Chauffeur/Car and Driver/ in Ireland

Since i Blogged last i have been more than busy enough. Yesterday i spent in Connemara with a lovely family from the USA. They have a daughter in University in Galway and came to Ireland to spend some time with her this Christmas. Fortunately the roads had cleared and we had no trouble with snow. Kylemore Abbey was the only disappointment as it was closed but we did enjoy a stop-over at Ashford Castle where we had morning coffee and scones. We drove through the Maam valley and Leenane and ended up in Clifden. This being the first Monday after Christmas there was not too much activity in Clifden and many places were closed but they really enjoyed their tour and tomorrow we make our way to the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher. The forecast looks good so hopefully they can enjoy another special day in this wonderful area.
Talk to you again soon.

Chauffeurdrive Vacations in Ireland

Monica, the lucky winner of the Charity draw, being presented with he hamper.

Singing Christmas carols for my retirement home friends.

Yes....this is where i was this afternoon....entertaining my many friends in one of the retirement homes i visit. They are such a pleasant and fun group to play for and i know that they really appreciate the music. The top photo shows Monica, one of the residents, receiving her hamper.What a lovely lady she is. She emigrated to England from Connemara at the age of sixteen and did not have a word of English at the time. She learned her English at night school and, with the help of her first employers, went on to be a trainee nurse and finally a fully qualified nurse. I was asked to draw the winning ticket today and i could not have picked a nicer winner. What made it even nicer was the fact that she said she had never won anything in a raffle before.
The cold weather continues here and is set to stay that way until the 26th. We have experienced the worst and longest cold spell on record in December with temperatures as low as -17 degrees. For Ireland that is bad. Fortunately for us here in the area where i live we avoided much snow so our roads have been passable. The big problem has been frozen and bursting pipes. In other parts of the country the roads have been deadly and traffic delays have been a huge problem. Dublin airport has experienced a lot of problems also but Shannon has been good.
Christmas is almost upon us and i look forward to spending Christmas day with all the family (those members who are at home here in Ireland that is). I may get to Blog again before Christmas but if i do not then i wish you all a happy and peaceful Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Dave

Looking for car and Driver in Ireland?

A view of the rugged Kerry coastline from a mountain road.


I have been missing for a few days as i have been tied up with all the pre Christmas preparations. The local high school had their annual Christmas concert and i was asked to be a part of that, and it was great fun. It was an exciting privilege for me to sing with the backing of a girls choir of over eighty students and i really enjoyed that. I am also involved in providing some musical entertainment in a couple of retirement homes, and i find that most rewarding. I am not quiet finished yet as i am also in charge of our local church choir and Christmas eve is always a big night for us. Everybody loves the carol singing and it does add to the Christmas spirit.
I will not be idle over the Christmas as i have a family touring with me for a few days from the 27th. They have a daughter studying in the University in Galway for a year and have come over to spend some time with her during the holiday and to see some of the country while they are here. I do get this type of work occassionally and it can be very nice.
Christmas in Ireland is quiet a long drawn out holiday compared to many other countries and it can last for a couple of weeks. It is not the best time of the year to be looking for an electrician or a plumber. Many businesses close down for at least three to four days, and some for longer. In the past nobody worked on either Christmas day or St Stephens day (Boxing day). If you ran out of milk or sugar you borrowed from a neighbour, or did without. Nowadays you will always find some place open, even on Christmas day, but not a lot.
Our weather continues to be extremely cold for Ireland and a thaw is not expected until at least Christmas day. I hope it happens at least that early as i will not tour if the roads are unsafe.
I am expecting the usual arrival of enquiries once January comes in and the general feeling is that we can expect a good year next year. The reduction of prices in Ireland has made an Irish holiday more attractive so, if you are planning on coming here, get in early. I am here to help if you need me. I hope to comment again before Christmas but in the meantime,

Happy Christmas to all.

Dave

Looking for a driver in Ireland

I took these photos last evening at the harbour in Kinvara. Someone had decorated their small yacht with Christmas lights and i thought that it was cute. The lights of Kinvara can be seen in the background.

The cold spell has come to an end for the moment here and a general thaw has set in. Hopefully all the ice and snow will clear away before the next cold spell arrives later next week, if the forecasters are right. The western side of the country was not badly affected, so we were fine, but Dublin and the eastern side, and the north and north west, were very bad. Many people are still without water in these areas and many roads in the higher regions are still impassable. If these clear over the next few days maybe the next spell may not be as bad as snow has not been forecast.
Our new budget, which was introduced this week, looks like being passed in parliament so our journey towards recovery should be under way if things work according to plan. There has been a lot of anger over the stringent measures being taken and people are rightly disgusted that the banks are getting away so lightly. There are those who think that we should have reneiged on the banks debts but personally i think the government did the only sensible thing that they could do if we wanted to maintain our good name abroad as being a safe country to invest in. Would you invest in Ireland ever again if we wrote off money you had invested in our country? Well if you would then you would be one of the few i think. We have done the honourable thing and i feel we will have good luck in the long run for that. Do the right thing and move on, and in the meantime, life goes on.
Talk to you again soon.

Car and Driver Ireland West

The River at Ballinahinch Castle Connemara

What a beautiful scene this is. Ballinahinch is one of my favourite castle Hotels and this is your view from the dining room and the patio at the rear of the hotel. There are also bedrooms offering this fantastic view of the river and you could not ask for a more relaxing place to stay than here. For anybody interested in salmon fishing, this is available as the river is the property of the hotel. They also supply gillies, men who are experienced fishermen who will assist you if you need expert help. The hotel is set in its own grounds with lovely forest walks and river walks. It is also close to the wonderful little harbour town of Roundstone and not far from Clifden, Connemara's most westerly town. Most of Connemara's most famous and beautiful sights are within striking distance of Ballinahinch, which makes it a great location for anyone touring this famous region. The hotel was once upon a time the residence of the famous O' Flaherty family, and Grace O' Malley, the notorious pirate queen, married into this family and spent some time here. It was also owned by an Indian Marharajah later on. The famous "Trigger" Martyn, a member of the British parliament for the Galway region, and a man who was involved in founding the Society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, also owned it at one time so there is a great mixture of spirits roaming around this place. Trigger got the name as he was fond of duelling. Seemingly he got on better with animals than he did with human beings.
Our cold spell goes on but it looks like we may be in for a slow thaw over the next few days. We have been lucky here in the west of Ireland as the east and south east, and the north of the country, got the worst of it by far. I always say, Go West young man. Yes.... when it comes to Ireland, West is Best.......but do not even consider leaving out the rest.
Comments welcome.

Family History

Following my earlier post i tried to email Mercedes requesting any information she might have with regard to her family history in Ireland. Unfortunately the e-mail address she sent me has returned unsent. If you read this Mercedes, please send me an address that i can write to you at.

Dave

Irish chauffeurdrive vacations

This is another Norman Tower castle and one that has been restored and is now privately owned. You can see this one near Doolin in county Clare. The Aran Islands are visible just to the left of the tower on the horizon.

I have been in Killarney since Friday and had a really nice couple of days there with my wife. We stayed in the Plaza Hotel right in the heart of the town and i love this place. The staff are always so nice there and for me it is a home away from home as i am often there with my guests during the season. It is a great hotel location-wise also as it is within walking distance of everything in this great town. Make sure to make it your home when you get to Killarney. You can tell them that Dave sent you....it will not do any harm at all.
I had a comment on my Blog from a lady who wants me to help with tracing her ancestors and i would dearly love to be able to help. I will reply to her and see what i can do but sometimes if there is not enough information it is like looking for a needle in a haystack. You can read her comment on my Blog.

Tim and Willy on KML108

Tim in the Tower

Not exactly the Tower of London, but Tim did end up in O'Brien's Tower at the Cliffs of Moher at the weekend. I want to express my thanks to Tim for the nice things he said about me on the show. It was also quiet an honour to hear my rendering of Galway Bay on the air. I am not too sure just how many people of Irish origin there are in the State of Arizona but us Irish have a habit of infiltrating just about everywhere. Tim himself is the proof of that and, from what i hear, he has become a very welcome addition to Phoenix. Now i have to put Phoenix on my list of places to visit.
I would like to thank those who left comments on my Blog and welcome any new comments or questions readers may have. Please feel free to write.
The big freeze continues to cause havoc here at the moment and there is no sign of a let-up for at least another few days. We rarely get prolonged snow here and when we do we are not equipped to deal with it. Hopefully it will clear inside the next few days.