Private tours in Ireland with chauffeur

Ralph, Karen, Sue and Sean outside the Galway Golf Club today.

Looking out from the restaurant onto the course and Galway Bay and the hills of County Clare.

In front of the putting green at the course.

What a great day we had today. The forecast was not good, with heavy showers predicted, but we made for Galway Golf Club anyway determined that the weather would not stop us. We had to sit through a really bad downpour when we did finally get there but it began to clear and we hit off. Let me say firstly that Galway Golf Club dates back into the late 1800's and is a superb members owned course. I myself am a member there and we had no difficulty getting out on the course. The bad forecast also kept people away but the weather cleared beautifully as we began our round and we only had one bad shower after that which lasted only a few minutes. It was a real treat. I myself had not played for some time and surprised myself at how well i played. Ralph was also great and loved every minute on this wonderful course. Everything about this course is first class and its location on the shores of Galway Bay is magnificent. The fairways were like plush carpet and the greens like manicured lawns. There are many high profile golf courses in Ireland that can be quiet expensive to play on but, if you get a chance to play this course in Salthill, not only will you find the green fees great value but you will face a true golf challenge on a wonderful course.
The ladies were also having a wonderful time in the city centre doing their shopping and were all excited when they met us afterwards in the club house as they described their day and the list of lovely things that were purchased. We also enjoyed a nice meal in the club house before heading back to Kinvara for another night.
Tomorrow we head for Connemara where we will visit Roundstone and Clifden, Kylemore Abbey and Leenane, and of course Ashford Castle.
I am really enjoying this tour and the enthusiasm shown by my fellow travellers is contagious. Karen's love for Ireland is so evident and i know that Ralph is going to feel the same about it before we finish this tour. I know that we get a lot of visitors from the USA in Ireland but in my opinion we do not get a fraction of what we should be getting. This country is a must visit for anybody with Irish blood in their veins. I see that magical effect it has on people again and again. It is something that can only be described as a spiritual transformation that sometimes even brings tears to the eyes, especially when people find themselves in the areas where their ancestors were born and reared before having to flee the country to escape either persecution or famine. It is like somebody is welcoming them home and unseen arms are giving them a gentle hug. I find myself moved at times by these emotional moments and i have no doubt that strange and wonderful things do happen that we do not understand. If you are one of those Irish who has a dream of returning at least once before you die, then my advice to you is to do it, and do it soon. You can come to me if you like, but even if you do not, then come anyway. Ireland is like no place on earth and the Irish people are the most welcoming people on this planet. I myself like to travel but i would never want to live anywhere but here. Ignore the negative talk you hear about our weather and our economy and our prices and God knows what other rubbish you may hear. Yes we do get rain, but you can walk and run and laugh in the rain, and it does not rain as often as people like to say. Check the statistics and you will find that there are many countries where it rains a lot more than Ireland.
Prices in Ireland have reduced and you can get great value for your money by shopping around. You can get the finest of meals in many different places and the pub lunches offer superb value with a wonderful range of main course with loads of veg and potato for less than $10-00. If you want fancy meals in high class restaurants you can have those also, and here again the food is second to none, and the prices are no more than you would expect when you choose fine dining. There is great value in knitwear and many other Irish made products, and they do not have a little stamp hidden on them somewhere, which says, "Made in ......" , (somewhere else).
We will survive the recession because we are Irish, and survival is what we are good at. We have that inbuilt ability to get back up again when we are knocked down. We laugh at strange things and we joke about things that others would be afraid to laugh at. We do not sue people who tell jokes about Paddy the Irishman and we have retained the ability to laugh at ourselves. Do not try to put us down though because we will stand up for ourselves, and when the odds are against us, the best comes out in us. If you have Irish blood in you then you will know what i am talking about already. Get yourself back here, and the sooner the better. Ireland is as much yours as it is mine. We will welcome you with open arms and show you your homeland with a proud smile on our faces. We do not have to sell this place to you, Ireland sells itself. There are people employed in the tourist industry to promote Ireland and i am not convinced that they sell it like i would sell it. I get excited just talking about my country and i know that i have a product here that is without equal. I want to jump on a plane and tell all of my fellow Irish Americans to meet me in some great open space where i can stand up on a soap box and tell them all just how much they are missing by not coming home to see the land of their ancestors. Answer me this.......why would you want to go anywhere else?
Drop me a line if you want help, even if you are not coming to me.

dovechauffeurdrive@gmail.com

I am looking at putting together groups from the USA to visit Ireland next year. If you are interested please write to me. I have no set dates as of yet but i want to get a better idea of numbers and also the general feeling as to suitable dates and holiday durations. Then we will take it from there. I already have a man in Chicago and hope to have news on that before too long.