Car and driver, chauffeur, in the west and south west of Ireland.

One of the horse drawn cars in Killarney town centre
He who dares ....wins

I seem to be focusing a lot lately on animals and i suppose that that would not be out of the ordinary for me as i do love animals. The top photo features one of the horse drawn cars which carry people around on general tours in Killarney and Muckross Park and House but the most dramatic and magical of all journeys on one of these is through the Gap of Dunlo in the Kerry mountains. This journey starts out in Killarney where you catch a bus to Kate Kearney's Cottage at the entrance to the pass. There you board your carriage for the journey up through the Gap. The scenery on this route is just breath-taking and the descent to the Lakes of Killarney on the far side will just knock you out. Then you board your boat which takes you on another magical trip down through the Lakes where you finally arrive at the famous Ross Castle on the outskirts of Killarney. You have to allow a day for this journey but it is well worth the time. This journey cannot be undertaken any other way as cars are just not welcome on these very narrow and dangerous mountain roads. Anybody risking this is not only putting themselves in danger but also the lives of those travelling in the horse drawn cars. Just do not do it.
I was in Killarney myself this week and really enjoyed a couple of days there. I did a little shopping in Quills in the main street where the merchandise is always high quality and great value. They carry a great stock of woolen garments, Linen, and all kinds of fashion, both mens and womens. I stayed at the Avenue hotel right in the town square and found it very much to my satisfaction. It was also good value and i liked the old-fashioned look of this hotel. I would recommend it highly.It is one of the O'Donoghue Ring Hotels ....they also have the Killarney Plaza and the Killarney Towers. They are all fine hotels and located in the heart of the town.
The second photo i took at the back of my own house yesterday. That lovely old house belongs to my neighbour,Tom, who is a farmer, and that bullock is one of his. There is ivy growing on top of the wall and they go crazy for it at this time of the year. This guy was not going to miss any of it. How he managed to get up on top of the wall is anybody's guess but that is where he was and i just had to catch it on my camera. I was afraid that he might break a leg getting back down, as there was no easy way to do this, but he did manage and all was well. I think that he has most of it gone now so hopefully he will not be up there again. My pony, Taffy, was not impressed as he was not too keen on letting that stranger into his field.
All's well that ends well.
Enquiries continue to mount so, if you are planning on coming, now is the time to act. My Chauffeurdrive tours offer safe and enjoyable journeys to wherever you may wish to venture. Just drop me a line.

A Salmon river in the heart of Connemara
Traditional Galway Bay Hookers in Roundstone

Both of the above photos were taken last Summer during my touring season. The contrasting weather would be typical of Ireland as it is difficult to predict from day to day just what kind of a day lies ahead. The beauty of it all really is that we do get a fair mix, and when we do get a wet day it rarely rains all day. I have been touring now for a good many years and i have never yet had a tour that was ruined by bad weather. I always say that Ireland is beautiful all of the time, it is just that some days she wears a different dress. I have been in the above areas on many occasions but just looking at the photos now makes me feel like i want to go back there again soon. Maybe i will do that with you.
The Hookers are a very sturdy boat and were used to transport all types of cargoes along with their fishing duties. It can be a problem at times explaining to my touring companions that a Hooker in Galway is a boat, but it is a fact. There was a hotel in Galway that named their bar "The Hooker Bar" after the boats and it caused many problems for visiting wives when they saw their husband disappearing into "The Hooker Bar". Understandable i suppose.
I am pleased with the amount of enquiries coming in for the season ahead and i look forward to a busy year once again. If you are thinking about coming our way then just drop me a line anytime.
Talk to you again soon.

Dave

The Harbour in Kinsale from the hillside above

Kinsale is a beautiful and historic town situated on the south coast just south west of Cork city. It is also noted for its fine restaurants and i myself can vouch for that as i do love my food. The high quality of Irish food always seems to surprise my North American clients, and i am not quiet sure why as i have always felt that it is as good as it gets. All of our Beef and Lamb comes from free range animals and you can never equal the flavour of meat that has been raised on open pasture. I find that many visitors from the USA seem to be strangers to lamb, as we eat quiet a lot of it here, especially from Easter onwards. The Easter lamb is expensive as that is the first real lamb of the new year. As the year progresses it does get cheaper as more lambs come on the market. Make sure you try it when you are here.
I have been busy as usual and as expected i am now receiving quiet a lot of enquiries. Compiling itineraries does take time when you are tailoring plans individually for people but that is what i like to do. They may visit many of the same areas but it is what they do in these areas that varies quiet a lot. I may have to explore areas within areas especially when there is family history involved. I enjoy that though and i love the excitement when people find that they are now in the heart of the very place their ancestors were born in, and maybe where they spent their early years.
Our weather this month has been really nice...cold but with plenty of sunshine, and great fresh air. January can be a wild and wet month here and it is such a relief to get this far through the month without having had any of that. The days are slowly but surely begining to lengthen and the feeling of Spring is in the air. What a lovely country Ireland is when the sun is shining.
At long last we have a date fixed for our general election and we should have a new government by the end of March. Many people are excited about this prospect but i would not be expecting things to suddenly become wonderful again for some time to come. We are on the road to recovery i believe but it will be a hard and long slog. Such is life.
The upside of this for those who may wish to come to Ireland is that there is value here now as prices have come down and improved considerably. Maybe you are one of those who might wish to avail of the good value that is to be had here now and, if so, then just give me a call or drop me a line. I would love to hear from you.

Dave

Private Irish tours with car and driver

A sight less seen

I can remember well just how common a sight the donkey was in an Irish field....or on the roadside as you passed by. They never wore a coat like these two here, and they roamed wild in many areas. There was use for a donkey in those days, and most farmers had a small donkey cart, which was very handy for going into the nearest village or town to collect your few messages or whatever. They were also a very useful animal on the bog as they were light and would not be as inclined to sink in the soft ground. They would have woven baskets hanging on either side when they were working on the bog and these could be loaded with the cut peat. They were such a quiet and easy animal to manage and were also a great pet for children. Now they have become obselete really as nobody has any use for them anymore. We do have donkey rescue centres and some people still keep them as pets for their children. Our means of transport have improved but my memories of the bygone days when we had donkeys and horses on the roads and in the fields leave me feeling that we have lost something very valuable.

My wife was in England recently and, on returning her car to the airport, left her cell-phone in the car. I was at home when i received a call from Hertz informing me that when they went to clean the car they found a phone. My wife had already called me from the airport thinking that she had left her phone at her mother's where she had been staying. When Hertz called me she was still in the airport terminal and i asked them if there was anyway they could possibly get the phone to her. She had gone through security at this stage and they felt that there would be a problem. However they contacted security who managed to locate my wife and get the phone to her before her flight departed. Needless to say she was delighted, and so was i. I would like to thank Hertz sincerely for the trouble they went to, especially Janet in the Bristol airport office who handled this for me. I would also like to thank whoever cleaned the car and found the phone and handed it over. I know that there are many places where this would have ended in a very different way. I always use Hertz and find them top class. Now i have even more reason to continue to support them.
Thank you Hertz....and Janet.

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A River that flows both ways

This is a river that actually does flow both ways as it is tidal. This in itself would not be unusual but the unusual thing about this one is that it actually looks like it is flowing downhill when it is flowing either way.

Now is the time when the heat comes on and the enquiries start to come in. I find that most North Americans like to start their planning early and that suits me fine as i have only so many dates available for tours. If you are interested please do not delay as i hate to disappoint anybody. It will always be first come, first served. There will be good value again this year as prices have come down due to the recession, and that is no harm at all. There is great value in food here and also in general shopping. Hotel prices have also become much more attractive and, eventhough i always go for the better quality hotels, i am now getting better prices than ever. It is also worth bearing in mind that i get better prices than you will yourself and this is reflected in your price.
One of our sons from New York is now on holiday here with us with his little boy and it is lovely to have them for a while. Our son in Chicago will be here at the end of the month for a couple of weeks also and he will have his eldest son with him too. They visit regularly, sometimes with all of the family but occassionally just with one or two of them. We ourselves have not been over to the USA for a couple of years now but i am sure that it will not be too long before we get to visit again. I get so many invites from all of my friends over there it is hard to keep saying no. I would love to be able to visit all of them, and what a treat that would be. Maybe some day.
Life goes on here as usual and it looks like we will have a new government sometime around March or April. It will be interesting to see what they intend to do to get us out of the mess we are in. I know that time and plenty of honest effort will be the answer, but we Irish are a resilient bunch. I know that tourism will be one of the big factors in our recovery and the American market is a huge part of that sector. Your trip to Ireland will not only be w wonderful adenture for you but will also be a patriotic gesture of support for the land of your ancestors. Ever since our first Irish emigrants reached your shores their contribution to those left behind here in Ireland was of great benefit to us. The parcels that came home regularly, the dollars in the envelopes at Christmas, the loyalty shown by our Irish American relatives who purchased our Irish exports and helped our growing economy is still needed. I know that that support will always be there just as is our support for our own in the USA. We have always be good for one another.
Maybe i will get to meet you this year. If so, it will be my pleasure to help you to enjoy all we still have to offer in this wonderful country, a country which is wounded but far from dead.

What are you looking at?

Like the meat nearest to the bone.....the grass nearest to the rocks is the sweetest.

I took this photo in the Burren in county Clare recently and the rocky terrain is readily visible in the background. This region was once upon a time the ocean floor and all this limestone rock was created by deposits on the ocean floor. This is an amazing place and well worth a visit.If you are visiting the Cliffs of Moher you have to pass through this region. You might think that cows like this one are starving but you would be surprised at just how healthy and well fed they are. Maybe we could learn a thing or two from these guys and eat just what we need instead of stuffing ourselves.

Chauffeurdrive Vacations in Ireland

This is what happens to you when you eat too much at Christmas
My snowy garden
My latest group enjoying a meal in Gus O'Connor's pub in Doolin

Well the New Year is here and we are now, once again, looking forward to the Spring. Hopefully the remaining days of Winter will not be too severe but January and February can be very dangerous months in Ireland. Growing up as i did on the seafront in Salthill in Galway City i always associate January with gale force winds and high seas and flooding along the promenade and the Salthill park. February you could expect cold and frosty weather. I have vivid memories of March and the chilling, wet and windy weather which was our lot on many St Patrick's days when we would be dressed up in anything but warm clothes for the parade in which all the schools played their part. From April on we might expect a little better as the days grew longer and there would be more sunshine, and May could be really nice when it came good. I remember many nice Summers in those days and indeed many heat waves which seem to be a thing of the past. We swam a lot throughout the Summer months and that is something that many tourists find surprising, forgetting of course that we have the gulf stream off our west coast which keeps our waters nice and warm. Those were the days.
I have now finished touring with my latest group and they were very nice indeed and i know that they enjoyed our time together. Now for the next few weeks i will be dealing with enquiries for the coming season so if you are thinking about coming my way then it might be a good idea to give me a shout while the going is good. I look forward to hearing from you.