit the Republic.

I had a wonderful time on the tour to Northern Ireland!

I want to start by saying our guide for the trip, Martina, was great, knowledgeable, great sense of humor and accommodating. The areas we visited were interesting for the most part, and I had specifically wanted to see Northern Ireland and The Republic. What was really unfortunate were the hotels. They were both substandard and barely one star if that. The first one, in Belfast was marginally better than the last which was pretty horrific, the first room in that hotel had beaten up torn and stained furniture, the window would only open a crack, the bathroom was gross. In any case they moved us to a different one which at least was clean. It Both hotels had very little options for breakfast, most appeared to be pre cooked and the only way to get a fresh egg was to request a hard boiled one. The pacing of the trip was fine, I'm glad we got a chance to see the cities, especially in our free time, we explored the inner part of Belfast, specifically the entrees, little alleys containing the oldest pubs and shops dating back to the founding of the city. We also, on our own, found lots of places to hear music at night which was great. All in all I’m happy I had the experience, I enjoyed some of the speakers we had, hearing the different points of view. I really feel Road Scholar needs to get other accommodations for people, that part of the trip was not pleasant.

The Northern Ireland program was great. I have a different perspective as a result of taking this trip. I would highly recommend.

The trip was all I hoped it would be and more. All lecturers and guides at sites were excellent. David Hume not only gave a fine lecture, but he was helpful to me in planning for some independent travel after the tour. GL Allister was a clever fellow in many respects, and also went the extra mile to help with independent travel. The site selections offered wonderful variety, and the restaurant selections outside the hotels were splendid. Staying at high rise tourist hotels is a bit of a drag. But the Belfast and Derry hotels were in excellent locations. Thank you for not making us pack and move every one or two days. We were well able to manage day trips away from the cities whilst staying 3 nights at the same place.

It was a nice trip.

Helped me clarify "Ireland" in my mind: how and why there are two countries, and see 'the Troubles' for what they were. Great to see that the country is moving forward!

This was my 3rd RS trip. First, I want to say that our tour guide, James Monaghan, was a lovely man whose enthusiasm for history and his country were evident throughout the trip. Even when events didn't go as planned he made the best of the situation. The taxis for our tours of Belfast failed to show up even though James had verified them with EIL (the group contracted for the trip). Through James' intervention, within about 20 minutes 3 taxis came and we got a fantastic tour. The tour of Belfast City Hall was listed as a guided tour, but those did not start until the following week. So, we guided ourselves. In Portrush, James had tried for two days to get someone at the Lacada Brewery to answer, and on the day we were there it was closed. However, we were able to walk around the quaint seaside town of Portrush. The trip to Glenveagh was a bit of a disappointment as the castle was closed and we could only see the gardens. Definitely the best parts of the trip were the tours of Belfast and Derry. Learning about their history and seeing first-hand the art, buildings, and monuments was truly awesome. The Giant's Causeway and the Titanic Experience were also great. There were three "talks" given. Savannah Dodd gave a talk on "Conflict and Photography in Northern Ireland" which was excellent. The other two speakers were less so. The Guild Hall speaker was a bit late and forgot the flash-drive with his presentation. Lastly, the agenda for the trip was changed from the last time we were last given information. A bit of a surprise. Although there was one afternoon in Belfast for independent exploring, there was none in Derry, as had originally been scheduled. So, several people skipped parts of the Derry tour to go out on their own. The glitches really need to be worked out: cut down on the lectures, have some free time in each city, and make sure the castle is open! There were also some minor but irritating problems at both hotels.

The Best of Northern Ireland: Past, Present, and Future provides an excellent description of the program. We gained an informed perspective on the physical, political, and cultural aspects of contemporary Northern Ireland.

I will feel much more like donating if you enforce cdc rules. Come on! Get with it!

Northern Ireland is a country that should be on everyone's travel list. Its countryside and highways are beautiful and efficient, and the two cities on the itinerary full of history and culture. Just remember that the midges may be out during a visit to Glenveigh National Park and prepare with bug spray or even a face net. But you will not be disappointed with the flowers, gardens, fields, and overall friendliness of the residents. Giant's Causeway should be on all must see lists! We even enjoyed a guided walking tour to the causeway formations with options for additional hiking on the return trip. Pack your walking shoes or hiking gear for this trip!

Since taking the wonderful Road Scholar “Best of Ireland” program many years ago, I have always wanted to go back for the Northern Ireland program. This program did not disappoint. Our Group Leader Martina was knowledgeable, friendly, and such fun to be with. The itinerary is well paced and we were lucky to have beautiful weather. Visiting Titanic Belfast was a highlight. I came away with a better understanding of The Troubles and other issues that the country faces.

Road Scholar programs are a wonderful way to introduce you to a place, it's history, it's people, and it's culture. The guides are friendly, informative, knowledgeable, and take very good care of you

Terrific tour of Northern Ireland, giving insight and history into the Troubles but also including the famine, emigration, beautiful gardens, a folk park, neolithic tombs and the wonderful Titanic Museum. Highly recommended! Tour guide Martina was excellent and all of the activities were worthwhile.

The Giant's Causeway is what drew me to Northern Ireland, but this program showed me there is so much more to see. We had experiences from prehistoric Newgrange, through many years of domination by other countries, discussed The Troubles, experienced the Titanic, and enjoyed Irish food, alcohol, beer, and culture. The small group size and many outside activities made us feel quite safe during this time as travel resumes post pandemic.

The Northern Ireland program was breezily easy, educational, and dotted with pleasant surprise. History, music, scenery, language with delightful accents, and helpful, good natured locals take the cake. A friend I met there emailed later that being back in the U.S. was an adjustment after all the nice people in Ireland. True enough. I could do it all again -- and I may.

Wonderful opportunity to see New Grange!

I thoroughly enjoyed this program. The speakers were outstanding and the group was congenial. There was sufficient free time to explore each city. The lunches included left a lot to be desired. You may want to bring some snacks or peanut butter!!

This trip provided me with many insights into the "Troubles" most Americans aren't aware of or taught in school. Very sobering and thought provoking. Not all gloom and doom though. Plenty of opportunity to see and do other things in this beautiful country with it's wonderful people.

This program is an interesting educational experience. It encompasses a part of the world that I really knew little about and educated me as to the strife and hardship of a divided island part of which became free of the United Kingdom and part of which is a divided country that remains. All points of view were presented well in a multi-faceted educational program.