Sunrise on Tuesday morning as i made my way to Killarney. This was a glorious morning and just one of a series of beautiful days we have enjoyed recently.

The magnificent beach at Inch on the Dingle peninsula yesterday.What a wonderful place to be in the sun. Let nobody tell you that it always rains in Ireland. Kill that lie.

Momma sheep protecting her lovely wooly lambs in a field at the side of the road near Slea Head on the Dingle peninsula yeaterday.

Another view of Inch strand.

The Blasket Islands off Slea head, bathing in a heat haze in March......amazing. Needless to say, i think that i am blessed to live in this magical country. There is no place like Ireland.

The lovely beach at Slea Head on Dingle. This is just one of the many wonderful places you can swim on our west coast, and do not forget that we have the warmth of the Gulf stream to keep our waters nice and warm.

When you get hungry there is nothing like a great feed of fresh fish and chips at Harringtons in Dingle town. Well i did not have fish and chips, but i has a delicious meal of steamed fish, cod, plaice, mussells and prawns, with a fresh side salad. Not only healthy, but soooooooooo tasty.
Here you see Eileen, the boss, and one of her trusty helpers, Neasa, and someone who just wanted to join in, at the door of the restaurant. This place is my favourite, and so easy to find, on the sea-front at the harbour and just across the road from the tourist office. What could be easier. Just tell Eileen i sent you.....she will still have to charge you but she will look after you.

I am replacing my computer so i may not be posting every day until i am set up with my new system.

As Mc Arthur said.....i shall return.

Dave

Great year to come to Ireland with chauffeurdrive/own car and driver

Dunguaire Castle in Kinvara County Galway.
Cherry blossoms, blooming in a sunny Ireland
My pony, enjoying the sunshine today. There is no place like Ireland when the sun shines....come to think of it..... there is no place like Ireland.

What glorious weather we are enjoying here at the moment.....Summer in March? If this is Global warming, i like it. We do get some lovely weather in Ireland, but to get Summer in March is just unbelievable. I am working away and what a difference it makes to have the sunshine. The real beauty of Irish weather is that it never gets either too hot or too cold. We get our fair share of rain but there are very few days when the rain is constant and most of the wet days would be either misty or showery. Just bring your light rain-wear and a heavy sweater for the evenings or windy days. Casual wear is fine everywhere here so your do not need to overload that suitcase. The last group i had with me, there were eight of them, packed so sensibly that we had more than enough luggage space. Some people pack like they were leaving home, and that can be costly. Just be sensible and travel light. I myself am happiest in my T-shirts and jeans when the sun is shining and you can add a sweater to that when it is cooler. I am not the type of chauffeur who wears a suit and tie .....sometimes when the occassion calls for it....but that is only sometimes.
Write to me if you have any questions that need answering and i will see what i can do.

Dave

An Irish vacation with your own private driver/chauffeur drive

From the left: Jayci, Erin, Lauren, Sue, Christian, John, Donna, and Bill.


My special friends, the Adams family, who just finished a wonderful tour with me last weekend. I am publishing, with their full permission, their lovely letter which they sent to me today. I am flattered, and indeed feel very proud, to have had the privilege of enabling them to have had such an enjoyable time in this wonderful country of ours. Touring with this family was like a holiday for me also. I miss them.
This is their letter;

Hi David,

On behalf of all eight of us, THANK YOU THE MOST for single handedly making our first visit to Ireland the most amazing and memorable experience we could have ever imagined. From my first contact with you until our last goodbye at the end of our trip, I can honestly say that you delivered every promise you made, and then some!

We are all big fans, and you may certainly rely on me as a reference, should you ever need one.

After leaving you in Dublin (grateful for the ride back), my family spent some time talking about the highlights and lowlights of our six days with you. Needless to say, there were no lowlights, however, we felt we became such good friends with you that we all agreed it would've been nice to meet your wife Sue (glad we could keep you entertained you while she was away).

We are very grateful for the time you took to prepare a perfect itinerary for us, and for keeping us all safe and enlightened. We all agreed that the passion you have for showing your guests your country, and your knowledge of the areas and the history are what made this trip so special for us. We saw such beautiful landscapes and learned so much about Ireland's western coast that we could never have discovered on our own. Not to mention the "screen saver" quality pictures we now have!

When we first started planning our visit, we had compared the pros and cons of riding the tour bus, driving ourselves, and hiring a private guide. Choosing you was the best decision we made. We quickly confirmed that driving the narrow, winding roads oursleves would have been a big mistake, and your choices of things to see, places to stay, and restaurants to eat in were perfect. We saw more than the people on the bus tour would've seen, we learned so much from our personal interaction, and we cleary benefited from the flexibility you gave us. You became our good friend in short time, and who is luckier than us to have heard your songs and poems as an added bonus? If the people on the bus tour only knew...

David, your hospitality rates a solid 10 of 10, and if we should find ourselves planning another visit to Ireland, we will meet again. Best to you and Sue, and thank you so much for everything.

Slainte mhaith!

-Bill, Sue, John, Donna, Erin, Jaci, Lauren, and Christian.

Chauffeurdrive/own car and driver vacations in Ireland

A view through the trees of the lakes of Killarney.

A dark sky over the western coast as the rain moves in from the Atlantic. We could not complain as we had such a good week up to this.

A forest trail in the woods of Muckross.

I have been relaxing and enjoying a break after my latest tour with my Adams family ended in Dublin on Friday. Yesterday was a great day of celebration in Ireland for St Patrick's day and the parades were really good all over the country. Dublin put on a spectacular show and there were thousands of Americans there to participate in this great event. It is always nice to see the bands from the USA with their majorettes and all of their followers. They really do throw themselves into their display and we do appreciate their coming to join us on our big day.
Now i will be trying to catch up once again on all of the things that i need to catch up on so if you are one of those people waiting for me to get back to you then i will be on your case this week i promise. I always reply to every query so feel free to conatct me if you want any help.

Happy St Patrick's Day

This is the Ireland I love, and the Ireland forever blessed by our Patron saint, St Patrick ,who having been captured and brought here as a prisoner, was to escape and then to return here again after being inspired by a dream in which he saw the Irish people pleading with him to return to them.

Patrick was to follow his studies for the priesthood and then to return to transform our country with the message of Christianity. His conversion of the High King of Ireland was the key to his success as other missionaries had tried before with little success. It was while trying to explain to the King the meaning of the Trinity, the three persons in God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, that Patrick plucked a Shamrock, and pointed out the three leaves on the one stem. The King finally understood and was converted. Seeing that their High King was convinced, the people followed suit. Ever since then the Shamrock has become our National symbol and Irish people will always wear a sprig on this special day.

During this particular time when the church is under so much fire from the media, and others ,with many different agendas, it would be important for us to remember that the message brought by Patrick was a message which carried the Irish people through many turbulent years of terrible suffering and hardship. Today the message is the same as it always was, it was the failure by many of us to keep it simple and to practice it in our daily lives that caused the problems.

I cannot help but feel that St Patrick is still with us, that Ireland which was always a pillar for Christianity and can continue to be just that. There will be changes,and changes have been made, but they were needed.
Let our celebrations this St Patricks day, be in honour of that great man who led us out of the darkness and who will continue to help us in our hour of need.

A Happy St Patricks day to one and all.

Visit Dove Chauffeur Drive Holidays Website

Chauffeurdrive/own car and driver vacations in Ireland

A last get together with my Adams family in their Dublin hotel after we arrived there today. Yes....that is me in the middle.

Waving goodbye to me as i took this final photo of a family i now list among my very special friends. I can only say that if the rest of my tours this year are half as pleasant, and as much fun as this tour was, then i will have a year to look forward to.

Just a look at what the weather was like today in Adare as we made our way from Killarney to Dublin this morning. This photo was taken out through the window of my van. In the background is the Fitzgerald castle and the river in Adare as we drove over the bridge. It was not our best day by any means, but apart from yesterday, and that was not a bad one, the rest of the holiday was really nice.

This tour was special and i did not find it easy to leave my friends behind in Dublin as i departed for home this afternoon. I had a long drive ahead of me, as i had to make my way home once again to Kinvara, but i did have time alone for a few hours to look back over the past week and reflect on the nice time i had with the Adams family. They never gave me even the slightest problem and it was easy to see that they were having a great time. The four junior members of the group, Christian, Erin, Jayci and Lauren, were never a problem for me, and i loved their company, and the adults, Bill and Sue (Liam and Siobhan) and John and Donna, were likewise.

To the Adams i would like to say:

Tomorrow, as you leave for home once again, i want to thank you all sincerely for being so nice, and such great company, and rest assured that if you ever want to come back to Ireland, then it would be my privilege to get another chance to show you more of this lovely country.

Thank you all, thank you, thank you.

Your friend in Ireland

Dave

Ring of Kerry with Chauffeurdrive

Lauren with Charlie Chaplin in Waterville on the Ring of Kerry.

Our first wet day since this tour began. What the old folk would call "A soft day". Here we have John and Bill taking some photos on the hillside overlooking Waterville.

Christian at Ladies View outside Killarney. Unfortunately today there was no view.

A view of one of the lakes as we made our way around the Ring.

Climbing a rocky hill to get some great shots of the lakes.

Today was our first wet day but we still managed to tour the Ring of Kerry. It was a little disappointing but we cannot complain. My friends were begining to wonder if it ever rained in Ireland.

St Patricks Day In Ireland

An Irish mountain road
Our Western coastline
An Irish River
A Golden Eagle in a clear blue Irish sky

This is the Ireland i love, and the Ireland forever blessed by our Patron saint, St Patrick ,who having been captured and brought here as a prisoner, was to escape and then to return here again after being inspired by a dream in which he saw the Irish people pleading with him to return to them.Patrick was to follow his studies for the priesthood and then to return to transform our country with the message of Christianity. His conversion of the High King of Ireland was the key to his success as other missionaries had tried before with little success. It was while trying to explain to the King the meaning of the Trinity, the three persons in God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, that Patrick plucked a Shamrock, and pointed out the three leaves on the one stem. The King finally understood and was converted. Seeing that their High King was convinced, the people followed suit. Ever since then the Shamrock has become our National symbol andIrish people will always wear a sprig on this special day. During this particular time when the church is under so much fire from the media, and others ,with many different agendas, it would be important for usto remember that the message brought by Patrick was a message which carried the Irish people through many turbulent years of terrible suffering and hardship. Today the message is the same as it always was, it was the failure by many of us to keep it simple and to practice it in our daily lives that caused the problems.
I cannot help but feel that St Patrick is still with us, that Ireland which was always a pillar for Christianity and can continue to be just that. There will be changes,and changes have been made, but they were needed.
Let our celebrations this St Patricks day, be in honour of that great man who led us out of the darkness and who will continue to help us in our hour of need.

A Happy St Patricks day to one and all.

Touring Dingle peninsula March 2012

My Adams Party

Pictured at Killarney Golf Club this morning as we set out on our tour of Dingle.

My new pal at Inch Strand on the Dingle peninsula.

Caught in the act....Liam and Siobhan, slightly carried away by the beauty of it all.

Donna enjoying the wonderful fresh air on Inch beach.

Christian ...such a nice happy young man.

My family pictured outside Maura Houlihan's beehive huts near Slea Head on the Dingle peninsula. Note the stone beehive hut in the background.

John Adams at Slea Head, with the Blasket Islands in the background.

Happy together after a wonderful feed of fish and chips, seafood chowder, Calamari etc, in Harrington's restaurant in the heart of Dingle.

A happy John outside the restaurant after eating his fill.
If you make it to Dingle , make sure that you eat at Harrington's where Eileen and her staff will look after you well. Mentioning my name to Eileen will not do any harm. Dingle is a very important fishing port and you will not find fish anywhere that is as fresh as here. The restaurant is on the opposite side of the street from the tourist office right on the harbour front beside the main car park.
Take it from me.....i never recommend anywhere unless i have experienced it first of all and found it of a standard that satisfies me.

A windblown Sue high in the mountains at the Conor Pass.

My full Adams party at the Conor Pass. From the left....Liam, Donna, Siobhan, Erin, Jayci, Christian, John and Lauren.

This was another magical day and one which we all really enjoyed. Once again we are back in Killarney and the ladies have headed for the shops, as ladies do, to grab all the bargains they can find. Killarney is a great town for shopping as well as good food, and the best of entertainment at night.
Ireland is buzzing right now as we have quiet a large number of visitors here in anticipation of the fast approaching St Patrick's day on Saturday. We will be making our way to Dublin on Friday but we still have the Ring of Kerry to enjoy tomorrow before we leave Killarney.
If you are enjoying this tour make sure you come along the whole way with us.

Dave

Touring te Burren and the Cliffs of Moher with chauffeurdrive

My happy group at the Cliffs of Moher today. (from left. Erin, Jaci, Christian, Lauren, Donna, John, Sue and Bill ( Liam from now on as we have adopted him).

St Brigid's Well near the Cliffs of Moher.

Lauren and Jaci on the ferry as we crossed the mighty Shannon River.

Donna and Christian standing beside our van as we wait for the ferry to dock (in the background) at Killimer in County Clare.

From the left: Donna and John, Erin and Christian, Sue and Liam as we cross the Shannon on the ferry on our way to Killarney in County Kerry.

What a gorgeous day it was here in Ireland today, and what a great day we had as we made our way through the Burren in county Clare to the Cliffs of Moher. We then visited St Brigid's well before making our way south where we crossed the Shannon on the ferry on our way to Killarney. It was cool today but really nice and everybody once again had a great time. Tonight they are going to get out on the town in Killarney and enjoy some great traditional music in one of the many lively pubs in this wonderful town.

An Irish vacation with your own private driver/chauffeur drive

My perfect travelling companions on our tour of Connemara today. This photo was taken at Ashford Castle as we made our way into Joyce country this morning. We also visited the fjord at Leenane, Kylemore Abbey, the Sky Road and Clifden where we stopped for a lovely lunch in a great pub in the town. Then it was on to the harbour town of Roundstone before making our way back through the heart of Connemara to Galway city and on to Kinvara where they are staying tonight.
Bill (now known as Liam) on the Sky road near Clifden. The views from up here are fabulous and you just could not get any nearer to the USA than here. You can see the offshore islands in the background and note that they are still inhabited. If you do visit the Sky road take great care, as the road is very narrow and quiet dangerous if you are not confident about driving on Irish roads. Of course you could always get me to take you there.....much easier, and a lot more relaxing. The day was really nice today, eventhough it was quiet dull as you can see from this picture. This is Kylemore lake with the magical Kylemore Abbey in the background. You can see that Lauren is enjoying making friends with this gorgeous Connemara pony. These lovely horses are really friendly and make great ponies for children as they are not a full horse size and have a wonderful temperament. Connemara is a land of mountains, bogs and lakes and wonderful Atlantic coastline drives. I took this photo on the main Clifden-Galway road on our way home this evening.

I had started out with my new group yesterday and today was our first day of touring. If my party enjoyed it as much as i enjoyed their company then they had a great time, and i do believe that they did.
Tomorrow we head for the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher on our way south. I hope to post as we go so feel free to follow along.

Irish chauffeurdrive vacations 2012

Springtime in Ireland as these Daffodils decorate my garden. Can you see the bird feeder hanging in the tree?

Well if you cannot.....the cat can. When you feed the birds, unfortunately you feed the cats as well. Nature will have its way.

I have been busy dealing with enquiries for what looks like being a busy season ahead. I start a tour on Saturday with a group from Connecticut and i will be showing them around for the coming week. They are all excited about their trip and i am looking forward also to meeting these new friends. I will be reporting in on our progress so follow along if you are interested. Most of this tour is centred around the Western seaboard, my own personal favourite part of Ireland. They will be back in Dublin at the end as they fly out from there after their holiday.