Castles, helicopters, hawks and a chef’s table: what a Crafted Ireland journey looks like from the inside.

I’ve just returned from nine days in Ireland, and I’m already rearranging my clients’ wish lists. I travelled with Brownell on a curated educational trip designed by Crafted Ireland. The trip had a clear point of view: skip the tour-bus circuit and spend time with the people, places and traditions that make Ireland feel like Ireland, with exceptional hotels at every stop.

Here is how it unfolded, and what I’d tell any client considering the same journey.

Arriving in Style

Most of us flew overnight from the US, and the welcome at Dublin Airport sets the tone. Through Platinum Services, a personal host meets you as you step off the aircraft and drives you across the tarmac to a private terminal. Passport control, customs and immigration happen in a private suite while your luggage is retrieved and refreshments are served. After a red-eye, skipping the arrivals hall is the best upgrade I can think of.

From there, it’s a scenic drive west to Ashford Castle in County Mayo.

Connemara and Ashford Castle

Ashford was once a country retreat for the Guinness family, and it still feels like a private world. Each room is individually designed, and many keep their original features. The castle has welcomed heads of state and celebrities since opening as a hotel in 1939.

Evening dinner at the George V Restaurant is a proper occasion. The room was built to honour a royal visit in 1905 and still carries his name. There is a dress code: a dress for ladies and a jacket for gentlemen. Tell your clients in advance, because jeans and trainers won’t do.

Our day in Connemara showed the wilder, working side of the west:

An Irish hand-spinning studio in Finny, where yarn in every colour hangs from the rafters
A private sheepdog demonstration at Killary Sheep Farm, a mountain farm above the fjord where Border Collies work the flock
Lunch at Lough Inagh Lodge in the heart of Connemara

Back at the castle, we flew Harris Hawks through the woodland on a private Hawk Walk. The birds follow you tree to tree and land on your gloved fist. Guests can also join the resident Irish wolfhounds, Cronan and Garvan, on their morning woodland walk, which is a lovely, slow way to begin a day.

By Helicopter to the Aran Islands

Day three was my favourite. We took a helicopter from the castle’s helipad to Connemara Airport, then spent an hour on a guided wild walk. Our host introduced us to native plants, wildflowers and coastal seaweed, with tastings and a little folklore along the way.

A second short flight took us to Inis Oírr, the smallest of the Aran Islands. We spent the afternoon with a local guide among stone walls, sunken graveyards, a shipwreck and historic castles, with a homemade lunch in between.

Then came the flight south to Killarney, passing over the Cliffs of Moher and the Wild Atlantic Way coastline. Seeing those cliffs from above is something clients will talk about for years.

Kerry: Killarney, Valentia and Dingle

We based ourselves at The Killarney Park, a family-owned member of the Leading Hotels of the World. It has open log fires, a cosy Library bar for pre-dinner drinks, and a prime position in the middle of town.

From there, we drove to Cahersiveen for a privately guided boat tour around Valentia Island. You pass sea caves and cliffs, with the chance of dolphins or seals, and hear the island’s history of Vikings, monks and invaders. Lunch and an afternoon wander in Dingle followed. It is a colourful fishing port where some pubs double as shops, and the locals famously voted to keep the name Dingle over its official Irish name.

Cork and Ballyfin

Next, we headed to Kinsale, which calls itself Ireland’s culinary capital. A guided food tour takes you through the harbour town, stopping at local eateries and meeting the producers. Kinsale is also home to Bastion, which earned a Michelin star in 2019.

Then we went inland to Ballyfin Demesne in County Laois. Built in 1820, it’s considered the most lavish Regency mansion in Ireland. It was later a school run by the Patrician Brothers before an eight-year restoration reopened it as a luxury hotel in 2011. We took a full day here, with an estate walk, lunch in the Picnic House, a site inspection, optional clay pigeon shooting, drinks in the Gold Room and dinner in the State Dining Room. The kitchen builds its menus around produce grown by the estate’s own gardeners.

For clients who want a day to slow down, Ballyfin is where I’d put it.

Wicklow and a Chef’s Table

Our penultimate full day began with the Wicklow Overland Discovery Experience, a 4x4 journey through glens and valleys to viewpoints on private land that few visitors reach. We stopped for local meats, cheeses and produce along the way. It’s a great option for active clients who don’t want to hike all day.

We then checked in to The Merrion in Dublin’s Georgian Quarter, a hotel of meticulously restored 18th-century townhouses with a modern garden wing. That evening we drove to Dún Laoghaire for a private dinner at celebrity chef Kevin Dundon’s home. It’s a chef’s table experience that you simply can’t book on your own.

Dublin, Done Differently

Our last day skipped the usual sights. We toured Windmill Lane Recording Studios privately, with behind-the-scenes stories about the musicians who’ve recorded there. A traditional pub lunch at Devitt’s on Camden Street led into a private cultural pub experience, with an expert guide taking us through Dublin’s best-loved pubs and the role they play in Irish life. You don’t have to love Guinness to enjoy it, and with luck there’s live music.

Why It Works

What impressed me most was the pacing. Every few days we changed hotels, and each stay was different: a castle, a town-centre classic, a Regency mansion, a Georgian townhouse. In between, almost every experience put us face to face with someone who does something for a living, whether a farmer, spinner, forager, chef, guide or sound engineer. That is what separates a luxury trip to Ireland from an ordinary one.

If you’re dreaming of Ireland, whether for a milestone anniversary, a multigenerational trip or a first visit, I’d love to help shape something like this around you. Get in touch and let’s start planning.