Private driver Ireland

Today i am enjoying a well-deserved break after finishing my latest tour yesterday. It was a really nice tour despite the fact that poor Maura had hurt her back prior to coming over from Boston. She was a great sport and suffered her misfortune like a trooper as she did not want to spoil anybody's holiday. I hope that she is recovering at home as i write.
This is a nice time for me to relax as the Galway Races are in full swing since Monday evening and this will go on until next Sunday. I like a small bet but never overdo it. It is nice to pick the occassional winner but i do not expect to create a retirement fund for myself. The weather for the first two days was not great but the sun is shining today and the crowds at the races are thoughly enjoying the excitement. There is always a great demand for my chauffeurdrive services for local tours of Connemara or the Burren and Cliffs of Moher at this time and i am sure that over the next few days i will be in demand as usual. I expect September and October to show an increase in the demand for driver and guide services or personal chauffeur services as air fares are better value in these months. I am dealing with enquiries all the time but let me know if you need any help. Now i am going to relax and hopefully watch my choice win today's big race, the Galway Plate.No harm dreaming.

Driver in Killarney

Once again i am drawing near to the end of another succesfull tour and this morning, as i look out my hotel window in Killarney, i could have wished for better weather. Our journey today takes us back over the Shannon river into county Clare. The Cliffs of Moher are on the agenda and it is not the best of days for that. Sometimes, if there is a heavy mist, you cannot see the cliffs at all so i live in hope that this will not be the case today. Galway is our final destination and that place will be buzzing as we are now about to enter into the week of the year there. This is Galway Race Week and there is no place like it during this coming week. The town will be alive from dawn to dawn. The town center will be packed with tourists and race-goers and the street entertainers will be there in their droves. The pubs and restaurants will be cramming them in and there will be no sign of a recession. People will once again be throwing their money about as though the Celtic Tiger has risen from the dead and there will be no thought of tomorrow. Galway Races does that to you. Seven days of top-class racing starting on Monday evening. There will be millions gambled by punters over the coming days and many dreams will dissipate into the Galway skies as the Bookies rub their hands with glee. It is a great week though and there will be great enjoyment and not everybody will be spending thier money in pursuit of the "big win".
I like a small bet myself but i am in no doubt as to who comes out on top when i take on the bookies. Come and enjoy yourself and maybe i will see you there.

Holidaying in Ireland

Last evening, as i strolled alone through the busy streets of Killarney after enjoying a lovely meal in one of its many restaurants, i could not help but feel like a tourist myself. I am presently on tour with a lovely family and i am enjoying it just as much as they are. I dined alone in my favourite Thai restaurant. I left my clients to enjoy time alone after i had settled them in my favourite Italian restaurant, Robertino's. They had spent a couple of days in Dublin before they met up with me and they were disappointed with their choice of places to eat. On our first day travelling together we had lunch in Cashel in County Tipperary. It was superb and they were thrilled with my choice in Cashel. A couple of them had chicken and mushroom pie and the rest of us had the roast beef. The home-made bread and butter pudding to finish off was just out of this world....and i got the recipe. It was all delecious. Since then they have become ardent fans of Irish food....you just need to know where to go. I think that most places are fine but some are outstanding and it takes a little time to get to know where they are. I have had to experience many different choices to fine- tune my selections and this undoubtedly is another very good reason for choosing this car and driver. You can read all your tour guide books and follow their recommendations and never be sure as to why they are really promoting a particular place to eat or to stay. I never look for back-hands and all i want is for my clients to be happy as we travel. I am looking forward this morning to finding out just what my present clients thought of Robertino's last evening. Personally i love their food and i am a great fan of Italian food myself. This present group have Italian ancestry and are much better qualified than i am to judge it so it will be interesting to know how they got on. I will let you know later. As for myself and my Thai meal.....i had a really great bowl of hot spicey chicken soup, succulent King prawns with plum sauce, and fried egg noodles with spring onion. It was great and i felt like a king as i strolled through the streets of Killarney to the sound of great Irish music calling me through the open doors of the many pubs i passed. Where else would you find the likes of it? It was not just the number of open doors i stopped to listen at....it was the quality of the music i heard, and i think that, as a musician myself, i am qualified to comment. I ended up in O'Donoghue's pub beside the Killarney Towers Hotel and thoroughly enjoyed listening to a band called Onura. They are a very talented group with some great versatile musicians and i will make a point of going to hear them again. All this entertainment is free and the pubs are great. I personally do not drink, but that was not a problem either as i was able to relax and enjoy a lovely Cappuccino. I always feel that i owe it to the management to contribute towards their entertainment and i never take up a seat without putting my hand in my pocket. They need to cover their costs and i play my part. As i made my way back to my hotel i stopped outside many of the open pub doors just to listen for a moment to their entertainers and i could have walked into any of them they sounded so good. I could not help but feel that our visitors to Killarney are indeed well catered for. I would also like to add that i did not for one moment feel that the entertainment was tailored in a "touristy fashion" for the Yank. No......an Irishman like me could enjoy it just as much. This was real Ireland being presented as it really is. Well done Killarney.....and i have two more nights here still? It's a hard life is it not?
Tonight i will be bringing my party to my favourite show....The Liam O'Connor Show in the Avenue Hotel here in Killarney. Liam is an accordionist of renown and his band and dancers provide an unforgettable night's entertainment. If you are in Killarney make sure to put it on your list of " have to do's". I have been many times, and tonight, i will go again.....that's how good it is.
Now i better get ready for my breakfast.....a full Irish again. The things i have to do just to survive.

Private Driver in the rain

The rain is still with us and i hope that there is not a hex on us like last year. June was lovely but July has been disappointing. What we are experiencing is showery weather, which is not actually all that bad as you can enjoy sunny breaks between the showers. I am in Dublin as i write and the sun is shining right now but we did have some very heavy showers in the afternoon. Lets hope that it clears for the Galway races next week. That is Galway's biggest week of the year and so many businesses depend on it and even more so this year with the recession.
I have started a new tour with a family of five and i am hoping for some sunshine. Right now the country is just as green as you could expect it to be.
The overall numbers travelling to Ireland will be down this year and that is to be expected as the recession bites and the dollar is hard hit. Many people are leaving their plans to the last minute. I have been busy up to now and hope that t continues. The airlines will be better value in September and afterwards so that may stimulate more activity. All of us in the tourist industry will have to take a cut just like everybody else right now. There is value to be had so if you are looking for a car and driver in Ireland just give me a call. The good news for the West of Ireland where i live is that today the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare have made it into the last 28 shortlist for the new natural wonders of the world. It would be really wonderful if they go all the way and make into the final list. Here's hoping.

Galway Arts Festival

One of major events in Ireland every year is now in full swing as the Galway Arts Festival continues to entertain the many tourists who travel here every year to enjoy a wealth of entertainment. Check it out on the internet.
The weather has taken a turn for the worse this week but we have had it very good this year so far and hopefully this will be a brief set-back. Ireland still remains beautiful even in the rain....i always say that somedays she just wears a different dress.
I start to tour again tomorrow but i will continue to post. If you need advice on a car and driver/guide in Ireland, or a chauffeur, just drop me a line. The West of Ireland is in full swing right now and the Galway Races at the end of this month is just around the corner. I will write more about this great week of horse racing again soon.

Looking for Driver/ Guide/ Chauffeur West of Ireland

I am constantly receiving enquiries from people in the USA with regard to the possibility of having their own private driver or chauffeur for their trip to Ireland. Most of these are people who do not want to drive themselves as they are just too wary of driving on the wrong side of the road but there are also those who just do not want to do the bus tour thing. They like to have more control of their holiday and of course this is the ideal way to go. How much better it is to be able to tell your driver that you would like to make a slightly later start in the morning to enjoy a little lie-in or how you would like to spend a little longer somewhere when you are enjoying the surroundings. The one problem they have is......what is it going to cost and can i afford it?
I do not do "ready-made" packages with a fixed price so i cannot give a standard price but i can offer advice and help and put together a package bearing in mind what the client has to spend. I can also help people to conserve their pocket money by advising them as to where they will get the best value when dining out or buying gifts etc. I also can arrange much better quality accomodation than they can as i get better rates than they will. Remember, the only extras you will have to pay yourself will be your flight costs and whatever food you eat as you travel. Food is good value in Ireland providing you know the right places to avail of. There will be very few places where you will have to pay entrance fees and anything you spend on shopping etc will be up to yourself. If anybody just wants to make a tentative enquiry and can give me an idea of just how much they can afford then i can try to tailor a tour to suit their budget. It costs nothing to make an enquiry and i will always do my best as i know just how much it means to people to make that "once in a life-time " journey to Ireland. If you are one of those people who have a dream just let me know and i will see what i can do for you.

Chicago to Ireland

Chicago can be proud of the wonderful group of young boxers who came to Ireland to promote relations with their Irish counterparts in both Cork and Galway last week. I was privileged to be able to attend the tournament in the Galway Bay Hotel in Salthill and what a great sporting occasion it was for all. For me it was extra special as our son Patrick, who lives in Chicago, was one of the main organisers of this event. It was his dream originally and he deserves great credit for following through on it and giving these kids the opportunity to raise their sights and to have a look at a world beyond the inner city of Chicago. They were a credit to their city and their behavior both inside and outside the ring was exemplary and won them many friends here in Ireland. A return visit by the Irish team is being planned for March next year and i may even be involved in that myself as i have been asked by the organisers here to lend a hand. That will depend on just how much time i have available but i am sure i will be able to be of some help. It was a wonderful idea from the begining and deserved the great success it achieved. Long may it last.

Private driver says "Buy Irish"

I have already touched on the fact that there are more than 40 million people of Irish descent in the USA compared to just over 4 million here at home. Ever since the New World was discovered people had been escaping from places like Ireland trying to find a better way of life. The famine in Ireland really brought it to a head and our population declined from 8 million to 4 million over a period of roughly 20 years. One million of these died as a result of the famine and many more died in transit or through sickness and poverty when they finally reached America. Many also survived and did indeed start to make a new and sucessfull life for themselves. There were those who were never heard of again but there were those who managed to stay in touch with their families at home and as they began to improve their circumstances they did not forget them and began to send money or packages of clothing back to Ireland. As the years went by this became more and more common and many families would not have survived without the help they got from their loved ones in the USA. Christmas was the time most of these packages arrived and the kids would be all excited waiting to see what was in the parcel for them. The dollars in the envelope were like manna from heaven and were always put to great use. It was so heartwarming to know that our own had not forgotten us.
During the more recent times of trouble in Northern Ireland the IRA took advantage of the strong feelings that our Irish Americans had with regard to the unfair and deplorable conditions the Irish Catholics had to endure and vast amounts of monies were collected and sent from the USA. This happened despite the fact that the Irish government and the US government did their best to inform people as to what this money was being used for. The donors believed that it was the right thing to do.
Now we have a very different problem. We are in a recession and eventhough this is a world wide problem, we in Ireland are in a critical state. Unemployment has run out of control and our finances are getting worse by the minute. Our credit rating has plummeted and our borrowings are now costing us a fortune. Companies are pulling out and heading for countries where the wages are much more attractive for the employers, and who could blame them. Our tourist trade is suffering as a result of te recession and the poor value of the dollar. Emigration has returned as there are no jobs. The dole queues are lengthening and tax intake has plummeted. Our exports are declining and we are in a mess.What can we do? What can you do?
We have three sons in the USA. We are not going to ask them to send us dollars as they have their own families to look after and they have their own recession.....but they can help us. Most Irish families have somebody out there just as we have and they too can help. They can buy Irish.They can tell others to buy Irish.If our people in the USA just become more conscious of just how much it would help us here at home if they looked for Irish products when they are shopping and purchase even a little on a ongoing basis then it would be a tremendous help to us here at home. Irish products such as our butter and meat are of the highest quality and nobody would be suffering as a result of having to eat or wear or use Irish products. If we do this then we can not only keep people at work here but we can create even more jobs. You can help...you can be a patriot....you can support the land of your forefathers in her time of need and help your Irish families to retain their dignity by being self sufficient.
The next time you go shopping maybe you can just take the time to see if you can find anything with the "Made in Ireland" or Produced in Ireland" label on it. Then you too can wear the label....
"100% Irish". Maybe also when you think about going on holiday.....you just might come back to Erin. You could not come at a better time as there is really great value here at this point in time.
If you need a driver or chauffeur then just give me a call.If all you need is advice....give me a call also.

Touring Ireland with Private Driver

When i first hit on the idea of becoming a private driver or personal chauffeur i really had no idea that i would end up doing what i now do. I thought that most of my work would be airport transfers or one day tours to local areas but i was not to know that my main market would be the USA. A small write-up in the New York Times, as a result of a letter sent by a satisfied client, brought me to the attention of people who had wanted to come to Ireland but who did not want to go the bus-tour route or the hired car option. They wanted somebody to take them around for the full duration of their holiday. Fortunately for me i knew my country well. I also had a good education and therefore knew my geography and my history and was also a native Irish speaker. It was a challenge, but one i welcomed. I was also most fortunate that i was to have as my clients so many Irish Americans, and indeed many Americans with no Irish ancestry at all. One of the main joys that i experience is the joy of travelling with people who appreciate what Ireland has to offer and who enjoy being with an Irishman who knows and loves his country like i do. There is nobody more enthusiastic about a visit to Ireland than the American tourist. I am sure that there are many other tourists from many other countries who do appreciate their Irish adventure but there is nobody more openly enthusiastic than the American. They do need a little time to get to understand the Irish sense of humour, but once they do they enjoy us very much. ...and they love our Irish accents. I find them eager to be friendly....just like us Irish. I know that some people say that many Americans are loud but that is only true of some of them ....and you do not have to go too far to find equally loud Irish people. I think that many of us Irish men exhibit an immaturity in our behaviour which allows us to let our hair down in public and i feel that many of our American friends are very similiar, especially the men. I love being around people who love a laugh. I think that as a result of many events in recent years some Americans are a little concerned as to how they will be received when they come, but rest assured, you are more than welcome here in Ireland. There is a strong bond of friendship between us Irish and our American friends and.. never forget that we have more than 40 million people of Irish descent in the USA, and considering that we only have a population of somewhere between 4-5 million here at home, that has created a strong bond between Ireland and the USA. . Most of us have relations in the USA and i personally have three sons over there so i feel like a major shareholder in your country. I always get the impression that for many of my clients it feels like they are happy to have "come home at last. Their "Irish Tour" is a lifelong dream. It is a privilege for me to be here to make them feel at home. You are indeed most welcome.

Private Driver in the rain

Well it had to come at some stage and it sure did. The rain has fairly bucketed down over the last few days. England have had their share of it also and there has been a lot of damage due to flash flooding and the high winds. Thank God i am looking out my window this morning at a bright sunny morning. Our forecast today is for some light showers but a much calmer morning. We cannot complain as our weather this year so far has been great compared to recent years. I am on tour with a party from Long Island and today we head for the Dingle peninsula. It should be lovely and i always enjoy being there. Driving conditions for the last few days were not very nice and my party were glad that they had their own private driver. There were times wen you could not even see the road and aquaplaning was always a danger.A chauffeur in Ireland can be very useful.
The Chicago Youth Ambassadors, a team of young boxers from the inner city in Chicago, arrive in Ireland tomorrow to take part in two challenge tournaments in Cork and Galway.I personally am very excited about this as my son Patrick,who lives in Chicago, is one of the main organisers of this event. The team is comprised of kids between the ages of 12-18 and some ofthe team have never been further than their neigbourhood before and you can just imagine how excited they all are. In the not too distant future some of these kids could well be representing their country in the Olympic games in Chicago. I hope to be present on Sunday night next when they take on the Galway team in the Galway Bay Hotel in Salthill. We look forward to having you with us Chicago. Have a lovely time in Ireland.
Now i better get on with my latest Irish Tour.

Tipping in Ireland

This is a subject that i feel needs clarification as there seems to be a lot of confusion as to whether or not tipping is the norm in Ireland. I am led to believe that many tourists from the USA are being told before they come here that tips are not expected in Ireland. I would love to know how they came to that conclusion. Let me make it clear here and now....tipping is expected in Ireland and we Irish tip just the same as anybody else.
Maybe i should start by explaining just what i think tipping is all about. I would like to say that first of all i always tip when i think i have received good service no matter where i happen to be at the time. For me it has nothing to do whatsoever with whether i am in Ireland or the USA. It is solely because i am happy with the service i have received. I know that in the USA it seems to be looked on as compulsory to tip. Personally i do not like to look at it that way and if i am unhappy about the service i receive i sometimes will not tip at all. I find it embarrasing when somebody asks me if a tip is expected, and i believe that anybody would be if put in the same position. If you have to ask then it would appear that you really do not want to tip anyway. I do understand if somebody is unsure as to how much they feel they should give as their tip. My understanding is that in the USA 15% is pretty much the norm. In Ireland i think we tip according to how we feel about the service we have received. Use your own judgement and tip accordingly, that is my advice. It is a nice thing to do and it is also nice to be on the receiving end and to know that people feel that you have done a good job. It also helps to pay the bills.
Finally let be just say that if somebody goes that extra mile for you then maybe you should let them know that you have noticed. As a tour operator and private driver and guide i will always do my best with no strings attached. Your holiday in Ireland will be special and will not depend on your tipping me but it is always appreciated.
Your opinion would be appreciated.