Encore Creativity “Singing in Ireland” Tour
July 31, 2025 - August 11, 2025
Encore Creativity “Singing in Ireland” Tour
July 31, 2025 – August 11, 2025
Bring the joy of singing across the seas this summer with Encore Creativity’s international tour through Ireland! Visit the beautiful and historic venues of Ireland, perform alongside local choirs, participate in concerts and music activities with Ireland’s cultural landscape, and take a delightfully crafted mix of Chorale and ROCKS repertoire from the Spring 2025 semester of singing on our music exchange tour.
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Itinerary Details
The highlights for our Ireland trip include local performances, tours of breathtaking landscapes, museum expeditions, and seasonal festivals! A music performance tour would not be complete without your rehearsals and performance opportunities. In addition to touring historic spots of Ireland’s landscape and cultural heritage sites, you’ll also have the opportunity to rehearse and perform alongside two local choirs: the Forget Me Nots, an inclusive community choir for older adults with extensive outreach and support for those with cognitive change and their care partners, and the Voices of Galway Choir, a local choir for the city of Galway.
The tour is replete with musical education opportunities and visits to traditional Irish festivals and music performances!
- Day 1 – Dublin: Check-in day, with a sightseeing tour by bus and a welcome reception dinner with local Irish music accompaniment.
- Day 2 – Dublin, Malahide Castle, and the Forget Me Nots: Explore Malahide Castle and the surrounding shopping and restaurant arcades, spend lunch touring the area, and visit the Howth Yacht Club to rehearse with the local choir, the Forget Me Nots, to rehearse and learn alongside them.
- Day 3 – Dublin, Skerries, Boyne Valley Wools: Informance day! Take a walking tour through Skerries and experience a guided tour through Boyne Valley Wools, where you’ll learn from a traditional 5th-generation farm on wool-spinning techniques from Irish tradition and soak up the history of Boyne Valley. The evening will be spent with an Informance (informal performance) with the Forget Me Nots to benefit the local non-profit Age and Opportunity.
- Day 4 – Kilkenny, Waterford: Walking tour of Kilkenny, where you’ll meet and rehearse with the conductor of the local Kilkenny Choir, Tom Kehoe. Close out your evening with a dinner combined with a traditional Irish song and dance show.
- Day 5 – Waterford, Wexford, Fleadh Cheoil: Performance day! After a tour of the Waterford Crystal Factory and free time to explore Waterford, you’ll have an amazing opportunity to attend Fleadh Cheoil, Ireland’s largest traditional Irish music festival, to experience the beautiful and diverse music throughout Ireland’s history. We’ll then depart for a performance at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Kilkenny.
- Day 6 – Cork via Dunmore East: Depart by boat to the charming seaside village of Dunmore East and a scenic tour to Cork with free time to shop and explore the area.
- Day 7 – Cork, Cobh: Visit the cape town of Cobh and tour the location that the Titanic set sail for its last voyage. You’ll get a full guided tour of the area with free time to explore and enjoy the time after dinner with an Irish sing circle led by a traditional Irish musician at the Cork School of Music, where you’ll learn about and sing traditional Irish Melodies.
- Day 8 – Galway via The Cliffs of Moher: Join a bus tour for a breathtaking 2.5 hour drive to the Cliffs of Moher, and enjoy free time to explore the area (guides will be available as well as accessibility assistance). After, you’ll depart for Galway and enjoy a gala dinner hosted by the Voice of Galway Choir, the city of Galway, and Failte Ireland – Ireland’s national tourism board – for a true international hospitality experience.
- Day 9 – Galway, Clifden, Kylemore Abbey: Explore the countryside along the Wild Atlantic Way and arrive in the gorgeous coastal village of Clifden, where we’ll then depart for a tour of Kylemore Abbey. Back in Galway, you’ll enjoy a Masterclass with Dr. Aidan Thomson, along with the Galway City Chamber Choir, who will treat you to an educational experience on music from Ireland & the U.K. The evening will wrap-up with dinner at the famous Black Rock Cottage.
- Day 10 – Bodhran Building: Performance day! The morning will begin with a ride to the ‘Aras na n Gael’ club for an Irish ‘Bodhran’ drum-building workshop. We’ll then rehearse at the St. Nicholas Church and perform alongside the Voices of Galway Choir for a joint concert that will create cultural connection and musical joy. You’ll then enjoy a farewell dinner gala and festivities at the iconic Galway Rowing Club for a perfect wrap-up for our tour.
- Day 11 – Depart for Home
Itinerary details are tentative and subject to change.
Cost and Rates
Online credit card payments are subject to a 4% credit card processing fee. You may also choose to pay via check mailed to Encore’s address without the credit card fee. To pay via check, please select the check payment option and choose “Pay Later (Check)” on the registration form. (Click here for a visual guide to the button on the registration page.)
- Single Occupancy:
- Check Payment: $4765 per person
- Credit Card Payment (online): $4955 per person
- Double Occupancy:
- Check Payment: $4365 per person
- Credit Card Payment (online): $4540 per person
Final payment is due by April 15, 2025.
Listed prices include activities, breakfast and lunch each day, and welcome reception dinner. Additional dinners are not included. Airfare is not included.
Refund Policy
- Cancellation on or before April 29th, 2025: Full refund
- Cancellation from April 30th, 2025 – June 30th, 2025: 50% refund
- Cancellation on or after July 1st, 2025: No refund