Kennedy Castles’ Seasonal Bus Tours
BELTANE BUS TOUR 7-14th May 2027
Announcing a new tour, inspired by the Irish fire festival of Beltane which marked the beginning of Summer in the ancient Celtic calendar. May is a spectacular time to be in Ireland with the whitethorn blooming in all the hedgerows and we’re so excited to be hosting a group of fellow adventurers at this auspicious time of year. Jump on board with us! To find out more please email: bustoursofireland@gmail.com
SAMHAIN / HALLOWE’EN TOUR 2026 – SOLD OUT!
We are sold out for our annual Samhain Bus Tour in 2026, but please get in touch with us (bustoursofireland@gmail.com) if you would like to join our Samhain Tour 2027! The dates are 29 October – 5th November 2027.
Travel Ireland on a luxury bus tour with two professional traditional Irish musicians: Nuala Kennedy and Brenda Castles. We will share with you some of our favourite places and people, as well as our love of the song, music, history and mythology of Ireland. The Samhain Tour sells out fast – so book now if you are interested in joining this exploration of places linked to the origins of Hallowe’en, haunted castles, ghostly stories by a renowned seanchaí (storyteller!) visits to ancient neolithic sites, fairy forts and more of that ilk! We limit places on our tour as a smaller group gives us more freedom to explore these unique places where the veil is thin, and also to visit gourmet restaurants and areas of interest that are not available to larger tour groups.
We aspire to the highest level of comfort ‘on the road’ – you will be staying in beautiful hotels, eating gourmet food while going on some creative cultural adventures. Our activities are gently paced and if you have any mobility issues you can contact us to discuss your needs. Your safety is our number one priority, as well of course, as having maximum levels of fun!
Our evening entertainment features private performances from some of the finest musicians, singers and storytellers in Ireland. Because of our small group size, you will have the opportunity to meet with these performers directly. If you are a singer or play an instrument, you will have chances to play in sessions along the way, although our tour is primarily designed to cover a broad range of cultural interests specifically related to the season and scenic local area we visit.
TESTIMONIALS
Here’s what some brave members of our 2024 and 2025 tour groups had to say about their SAMHAIN experience – some of whom really took a chance and just hopped on board with little prior expectation! :
“I appreciated seeing Ireland through the eyes of two Irish musicians who seem to know EVERYONE” -Janice, New Mexico
“As I did not know what to expect, I was very pleasantly surprised at the depth of the tour. It was personal, hitting lots of highlights of tourism without being “the same old thing” -Carol, California
“ The experiences were so very unique and personal. The memories of this extraordinary trip will last forever. I will highly recommend this tour to everyone interested in visiting Ireland” -Sue, Arizona
“I loved the mix of traditional music, folklore, archaeology, history and mysticism that made this a very special spiritual journey for me as I research my ancestral roots in Ireland” -Shelby, Arizona
“Wonderful time; outstanding choice of cultural, historical and musical experiences. Over-the-top accommodations and meal offerings. Also, nice that it included both those who were musicians along with those of us who weren’t so it wasn’t skewed toward either.” -Steve, California
“I absolutely loved the tour guides, the entertainment, and the locales. Everything was well-planned out. We were treated to experiences ordinary tourists wouldn’t dream of, and we met the most interesting, eccentric, and talented people” -Cynthia, Arizona
“Thank you for a fantastic tour! Songs fill my head, memories fill my heart and gratitude abounds! I appreciated the intimate experiences you curated for us – this was deep and wonderful time!” -Diane, Massachusetts
ALL ENQUIRIES: bustoursofireland@gmail.com
Some photos from our SAMHAIN tour 2024, for enquiries please email bustoursofireland@gmail.com. Huge credit to Ren Nickson Photography for these wonderful photos.
