Céad Míle Fáilte to 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 in Ireland where Gaeilge or Irish is the everyday language. Beidh seans agat Gaeilge a chlos is a labhairt m’ás mian leat.

'Men build their dreams as they build their circle of friends.
God is in the bits and pieces of Everyday.
A kiss here and a laugh again, and sometimes tears,
a pearl necklace around the neck of poverty.’
- Patrick Kavanagh (from the Great Hunger)

We wish to advise that any decisions regarding our tours will be taken in accordance with official government guidelines as the safety of our pilgrims and cultural tourists is paramount.

Our annual pilgrimage to Skellig Michael, Co. Kerry can no longer take place this year as the OPW has announced the closure of the site for the 2020 season. We are optimistic that Carpe Diem Tours can visit this historical site in 2021.

Our weekend tour to the majestic Dingle Peninsula including a trip to visit An Blascaod Mór has also been rescheduled to 2021. We hope to announce the rescheduled tour dates as soon as possible to this magnificent Gaelic-speaking part of Ireland.

We regretfully announce that our 'Bring on the Balkans' tour can no longer take place this year as anticipated due to Covid-19 travel restrictions. We at Carpe Diem Tours look forward to running this spectacular tour at a future date.

'Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine' is an old Irish saying meaning 'In the shadow of each other, people live'. In essence, we rely on one another for support; people need one another. We sometimes lose sight of this with the hustle and bustle of modern day life. In these times, this saying is eerily prescient as we witness great kindness and community spirit in our battle against Covid-19.

We at Carpe Diem Tours hope everyone is keeping safe and well in these very uncertain times. We look forward to brighter days when we can once again gather and enjoy diverse cultural experiences together; laughing, praying, singing and reflecting on these strange and difficult times.

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...

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

Thank you so very much for all your courtesy, generosity, helpfulness and attention to detail. It was one of the best organised events I have ever attended. Very special thanks for organising Tom as our 'chauffeur/tour guide' on the return journey to Killarney. He went way beyond the call of duty and provided ‘Icing’ on the whole pilgrimage 'cake'. Love, Joy and Blessings, Mari Anne

Thanks Micheal, we had the time of our lives and would recommend this tour to everyone we know. We particularly enjoyed being re-baptised in the River Jordan and the wonderful sense of community we enjoyed everyday. Pat & Louise Morgan

Read more Pilgrim's Stories