Private Driver West of Ireland

The clocks have gone back and early signs of winter are appearing. It has not been that cold yet but we are beginning to notice the shorter days and the wintry feeling in the air. It has been wet and windy and not too nice. The tourists are now few and far between and i can begin to relax a little as most of my work at the moment concerns airport transfers or just simple day tours in my own locality. People are always wanting to visit the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren, and Connemara is popular even in the winter also. I can cover both of these areas from where i live without having to overnight. It is amazing how popular the cliffs can be at this time of the year and of course when the ocean is stormy the spectacle can be even more exciting. The wilds of Connemara are also very different in the winter and it helps us to picture just how hard it must have been for people to live in this region in olden times when there were no real roads or transport. There was a large population there before the famine as these people had been evicted from the good land in other parts of the country and driven into the barren rocky and mountainous regions of the west of the country. How they survived at all is a mystery but many did not, and those who did had many problems. When the famine struck they had no chance as their main source of food was the potato. Emigration was the only hope for many and even then many died in transit. Those who did manage to get to the USA had once again to struggle to survive but over the years they put a life together and were there to look after those of their own who followed them to the new world. They also did their best to send whatever they could home to their families and the letter or parcel from America was always a blessing, especially at Christmas time. How things have changed and when people talk about feeling the pinch nowadays with the recession they really do not know what real poverty is. I am not suggesting that people are not experiencing real problems now but we do not see many on the side of the road....not yet anyway.
Modern Ireland is a revelation and it is hard to imagine that anybody is short of anything as you travel though the countryside and see all the magnificent houses, the landscaped gardens and the two cars outside the door. Hopefully the recession will not last too long and the panic will be over and we can get back to sensible living. Maybe we are learning a very hard but valuable lesson.
Maybe we should all have a long and serious look at our Christmas shopping lists this year and get a little sense. Do the kids really need all those toys and gadgets that we buy them and which are obsolete in no time at all? And just what do we need ourselves? If we could just stick to what we really need then that would make sense but do we really need the extras? Do we need to fill shopping trolleys to the top with all kinds of rubbish that ends up untouched in cupboards when Christmas is over? We shop as though the shops are going to close down for a month when they are only closed for a couple of days at the most. How much food do you have left over after the Christmas dinner? We cook enough to feed the neighborhood. Maybe this year we can be a little more sensible. If we were i think we could maybe have an extra few days on holiday during the year, and how nice that would be. Think about it.....it might even help us to keep the weight down, and in my case that would be no harm. I will try to be sensible.....but maybe just a little kind to myself. If we could do with a little less ourselves this year and maybe give a little more to the genuine charities who look after the poor and underprivileged then it would be a better Christmas.....and one that would truly reflect what Christmas is all about.
Comments welcome.

Halloween in Ireland

Halloween in Ireland is not exactly as i remember it when i was a lad. It has become very commercial and people spend a lot of money on decorations and all kinds of attire for the children nowadays that we never had. We would paint our faces with whatever we could lay our hands on...usually soot, and maybe lipstick, and we would dress up in whatever adult clothing we could find and try to look scary. We went door to door and very rarely were given money. We would be given fruit and nuts and maybe sweets sometimes. These days all the kids want is money as they have all the other things at home already. We would sing a couple of songs at the doors, and people would make sure that we did, or we would not be given anything. Later we would gather in our own homes and play all sorts of games, diving for apples was one of the favourites. I can remember cracking the nuts with my teeth, something we would all do in those days as you would be a real swank if you had a nutcracker in your home.. not to be recommended i would think, but maybe we had better teeth in those times as we did not get as much sugar or sweets to rot our teeth. I think my favourite nuts were the hazelnuts....i loved them. I also liked the Brazil nuts but we rarely got them. We would also have oranges, and the oranges in those days seemed to be huge. They were the Jaffa oranges and i can remember how big they were and how thick the skins were on them. They were delicious and a real treat as we did not get them very often. The same applied to sweets....you would be lucky to get sweets on a Sunday and when you did get them you really appreciated them. Nowadays if you bring a child into a shop you have such a selection of sweets on display it is hard to understand how they still find it hard to find something that they like. They turn their noses up at most of them..."I dont like them" and...."I dont like them". Spoiled is the word. I can remember when i was in secondary school (high school) i was a day pupil and the resident boarders used to get me to smuggle in sweets for them when they had money to buy them. There was no shop in the school in those days and you would be punished if you were caught with sweets. What a terrible crime. The criminals were the authorities with their sad minds. I felt like Dick Turpin helping the poor and i would do it with a heart and a half. I bought so many from my local shop they would give me extra sweets so i would have a few for myself.
The weather has turned wild and wet but not cold and i am hoping that we might still get some more clement weather before the winter sets in. Our clocks went back last weekend so now we have darkness descending by 18:00 hrs and it really does give you that winter feeling. The extra hour of daylight that we now have in the morning is a help though.
I do not have any major travelling this week as of yet but i do have a lot of programs to work on for clients and there are other things around the place to be done now that i have more home time. I am here if anybody wants me so drop me a line when you have time. Chauffeurdrive holidays in Ireland can be a pleasure at any time of the year. Talk to you again soon.

Chauffeurdrive/Private Driver and guide/Ireland

I have not been as active at Blogging this week as i would have liked but i did mention that i was having a break with my wife in Killarney so spending my time on the computer would not have been the thing to be doing. As it turned out it was an extremely busy week there as Killarney is not only a great centre for tourism but it also has a great convention centre which attracts a lot of large conventions. This week there was massive Google gathering as they had their sales conference for Europe there with over two thousand in attendance. Where would we be without Google. I am sure that it was worth a lot of money to the town of Killarney, and my hotel, the Killarney Plaza, was full. They left on Wednesday only for another large group of women to arrive, and they were on a Christian retreat. They all appeared to be of African origin but are living in Irleand. So this has been a good week for Killarney and a badly needed one what with the recession and everything.
Now i am back in business once again and i have a couple of enquiries for next year to deal with and a couple of programs to put together for clients. I find that Americans ae great at planning in plenty of time and the early bird does catch the worm. I have only so many weeks available during the season so if you are thinking of coming this way make sure you do not leave it too late.
I really enjoyed Killarney and managed to put on a few pounds due to some lovely meals. I overdo the breakfast at the Plaza but i think that most people do and the temptation while on holidays is just too much. They have wonderful oatmeal and of course the Irish breakfast of bacon, egg, sausage and black and white pudding are irresistable, plus a few slices of toast and a pot of great coffee. I usually finish off with a couple of pancakes with maple syrup.....no wonder i put on a few pounds. Now it is back to the diet and the daily swim when i have time.
Write to me if you have a comment please.

Hotels in Killarney

This week i found i had a few days to myself and decided that a trip to Killarney with my wife would be a special treat. I made contact with my favourite hotel and they had availability for me so that was that and we are now enjoying a lovely break from it all. Killarney is a place i love to come to whether it be work or to relax. The town itself has much to offer in the line of good shops and restaurants, great pubs with a great variety of entertainment, and a fine variety of accommodation. I am writing from my own personal favourite hotel in Killarney......the Killarney Plaza Hotel. It is most important for me that my clients are happy with the services i supply and quality accommodation is very high on that list. I find for me that the Plaza supplies all that...wonderful location right in the heart of the town, really helpful and considerate staff, great food and comfortable and clean accommodation. It is one of three hotels in Killarney owned by the O'Donoghue Ring Hotels group. They also have the Killarney Towers Hotel and the Avenue Hotel. These are also lovely hotels catering for people on a slightly tighter budget and i can also recommend them highly. Both of these hotels are also located in the heart of the town so you never need a cab at night after you have been out on the town. I love to swim myself after a hard days work and the Plaza and the Towers both have lovely pools and gyms so this is an added benefit. If you choose to stay at the Avenue you can use the pools in the other hotels. Staying in top-class accommodation is vital for me when touring as i feel you need somewhere where you can be sure of a good nights rest after a long day when you are on holiday. Rest is most important and i make sure that my clients have a nice place to bed down. I must say that i really look forward to my evening meal at the Plaza as i make my way around the Ring of Kerry or the Dingle peninsula. You do get a great appetite in the wonderful fresh air of county Kerry and you will need it as an evening meal at the Plaza is all you could ask for. They have the best of good Irish steaks and the Kerry lamb is out of this world. Their fish is always fresh and Irish Salmon is always wonderful and most popular with Americans. If you can still manage it, their Creme Brulee dessert to finish is the best i have ever had. I had better not go on as my salivary glands are begining to act up......just try it for yourself and let me know how you get on. You can contact any of these hotels at
www.odonoghue-ring-hotels.com
I will be here until Friday morning so i will try to keep you up to date on my break. Are you feeling jealous? Well you can have your own private tour with this private driver...chauffeurdrive/guide.
Comments welcome as always please.

The Burren and the Cliffs of Moher

This morning my bus collected me in Kinvara and i am pleased to say that all of my senior citizens were delighted to see me. What a happy group of people they are. This group consisted of mainly widows and widowers but there were a few married couples also, and a few singles. Today we were headed for the Burren of county Clare, a region that was once upon a time the ocean floor. Later it was to be completely under ice during the ice-age and now is a unique area covering some 400 sq miles of limestone mountains and is just a wonderful place to visit. There are hundreds of tiny flowers growing here, some that you will not find anywhere else on God's earth. There are many old castles and abbeys and monasteries and magalithic tombs that date back thousands of years.The views of Galway Bay and the Aran Islands offshore in the Atlantic are stunning. The Aran Islands are at the mouth of the Bay and the Connemara coastline and mountains are to the Northern side. The day was beautiful and the sun shone for us all the way. Once again we had a great sing-song and had a fun stop-over in O'Connor's pub in Doolin where we had a lovely lunch. I had a sea-food chowder which was delicious. After lunch we took the coast road back to Ballyvaughan via Black Head and despite the time of year it was quiet busy. I sang a lot of songs for them and read some of my own poetry, which they loved i am glad to say. By the time we returned to Kinvara later in the day it was with a heavy heart i said my goodbyes, but not without a lot of hugs and kisses. They are on their way home to the east of the country today with my driver and bus after what they tell me was a great holiday. They will definitely be back to me and i look forward to that.I hope to try to encourage more group tours from the USA in the future as i really do enjoy them. I love the chauffeurdrive tours and the private driver and guide jobs also but there can be a lot more fun with a big group especially the more mature ones. They seem to be able to let their hair down when they all get going and they love to sing and tell jokes and share stories. Let me know if you have any ideas that i can help you with and i would love to work with anybody planning something in this mould. I can look after all the arrangements at this end so all you would have to do is organise your flights. I cannot think of anywhere that you can have more fun than in Ireland. Come and see for yourself.

Touring the West of Ireland

As a private driver and tour guide i sometimes think that i have been blessed with an occupation that allows me to feel like i am on holiday myself as i travel through some of the most beautiful places on God's earth. Today was an unusual day for me as i had been approached a few days ago by a small private bus company who were touring my neck of the woods with a group of Irish pensioners. They simply did not feel that they knew enough about this side of the country to supply their own guide so they wondered if i could bail them out on this one and be their guide. Normally i just look after my own personal clients but on this occasion the lady who spoke to me was so nice that i felt i could not let her down. She was the wife of the owner of the bus company. From the moment i joined the bus on the outskirts of Galway city this morning i knew i had made the right decision. Traveling with senior citizens has always been a special favourite of mine and today was no exception. Being their guide in what we know as God's country today was an honour and a privilege.They were lovely from the word go and before too long we were enjoying the stories and jokes and the songs. Yes...i did sing a few songs for them and indeed we all sang together as we wound our way through the mountains and valleys of Connemara. We passed through the Quiet Man country around Cong and through the Maam valley, and what a gorgeous day it was for this. We do get our share of rain in Ireland but there are days also when it does not rain, and today was one of those. It was truly special and on reaching Kylemore Abbey in the heart of the Twelve Pins (a mountain range) we were ready to tuck in to a hearty lunch. There is a lovely restaurant here and i would have to say that they must have been glad to see all of us arrive (28 in all). The homemade vegetable soup and quiche were great and i had a big slice of apple pie and fresh cream to finish up. What a tough life i have.
Our return journey took us along the northern shores of Galway Bay back into Galway City. What a lovely day i had and when they dropped me off where my good wife was waiting for me they left me in no doubt that they wanted me to be their guide again tomorrow. In the morning we make for the Burren of county Clare. The forecast in for a lovely sunny day again and i am really looking forward to that.
I think one of the special pleasures of travelling with the older generation is that we can talk about the way things used to be in the "Good Old Days" and reminisce about things that the younger ones can never experience. Things may have been tough back then but life was good in so many ways and we never missed what we never had. There was an appreciation for the little we had and people looked out for one another and a neighbour was someone you really knew. We talked today about the excitement at Christmas time and how we treasured the little gifts we got and they were few... but wonderful. If we were short of anything we really did not notice it that much as long as our tummies were full. We were not handed menu's but we ate all that was left down in front of us. We got excited about hand-me down clothes and wore them with pride. I had older brothers and could not wait to inherit things like their long trousers and corduroy jackets, and i remember that well. Yes, today was a trip down memory lane for me and i really am blessed.
I will post again as soon as i can and let you know how our trip to the Burren goes tomorrow.

Comments welcome.

Ireland in the sun.

Summer in October....that is Ireland today. We are bathed in sunshine and what a beautiful day we are having. It seems to be settled and the forecast for the next few days at least seems to be more of the same. I have a large group of senior citizens to bring on tour over the next few days and i really am looking forward to being a tour guide in the Burren of county Clare and also Connemara in county Galway. I know how special this will be for this group, and senior citizens are at the top of my list when it comes to "easy to please" touring companions. They are never demanding and love a song and a laugh, and i think i can provide both. There is a journey along the shores of Galway Bay which takes you from the Cliffs of Moher to Ballyvaughan, and what a beautiful drive that is in the sunshine. You can see the Aran islands clearly just offshore at the mouth of the Bay and the coastline of Connemara just across the water on the northern side. The blue of the water on a day like today is a sight to behold and the backdrop of the hills of Clare behind you completes the perfect picture. It is the perfect place for a rendering of that favourite old song of Bing Crosbie's, Galway Bay, and i am sure that i will give it a twirl as we take it all in. Being a chaufferdrive/guide in this kind of weather is not work at all. I become one of the group and feel like i am the only one not paying but yet getting just as much out of it as everybody else. I know that it is still work, and not easy work, but i love what i do, and especially when i have people with me who are enjoying themselves. I will let you know later in the week how it all went. In the meantime please leave your comments if you wish.

Holidays in Ireland

Despite the fact that we are now into October there are still some tourists enjoying what has been a really nice spell of weather. It has been mild and cool, but with plenty of sunshine, and it looks set to continue next week with a return to plenty of sun after a little wet weather at the weekend. A chauffeurdrive holiday at this time of the year can be really nice as you have a lot less traffic around and you can tour at your leisure. Autumn colours are special also and it is one of my own favourite times of the year.
There seems to be growing confidence worldwide that maybe we are over the worst of this recession and the stock markets are reflecting this. I have noticed a gradual increase in enquiries for next year already and that is a good sign for me that people are begining to plan for that holiday in Ireland again. As a private driver and tour operator my main market is the USA and a return to growth there will be good for all of us. It is still a time for investors to be cautious though and beware of high risk funds. The safe route with modest gains will do fine for now as the small gains plus the reduction in the cost of living and inflation when added together still show reasonable returns .
Tonight i am at work on itineraries for next year so i will be at my computer into the later hours but that is the way it is for me at this time of year. If you want me you know where i am.
I notice that i get a lot of visits to my Blog but very few people add a comment. Why? Let me know....and do not be afraid to make a comment yourself.

Chauffeurdrive holidays Ireland

As this season begins to draw to a close i am already finding that the enquiries are coming in for next year. This is very positive and it gives me plenty of time to work, together with my prospective clients, to ensure that they get the holiday that they want ....and especially at the time that they want it. I cannot hold dates indefinitely for people while they try to make up their minds and at the end of the day it is the person who makes the commitment and books the dates that has to be honored. If i am working on dates with somebody then i will not let those dates go without giving them a chance, but minds have to be made up, and when they are, i will not go back on them. Now is the time, if you do have intentions, so just drop me a line and lets get to work.
Today i am relaxing a little and the sun is shining, so what more could you ask for. Yes, it is October in Ireland, and the sun is shining. Have a nice weekend.

Airport transfer Shannon Dublin Cork Knock Galway

Airport transfers are an important part of my business, especially in the Winter months. My local airport is Galway but Shannon is quiet convenient and most of my collections there would be people on their way to the Galway area. Normally the run from Shannon to Galway would take in the region of 45 minutes to an hour depending on the exact destination and the traffic. Shannon is a really great airport as it is small and so easy to get in and out of.
Things are quietening down quiet a bit now but the enquiries for next year have already started and that is reassuring. I like to be thorough with my planning and when people get to work on a plan early it really does make a difference. My chauffeurdrive business has grown thanks to word of mouth recommendations and the West of Ireland is becoming more and more popular with Americans. There was huge emigration from the western counties during and after the famine as this was the area of the country which was most dependent on potatoes. With over 40 million people of Irish descent in the USA no wonder we have so many of our cousins wanting to come home to the motherland. Ireland is a special place and when you have Irish blood in your veins it makes it even more special. As a driver/guide i love to share my knowledge of our history and traditions and our music with my guests and i am here to serve and hopefully help to make your dreams come true.