Céad Míle Fáilte go dtí Carpe Diem Tours

Welcome to Carpe Diem Tours

Carpe Diem Tours is a unique tour company specialising in cultural tours and pilgrimages since 2007. We cater for the tourist who wants to get behind the scenes when they visit a destination, meet local people and experience the local culture. Some of our local tours visit Irish speaking or Gaeltacht areas. Beidh seans agat Gaeilge a chlos is a labhairt más mian leat.

'If we winter this one out, we can summer anywhere.'
- Séamus Heaney

Our trip of a lifetime to the Holy Land is taking place August 31st - September 10th, 2022.

Our eagerly anticipated cultural tour to Cyprus will take place from October 14th to October 24th.

We also look forward to returning to our annual pilgrimage to Skellig Michael, Co. Kerry in 2022.

Our weekend tour to the majestic Dingle Peninsula including a trip to visit An Blascaod Mór will also take place in 2022. We hope to announce the scheduled tour dates as soon as possible to this magnificent Irish-speaking part of Ireland.

We at Carpe Diem Tours look forward to the months ahead, when we can once again gather and enjoy diverse cultural experiences together; laughing, praying, singing and reflecting on the strange and unprecedented times we have all experience over the past few years.

Beir bua is beannacht,

Mícheál De Barra
Tour Director

Tá Carpe Diem Tours lonnaithe i mBaile an Fheirtéaraigh, sráidbhaile gleoite i gceartlár na gaeltachta in iarthar Chiarraí. Tugaimíd cuairteanna mórthimpeall na háite seo gach bliain. ‘Sé buachphointe an turais do ghach einne ná cuairt a thabhairt ar an mBlascaod Mór. Mar an gcéanna an turas to dtí Sceilig Mhichíl. Is breá linn Gaeltachtaí na h-Eireann a thaispeáint d’ár turasóirí, go mór mór turasóirí ó thíortha thar lear.

Bespoke Cultural Tours of Ireland

As well as booking one of our scheduled tours, Carpe Diem Tours would be delighted to design with you your bespoke cultural tour of Ireland which may extend to a week or ten days and which will begin as soon as you arrive at your Irish airport. We have had several groups from Canada who availed of this facility.

Contact Mícheál for further details.

What our Pilgrims Say...

Mícheál, you are amazing. Words cannot express our gratitude for all you have done to make this trip a trip of a lifetime for everyone. We've had a fantastic learning experience. Thank you for your insights and guidance. I hope we have many more opportunities to meet and it has been so wonderful sharing your culture with you. Tiniki come to Saskatoon and we will introduce you to our Cree Culture and hospitality and laughter. Jennifer, Bill, Vicky & Wanda 2017

The trip to the Holy Land was exceptional in every way, the attention to detail was profound. I felt very accepted, minded and safe all the time. It was most prayerful and the little Red Prayer Book is a lovely keepsake, together with Fr John’s handouts. I would love a copy of the DVD. It would be lovely to play around Christmas, to remember the glorious weather and think of good memories. Gemma 2016

The wonders of the Holy Land were only surpassed by the wonderful people that Mícheál had brought with him to this fantastic place. When one suffered we all were in pain. On Wednesday I met 18 total strangers. Ten days later I left 18 new friends behind at Dublin Airport. The tour as organised by Mícheál de Barra and led by Fr John Newman left nothing to be desired. It took place between 8th and 18th of June. The hotels were great, the food was outstanding and we had a great guide in Nimrod. Yes, it was a pilgrimage but the religion was light and appropriate and Fr John's commentaries on the Gospel readings illuminated not only the life of Christ but brought life to the very stones that were contemporaneous with Him. "John's Nuggets", as we referred to the notes he gave us each evening, informed us about the places we were to visit the next day. It would be difficult for a Christian to visit the Holy Land and not have the trip made more meaningful by the Gospel. From Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee in the North through the Golan Heights and Nazareth and Cana and to Bethlehem behind the Wall and onward to the Dead Sea and Jerusalem we journeyed. Everyone had there own favourite place. Masada was awe inspiring but I was moved by Calvary in a way I could not imagine or describe. It was the most wonderful experience. I returned wealthier and wiser with some long held ideas confirmed and some changed. I am glad that I took my wife's advice (orders) to go. I would highly recommend the trip. Until next year in Jerusalem. Mike Moriarty

Read more Pilgrim's Stories