Northern Ireland
The Best of Northern Ireland: Past, Present and Future
Program No. 22092RJ
Unravel the complex story of Northern Ireland as you meet its people, learn its history, explore its monuments and discover the exciting transformation of this vibrant region.
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DATES
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Aug 14 - Aug 22, 2024
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2,849DATES
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Jun 12 - Jun 20, 2024
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3,289Aug 14 - Aug 22, 2024
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3,289Sep 18 - Sep 26, 2024
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3,589May 7 - May 15, 2025
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3,589Aug 13 - Aug 21, 2025
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9 days
8 nights
15 meals
7B 3L 5D
1
In Transit to Program
In Flight
3
Political Murals in Belfast
Belfast
4
Titanic Belfast, Free Time
Belfast
9
Program Concludes
Dublin
At a Glance
Northern Ireland is known as much for its verdant landscapes as it is for its complex history of political and social tensions that culminated in three decades of violence known as the Troubles. Discover how an area so scarred by historical unrest is redefining itself as a haven of culture and heritage as you dive deep into the ever-shifting story of Northern Ireland, visiting the landmarks, learning about the key figures and gaining a deeper understanding of the events that forged this unique region.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Walking up to 3 miles each day, with periods of standing. Varied terrain including paved streets with cobblestones, gravel and woodland paths, uneven rocky terrain.
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
What You'll Learn
- Immerse yourself in maritime history at Titanic Belfast.
- Discover megalithic ruins and preserved castles as you explore the region’s lush countryside.
- Gain an insider’s perspective on historic Northern Ireland as you ride between Belfast’s vibrant political murals in a Black Taxi.
General Notes
Program includes independent time to explore the city and several meals on your own. Group Leaders will provide directions for self-directed excursions. Suggestions for free-time activities provided in preparatory materials. Give us a call to combine this learning adventure with select dates of "The Best of Ireland: A Week on the Emerald Isle" (#22088) for even more learning in Ireland!
Suggested Reading List
(20 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
The Best of Northern Ireland: Past, Present and Future
Program Number: 22092
Rick Steves' Snapshot Northern Ireland
In his down-to-earth style, Steves presents the best values for sights, eating, sleeping and nightlife excerpted from the larger Rick Steves country guidebook. Included are maps and self-guided tours in Belfast, Portrush, the Antrim Coast, Derry and County Donegal.
Belfast, A History
A sweeping chronicle of the rise and decline of Northern Ireland's largest city. Maguire shows how as grand a city that could build the Titanic collapsed into religious conflict soon thereafter.
A Place Apart, Northern Ireland in the 1970s
In this travelogue, the celebrated southern-Irish travel writer bicycles deep into the mayhem of late-1970s Northern Ireland. Her penetrating, intelligent prose finds Murphy interviewing both Catholics and Protestants and sorting out her opinions and emotions about the conflict.
Reading in the Dark
This novel follows a Catholic boy growing up in Northern Ireland in the 1950s, dealing with a family full of secrets and a city full of hatred.
Belfast Noir
Set in Northern Ireland’s capital, this collection of previously unreleased noir stories covers the city’s history from the Troubles to the present.
Those Are Real Bullets: Bloody Sunday, Derry, 1972
This definitive account of the massacre that left unarmed Irish Catholic demonstrators dead and wounded uses interviews and declassified documents to capture the chaos of that fateful day.
Ten Men Dead: The Story of the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike
Belfast, 1981: Ten Long Kesh prisoners starved themselves to death in protest against the British government. This is their story.
How the Irish Saved Civilization
This bestselling history tells the generally unknown story of Ireland's preservation of classical learning in the Dark Ages, revealing how the saints and scholars, monks and scribes labored to reproduce the important texts that spread as they evangelized Europe.
The Giant's Causeway and the North Antrim Coast
An illustrated introduction to one of Northern Ireland’s most popular attractions that covers history, folklore, geology and wildlife.
A Traveller's History of Ireland
From the Celts to the Norman invasions to modern-day Ireland, this short history is highly recommended for those who would like a brief overview of the Emerald Isle through the centuries.
Making Sense of the Troubles: The Story of the Conflict in Northern Ireland
A balanced and authoritative account of the Northern Ireland conflict by two scholars, award-winning journalist and Trinity College librarian McKitterick and teacher McVea, who have spent their professional lives making sense of the Troubles.
Angela's Ashes
The Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir of an Irish childhood spent in abject poverty in the slums of Limerick, told with enormous wit, grace, and skill.
Northern Ireland
Tonge examines the motivations, actions and achievements of the major players of the crisis -- IRA, UVF, UDA -- in this academic history of Northern Ireland over the last three decades.
Titanic, The Story of the Unsinkable Ship
A coffee-table introduction to the Titanic and its disastrous maiden voyage. Utilizing firsthand documents and personal accounts, Riffenburgh guides readers through the Titanic, from the drawing tables of her architects to what occurred as the ship sank.
Troubles
Set on the eve of the Irish Rebellion, this first novel in Farrell's remarkable series illuminates the British Empire's decline in Ireland to hilarious, haunting effect. Winner of the Lost Man Booker Prize.
For the Love of Ireland
Organized geographically, this rich anthology introduces Ireland through the words and lives of such luminaries as James Joyce, W.B. Yeats, Frank McCourt and Samuel Beckett.
Ireland North Map
A locally published, detailed map of the northern part of Ireland at a scale of 1:250,000.
Silver Linings, Travels Around Northern Ireland
An account of travels, as well as the people, politics and traditions of Northern Ireland, infused with the author's humor and insightful reporting.
The Truth about the Irish
An irreverent A-to-Z guide to all things Irish by a native son and shrewd comic commentator, who casts aside many myths, starting with the first entry - A for alcohol (the Irish have the lowest per capita consumption of alcohol in the E.U., after Greece and Italy).
Belfast Diary, War as a Way of Life
An American journalist's gripping first-person account of life in a Catholic neighborhood in Belfast in 1980.
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