Sunset in Ireland
A different Irish Sky from a mountain road. Do you really want to drive?
A beautiful sunny day with an Irish Eagle in full flight. Yes.....the sun does shine here in Ireland.

The above pictures give you an idea of the weather changes you can experience in Ireland....and maybe all in the course of one day. They say that in Ireland you can experience all the four seasons in one day and i would have to say that i have experienced that. Right at the point in time it is quiet cool here, and even cold in the evenings. You can expect a high of about 16 degrees which works out at somewhere in the low sixties. I have friends in the USA right now who would give anything to be here in Ireland to enjoy those temperatures as they are being fried back home in temperatures in the high nineties. Then on the East coast they are fleeing their homes to get away from the approaching hurricane. We complain sometimes here about our weather but if we had to experience either of those type of conditions we would never complain again. People traveling to tour with me always ask me what type of clothing they should bring with them and my answer is always the same. Bring warm undergarments, a warm sweater or two, and light rainwear. That will do the job fine. There is no need for fancy formal clothing as smart casual is fine for dining in the most exclusive places. Today i am wearing my slip on shoes, my jeans, and a tee-shirt. The sky is cloudy, it is cool, and it could rain in showers. A typical Irish day, and i love it.

My pony Taffy today enjoying the Banana which i promised my little mermaid Kelly that i would give him for her. You can see that he is enjoying it very much Kelly.


One of the many bridges in the Gap of Dunloe with its mountain stream flowing into another of its many lakes. If you decide to visit the Gap please do not drive through yourself as the road is extremely narrow and dangerous. In this picture you can see one of the horse drawn buggies that will bring you on a lovely ride all the way up through the Gap in safety. The Gap is very often on my itineraries but i never drive it myself as i respect the safety of the people who like to walk this route or travel in the buggies or on horseback. If you do take a chance and decide to drive and cause an accident then i think you will have a real job explaining to your insurance company why you were in there in the first place. Dero's Tours in Killarney will organise the whole trip for you including the boat ride down through the lakes of Killarney after you reach Lord Barndon's Cottage on the far side of the Gap. This is a trip i would recommend highly.

The sad ruin of an old famine cottage on the coast near Fanore in county Clare. The West coast is littered with cottage ruins like this one as there were large numbers of people living on this coast. Fish would have been a vital part of their food, along with the potato. When the famine blight struck the potato crop that spelled disaster for these people. This was actually the second blow to their food supply as in 1839 one of the worst storms that ever hit Western Europe hit the West coast of Ireland destroying 90% of the boats leaving the people unable to fish. When the famine struck in 1845 this was really the killer blow. Many homes were abandoned as the families fled the country, many of them to the USA. Today their descendants are the mainstay of my own business as these people just have to come back to visit the land of their forefathers. It is my privilege to take them on a journey that is often so emotional that i can feel the vibes myself. Ireland does that to you. Come and see for yourself.

What a difference a day makes.....and after the rain and wind yesterday, we were blessed today with a beautiful day to tour the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher. My photos, once again, are in reverse order starting out with our final getogether in Morans seafood pub and restaurant in Kilcolgan. This is known as Moran's of the Weir and is a wonderful place to go if you like fresh seafood. Here you get the finest of Galway Bay Oysters, wild Salmon, and fresh cod, and whatever other fresh fish is available at the time. The prawns and crab are also all local and equally fresh and delicious and i could not recommend this place highly enough. Last evening we had a lovely farewell party with the Lambert family and i can only say that i wish that we could have had more time together. It was far too short, two days, but i feel that there will be another get together in the future. Brian was absolutely taken by the magnificent golf course at Lahinch and i could tell that he would have given anything to just grab a set of clubs and head off down the first fairway. He would have had me alongside, as given the day and the wonderful course, any lover of golf would have felt the same.

Below we have Patty and Karina on the hillside with a Norman Tower Castle in the background. This photo was taken at Doolin near the Cliffs of Moher.Seated on the verandah overlooking the golf course at Lahinch.
Kelly, in her snazzy hat, Mom Patty and big sis Karina. In the back ground....all on his own.....big brother Keith. Why the face Keith?
Take it from me....he was just caught at a bad time there. He really did have a great time and was the best of company.

A group of golfers getting set to drive off at the first. All of this group were from the USA, as are quiet a large number of players at any given time on these western links courses of ours. If you want to enjoy really magnificent links courses, come to Ireland....and especially the West.

A view of the eighteenth green from the balcony.
Another view of the course.
Brian at the entrance to the course and clubhouse.Note the date? 1892
Some of my happy pals in our VW Caravelle.
Keith and Kelly at the Cliffs. It looks a liitle overcast here but it was a really lovely day all in all. Lets just call this a cloudy moment.
Brian and Karina on the climb to O' Briens Tower at the Cliffs.

Below again......Kelly in Lisdoonvara. This town is famous for its Matchmaking festival which is held every year in September. If you want a wife or a husband then come to Lisdoonvara and let the Matchmakers pair you off with an ideal partner. It works a lot better than going out to a pub, like most people do, having ten pints, and then choosing your partner for life. Does that make sense to you?

The family together on the mountain side on the Corkscrew Hill with Galway Bay and the Burren in the background.
Sampling the fare at the Farmers Market in Ballyvaughan.
You can tell that he has a mouthfull.....Keith enjoying his Bratwurst in Ballyvaughan.
Patty was really caught here....having a Bartwurst also. They were delicious.
Inside the ancient 11th century Abbey at Corcomroe.

The happy family all together on an old famine road at Corcomroe Hill in the Burren.

Well what can i say.....lost for words would be maybe the most appropriate comment as i could not say enough about my latest family group. Is there a nicer experience than sharing time with a family who are a real family.It was so easy to see just how much they enjoyed being together, and for me, to be a part of that, was a privilege for which i would like to thank them sincerely. This year i have been particularly lucky with all the nice people i have toured with and they all have been special in their own way. I have enjoyed so many different people and so many different moments, but being with happy, well behaved children is, for me, as a family man myself, extra special.
Thank you Brian, Patty, Karine, Keith and my little mermaid, Kelly. I hope that you enjoyed the bunny Kelly.

Touring the "Quiet Man Country" with private driver.

The County Mayo flag flying proudly near Cong today as excited fans await their teams big game against Kerry this weekend in the All-Ireland semi final of the Gaelic football championships.


Today i collected my new friends, Patty and Brian Lambert and family, for a brief two day tour of Connemara and the Burren of County Clare. They were referred to me by members of my own family in the USA and it was great that i was free and able to look after them as their stay, unfortunately, is not to be a long one. Our destination on this first day was Connemara as the weather had taken a turn for the worse and the Cliffs would have been a "no go" as visibility would have been zero. What a nice family they are and we did have a great day despite the rain.
Keith and Dad Brian in the grounds of Ashford castle with Lough Corrib in the background.
The family in front of Ashford castle.
Freshly cut peat in the bog near Kylemore Abbey. Not the ideal kind of weather for saving the peat as it needs to be dry when stored for the Winter.
Here we are a again huddled together at Kylemore Abbey as the rain was at its worst. You can barely make out the Abbey in the background.
A little Irish Mermaid sitting on a rock on the coral beach at Ballyconneely. Kelly was the ideal model.
All the family at the coral beach. It is easy to see that they were enjoying the fresh air on this not so good day that was, thankfully, at this point in time improving.

Irish Vacation with private driver.

What better way to finish off your holiday than by visiting your ancestral home, and this is Dave's ancestral home in Adare County Limerick, which we visited today. Dave's Irish connection was through the Quin family, and this stately home was the home of the Early of Dunraven who was also a Quin, and a direct ancestor of Dave's. This is Adare Manor, now a fabulous five star hotel, so if you want to get a good rate for your stay here just give Dave a call. (of course you will have to work through me, and then there is commission etc)
Sadly, my tour with Dave and Deb ended in Dublin today and i would just like to thank them for being such great company for the last few days. I would also like to send a message of special thanks to Dave's Mom Noreen who was the inspiration behind this trip. "They are on their way home now Noreen and they have much to tell you".
It is a hard part of my job saying goodbye to new friends but i would still not forsake the joy of making so many new friends every year. I just hope that we get the chance to meet again. Tomorrow i have a couple of days touring with friends of my own family who are here from New York for a brief visit. They are a family of five, parents and three children, and i am looking forward to meeting them and taking them around for a couple of days. Then i should have a few days break to catch up on many other things that need to be done.
If you need me, then just message me.

Irish Tour with Chauffeurdrive

Today was another fabulous day as Dave and Deb made their way to the Gap of Dunloe in Killarney. My photos here are going to appear in reverse order, starting with those taken at the end of today. The one above shows Dave and Deb at Ladies View on the Ring of Kerry tonight.
This one was taken at Torc Waterfall this evening
Here we see Deb at Ross Castle after disembarking from their boat ride down through the lakes of Killarney at the end of their Gap trip. The first leg of the Gap is a journey through the narrow winding road which is eleven kilometers long and which they actually walked today.
This was taken as their boat arrived at Ross castle at the end of the tour.

Approaching the castle.
A wonderful shot of an eagle above the lakes as they journeyed along.

A narrow channel that has to be navigated between the lakes on their way down to Killarney.
Fellow tavellers in another boat on the way through the lakes.
A view from the boat as they begin their journey.
Getting into their life jackets for the trip.
This photo of Deb was taken as they walked the Gap road.She was still looking strong at this stage....but weakening.
A view of the Gap with Dave in the foreground.
Dave resting at this old ruined house which was actually a station used where travellers could rest up and change their horses when this Gap road was the main road through these mountains. This all changed when the new road on the other side of the lakes was built.
Is that bird i see in the Hydrangeas? Noooooo....that is Deb having a rest.
What a wonderful shot of the lovely blue sky with its typical Irish cloud.
Deb pictured with one of the Gap lakes and the Gap itself in the background.
Deb and Dave having a break at one of the small bridges on the road through the Gap.
Pictured outside their hotel, the Killarney Plaza, before setting out this morning.This is a lovely place to stay if you are in Killarney.
Pictured last night at the Liam O'Connor show in Killarney. These are Liam's wonderful dancers along with a guest tenor. Nooooooo.....the tenor is on the left.
Deb and Dave with Liam after the show, which they really enjoyed.

Sorry about the order of the pictures but it was the best i could do with limited time today.Tomorrow we head for Dublin at the end of what was a really nice tour with two lovely people from Chicago.Deb and Dave send their love to all at home and want them to know that they will be with them very soon. They will have many stories to tell.