Chauffeurdriven tours of West and Southwest Ireland 2013

                   The mighty Cliffs of Moher are a must. 

Are you planning to visit Ireland in the coming year? This country has to be top of the list for all of our fellow Irish in the USA. The bulk of our enquiries come from the US, and the West of Ireland is always their top priority. If you are looking at a holiday period of anything from 7-10 days we can work together with you and put together a vacation that will leave you with many happy memories of your ancestral land. If you can manage a longer period, then we have no trouble in adding to your plan.

The Dingle peninsula, another one of my own personal favourites. 

The beautiful lakes of Killarney are famous in song and story.

Is kissing the Blarney stone on your list? Well it is on the list of thousands of others every year, but if this is not your thing, then you will still be impressed by this wonderful Norman castle and the magnificent grounds and gardens.

Who has not seen that wonderful movie "The Quiet Man" which starred John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara? Well i see it at least once every year and never tire of it. It was filmed in the area we know as "God's country" and it is always included in my west of Ireland tours. Above you see the magnificent Kylemore Abbey but that is only one of the treats in store for you in this special region.

Ashford Castle is another of those treats where you will spend time on your day in Connemara.

The Spanish Arch, a gateway in the old wall which encircled Galway City, is a treasure as most of the wall was demolished when people knew no better. 

Kinsale harbour from the hillside above Oysterhaven Bay.

This little train is a great way to see Kinsale town. This picture was taken down by the harbour front.

The memorial to Annie Moore and her two young brothers at the quayside in Cobh. They were the first people to register at Ellis Island.

These photos just might stir your appetite enough to get you moving on planning a visit to some of Ireland's most wonderful and memorable destinations, and with our help you can cover them all in your period with us. It is worth remembering that having experts to plan for you and then to escort you around, makes all of this practical. Driving your self has many drawbacks, not only for safety reasons, but knowing how to make the best of your time in a country where getting around is a little more complicated than you might imagine, is highly important. With us your time is properly managed, and not only are you seeing all of these special places, but you are learning all about them also as you go. What could be better than that.

Now is the time to be planning from that holiday of a lifetime in Ireland  in 2013. Maybe you can get in touch with me. You just might be pleasantly surprised.

Chauffeurdrive Vacations with own driver/guide in Ireland

My tour with DiAnn and Terry Rooney commenced yesterday when i met up with them in Galway City. After a tour of the city, i left them to enjoy the town on their own. 

Today, Monday, was our day in God's Country, that gem in the West of Ireland, Connemara.

Here are some of the photos i took today.

This photo above does not do justice to either the Rooney's or the wonderful Ballinahinch Castle as the sunshine through the window affected my flash. This is a wonderful castle hotel with a great history. A really special place if you like peace and quiet and wonderful walks, and of course salmon and trout fishing in their own private river.

 A magnificent Connemara Pony enjoying the sunshine on the edge of the Atlantic ocean today.

 Here we see DiAnn and Terry Rooney at the coral strand near Ballyconneely today. You can find this wonderful beach on the road between Clifden and Roundstone.

 Aawwwwwwwww.....Ireland, and the magic of its beauty....plus the glorious Irish sunshine, does have an affect on you.

 The happy couple enjoying the magnificent Kylemore Abbey.

 No picture could do justice to Loughnafooey and its awesome surrounding mountain scenery, in the heart of Joyce country. 

 The late Jane Conneen, a wonderful friend of mine, and a wonderful artist,always claimed that there were no skies like Irish skies. Who could argue with that.

 Here again we have Terry and Di Ann at the fjord at Leenane. Our tourists from the USA are always delighted with the quality of our Irish food. Terry is quiet obviously enjoying his.

 I always find this to be a touching scene, a famine time ruined cottage on the shores of Loughnafooey in the heart of Joyce country in Connemara. It is hard to imagine that there may have been ten or more children raised in such a small home, but this was not in the least unusual.

Guided Chauffeurdrive Tours in Ireland

 This picture was taken today in Galway's Latin Quarter of the old town. Today we had a wonderful meal of Fish and Chips" in McDonagh,s restaurant at the bottom of this street, Quay street. Make sure you put this place on your list of places to eat.

Today was the final day of my tour with James and Loretta Patterson, and what a special day it was. The weather was cold with the occasional heavy showers but there was plenty of sunshine, as you can see from these photos. In other words, a typical Irish day. Yesterday we had a really lovely day touring Connemara taking in Joyce Country, Loughnafooey,Leenane, Kylemore Abbey, the Sky Road and Clifden. Then it was on to Roundstone and the wonderful Castle Hotel at Ballinahinch before making our way back to Ashford castle in Cong where they were to spend their second night in this superb five star hotel.
This morning i collected them at Ashford and drove to Knock. This is a very special place where Our Lady appeared in 1879, an apparition which was witnessed by a number of people and a place which is now a recognised shrine similiar to Lourdes or Fatima and believed by many to be a place of great healing with many reported miracles down through the years.
The photo below shows  James and Loretta at the shrine in Knock. The images in the background replicate the actual apparition, figures of Mary, John the Baptist, and St Joseph, and the altar, with the lamb surrounded by a semi-circle of angels, and the cross in the centre.

 The high cross in the background was erected for the visit of the Pope John Paul 2nd back in 1979. The magnificent Basilica was built to house the growing number of pilgrims down through the years.

                 Above you can see the plaque explaining the                                 apparition and its history.   

 The picture above shows the golden rose which the Pope John Paul 2nd presented to Knock Shrine during his visit.

James and Loretta relaxing at Ashford castle this morning before we set out on the final leg of their tour with me, which ended this afternoon at Dromoland Castle, which is close to Shannon airport and convenient for their flight home tomorrow.


I would like to take this opportunity to thank Jim and Loretta for selecting my services for their visit to Ireland. I know, (because they told me), that they had a lovely time, as did i.  They will always be welcome, if, and when, they come back to Ireland once again. There is still a lot for them to see.
God bless, and safe home.

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.