Chauffeurdrive vacations in Ireland/private car and driver

Apologies once again for not posting since Wednesday but i am having problems and cannot post any pictures until, hopefully, Sunday evening. I do have some nice ones for you to look forward to then so make sure you keep coming back. My latest tour is going really well and the couple travelling with me, Bill and Carolyn from Texas, are wonderful company and enjoying just about everything. Even the unreliable weather we have been having in the west of Ireland over the last few days has not been a problem for them and they actually are enjoying the warm fresh air.
Yesterday they went on that wonderful journey through the Lakes of Killarney and the Gap of Dunloe and loved every minute of it. Then last evening they went to the Liam O'Connor show in Killarney, and that was another special treat for them. Today we toured the Ring of Kerry and the weather actually worked out quiet well for us as the skies cleared when we needed it most and it all worked out well. I will have photos of this for you when i post soon. Tomorrow we are off on our journey to one of my own personal favourite places, the Dingle peninsula. The forecast for the morning is good but rain is expected in the afternoon, so hopefully we will have covered the most important places by then. I will keep you posted.

Chauffeurdrive holidays in the west of Ireland

Today i started my latest tour when i collected my party at Shannon airport this morning. The day was overcast but we did not have any rain as we made our way south on our way to Killarney. We stopped off in Adare where we visited Adare Manor. This fine old castle, which was the home of the Earl of Dunraven, is a magnificent castle and five star hotel. The town of Adare is one of Ireland's most beautiful small towns and is high on the list of many visitors. We enjoyed a break for a coffee and scone before continuing on our way to Killarney. My couple, Carolyn and Bill, were immiediately taken by the beauty of our countryside and Carolyn actually remarked at how surprised she was that it more than lived up to her expectations. She said that so often you see pictures of places and when you get around to actually seeing them that they do not live up to those pictures. It was nice to hear that Ireland was an exception.
On reaching Killarney they were both ready for a rest as they had been travelling a long way and were at the end of a third flight when they reached Shannon. I must say that they were remarkably healthy after such a long journey which included, a flight from Austin Texas to Atlanta, Atlanta to JFK, and JFK to Shannon. Even after all of that they were great company. I am looking forward to spending a lot of time with them over the coming days.
I will be posting photos later in the week.

Car and driver West of Ireland

A view of Beaufort Golf course and Castle near Killarney with the MaCGillicuddy Reeks in the background.

At the moment i am preparing for my next tour which begins on Wednesday when i start out with a couple from Texas. The weather is improving by the day so hopefully we will have it nice. Make sure you come along with me.
The big news here yesterday was the great finale to the Ladies Golf, the Solheim Cup. I cannot remember a more dramatic ending as with just four holes to play it looked like the USA team had it in the bag only for the Europeans to stage an unbelievable comeback over the final three holes. It was the stuff that dreams are made of and it is not very often that the USA let a match slip from their grasp like they did here. All credit to the European ladies, especially the rookies, as they played a major part in this vistory. They support was huge for both teams with large numbers of people travelling over from the USA to back up their heroines. It was a most sporting contest and when the dust settles i would imagine that every lover of golf would have to say that they were most fortunate to have witnessed a contest like this. The skill of all of the golfers was extraordinary and nobody could be faulted for lack of effort. I am sure that the ladies from the USA are already looking forward to the next Solheim Cup tournament when it returns to the US.
The dollar is improving quiet a bit recently against the Euro and this of course is great news for anybody coming our way right now. This time of the year can be very nice in Ireland and for many people it is the preffered time as it begins to quieten down. There is still a good stretch in the day and the temperatures can be just a good as in the Summer. Nevertheless, always bring warm undergarments, a couple of sweaters, and light rainwear when travelling to Ireland. I still have a little free time in October if you are thinking about coming but let me know as soon as possible please.

Solheim Cup in Ireland with Chauffeurdrive

Ross Castle in Killarney, which was an O'Donoghue castle/stronghold which finally was captured by Cromwell's forces. It is on the lakeshore just on the outskirts of Killarney town and a must to visit. There are guided tours here daily and the castle is a wonderful insight into just how these people lived in bygone days.
Carolyn and Joe at the harbour in Dingle. This is one of the most important fishing ports on the west coast of Ireland. If you want to have a first class fish meal then there is no better place than Dingle. Harrington's on the seafront opposite the tourist office would be my recommendation.

There will be great excitement for all golf fans here in Ireland over the coming days as the Solheim Cup Tournament gets under way. The Junior ladies have already started with the Europeans making a great start winning five of the first six doubles. This tournament for ladies is the equivalent of the Ryder Cup for men and generates a huge amount of interest in Ireland as Golf is a very important sport here. There is no better place for a golfing holiday than Ireland and it is no wonder that we produce so many fine golfers for such a small nation. Just look at our recent record in majors.Unfortunately the weather is not great right now and as i write this morning it is quiet miserable outside with rain and wind. It is also quiet cold so if you are coming our way make sure that you bring pleanty of warm undergarments and sweaters and light rainwear. Good shoes are also important, and not trainers, as you will end up with wet feet.

Car and driver West of Ireland

An overcast Irish sky in September.

Sorry, sorry, sorry....i have been out of action for a few days as my web-site was undergoing a change. Have a look and see for yourself. I think it is nice, and i hope you like the pictures. I have also been busy catching up on many things that had been left on the long-finger and hope to get most of these cleared up over the next few days.
The weather has been disappointing and surprisingly cool for September. This can be a very nice month in Ireland, and so can October, so maybe there is hope yet. It does shorten the Winter a lot when these two months are kind to us. The days have begun to shorten already and darkness is upon us now by about 8:00pm. By some peoples standards that is still a long day and there is plenty of time to get many things done in daylight.
For anybody interested in Gaelic football the All-Ireland Final was on today and Dublin shocked many people, especially those in Kerry, by taking the title after an epic struggle with Kerry. It has been a good many years since Dublin won the All-Ireland and the celebrations in the Capital tonight will be unbelievable. It was a great game and eventhough Kerry had them on the rack with just a few minutes to go, Dublin staged a late comeback to scrape home by a single point.
Well done Dublin, and also well done Kerry for providing us with such a wonderful final.

Killarney with own car and driver.

Joe and Carolyn Ricapito at Ladies View in Killarney.
Coming to the end of our tour in the lovely town of Adare.

Well, yesterday i had to finally bid farewell to Joe and Carolyn Ricapito as i dropped them off at their hotel in Killarney where they stayed last evening. They had an early departure from Shannon this morning after what i hope was a lovely tour for them. They were the best of company and we shared many wonderful experiences in a short space of time. It is amazing just how much you can cover in just a few days and i know that having an experienced guide like me does help. Planning is very difficult when you have no idea of how long it takes to get around, and indeed how to get around.When you look at a map of Ireland and everything looks so small, and distances look so short, you think that you can cover the whole country in a few days. It does not work out like that. If you do not know the country then you will be lucky if you can cover twenty miles an hour allowing for stops. If you get lost, then you can add a lot more time, and that does happen quiet a lot. I know my country, and i know exactly how long it takes to get from A to B. I know what is worth seeing and what is best left out. I do not go by guide books and i do not agree with much of the stuff that they include as worth seeing. Many of these books and articles are written by people who have only spent a very limited amount of time here and i think that having been born and reared here i should give me a better idea of what is what. I know the best places to eat and shop, and of course the best places to stay. Carolyn and Joe loved all that we did and really enjoyed our stay in the Plaza Hotel in Killareny. At the end of a long day it is important to have a nice place to look forward to where you know you will get a good nights sleep to prepare you for the next days touring.
One of the highlights of our tour was a get-together with my own writers group in Kinvara. Joe and Carolyn are both writers and their participation in our meeting was a real treat for all of us. I know that they loved meeting all of my own fellow writers and we all shared some of our work. They will be returing now to their own writers group in Baton Rouge where they in turn can relate their experience of sharing with an Irish group. I send our regards to all of our new friends in Baton Rouge and extend a special welcome to them and to any other writers who may come to Kinvara.
Our day in Connemara with Ignatio, their friend, was special, as was our journey down the coast via the Cliffs of Moher on our way to Killarney.
I know that their day in the Gap of Dunloe was another highlight. Our day on the Dingle peninsula and our visit to Maire Houlihan's home near Slea Head was another highlight. The meal of Fish and Chips in Harrington's in Dingle was another first as Joe had never had fish and chips before. He will have them again i am sure now that he has become hooked. Our night in the Genting Thai restaurant in Killarney was another treat as was our lovely Italian meal in Robertino's in Killarney. I could go on.
Saying goodbye is never easy, and yesterday was no exception. I have new friends, and my first from Baton Rouge Louisianna. I wish them Bon Voyage and i hope that their memories of their time in Ireland last a long time.
Thank you for choosing me.

Dave

On tour with own car and driver/chauffeur /West of Ireland

Today on the Dingle Peninsula as the tail-end of hurricane Katia hit the west coast of Ireland. We had gale force winds and wonderful stormy seas and, believe it or not.....no rain. What a great place to be.
Joe and Carolyn Ricapito sitting on a low wall above the strand at Inch.This is a favourite place for surfers, but even they did not dare to enter the seas today.
The Atlantic rollers in full flow as we made our way towards Dingle town.
Pictured here with Maura Houlihan at her 500 year old house near Slea Head. If you want to enjoy a visit to the ancient beehive huts, Maura's is the place to go. You will see her house on the right hand side just before Slea Head. Her charge of Euro 2-00 is more than reasonable for what you will see here.

Joe and Carolyn enjoying a great feed of "Fish and Chips" in Harringtons in Dingle. We had the cod and it was really the finest. You will find this restaurant just opposite the tourist office in Dingle.If you have room when you are finished your fish and chips, try a whipped ice cream cone..... Yummy. Take it from one who loves his food.....Harringtons is the place if you love your sea-food. Ask for Eileen....and tell her Dave said to look after you. She will anyway.
Harringtons .....and below
When you find Fungi the Dolphin..... you will find Harringtons.Fungi is that wonderful Dolphin who entertains thousands of tourists every year in Dingle harbour....and has done for over twenty years now. Since he arrived here in Dingle he has been a Godsend to this town and has attracted tourists from all over the world who come to witness this magnificent entertainer.
Finally....Joe and Carolyn high in the mountains at the Conor Pass this afternoon. I was worried that we might be blown away up here today but it was unbelievably calm as the mountains were sheltering us from the storm. This was a day to remember, and even better as a result of the storm. It was wild, but not wet or cold. A day for rosy cheeks.

Killarney and the Gap of Dunloe with Private Driver/Chauffeur

One of the buses on their way to the Gap of Dunloe.
A typical horse-drawn carriage waiting to carry its passengers up through the Gap.
Carolyn and Joe arriving back to Ross Castle at the end of their trip down through the Lakes of Killarney and completing the final leg of their brave journey through the Gap of Dunloe today.
All wrapped up in their warm clothing and life jackets.
Carolyn and Joe, glad to be back, but it was well worth the effort.

The Gap of Dunloe tour is a spectacular journey which starts in Killarney and ends back in Killarney after a journey which involves the horse drawn carriages on the narrow roads up through the Gap in the Kerry mountains and ends with an open boat ride down through three of Killarney's lakes ending at Ross castle on Lough Leane.The hardest bit of making this journey today was making the decision as to whether or not to undertake the trip, as there was a forecast for gale force winds and rain for sometime today. Joe and Carolyn were determined to have a go and i was not going to stand in their way and off they went. As it turned out it was wild and sometimes wet also but they completed the journey and i know that this particular day will live long in their memories of Ireland and their time with me. I can only say that they were great adventurers and deserve a medal each.
Tonight we went for an Italian meal in Robertino's in Killarney and it was really good. Joe, being an expert on Italian food, was high in his praise for this place and i can recommend it to anybody coming to Killarney who likes Italian food. Tonight we are expecting the worst of this hurricane, which is the tail-end of hurricane Katia which hit the East coast of America recently. Tomorrow is forecast bad also so we will have to see what it is like before we decide on our destination. I will let you know when the time comes so come back soon.

Dave

Irish Vacation with car and driver/chauffeurdrive

Joe and Carolyn Ricapito at O'Brien's Tower on the Cliffs of Moher today.
A relaxed Joe and Carolyn with a great view of the Cliffs.
On the Corkscrew Hill with Galway Bay and the Burren in the background.
Ignatio with Joe and Carolyn on a heather covered mountainside in Connemara yesterday.
Ignatio, Carolyn, Joe and myself at Kylemore Abbey in Connemara yesterday.
A sheep on a mountain road in Connemara. In the background you can see the freshly cut turf (peat) from one of the many bogs in this area.
Relaxing by an open fire in Ashford Castle in Cong. The crest on the shield above the fireplace is the crest of the Guinness family who owned this castle at one time.
Ignatio, Carolyn and Joe In the grounds at the rear of the castle.

Yesterday i started my latest tour with Joe and Carolyn Ricapito from Baton Rouge. The weather was not too bad at all and we did have a lovely day visiting Cong and Ashford Castle, Leenane and Kylemore, Clifden and Roundstone and many places in between. A close friend of the Ricapito's Ignatio, who is a Professor at Berkley University, joined us for the day and we all had a really nice time.
This morning we made our way south via the Cliffs of Moher,and again we were blessed with quiet a nice day.The weather is a major factor when it comes to visiting the Cliffs as visibility can be zero if you have rain or mist. We had slightly overcast skies but the visibility was fine. We crossed the Shannon later on our way to Killarney where we had a really lovely meal in the Genting Thai Restaurant in the Inishfallen shopping centre in the heart of this great town.
Killarney have just won first prize in the National Tidy Towns competition which is held annually. This is a massive honour and a much sought after prize.They are truly deserving winners and i personally am delighted for them as i always love coming to Killarney. My favourite hotel, the Killarney Plaza, is located right in the heart of the town and i would recommend it highly to anybody visiting this historic town. Not only is the town beautiful and superbly maintained, it is surrounded by some of Ireland's most spectacular beauty spots.It also has a great variety of shops and pubs and restaurants and the night life for young and old offers a wonderful selection of entertainment. It is the perfect location if you wish to visit the Ring of Kerry, the Dingle peninsula and the Gap of Dunloe.It is also a great location for golfers with some of Ireland's best course within a reachable distance. We are waiting tonight to check on tomorrows weather before deciding our destination tomorrow. Hopefully it will be kind to us and if so then it will be off to the magical Gap of Dunloe.
See you soon.

Dave

An Irish vacation with your own private driver

An Irish sky can be like this .....
or like this.....all in the one day.
An Irish landscape.....with the bonny purple heather.

What a busy week we have had here in Ireland, especially on the sporting front. Last weekend the big event was the All-Ireland Hurling final in Croke Park in Dublin. Just in case you do not know, hurling is the all-Irish game played with the Ash sticks and the leather ball, and for me it is the greatest game in the world. It is an all action game and a real man's game. The football players you see rolling around in mock agony on the soccer pitches would not last a minute in this wonderful game. The players themselves would not tolerate for one minute anybody playing the baby, and they would be laughed off the pitch. Hurling looks like a vicious sport, but it is anything but that, and the skill involved in playing this game properly takes many years of practice to develop. It is the fastest game on earth played on solid ground, ice-hockey is the fastest but that is played on ice of course. It is a game where scoring is frequent and even when your team are a few scores behind they can come back into the game with a number of scores in a very short space of time as the game is so fast flowing. This makes it most exciting and last Sundays final was one of those really great games.
Tipperary, the reigning champions, were playing Kilkenny, last years champions. Tipperary had defeated Kilkenny in the final last year when Kilkenny had been going for an unprecenented "five in a row" championships. Kilkenny were out for revenge, and how they got it. It was a magnificent match and all credit to Tipperary who made them work every inch of the way. I could not speak highly enough of the men from both teams and their wonderful sportsmanship. They were a credit to their counties. Long live the game of hurling.
We also had the world championships of "Ironman" in Galway throughout the weekend and thousands from all over the world came to enjoy that event.

Just in case you think i have retired, i have been quiet busy on the work front and will be starting another tour tomorrow. My next party are coming from Louisianna from the town of Baton Rouge. How did they find me? My name seems to be bouncing around on the far side of the Atlantic thanks to the many great friends i have made over there.
The interest being shown at this early stage with regard to visiting Ireland in 2012 is surprising so if you are thinking about coming contact me as soon as possible. No harm checking it out.

Catch you again very soon.

One of the less common Norman Tower type castles near Doolin and the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare. The most common ones were the square block type, and i have heard it said that the circular type was regarded to be safer as gunshot and cannon balls would ricochet off them. True or false? Well it does make sense, but i would magine that, if your enemy persisted, he would manage to get some good hits eventually....that of course is if he did not run out of cannonballs.

I am busy as usual and trying to catch up with many things. My friend, Bob from New York, has arrived and i meet up with him this weekend. Bod and his lovely wife Roxan, toured with me before and we really did get along very well. I have had the pleasure of meeting up with them since in New York and i am looking forward to meeting him again now.
I am also very busy dealing with ongoing enquiries, even for next year. You may think that it is very early to be enquiring about next years holiday, but believe you me, many people do plan well ahead and i think that that is very wise. If your next years holiday period is already known to you, then getting your enquiry in early is really important as i always work on a "first come first served" basis. Once i know that you are interested in a particular date, i can put a temporary hold on it for you and get back to you if i am under pressure to keep it and give you first shot at it. A deposit will secure it then, and i am reasonable about deposits. I really do not like disappointing anybody but it does happen unfortunately.
The weather is cool but with plenty of sunny periods and occassional showers. I have a couple coming to me soon from Texas and they cannot wait to savour fresh air as they have been literally cooked in recent times. Give me Irish weather anytime.
Talk to you again soon.