Chauffeurdriven vacations/tours in the west of Ireland

                                                Why the West of Ireland ?

The picture above just might answer that question. I took this during the week at Ladies View high in the mountains above Killarney. It was here that Queen Victoria stood spellbound and uttered those famous words, "This is the most beautiful view in the Kingdom".

My tours cover all of Ireland, but i find that most of my customers are fascinated by the tales they hear of the beauty of the western regions. They may wish to spend a couple of days in Dublin to explore this historic city at either the begining, or the end, of their vacation, and spend the rest of their time relaxing as they discover for themselves just how true the stories they have heard about Ireland actually are.

Visit Connemara, what we call "God's Country, which is also very often described as the "Quiet Man" country, and named after that famous movie, which starred John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara.

The Burren of County Clare, and the awesome Cliffs of Moher, are always high on my list, as are the Ring of Kerry, and the Dingle peninsula.

The counties of Kerry and Cork in the south west are magical to me with great mountain ranges and magnificent rugged coastlines. The islands offshore add to the beauty of this region, and there are many fine beaches with delicate soft golden white sand. Remember, we do have the Gulf stream here, which keeps the water at a lovely temperature for swimming.

St Finbarr's tiny church, and island, at Gougane Barra in County Cork.

The unbelievable Gap of Dunloe in Killarney.

  If you are planning on visiting the Emerald anytime in the future, why not contact me, and together we can plan the holiday of a lifetime for you. My experience, and my great love for my country, will ensure, that what you see, you will both enjoy, and remember.

Talk to you soon.

Dave

Galway to the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren and finally Doonbeg.

The ladies, on the seafront in Salthill this morning before we left for County Clare, the Burren, and the Cliffs of Moher. From the left, we have, Johnna, Robin, Marcie, Tea and Kathy, with Karen in the front. The water, pictured in the background, is Galway Bay, with the Hills of Clare, barely visible in the distance. It was chilly today, but it stayed dry for us, which helped a lot.

The ladies, pictured outside the beautiful Galway Cathedral today. 

I love the beautiful stained glass Rose window inside this Cathedral. 

The Cathedral is situated right on the banks of the river Corrib. At the top of the picture you can see the Salmon weir, which controls the flow of water from the upper river, and the Corrib lake upstream. This is a great salmon fishing river. You can see the suspended ramps, or gangways, used by the fishermen, on the left hand side of the picture. You have to pay to fish on this section of the river.

Here we have our happy ladies once again, high in the mountains of the Burren, with Galway Bay in the distant background. From the left we have, Robin, Karen, Johnna, Marcie, Tea, and finally Kathleen. The Burren is a most unusual area, which was once upon a time the ocean floor. You can already see just how much their complexions are benefitting from the good Irish air.

The day remained kind to us as we explored the Cliffs.

You can clearly see from this picture at the Cliffs, that the wind was cold as the girls all wrapped themselves up to stay warm. The air was great though, and everybody enjoyed their time here.

This was another great day for all of us and i finally parted company with them in Doonbeg later in the afternoon. Doonbeg is a small village further down the West Coast from the Cliffs, and Kathleen has many friends there from previous visits. Tomorrow i collect them once again as we continue on our Irish adventure. 
Make sure you tag along.

Chauffeurdriven vacations in West and South West of Ireland

I love this picture, which i took from by back garden. Needless to say, i live in the country, and this is one of the bonuses of living in a rural setting. The neighbour at the back of my property is a farmer, and this cheeky chap is one of his heifers. He is actually standing on top of the wall eating the ivy that he finds so tasty. He obviously does not think too much of me interupting his snack.

Stone walls are very much a part of the landscape in the West of Ireland. Our western seaboard is my own personal favourite part of this lovely country. The rugged Atlantic coastline is magnificent, with its many offshore islands, its wonderful mountain ranges, its many towns and villages, and most of all, its friendly country people. Here you will find ruins of ancient monasteries and abbeys, ruined Norman towers and ring forts, standing stones, tiny harbours, beautiful rivers and mountain streams, and air as fresh as mothers milk. To live here is a gift from heaven, to visit, a sample of heaven, and a store of memories to treasure for as long as you live.

The wonderful river at Ballinahinch Castle Hotel in Connemara. If you like to fish, then this is the place to catch your trout or salmon. The hotel will supply you with all the gear as this is their own privat river.

You can enjoy a jaunting car ride in Killarney.

or take a walk along the top of the Cliffs of Moher in county Clare.

You can experience the nerve jangling descent from the Conor Pass on the Dingle peninsula as you make your way down the mountain to Tralee. Do you really want to dive here?

You may take a moment to whisper a gentle prayer of thanks at this statue of Our Lady of the Wayside at the tip of the Ring of Kerry on the mountain above the town of Waterville. Nothing between you here and your home in the USA.

Just a fraction of what the West and Southwest of Ireland have to offer, and what you can experience with me if you choose to do so. 
My calendar is filling up so if you want to avail of our services then now is the time to start making your enquiry. We may be able to look after you.

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.

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.