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.

'Tell me what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?'
- Mary Oliver

Booking is now open for our trip of a lifetime to the Holy Land which will take place 29th August to 8th September, 2023. See our pilgrimage page for details.

It was not possible to organise a satisfactory tour to the Balkans this year. Instead we are heading to the southern Mediterranean and two islands near the Toe of Italy, MALTA and SICILY. This tour takes place 12 - 22 October 2023, and booking is now open.

We also look forward to returning to our annual pilgrimage to Skelling Michael, Co. Kerry in late May 2023, weather and the OPW, who oversee this UNESCO Heritage site, permitting.

Our weekend tour to the majestic Dingle Peninsula including a trip to visit An Blascaod Mór will also take place in July 2023. 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 experienced 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...

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. I had the time of my life, and would recommend this to everyone I know. 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. I had the time of my life, and would recommend this to everyone I know. Dearbhla de Barra 2019

Dear Micheal, I thought our pilgrimage to the Holy Land was an amazing event. The Carpe Diem Tours website gave good details of what to expect on the trip. The meeting of participants in the SMA about two weeks prior to departure was very informative. The hotels were of a very good standard, and a great variety of food was provided and plenty of it. You were on duty 24/7 always on hand to answer questions and to ensure no one was missing or left behind – like a mother hen looking after her chicks! I was interested in all the sites we visited, and the guide, Alyius, and Fr. John gelled so well together we got maximum benefit from their inputs. I used to dismiss the Old Testament as irrelevant, but now have a better understanding of its importance to Christianity. I was delighted with the opportunity to be baptised in the Jordan, and later visit its source. Floating in the Dead Sea was quite an experience, despite getting salt in my eyes. Once the stinging stopped, I think salt was good for my eyes! Our days were very busy visiting so many sites; however time spent at Mass or prayer was an opportunity to sit and relax. We were quite a diverse group but everyone seemed to fit well together, each looking out for the others, and no cliques developed. Airport delays and military check points we could do without, but no one has control over these. Getting us all on that flight from Istanbul to Dublin last Saturday was quite an accomplishment. Well done. You make a great leader and I would recommend your tours without hesitation. Thanks for the trip of a lifetime. Frances Hedigan 2022

Read more Pilgrim's Stories