The Great Tours: Ireland and Northern Ireland

A look at two of Ireland's most iconic tourist spots, the Rock of Cashel and the Guinness Brewery; these sites represent a microcosm of Ireland's story; an introduction to the people and the landscape of the Emerald Isle; a preview of the grand tour.

Investigating the origins of civilization in Ireland; visiting several ancient sites, including Newgrange and the great Hill of Tara; what the ruins say about the Celtic people, their religion and some of the myths of Irish history.

St. Patrick is one of the greatest figures in Irish history, linked to the story of both the island and Christianity; visiting several important sites that include Croagh Patrick, St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Clonmacnoise monastery.

Irish history's entanglement with Great Britain; from the Norman castles to the battlefield of Aughrim, the Irish landscape is imbued with relics of British imperialism; exploring the British-Irish divide, which is also a Catholic-Protestant divide.

An exploration of the 20th century; stops on the tour include the general post office in Dublin, which plays a role in the 1916 uprising; the town of Derry, home of the Bloody Sunday tragedy; a typical modern farmhouse in the Irish countryside.

Shifting attention to modern-day Dublin; considering the vestiges of the city's medieval roots, including the wood quay that marks the site of the Viking invasion and St. Audoen's Gate; a tour of Dublin Castle and Trinity College.