An Irish sky over the lakes and mountains of Killarney.

Cattle enjoying the sun, amongst other things, on the Dingle peninsula.

Two men from the inland fisheries restocking a glacial lake with brown trout in the mountains of Kerry. You can fish these lakes by getting a temporary licence, even for one day. Many people come to Ireland to fish our lakes and rivers. There is also a lot of deep sea fishing done on the west coast.

I have not blogged for a few days but i have been tied up with many things and did not have the time. I am already dealing with enquiries and bookings for next year and feel encouraged by the level of interest being shown in Ireland. The media would have us believe that nobody wants to spend money anymore. There are many people who have a dream to come to Ireland someday and this dream and desire have to be satisfied. We all know that we only live once and, when there is something that you have to do, then it just has to be done. Many of my customers have come to me to fulfill that lifelong dream and i have never yet met anybody who regretted doing just that. If that is your dream then why not at least make an enquiry and see just what is involved. I find that many are surprised by the cost and find that they actually are in a position to follow it through. At this present time prices have come down and there is great value in Ireland so if you are interested just drop me a line and i will see what i can do for you.

Chauffeurdrive Vacations in Ireland for 2012

Purple Heather on an Irish hillside. Now you know why we need the rain.

The town of Clifden in county Galway is one of Ireland's most Westerly towns and has always been extremely popular with visitors. It is surrounded by very beautiful countryside and the town itself has a great variety of good pubs and restaurants and hotels. The golf course at Ballyconneely, (the Connemara Golf Club), is a fine links course right on the edge of the Atlantic and is a tough challenge for any golfer.

Well yesterday i finished up my latest tour as i said my goodbyes to Mary and Matthew Mann after what i hope was an enjoyable tour for them. I now have a few days off before i get down to work on the many other jobs i have had to put on the long finger. I will be Blogging as often as possible and if anybody has any queries about anything relating to Ireland, or coming to Ireland, please feel free to write to me. I would also like to let those people who have sent in enquiries to me recently know that i will now be getting around to working on them.
Once again i just want to send my sincere thanks to all the wonderful people who have come my way this year, and indeed down through all the years i have been in business, for their friendship and support.
Thank you once again, and remember, you will always be welcome.

Chauffeurdrive Vacation in the West of Ireland

Today we made our way into Connemara for our final days touring in the West of Ireland. The day was cold but at least dry early on but that was to change in the afternoon as the rain began to fall. The above photo was taken on the Sky Road near Clifden and shows an old abandoned famine cottage. This area was heavily populated as living near the coast at least gave the people the opportunity to catch fish. They had very little else in these regions and when the potato failed during the famine years many people feld these regions for the USA.

This picture shows the fjord at Leenane in Connemara and is Europe's most westerly fjord.

Tomorrow we make our way back to Dublin where Matthew and Mary will spend their final couple of days enjoying this historic city. I will be saying by goodbyes after what has been a very nice tour with these special people. My touring season is slowly but surely drawing to a close and i would sincerely like to thank all of those new friends who came my way for making my year the success it was. I hope that many of them can come back again sometime and i wish them all the best for now.

Irish vacation with own driver

It is hard to beat an open fire on a cold day, and that was what we had here in Ireland today. Here you see Mary "getting a warm" before we left the hotel this morning. The sun did manage to shine for us however and the day went well once again. Our first stop off was at Ross Castle in Killarney where Mary and Matthew enjoyed a guided tour of this fine old
O' Donoghue Castle.

Matthew and Mary were well wrapped up against the cold today, but like the good soldiers they are, they never complained about the weather. here we see them as they exited the castle after their tour.

A view of Ross Castle which is located on the shores of Lough Leane in Killarney.
Our final destination today was Galway City where they will spend tonight before we tour Connemara tomorrow. Hopefully our weather will be as good as today.

Chauffeurdrive holiday in Ireland

Today may have been cold but the sun shone as we made our way into the Gap of Dunloe. Our journey took us all the way through the Black Valley and up to Mol's Gap at the top of the mountain pass. Then we made our way back down on the Ring of Kerry into the Killarney National Forest Park. The above photo of Mary and Matthew was taken at Ladies View.

The mountain top was not high enough for Matthew as he found this rock to climb to improve his view.

These huge boulders are just a few of the thousands of loose rocks that have sat here since the glacier, which carved this mountain gorge through this mountain side, finally melted. The best way to enjoy this journey is to travel with the horse drawn buggies which travel through here daily. It is not advisable to drive through as the roads are narrow and very dangerous.

Looking back down the road and enjoying the magnificent views of one of the many lakes in the gorge.

Matthew and Mary obviously enjoying this special place as we near the top of the pass.

This photo was taken at Mol's Gap. In the background you can see the Gap of Dunloe between the mountains with a Rainbow magically appearing to add the icing to our fantastic journey.

Who said that we there are no leprechauns in Ireland? Mary is now a staunch believer.

Torc waterfall is always a special treat when you visit the Killarney National Forest Park. Just ask Mary and Matthew.

Our weather this week has taken a downward turn and we are experiencing much colder temperatures than you would normally expect at this time of the year. It has also been showery but we have been properly equipped and it has not spoiled our tour in any way. It has been nice for me to see Mary and Matthew really enthusiastic about their holiday and they have been great company. Today they also visited Muckross House where Queen Victoria stayed during her visit to Killarney. After her visit Mary told me that she going to buy Muckross House so i think she must have been impressed.

Irish vacation with chauffeur/private driver in Ireland

Mary enjoying the fresh air on a stormy Irish beach.
At home in a Beehive hut
Gazing wistfully at the stormy seas with the Blasket Islands offshore in the Atlantic.
Where could the air be more fresh than here today? Here we see Mary with that ruined house i mentioned in an earlier post. The day may have been wild and windy today but we did have a wonderful time enjoying this magical peninsula at Dingle.

Caught in the act, diving into an apple and sponge dessert with fresh whipped cream and vanilla ice-cream. How could you beat that, especially when you had been out in the wonderful fresh air developing an appetite. We were not about to make any apologies.
Today was another great day for Mary and myself. Matthew rested up and stayed put in Killarney, but Dingle was our destination and, despite the gales and stormy seas, this was a really great day to see Dingle at her wild and rugged best.

Chauffeur in Ireland for Irish Vacation

A view of the rugged coastline of County Clare today, an area becoming increasingly popular for surfing. No shortage of great waves when the wind blows here.

A dream come true at long last. Mary and Matthew Mann at the Cliffs of Moher today. The air was cool and fresh but the sun still shone for us and all was well.

Mary at the Cliffs today as she addressed her Irish fans and spoke these unique an memorable words" A small step for mankind....a giant step for womanhood."
Tonight we are in Killarney and looking forward to exciting days ahead. Mary and Matthew have recovered really well from their journey over to Ireland and are great company. They send on regards to of their friends and family at home. I will try to Blog regularly as we go so make sure to drop in and check our progress.

This shell of an old house is a sad reminder of bygone days and stands on the edge of the Atlantic at Slea Head in Dingle. It always stirs my imagination. This area was populated by farmers and fishermen, and they were a hardy lot. You would have to be tough living in a remote and exposed area such as this and working both on the mountains with your sheep or on the sea in those open curachs. It was an extremely dangerous lifestyle and many paid the price with their lives. Looking at this house and the window facing the ocean, my mind always pictures a mother gazing out at the stormy seas, hoping to catch sight of her husband, or sons, fighting to make it to land and safety. I am sure that this was the case and that many hearts were broken when the sea won the battle.

Today i started may latest tour with a mother and son, Mary and Matthew, who had earlier arrived in Dublin from Philadelphia, and had made their way to Galway on the bus, where i collected them on arrival.
The day was mild and pleasant so hopefully we will be lucky over the next few days. Tomorrow we make our way into the Burren of county Clare and on to the Cliffs of Moher. Later in the day we will be in Killarney and ready to tour that area over the coming days.
Maybe you can travel along with us.

Dave

Chauffeurdrive Vacations in Ireland for 2012

Muckross House in Killarney.

This view, from the rear of the house, shows the fire escape that had to be installed especially for Queen Victoria as she had a dread of fire. There were also large alterations to the house and a special bedroom had to be designed for her on the ground floor as she would not sleep upstairs. The gaeden here at the back is also very beautiful.

If you visit Muckross House, make sure that you also spend time taking in the farm tour. This is a tour of four recreated old farmhouses of various sizes and demonstrates clearly the conditions people had to endure back in the nineteen hundreds....not that long ago. You can see the "woman of the house" baking fresh homemade bread, and also fresh butter. You can sit beside a lovely turf(peat) fire and enjoy a little break while you sample that bread. There are also farm animals to see, cattle, pigs, donkeys etc. Personally, i love this tour and always enjoy it as it brings back many happy memories of my own time on my uncles farms. Those were the days when we did not know what recession was, eventhough we were living through it. We had very little, but we always had enough.

This is one of the cottages you can see on the tour. This particular type was most common and could be a replica of cottages i spent my Summer holidays in. When i look back on those days i seem to imagine that the sun was always shining.

The traditional fishing boats of the west of Ireland, the curachs, on the beach at Spiddal.

Bill and Carolyn enjoying a peaceful moment in Cong county Mayo. The lake in the background is the Corrib, the Republic of Ireland's largest lake, which is said to have 365 islands.

A Warning:

They say that the early bird catches the worm, and i know, that in my business, that happens quiet a lot. I receive enquiries all throughout the year and very often people leave it too late to get the particular window of holiday time that they want. I hate to disappoint anybody but it is not my fault when this happens. Once i get an enquiry, which i believe to be sincere, i hold that time for the enquirer until we have managed to agree on a program and quotation. If this does not work out then nothing is lost. I do not have prepared programs with prepared quotations as my way of operating allows people to decide on their own specific program with the help of my own expertise. You may have ancestral history in Mayo, Cork, Kerry, Galway, Sligo, or God knows where, and of course you will want to include these specific areas in your plan. You may have a budget and need help deciding just how much you can do for that. You may want to stay in hotels, B&B's, Castles, or a mix of all of these, and here again i help you to decide. I always make sure that my clients understand that what we agree on is practical as my type of touring is not done at a hectic pace. With me, a "Holiday is a Holiday". Spending all day in a car, and supposedly having a wonderful time "Looking out the windows", is not my idea of enjoying a holiday in Ireland. With me you can lie in in the morning a little longer if you wish, you will have time to stroll around and enjoy the fresh air, you will have time to shop, to eat when you want to, and what you want to eat, and moving on to a new destination every day is not always a great idea. Knowing where to base yourself to cover a number of areas without having to re-pack every day is especially important.
I also have many friends in the USA who have travelled with me who will speak to you directly if you would like to enquire about me and my service and i think that there is no better way to find out what lies in store for you on a Dave Hogan Tour. You will have plenty of time to yourself and i do not impose myself on my friends any more than they want me to.
When i part company with my touring companions at the end of a tour, i want to feel that i have more new friends and that i have done my job to the best of my ability.
From now forward i will be receiving enquiries for next years holidays so if you are interested just send me an e-mail and we will see what we can do.
I look forward to hearing from you.

An Irish vacation with your own private driver

Bill and Carolyn at Kylemore Abbey yesterday.
Bill getting his own photos of the fjord at Leenane.
The cloisters in the ancient abbey at Cong.
Carolyn getting her photos inside the old Abbey
Admiring the view at Ashford Castle.
My wife Sue with Bill and Carolyn having just finished a wonderful fish dinner at Moran's of the Weir last night.
Relaxing outside Moran's last evening.
The majestic Bunratty Castle, the final destination before heading off to Shannon airport for their trip to Scotland today.
Well what can i say about my time with Carolyn and Bill other than that i had a great time and really enjoyed their company for the full duration of their tour with me. I only hope that they enjoyed it as much as i did. I wish them well on their trip to Scotland and look forward to hearing from them when they return home.
Thank you for availing of my services and it is nice to have such nice people to add to my list of wonderful friends.

Touring West of Ireland with private driver

Upturned Curachs on the shore in Spiddal.

These black boats are the boats most commonly used by the fishermen on the West coast of Ireland. They were extremely light framed and covered with canvas and then tarred (pitch) to waterproof them. They were easily carried by two men and were so light that, with their upturner prows, they rode the waves. Of course you did have to know how to handle them as they could be tossed around and turned over if you did not know your job.
This is a freshly cut load of peat stacked by the roadside ready to be brought in to storage for the winter months fires. This particular peat is really good quality as it is solid and dark in colour and would not burn away to readily. The lighter more loosely packed peat is not nearly as good and literally goes up in smoke.
You cannot see them.....but they are there. This photo was taken in Doolin and the Aran Islands are somewhere there in the mist. That was where Carolyn and Bill were for the last two days and they really did enjoy the experience.
Having returned from the Islands last evening Carolyn and Bill stayed overnight in Galway city and thoroughly enjoyed a night of traditional Irish music in this bar, The Pucan in Forster Street, and also a lovely meal in the same place. This pub has traditional music every evening, and also Irish dancing.
Today we spent having a look at the city and surrounding areas. The weather is wild and showery at the moment but they are still enjoying themselves very much.
Tomorrow we are off to Connemara, that famous region where the great old movie"The Quiet Man", was filmed. Hopefully i will have some more nice photos for you then.

An Irish vacation with your own private driver

Amazing what a holiday in Ireland can do for you. Bill and Carolyn just could not resist this romantic moment in Lisdoonvara. In case you do not know, Lisdoonvarna is that famous town in West Clare where the farmers would go after the harvest to find a wife. The ladies would of course be there also looking for a suitable husband and that was where the Matchmakers came in. These were professional people who would take your details and try to find you a suitable partner. Many men came from the USA and found wonderful Irish girls to take back to the USA with them. Believe it or not, that tradition still carries on and in the month of September many people still flock to Lisdoonvarna to celebrate, in music and dance and song, this great festival. People still come here to find a wife or husband and the Matchmakers are still there to do the job that they always did. No wonder Bill and Carolyn got swept along in the spirit of this wonderful tradition. I think it was cute.
Bill and Carolyn in the grounds of the ancient Corcomroe Abbey in the Burren. This abbey was built in the early twelve hundreds and the cemetery is still in use here. It is in a beautiful location at the foot of the mountains and a must to visit if you are in this area.

Bill and Carolyn inside the Abbey. Note the graves marked by old headstones. When these abbeys were abandoned people started to bury their dead inside as this was sacred ground.

An unusual Norman tower castle in the Burren. Most Norman towers are square in design but there are some round towers such as this one. I have heard it said that they were designed so that cannon balls would deflect off their rounded surface.

It was windy and drizzly at the cliffs of Moher yesterday but Bill and Carolyn really enjoyed their visit here.


A well earned rest and a hearty lunch in Doolin at Mc Cann's pub restaurant. Carolyn had a great Irish beef stew while Bill and i had fish and chips. It was all really delicious. I can recommend.