Chauffeurdrive/own car and driver vacations in Ireland

The town of Clifden in Connemara County Galway. This is the most westerly town in Ireland and the main one in this famous region of Connemara. This is the area where everybody's favourite movie "The Quiet Man" (if you are Irish) was filmed. A common sight on the edge of the Atlantic in Connemara, an old ruined cottage. Hard to believe that large families were reared in tiny cottages like these. They were poor quality homes with straw or thatched roofs and clay floors. How anybody survived the harsh winters in these homes is beyond belief but then again life expectancy was very short and many babies died at birth, and many mothers also. This region was ravaged by the famine but the ones living close to the sea at least had a chance of catching fish. A common sight in Connemara, Connemara ponies grazing on the edge of the Atlantic. This breed of horses originated in North Africa and came ashore on the west coast of Ireland when the Spanish Armada was devastated by a horrific storm. They are not a very large horse and were very popular with the Spanish cavalry. They thrived on our west coast and are an extremely popular horse for children now as they have a lovely temperament. They come in a variety of colours, as you can see from this photo. I have been away in England for a few days so i have not been Blogging. Now i am trying to get back to normal again. Catch you soon.

Irish Airports, Shannon,Dublin, Cork, Knock.

Some West of Ireland views.
A Connemara Lake in the evening.

The fjord at Leenane and Killiary Harbour.

A mountain road with the sea in the distance. We do have lovely clouds.

I love the Western seaboard, the rugged coastline, the mountains and valleys, the lakes and boglands, the magical country towns and villages, and of course the country people. They are indeed the salt of the earth.

Our weather continues to be mild without any great amounts of rain or cold. We have had a most unusual Winter and, compared to last year, it was a blessing.

St Patricks day is just around the corner and i will be slowly but surely getting into another new season of my chauffeurdrive touring. I do not know of any other saint who is so widely celebrated as St Patrick is. This year i hear that they will be colouring the Niagra Falls green, along with many prominent building and towers, and even the London Eye. We will have our usual influx of Americans coming to celebrate with us along with many bands from the USA, with of course their high-kicking majorettes. They do add a lot of colour to our parades and they are always a welcome sight. Nobody parties like the Irish so if you are coming our way remember to pace yourself on the night as keeping up with our party goers here could be disastrous. Just make sure that you remember that our Guiness is quiet strong, not to mention our whiskey.

If you need me for anything just drop me a line.

An Irish vacation with your own private driver/chauffeur drive

This photo says it all about Connemara in County Galway. This is the area we call God's Country, a land of wonderful mountains, bogs, lakes, and valleys, and of course, plenty of sheep everywhere, even on the roads. This guy is happily grazing by the roadside and will not bother you if you do not bother him. Just slow down when passing , get your photo , and move on and let him have his dinner in peace. In the background you can see the freshly cut peat stacked in mounds and the mountains in the background. The only thing missing here is the ocean, but just keep on driving and that will appear in turn. I never tire of this country.

Some of my guests arriving back at Ross Castle in Killarney after a long day touring the Gap of Dunloe in the horse drawn buggies, and then boarding their boats and travelling down through the lakes of Killarney to their final destination here. This is a very special trip and one which i always highly recommend.

A typical Irish day.....cloudy with sunshine breaking through. I took this photo from the top of the mountains at the Conor Pass on the Dingle peninsula. This pass is high in the mountains between Dingle town and Tralee and you need to take great care if going up here as the roads are very narrow in places.

I am still working hard as i deal with many enquiries from prospective clients and i feel that already the season ahead looks very promising. Many people are travelling from the USA this Summer for various events such as the Olympics, the Eucharistic Congress in Dublin, and of course the American football game in Dublin in September. I am sure that there are many other reasons for people coming our way and, as always, the main one would be their great desire to visit the Emerald Isle, the land of their forefathers.
Maybe you are one of them. I would be delighted to be the one to show you around.

Chauffeurdrive/own car and driver vacations in Ireland

An Irish rainbow through my car windshield (windscreen as we call it).

Did you know that in order to see a rainbow you have to have the sun at your back, and the rain between you and the rainbow? Yes....that is true. If you want to photograph one then you have to be quick as they disappear as soon as the shower of rain eases. My car was in motion as this photo was taken....hence the windshield wiper in the picture.

Two sheep grazing at the side of a country road.....hard to believe that these two could be sisters?..... yes.... and they more than likely were.

Two of my clients searching old graveyard headstones for traces of their ancestors. I do get quiet a lot of this type of activity.

Before you come to Ireland, try to do some proper research into where you want to see, and also try to find out how much time you might need to get to each area. You also have to figure out how much time you will need to explore the area when you do get there. I get the most ridiculous enquiries from people asking me to take them to areas at opposite sides of the country, and back again, all in the one day. Ireland may look small on the map, but it is not that small, and it does take a lot longer to get around when you are travelling on narrow winding country roads. If you are driving yourself, then you will need even more time. Do not flatter yourself, you will need a lot more time to get around by yourself than if you were travelling with me. I meet people all the time who are driving rental cars and they are stressed out from trying to find their way, from driving on the wrong side, and from getting lost. They also have a lot of accidents, and i am not scaremongering. Just check the car rental prices and that will give you an idea of what is going on. It does not take much of an accident for you to lose your deposit , and that makes for an expensive holiday.
Try not to cram too much into your itinerary. Be sensible and settle on a plan that ensures you are not spending all day in your car. Try to base yourself in an area central to lots of special attractions. Dublin is great for places like the Portal tombs at Newgrange, for Wicklow and Glendalough, Avoca, Powerscourt, and of course time in that great city itself. You have to visit Guinness' s, the book of Kells, Dublin Castle, Christchurch Cathedral, St Patrick's Cathedral, the Phoenix Park and many other wonderful sights. You could allocate maybe three days there. You can go west then to Galway, and from there, tour Connemara, the Aran Islands and the Cliffs of Moher. Here you can allocate maybe another three days. You can go North or South from there. In the south you could base yourself in Killarney and from there cover the Ring of Kerry, the Dingle peninsula and the Gap of Dunloe. This would take another three to four days. You can go South from there and spend two or three nights in Kinsale. From there you can visit Blarney, Cork city and the town of Cobh, from where the vast majority of our emigrants sailed to the USA. Going North you have Mayo, Sligo, Donegal, all beautiful areas, but areas that again need three to four days to see properly. If somebody tells you that you can do all of this in a much shorter time then they do not know what they are talking about. If you do it their way then you would be better off to just buy a video of these areas and sit down at home and watch it. All you will be doing is looking out your car window because you will not have time to stop and smell the roses. If you only have a few days then select one or tow of the areas i have mentioned and ignore the others and just come back again sometime and see the rest. Try to do it all and you are just fooling yourself. It certainly would not be what i would call a holiday. Bus tours cover what i would consider to be ridiculous distances in a day and journeys which leave their customers wrecked by evening. These itineraries look great on paper, and of course they sell tours, but when you put them into practice, they are exhausting. I have toured like that and i know what i am talking about. My holidays are much more laid back and you will have plenty of down time to relax and enjoy your holiday. A holiday should be just that....a holiday.... a time to relax and refresh your system....a time to remember.
It just might be better to at least ask me to plan something for you, and give you a price, and just see if you can afford a proper holiday that you can really enjoy. You might be pleasantly surprised because you just might find that you can afford it. It costs you nothing to enquire.

Killarney with chauffeurdrive/own car and driver

Der himself with an Irish colleen, well satisfied after her Irish breakfast.

If you want a really good Irish breakfast in Killarney then there is no better place than Der O'Sullivan's in the main street. This picture may give you the impression that this is a very small restaurant but it does extend back quiet a bit and there is plenty of room for larger groups. The front of the shop is a deli where you can buy some really tasty take away foods. The food is prepared after you order it so that it comes up to you fresh and tasty. The quality of the bacon and the sausages and meat puddings is top class and the tea and coffee likewise. The portions are large and you will not need to eat any more until evening if you have a breakfast here. There is also a great choice so that you do not have to have the traditional Irish breakfast if that is not your thing. I highly recommend this place so give it a try if you are in Killarney.

The main town centre in Killarney yesterday.

The white building in the background is the Killarney Plaza Hotel. This is one of my favourite hotels in Killarney. It is a four star and has a lovely leisure centre with a gym, spa, and pool. The rooms are quality and the staff are always pleasant and helpful. The food here is also quality and they provide great bar food all day from a really nice menu. Try the Lamb shanks....they are delicious. The dinner in the evening in the main restaurant is exceptional but you had better have an appetite as the portions are huge. The steaks are really good and i also love their duck. Fish is also really good here and salmon steaks are always on the menu. These are always very popular with my guests and Irish salmon is real quality.

This is the Killarney Avenue Hotel, a sister hotel of the Plaza.It is a much smaller and more homely hotel than the Plaza, but it is really nice and less expensive. The food here is also quality food and their all day bar food is excellent and at a great price and with large portions.This hotel is located right in the heart of the town.

Today was a miserable day here but we cannot complain as we have had such lovely mild weather this year so far and are blessed compared to Britain and mainland Europe where they are enduring horrific snow and freezing temperatures. We have had none of this and it is quiet amazing that we have escaped as we are right on the fringe of it and just a short few miles from the British mainland. Could it be that we are in for a really nice Summer this year? How nice that would be. In the meantime we should enjoy the mild spell that we are experiencing. Today was an exception as it rained a lot and it was miserable. Maybe we have just been spoiled lately.
If you are planning on coming to Ireland this year on vacation why not contact me for information. Better still, why not come and tour with me.

Chauffeur?car and driver at Shannon airport for your Irish vacation.

A Killarney Waterfall in a secluded forest.
This lady is breaking in a young horse and getting him used to the reins. Meeting animals on our roads is quiet common so make sure you slow down and give them the space that they need. They can be a danger if you frighten them, so do be careful.
Adare Manor in the beautiful town of Adare County Limerick. This five star hotel is very popular and has its own golf course. The town of Adare is regularly voted as one of Ireland's most attractive towns.

Today was a glorious day here in Ireland, beautiful sunshine and lovely cool fresh air. January has been the mildest January on record over the last ten years so lets hope we are heading into a year of warm and sunny weather once again.
Choosing an airport for your arrival into Ireland is very important, and i touched on that in a recent Blog. Many people are limited in choice, because they are using airmiles, and that restricts them to only certain airlines. Most, if not all airmile tickets, seem to use only Dublin airport and this affects people who want to come into Shannon. I have people coming to me who get around this by flying into London and then catching a Ryanair flight (buget airline) from London to Shannon. This can be a great way to do it especially for people who want to spend a couple of days in London also. The Ryanair flights are extremely cheap eventhough you have to be careful about luggage as they will charge by weight over a certain limit. Make sure that you travel as light as possible anyway as you really do not need any fancy clothes coming to Ireland. Smart casual is acceptable everywhere, and just make sure that you have jeans and a sweater, warm underwear, and light rainwear.
If your destination is the western region, anywhere from Cork and Kerry to Clare and Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Donegal, then Shannon is your man. If you want to visit Dublin also then maybe you can arrange your return flight out of Dublin when going home again. You can also do it the other way around by flying into Dublin and out of Shannon My chauffeurdrive service covers Dublin Shannon Cork and Knock, so anywhere you like and i will be there for you.