Ireland 2026: Beer, Music & Culture on the Wild Atlantic Way

Description

June 1 – June 11, 2026

Trip Price (Land-only, Based on Double Occupancy)
TBD per person | Single Room +TBD
International airfare not included.

Travel with a small group of beer-loving humans along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way, where pints, fiddles, and Atlantic winds all seem to blow in the same direction. We’ll drink modern Irish craft at some of the country’s most interesting breweries, soak up trad sessions in legendary pubs, wander historic streets with local guides, and watch green hills and stone walls roll past from our private mini-coach. It’s beer, music, and culture in perfect Irish balance.

Beer, Food, History & Local Flavor — From Galway to Donegal

This journey follows a particularly beautiful stretch of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way: from lively Galway to festival-filled Westport, music-soaked Sligo and the rugged coastal landscapes of Donegal. Along the way we visit breweries that define modern Irish craft, coastal towns where music spills out of every door, and landscapes that seem to change with every bend in the road.

Galway gives us street music, pubs and Galway Bay beers by the sea. Westport welcomes us with Georgian streets and the Westport Folk & Bluegrass Festival. Sligo puts us in the middle of Yeats country, with mountains, tombs and Atlantic air. Donegal Town anchors the northwest, with Kinnegar Brewing nearby and one of the best trad pubs in the country just steps away. At every stop we weave together beer, food, music and story.

Why We’re BeerTripping Here

Ireland’s pub culture, traditional music and storytelling are famous for a reason — they’re the glue that holds communities together. In recent years, a vibrant craft beer scene has joined that story: breweries like Galway Bay, Mescan, Lough Gill and Kinnegar are brewing expressive, place-driven beers that fit right into the existing culture rather than replacing it.

This itinerary is built to show you that blend at its best. We use a private mini-coach and locally guided walks to keep things easy and flexible, and we time our visit to coincide with the Westport Folk & Bluegrass Festival so you’re in town when the music is at its liveliest. It’s not a pub crawl for its own sake — it’s a deep look at how beer, music and everyday Irish life intertwine along the Atlantic coast.

Trip Snapshot

• Duration: 10 days / 9 nights on the ground
• Group Size: Maximum 12 travelers
• Travel Style: Small-group, brewery-focused cultural journey
• Start / End: Starts in Galway, ends in Donegal Town (with onward travel toward Dublin or elsewhere in Ireland)
• Transport: Private mini-coach throughout, plus local taxis/walking as needed
• Overnight Stays: Galway (2 nights) • Westport (3 nights) • Sligo (2 nights) • Donegal Town (2 nights)
• Focus: Irish craft beer, pub culture, traditional music and wild Atlantic landscapes

Beer Highlights & Brewery Visits*

• Galway Bay Brewery: Pints at Oslo Bar in Salthill and The Salt House in Galway city, showcasing one of Ireland’s most important craft breweries.
• Mescan Brewery: Belgian-inspired farmhouse beers from an ex-monk and a vet, brewed in the shadow of Croagh Patrick near Westport.
• Lough Gill Brewery: Sligo-based brewery with IPAs, barrel-aged stouts and creative small batches rooted in local water and story.
• Kinnegar Brewing: Farmhouse-influenced Irish craft at one of the country’s top breweries in Donegal, where coastal weather and rural life shape the beers.
• Craft-friendly pubs in every town: Tig Cóilí, Taaffes, Crane Bar, Matt Molloy’s, Hargadon Bros., The Reel Inn and more — all with thoughtful beer selections and deep musical roots.

Wine & Spirits Highlights

• Opportunities to sample Irish whiskey in classic pubs and, where available, at local tasting rooms.
• Local gins and other small-batch spirits crafted with Irish botanicals, often found alongside craft beer in modern bars.
• Regional cider options in many pubs for those who want to explore beyond beer.

Included Tours

• Guided walking tour of Galway’s compact city center (Latin Quarter, Spanish Arch, Claddagh, riverside).
• Pub-focused evening walks in Galway, Westport, Sligo and Donegal Town with curated suggestions.
• Glengowla Mines & Family Farm visit with mine tour and sheepdog demonstration in Connemara.
• Private visit and tasting at Mescan Brewery, near Croagh Patrick.
• Walking tour of Westport with a local guide, including history and festival context.
• Private visit and tasting at Lough Gill Brewery in Sligo.
• Donegal Town orientation walk (castle, square and harbor) and evening at The Reel Inn.
• Private tour and tasting at Kinnegar Brewing, plus scenic touring in Donegal’s wild landscapes.

Included Meals

9 Breakfasts | 2 Lunches | 5 Dinners

Daily Itinerary*

(B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner)

Day 0 – Monday, June 1, 2026 — Travel to Galway, Ireland

Safe travels! Most guests depart from North America today on an overnight flight to Dublin or Shannon. Some travelers like to arrive a day or more early to “prepare” for the trip and shake off jet lag — there is a lot to do and see in Ireland beyond our trip, so an extra night or two can be well worth it.

Overnight: Plane

in Galway,

Day 1 – Tuesday, June 2, 2026 — Arrive in Galway – City of Tribes & Street Music (D)

Arrive in Galway, the “City of Tribes,” where medieval lanes meet student energy and street musicians. After settling into The Victoria Hotel, we’ll head out on a guided walking tour of the compact city center: Latin Quarter, Spanish Arch, Claddagh and the riverside.

In the early evening, we kick off the beer fun at The Salt House, a Galway Bay Brewery taproom with an excellent rotating list. Dinner tonight is a welcome group meal featuring local seafood, brown soda bread and perhaps a tray of Galway oysters for the adventurous.

After dinner, you’re officially in Ireland: we drift into Tig Cóilí for your first proper trad session.

Overnight: Galway – The Victoria Hotel
Meals: D

Day 2 – Wednesday, June 3, 2026 — Galway Bay Beers & Galway Trad (B)

Breakfast at the hotel, then a relaxed morning on the Salthill Prom. We’ll stroll the seaside, “kick the wall” like locals and then drop into Oslo Bar, home territory for Galway Bay Brewery, to talk Irish craft beer and taste what’s fresh.

The afternoon is mostly free:

• Explore shops and cafés in the Latin Quarter
• Pop into the Galway City Museum
• Or simply sit with a pint and watch Galway roll by

Dinner is on your own tonight with lots of suggestions provided. After dark we reconvene for a casual trad crawl, starting at Taaffes and ending at The Crane Bar, where fiddles upstairs and bodhráns downstairs provide the soundtrack.

Overnight: Galway – The Victoria Hotel
Meals: B

Day 3 – Thursday, June 4, 2026 — Galway → Glengowla Mines & Sheepdogs → Mescan Brewery → Westport (B, L)

We leave Galway by private mini-coach and head northwest into Connemara, all bogs, lakes and stone walls.

Our first stop is Glengowla Mines & Family Farm near Oughterard. We’ll explore the restored 19th-century silver and lead mine underground, then step back into the light for a sheepdog demonstration on the surrounding hills — where geology, history and everyday rural life intersect.

Continuing through the Maam Valley and past Loughs Corrib and Mask, we skirt the slopes of Croagh Patrick, Ireland’s holy mountain, and arrive at Mescan Brewery for a private afternoon visit and light lunch with tastings. Mescan’s bottle-conditioned ales — Belgian-inspired blondes, triples and specials — show how Irish brewers are riffing off monastic traditions in very local ways.

By late afternoon we roll into Westport, a handsome Georgian town built around the Carrowbeg River. Tonight the Westport Folk & Bluegrass Festival comes to life, and you’re in the middle of it. After check-in at The Roost, we dive into opening sessions at pubs like Matt Molloy’s and The Porter House. Dinner is on your own, with plenty of great spots to choose from.

Overnight: Westport – The Roost
Meals: B, L

Day 4 – Friday, June 5, 2026 — Westport – Festival Day & Town Walk (B, D)

Snack on a full Irish or a lighter breakfast, then join a local guide for a walking tour of Westport: its Georgian layout, bridges, views of Croagh Patrick and the story of how this little town became such a music hotspot.

The afternoon is mostly free to enjoy the Westport Folk & Bluegrass Festival: ticketed concerts, workshops, informal jams in pub corners and musicians wandering from set to set.

Dinner tonight is an included group meal in town — think lamb from Mayo hills, chowder and farmhouse cheeses — followed by more festival music. Expect fiddles, banjos and plenty of craic.

Overnight: Westport – The Roost
Meals: B, D

Day 5 – Saturday, June 6, 2026 — Westport – Free Day for Music & Optional Excursions (B)

Today is left deliberately open. You can:

• Spend the day immersed in festival highlights
• Cycle a stretch of the Great Western Greenway
• Or join an optional excursion out to Achill Island for Atlantic cliffs and Keem Bay’s jaw-dropping scenery

We’ll share a curated list of festival shows, pubs and optional activities, and help you make the most of your final full night in Westport. Meals are on your own so you can follow your ears and nose wherever they lead.

Overnight: Westport – The Roost
Meals: B

Day 6 – Sunday, June 7, 2026 — Westport → Scenic Stops → Lough Gill Brewery → Sligo (B, D)

After breakfast, we say farewell to Westport and point the mini-coach north toward Sligo.

On the way, we’ll choose one or two scenic or cultural stops (confirmed closer to departure) — possibilities include a haunting glacial valley, a riverside waterfall or a historic woollen mill that tells a post-Famine recovery story. This turns a short transfer into a day’s gentle adventure.

We arrive in Sligo in time for a private visit and tasting at Lough Gill Brewery. Here, modern Irish craft flexes its muscles: IPAs, barrel projects and limited releases, all rooted in local water and story.

Tonight we check into The Address Sligo and gather for an included group dinner — perhaps at Hargadon Bros., one of Ireland’s great traditional pubs — followed by an optional wander to Shoot the Crows for late-night trad.

Overnight: Sligo – The Address Sligo
Meals: B, D

Day 7 – Monday, June 8, 2026 — Sligo – Benbulben, Ancient Tombs & Coastal Air (B)

This is your Yeats country day. After breakfast, we head out to admire Benbulben, the iconic table mountain that looms over Sligo. Weather permitting, we’ll stop at a viewpoint or take a short walk.

From there it’s on to Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery, a cluster of prehistoric tombs older than the pyramids — an ideal place to talk about Ireland’s deep human story.

We’ll then push out to the coast, either Strandhill or Rosses Point, for a seaside lunch (on your own), coastal walks and maybe a seaweed bath or two for the truly committed.

Back in Sligo, the evening is free: revisit a favorite pub, return to Lough Gill’s beers in town or just soak up the relaxed vibe. Dinner on your own with recommendations.

Overnight: Sligo – The Address Sligo
Meals: B

Day 8 – Tuesday, June 9, 2026 — Sligo → Literary & Scenic Stops → Donegal Town (B, D)

We bid farewell to Sligo and head into County Donegal, one of Ireland’s most beautiful and least visited regions.

Along the way, we’ll tease in one or two short stops, chosen closer to departure — maybe a churchyard where Yeats lies under Benbulben’s gaze, a wild headland with Atlantic waves and castle views or a small craft village where artisans still work leather, glass and textiles by hand.

By afternoon we roll into Donegal Town, check into Ros Dún House and enjoy a brief guided orientation walk: Donegal Castle, the town square and the harbor.

Tonight’s group dinner is included, followed by a short stroll to The Reel Inn for one of the best trad pub experiences in the country.

Overnight: Donegal Town – Ros Dún House
Meals: B, D

Day 9 – Wednesday, June 10, 2026 — Kinnegar Brewing & Donegal’s Wild Landscapes (B, L, D)

We start with a drive toward Letterkenny for a private tour and tasting at Kinnegar Brewing. Expect farmhouse-influenced ales, crisp lagers, maybe a saison or two and lots of stories about brewing on Ireland’s windy northwest coast. A light lunch with beer pairings is included here.

After Kinnegar, we head into Donegal’s wilder corners. Depending on weather and road conditions, we’ll choose between dramatic options like a cliff-top coastal route or a lake-and-mountain national park — both spectacular, both very “Ireland.”

Back in Donegal Town, we gather for a farewell group dinner with plenty of seafood, boxty (northwest potato pancakes) and last-night toasts — then end, as all good nights here should, at a pub with live music (likely back at The Reel Inn).

Overnight: Donegal Town – Ros Dún House
Meals: B, L, D

Day 10 – Thursday, June 11, 2026 — Departure – Slán go fóill (B)

After breakfast, your Ireland BeerTrips adventure officially ends. Depending on onward plans, you may transfer back toward Dublin or elsewhere in Ireland.

You’ll leave with a head full of tunes, a notebook full of beers and a strong desire to come back and do it all again.

Meals: B

Where We Stay

• Galway (2 nights): The Victoria Hotel — Central, comfortable, steps from the Latin Quarter.
• Westport (3 nights): The Roost — Boutique base right in town, perfect for festival nights.
• Sligo (2 nights): The Address Sligo — Stylish, walkable, a great launchpad for Yeats country.
• Donegal Town (2 nights): Ros Dún House — Charming guesthouse near Donegal’s pubs and castle.

Cities & Regions

Galway — City of Tribes & Street Music

Medieval lanes, student energy and riverside promenades make Galway one of Ireland’s most beloved cities. Street musicians, compact neighborhoods and a strong craft beer presence mean there’s something happening on almost every corner.

Westport — Festival Town beneath Croagh Patrick

A planned Georgian town with colorful shopfronts, river views and a serious love of music. During the Westport Folk & Bluegrass Festival, sessions spill out of pubs and onto the streets, and visitors and locals alike chase tunes from one venue to the next.

Sligo — Yeats Country & Atlantic Light

Framed by Benbulben and open to the Atlantic, Sligo mixes lively town life with easy access to beaches, megalithic tombs and the landscapes that inspired some of Ireland’s greatest poetry.

Donegal Town — Gateway to the Northwest

Compact, friendly and well-positioned for exploring some of Ireland’s wildest scenery, Donegal Town gives us castle history, harbor views, music-packed pubs and access to Kinnegar’s farmhouse-influenced beers.

Travel Routes, Rail & Beer Connections

We travel by private mini-coach for the entire itinerary, allowing us to link Galway, Westport, Sligo and Donegal at a relaxed pace, with scenic and cultural stops along the way. Distances are short enough that travel days feel like gently unfolding journeys, not endurance tests. Within towns, we walk as much as possible, using taxis when helpful for late nights or specific outings.

Practical Notes

Group Size & Pace

This trip is designed for a maximum of 12 travelers. The pace is relaxed but full, with most days including a mix of walking, scenic drives, brewery visits and pub time. Evenings can run late when the music is especially good — though there’s always the option to turn in early if you prefer.

What’s Included

• 9 nights accommodation in carefully chosen hotels/guesthouses.
• Private mini-coach transportation for the entire itinerary.
• Brewery visits and tastings as described (Mescan, Lough Gill, Kinnegar; Galway Bay pubs).
• Walking tours with local guides in at least Galway, Westport, Sligo and Donegal Town.
• Breakfast each morning.
• Selected group lunches and dinners as noted in the daily itinerary.
• Beer-savvy BeerTrips trip leader throughout.
• All local taxes on included services.

What’s Not Included

• International flights to/from Ireland.
• Travel insurance.
• Meals not listed as included.
• Drinks beyond tastings and specific inclusions.
• Personal expenses and tips.

Breweries, Medieval Streets & Mobility

Irish towns and villages often include narrow lanes, uneven pavements and pub interiors with steps or tight corners. Coastal viewpoints and short walks may involve gravel paths or gentle hills. Travelers should be comfortable walking several miles over the course of a day at a relaxed pace, standing during tastings and navigating stairs without elevators.

If you have questions about mobility or whether this itinerary is a good fit, please get in touch — we’re happy to talk through details.

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About BeerTrips

For more than 25 years, BeerTrips has crafted small-group cultural adventures woven through beer, food and history. We travel deeply, laugh often and savor every local flavor — from brewery cellars to family tables, from tiny villages to iconic cities.

*Final brewery lineup and exact special-event timing are subject to confirmation and availability — substitutions, when necessary, will be at least as good as what they replace.