Chauffeurdrive Vacations West of Ireland

My Long Island ladies at Inch Beach in Dingle
From Left Diane,Maureen,Eileen,Barbara and Caroline.


The ladies in the lovely town of Adare

Today i collected my Long Island ladies at the Bunratty Park Hotel and what a happy group they are. They had just completed their bus tour with a Banquet in Bunratty last night so needless to say they were a little tired. Their spirits were high nonetheless as we made our way to the lovely town of Adare where we spent some time enjoying this special town.The thatched cottages are always a treat for the visitor. Our next stop was Killarney where they enjoyed a snack in Mac's restaurant on the main street and it was late afternoon by the time we reached our final destination at Dingle. This was a really nice start to what is a relatively short tour and we all enjoyed our first day together. Tomorrow we tour the Dingle peninsula and i know that everybody is looking forward to this. More to follow.

Chauffeurdrive tours Ireland

Sheep on an Irish mountainside in Kerry

I have been between tours for the past few days but i am on the road once again tomorrow until Saturday with a group of five ladies from the USA. These ladies have been on a bus tour for the past week but want a more relaxed tour for three days before heading home. If you want to follow along i will be blogging as i go. See you then.

Irish chauffeurdrive vacations

A Holstein dairy farm next door to the Kelly home.

Salmon fishing on Doolough in the heart of Connemara.

The headstone erected by the emigrant Kelly family over the family plot.


Just a few more photos from my most recent tour. Now i have a break at last for a few days. So much to catch up on.

Dave

Chauffeurdrive vacations Ireland

Eileen, with her new-found cousin in Mayo. The cottage in the back-ground is Breda's mother's old home.

The restored family cottage
The family plot in the old graveyard

Sorry for being absent for the last few days but i have been more than busy as my present tour reached its final few days. On Tuesday we left Galway for Bunratty where the group celebrated their final night at the famous banquet. This turned out to be a great success and they all loved it. Early Wednesday i took six of the seven to Shannon airport where they caught their flight for the USA. Eileen, the remaining member, was now to set out on her journey of discovery to Mayo where her ancestors departed from in1849. Our information was scetchy and all we had to go on was the name of the townland where they lived. In previous searches there had been no further luck in discovering exact locations or names of any family members who remained behind when Eileen's great-grand parents left Ireland. We stayed in Ballina at the Ice House Hotel as it was quiet close to where our search would take us. This hotel is most unusual and was indeed an ice house located on the riverside in Ballina where the boats came for ice to freeze their catch of fish.The hotel is noted for it's fine cuisine and if you are in this area it is well worth a call. You can learn more by Googling this place.
After checking in we drove into our search area. I began to feel that our luck was in early on as it turned out that there had been only one family with Eileen's surname in this area even through in the wider area there had been many. Amazingly we were directed to a family member's old cottage which not only was still standing but had been restored (photo included). Yesterday we returned to the area for a much more detailed search and visited the local church where we met with the parish priest who introduced us to an elderly lady who gave us information of existing relatives. We found the ruins of the old church where the family would have been baptised or married or indeed where their funeral masses would have taken place and we visited the old cemetery where we found the old family grave. We were directed to Crossmolina, and to a lady who was related to Eileen, in another town not far from where they had lived, and met with this surviving relative who will now be able to help Eileen with her research with regard to relatives who went to the USA. This lady, Breda, was a really lovely lady, and our time with her, though limited, was special. This was an amazing day of discovery and by the time we got to our final destination in Kinvara in county Galway last night i felt that this had really topped off the tour for not only Eileen but also for myself.
As i write this, it is early morning in Kinvara and Eileen will be departing from Shannon hopefully with a feeling that her tour has been well worth while and is the begining of a new journey for her as she uncovers more new and exciting information on her long-lost family.
Thank you Eileen, and all of you ladies from Reno, and i wish you all the best in the rest of your life adventures.

Your friend

Dave.

Touring Connemara with Chauffeurdrive

Some of the ladies at Aasleagh falls near Leenane.

The full team in the Doo Lough valley

This is what you call high tea at Ashford castle

The golf course at Ashford with the castle in the background

Today's tour was always going to be special and all we needed to make this possible was reasonable weather, and we got even better than that. Our first stop was the award winning town of Westport where the ladies had time to do some shopping. Then we all had a great lunch at the Castlecourt hotel in the heart of the town before we set out for our joureny along the southern shores of Clew bay. St Patrick's holy mountain, the famous Croagh Patrick, was partially shrouded in the mist but was nonetheless impressive. Then it was on to Louisburg before turning south to make our way into the mountains of south Mayo. The Doo Lough valley and the fjord at Leenane are among my favourite scenic drives and the drive from there through the Maam valley to Ashford castle is sure to take your breath away. Ashford castle is steeped in history and is now one of the world's most famous hotels. The list of prominent people who have stayed here is endless and our stop off was another special treat for the ladies. Sitting in the drawing room, enjoying our tea and scones, with clotted cream and an assortment of jams, was most relaxing and i for one would have stayed there a lot longer if we had the time but there were other things to do when we arrived back in Galway so we had to move on once again. This evening the ladies are enjoying a meal in the Galleon Grill in Salthill which should finish off another great day in Ireland.
Tomorrow morning they will have a chance to explore the Galway city centre before we make our way to Bunratty where they will be attending the medieval banquet, a great way to end what i hope has been a lovely tour for them.

Touring Ireland with a private driver and guide

Typical Connemara ponies

These ponies thrive in this region. They originally arrived here accidentally as they were on board the Spanish Armada vessels which were wrecked on our western coastline during that fateful storm many years ago. They are a beautiful and very even tempered horse and are ideal as childrens ponies because of this and also because they are a three-quartered size horse and not too large. They originated in North Africa and amazingly the climate in Connemara really suits them. They come in many different colours but the grey and speckled grey are my own favourites.
The Cliffs of Moher

Friday we left Killarney and journeyed across the Shannon river to the Cliffs of Moher and on to Galway city. It was a great day for the Cliffs and everyone enjoyed their visit here. The weather held up for us and was a great improvement on the previous day where many areas had suffered rain.
Connemara was our destination yesterday (Saturday) where we visited Kylemore Abbey, Clifden and Roundstone before making our way back to Galway via Rosmuc, Inverin and Spiddal. Our weather was not as kind as Friday and a heavy mist obscured much of the wonderful views to be had in this region. It was still a good day regardless.
Today (Sunday) my party head for the Aran Islands and that will be a great experience for them and one i know that they are looking forward to.

Irish Chauffeurdrive Vacations

The ladies at Inch beach today.
Yes......that is the famous Fungi, the Dingle Dolphin
My old friend Maura with the ladies outside her house at Slea Head.Here we visited the ancient Beehive huts for a small Euro 2:00 charge. This lady is a native Irish speaker, and just to spend a little time with Maura is in itself worth the money.

Some more photos of my present tour with my group from Reno. Today we had a wonderful day on the Dingle peninsula and the weather was fine with quiet a lot of sunshine.

Touring the west of Ireland

My group of ladies from Reno enjoying the magnificent scenery on the Ring of Kerry.


Our journey today took us around the famous Ring of Kerry ending at Muckross House in Killarney where Queen Victoria stayed during her visit to this area. The day started showery but by the time we got half way around the Ring the sun was shining and the remainder of the day was really nice.Everybody was in great form and had all enjoyed the great show last evening in Killarney. I would recommend this show always for anybody who appreciates traditional Irish music and dance.The venue is the Avenue Hotel right in the heart of the town so it is very easy to find. Tomorrow we head for Dingle so there is much to look forward to.

West of Ireland Chauffeurdrive Vacations

Liam O'Connor with his dancers and band in Killarney
My Reno ladies with Liam after the show

Chauffeurdrive holidays Ireland/ Private car and driver

Molly Malone with her wheel barrow

She has been immortalised in that famous song of the same name and she stands at the bottom of Grafton street in the centre of Dublin.I took this photo on Sunday when i arrived to collect my latest party for their tour. I have been so busy since then that i have not had time to Blog but hopefully i will put that right over the next few days.
We left Dublin on Monday morning and made our way to Kinsale where we spent last night. This morning we made our way to Blarney and now as i write i am in Killarney for the next few days.
This latest group consists of seven ladies and all is well and they seem to be having a great time.
Our weather has turned a little unsettled and it is now cooler and quiet showery. Up to now we have been blessed so we cannot complain.I will be writing more over the next few days so i hope you follow along.

Car and driver/guide for Irish vacation

Shannon Ferry docking at Killimer county Clare

The west and south west of Ireland are extremely popular with tourists and journeying either up or down from county Kerry to county Clare and Galway, taking in the Cliffs of Moher en-route, you are well advised to use the Shannon ferry. The ferry runs from Tarbert on the Limerick side to Killimer on the Clare side and takes you across the Shannon esturary near the town of Kilrush, or of course the other way around. The journey takes about 20 minutes and is a most pleasant one in a very good ferry which can carry about sixty cars. Not to use the ferry means travelling all the way to Limerick city to the nearest bridge across the Shannon. During the high season the ferries run on the hour and the half hour but in the off-season they run on the hour from the Clare side and the half hour on the Limerick side. If you are lucky you may see Dolphins as you cross.
My next group arrive in Dublin tomorrow morning (Sat). This group will be keeping me occupied until the 24th September so it will be a busy time for all. Hopefully i will be able to Blog regularly so follow along if you have time.

Talk to you soon.

Dave

Chauffeurdrive Vacations in Ireland

So what's your hurry? We are fine....we have our Border Collie.

High in the mountains overlooking the Atlantic with the Beara peninsula in the background
The club house and the eighteenth green at Lahinch Golf Club. This is a magnificent links course and one of the oldest in the world dating back to the eighteen hundreds.From an old golf course to an old pub....surely one of the smallest pubs anywhere.

Enjoying the sunshine high above the lakes of Killarney

My group are now on their way back to the USA as i write after a most enjoyable holiday in Ireland. They would have loved to have had more time here but then that is always the way. They were great company and a real fun group and i miss them already.
Thank you all for allowing me the pleasure of showing you my wonderful country.

Dave

Chauffeurdrive Vacations in Ireland

My party on the Ring of Kerry with the Dingle peninsula and Dingle Bay in the background and a beautiful Irish sky.

I am now once again able to post some pictures and hope that you like them. Over the last couple of days we have made our way from Kinvara in county Galway to Killarney via the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher.We crossed the Shannon river on the ferry into county Limerick and then into county Kerry and the town of Killarney. Then yesterday we toured the famous Ring of Kerry and these photos are just a small selection of the many we took on these journeys. I can post some more of them in further posts over the next couple of days. These photos are not in the order of our travel but enjoy anyway.

Crossing the mighty Shannon river on the ferry from Killimer.

No mistaking the Cliffs of Moher
Lemenagh Castle, an old O'Brien fortress in the Burren of county Clare

Chauffeurdrive vacations in Ireland

The mysterious Blasket islands off Dingle on a misty day.

I must apologise for failing to Blog yesterday as i just did not have time.My party went to the Aran Islands and had a really wonderful time, eventhough the boat ride was a little bumpy on the way back. As i was not with them i do not have any pictures for you. Now i have to report that i will not be adding any more pictures until i get back to Kinvara on Wednesday evening. This morning we left Kinvara for the Cliffs of Moher. I am now in Killarney as i write. I forgot to bring the connector for downloading the pictures from my camera to my laptop so the pictures will not appear until i get home on Wednesday. I will have a lot of nice ones for you then so stay in touch.
The Cliffs of Moher were at their best today and this was a real bonus as we had just about given up on going there last night when we heard the weather forecast for today. What a lovely surprise it was to find this morning that the skies looked promising to the west and the nearer we got to the Cliffs the brighter it got. The sun was shining when we got there and we really felt blessed and everybody thoroughly enjoyed the spectacular views. We crossed the Shannon river on the ferry from Killimer. We are now in Killarney and the sun is still shining. So much for the forecast. I have said it before and i will say it again......when they tell you it is going to rain in Ireland it does not mean that it will rain all day. A typical Irish rainy day is one where you get showers, not non-stop rain.If we had paid heed to the forecast what a lovely treat we would have missed today.
Tomorrow we head for the Ring of Kerry and i have no intention of looking at any weather forecast. I still have enquiries coming in for October so if anybody has plans to come anytime soon just give me a call.

Dave

Private Driver for Irish Vacation

Gerry and Larry at Galway Golf Club with the Bay and the Clare Hills in the background. Please note the blue skies. Who dares to say that it always rains in Ireland?
My new group on the lawn in front of the Galway Golf Club
From left, Larry, Georgeanne, Patricia,Gerry, Judy and Lynda
The Grafton Capital Hotel in Dublin

This is a view of the entrance to our hotel in Dublin where we stayed last night. It is located right in the heart of the city and convenient to many of the main sights. I always find it very satisfactory and once again my clients had no complaints. Hotels in Dublin in general can be noisy, especially at weekends, due to the fact that there are many visitors who come to Dublin just to party and no matter where you stay you cannot be guaranteed a quiet night. The streets can be noisy also so ask for a room off the street to protect you from these noises. The bottom line is, if you are fussy, bring ear plugs. Then maybe you can be fully sure that you will be undisturbed.
I dined on my own last evening in my favourite Indian restaurant in Dublin. This is just down the street from my hotel. It is called Jaipur and their food is wonderful. The restaurant is very nice and not too large so either get there early or call and book. They have Early Bird specials also so early can mean better value. The staff are really nice there and the manager, Jaswanth, will not mind if you mention my name to him. You just might get special attention. The menu there is excellent with a great variety of choices, both meat and sea-food, and they also have a vegetarian selection. Many people feel that Indian menus offer only spicey foods but there are many things on their menus that are not spicey at all. I love their food and always look forward to dining there when i am in Dublin. Give it a try.
I met up with my latest group, (pictured in the photos on top) in Dublin at our hotel this morning. I thought we might meet last evening but we missed each other and did not meet until breakfast this morning. Breakfast at the Grafton Capital Hotel is a meal in itself and they offer a fine variety of choices. You can start with your cereals and juices and fruit and then have you typical Irish breakfast of bacon, egg and sausag and beans etc, if you are fit for all of that. You also get all the toast you want with a endless supply of tea and coffee. After a breakfast like that you do not need too much until evening time. Yes, i do like this hotel.
Our final destination today was the town of Kinvara on the southern shores of Galway Bay. Kinvara is a quaint little harbour town with its own castle and a great selection of old style Irish pubs and restaurants. The food here is great also and there are many places offering a varied selection of dishes with anything from Pizza's to great steaks, lamb, and sea-food. Our drive took us into Galway city as i wanted my new friends to see the main city sights before going to Kinvara which is about 20 miles from Galway. The day had started out wet but by now the sun was shining and the sea-front at Salthill was spectacular with many people enjoying a stroll along the promenade or swimming in the blue sea. Galway Bay was at its lovliest. We ended up visiting the Galway Golf Club at the end of the promenade, where i myself am a member, and stopped off for a snack. Some had the soup of the day while more of us had a wonderful sea-food chowder. The views from the restaurant at the club are amazing with the golf course, and Galway Bay, and the hills of county Clare across the Bay. Needless to say my friends were impressed and poor Larry, who loves his golf, really would have been in heaven if he could only have had the time to play a round of golf. Today i would gladly have joined him but it was not to be. He will just have to come back again. After touring the city and taking in many of the sights we made out way to Kinvara and Fallon's, their B&B for the next two nights. This B&B is lovely and is located right in the heart of this quaint town. Tomorrow they head for the Aran Islands for what i am sure will be another memorable adventure. The forecast is good so it will be special i know.

An interested reader of my Blog once expressed concern with regard to my putting pictures of my groups on my Blog. This is never done without permission and many people love to have their families at home in the USA following along as their tour unfolds. I do publish their Christian names but never the Surnames or addresses simply as a matter of identity protection.

Once again i am blessed with a lovely group of new friends who are here with the very obvious intention of having a holiday to remember. I am sure that i will be enjoying it all with them just as i did today.

Chauffeur/Private driver and guide Ireland west

The famous Cliffs of Moher

I have been having a break and have not been keeping my Blog up to date but i am now starting a new tour with a group from Mass, so maybe you can follow along with me. Tomorrow i head for Dublin to meet them for the first time and then we head west to my own favourite part of this magical country. Our weather continues to be really nice with nice cool breezes today and plenty of sunshine. Our temperatures are in the low 20's (approx 70 US ) and the air, as always, is as fresh as can be. Anybody who complains about Irish weather should travel a little more and sample what people have to put up with in some other places right now. I know that our internatiuonal soccer team are in Armenia where they have to play a match tomorrow in temperatures in the 40's. How they will manage at that heat i have no idea but it will be something i am glad i do not have to do. More about that again. For now.....come travel with me over the next few weeks and maybe you can enjoy some more of our country.

Dave