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...

The highlights for me were: having Mass and being able to take Holy Communion in amazing places, such as the cave where Jesus was born in Bethlehem; in the open air on the Mount of Beatitudes with the birds singing including the colonizing yellow canaries; ascending Mount Tabor by taxi; being in the boat on the Sea of Galilee. Our bus driver and our tour guide, Nimrod, were fantastic and so helpful they became our friends throughout the whole trip. Fr John prepared for us and gave us each day wonderful notes for each day ahead. This was most generous of him and greatly appreciated by everyone. Thank you Mícheál, for arranging this wonderful experience. Aideen 2016

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

Read more Pilgrim's Stories