Reader's Holiday
The Irish Inn is run by a man born in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, who is proud to hail from The Land of Saints & Scholars. The innkeeper's wife is herself a published author. Great storytelling and literature are perhaps the best known exports of the British Isles and Ireland, so The Irish Inn has developed a holiday for people who appreciate good books. Our Reader's Holiday offers the peace, quiet, and tranquility of the Shawnee National Forest in Southernmost Illinois. Come for two days, and bring your electronic reader or let us choose two or three books for your time here. The cost is $328 all inclusive. The best way to decompress and fully enjoy the wilderness and literature is to opt for our 7 Books in 7 Days holiday. The cost is $700 (includes all tax, meals, etc.), and either bring a bag of books, or if you are adventurous, let us choose what you will read. During the week, you will tour nature areas, sit by our cozy fires, enjoy great Irish and international foods, and read books by authors from Ireland, the U.K., Southern Illinois, one book on the New York Times best-seller list, two non-fiction books about Ireland / Southern Illinois, and if you dare, perhaps start Ulysses by James Joyce! Side trips to wineries, nature areas, the Rivers, shopping, and (of course) book stores round out your time here. Drive if you must, but The Irish Inn is an active Amtrak rail partner. We pick up and drop off guests from area airports or the Carbondale Amtrak rail station who visit The Irish Inn. A recent guest described this experience as a solution to cabin fever. "I entered this magnificent cabin, and read my way out of stress, frustration, and tedium!"Genealogy Holiday in Southernmost Illinois
Spend a weekend searching the oldest areas of Southern Illinois for your ancestors, and stay at The Irish Inn. This three-day, two-night holiday includes a spacious suite in a stone and log chalet, full Irish breakfast, fireplace, pond, grounds for walking, and a location actually in the Shawnee National Forest. Look for your ancestors by day, and use high-speed internet resources and our small genealogical library to continue your search here after hours. You can sit in front of a roaring fire while you meet with living relatives still living in this area and sip hot chocolate or traditional Irish tea. $359 (double occupancy) includes the holiday at The Irish Inn along with a personalized chart of your family from our genealogical database. For two separate individuals sharing a two-room suite, the cost is $199/person for the full package. The Irish Inn partners with Amtrak, and will pick up and drop off visitors in Carbondale. Can't make it to Southern Illinois to trace your ancestors just now? Write to irishinn@lycos.com or call (618) 695-3355 or (618) 695-LOVE and order a starter family chart with information specific to your family for $19 plus the cost of copies and mailing. If you have a Cherokee ancestor, call Dallas Cain of the Western United Cherokee, 618-922-3273 to learn about their monthly cultural (first Friday of the month) and genealogy study nights (third Tuesday of the month) in Vienna, Illinois at the Vienna Public Library. You can combine attendance at the Cherokee meeting with a great getaway to The Irish Inn. Elopement Package
Imagine getting married under a sea of stars, in front of a large fireplace burning hickory, in the forest, on horseback, at the bottom of a canyon, before a Native American?s sacred fire, or at water's edge? Any of these scenarios have been chosen by couples who have married at or near The Irish Inn. We offer an elopement package for $500, which includes the couple's stay at The Irish Inn for two nights with all amenities and full Irish breakfast, arranging the marriage license, providing an officiant to perform the ceremony, witnesses, wedding cake, and photographs taken by our staff with your digital photography equipment. To elope call (618) 695-LOVE! Stress Free Wedding Package
This amazingly low-impact marriage package includes your wedding ceremony, minister, cake, silver service, china, and fine linens that will delight the marrying couple, their attendants, and guests. We plan weddings rain or shine, with couples getting their marriage license in Pope County the day before the ceremony. Some weddings that were going to be outdoors in the nature areas have ended up being in front of the fireplace in the great room of The Irish Inn due to inclement weather, but this never dampened any spirits! The room is so large we can set up for as many as 25 guests seated and later cleared out for dancing. All you have to think about is what you will wear, the bouquet you will toss, and how to get here. This is the lowest-impact way to get married, and instead of being stressed throughout, just show up and enjoy yourselves! Prices start at $999 for up to ten guests. One of the best weddings held here was on St. Patrick's Day! Call (618) 695-LOVE to get married at The Irish Inn. Haunted Holidays
This area may be the most haunted place in Illinois, and many sites of paranormal activity are located within walking distance or short drive from The Irish Inn. You can enjoy a haunted holiday with us that includes an eerie ghost tour! We suggest getting started just before dark. Many of the sites involve walking, so bring your comfortable shoes. Choose either comfortable suite at The Irish Inn and enjoy our huge Irish breakfasts, snacks, teas, and coffees; and ghost tours for $328 all inclusive. If you cannot make it for a two-day paranormal experience, book a night during the week for $165 plus tax. The other worldly activitie in this area have been featured in a Haunted Illinois story of Illinois Now magazine, and in print, broadcast, and electronic media throughout the country. Read fictionalized accounts of area hauntings or read the ghost menu on The Irish Inn website at http://irishinn.tripod.com/id12.html
Call (618) 695-3355 for a sensational scare! Between The Holidays (11/27/2009 thru 12/24/2009)
Visit Southernmost Illinois for a holiday break before between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Bring your gifts to wrap by our warm hearth or go shopping for bargains in Southern Illinois or across the Ohio River in Amish Country or Paducah, Kentucky. This is a great opportunity for busy couples or girlfriends to relax for a few days at The Irish Inn between the two busiest holidays of the year. All visits include our trademark full Irish breakfast in the mornings and a turkey with all the trimmings brunch one day and fabulous pulled pork from a restaurant just down the road, so you can let someone else do the cooking while you relax! Two-day visits are $350, and for each additional day add $99. Call (618) 695-3355 to plan your holiday decompression getaway! New Year's Eve (12/30/2009 thru 01/02/2010)
Ring in the New Year in the heart of the Shawnee National Forest wilderness at The Irish Inn. Enjoy a three-day/two-night stay that includes welcome gifts of gourmet chocolates from The Chocolate Factory, cheeses any Epicurean would envy, olives, locally produced wines and imported champagne, a six course New Year's Eve dinner, and our signature Irish breakfast / brunch. Surely it will be brunch on New Year's Day as you will want to lie in on our luxurious California king beds in the arms of the one you love. Our all-inclusive New Year's Eve package includes December 30th and 31st (nights), and your farewell brunch on New Year's Day. Enjoy Irish tea or hot chocolate any time at our large home fires, and plan all the wonderful things you will do in the coming year. Enjoy our DVD or traditional library, play board games, watch satellite HDTV, play with resident animals, or tour the area wineries or nature areas during the days. Total cost (all inclusive) is $500/couple. Remember that The Irish Inn is an Amtrak rail partner, and we will also pick up and drop off couples flying in to area airports. |
