Connemara with Susan and Cam Sept 2nd 2012

 My sunshine girls this morning at Ashford castle in Cong as we set out on our tour of Connemara.

 Pictured in the gardens with the castle in the background.

 Happy at last....Cam at the bar in Ashford. What a difference a little tipple makes to ones
personality.

Deep in the heart of the Maam Valley, the ladies beside this signpost with the place names in both Irish and English. Today was spent mainly teaching them the Irish for Whiskey.

 Susan and Cam at the fjord in Leenane.

 Three happy campers at Kylemore Abbey.

 Here we are on the Sky Road near Clifden with the offshore islands in the Atlantic behind us.

Susan finds a bakery. You cannot say that my job does not provide me with variety.

 Now you see why the bakery? These delicious home baked pastries are all loaded with fresh cream. Irish cream that is....completely fat free...low calories....guaranteed to give you that vital energy boost. Another good reason to come to Ireland. I actually forgot to take a photo of the girls lunch plates as we had lunch here also....what a shame.

 The main street in the popular town of Clifden.

 Susan showed a particularly strange interest in this place and expressed an interest in possibly purchasing it. She said that maybe she might consider opening an Irish branch here. Why?

 There is nowhere like Ireland for wild flowers and here you see the ladies at Ballinahinch Castle with the Hydrangeas in full bloom in the background.

The Ballinahinch river as seen from the back of the castle.

Tomorrow we are off to the south....destination Killarney. We are having fun.

Chauffeur Driven Vacations/private Driver/ West of Ireland Private Tours.

 Well today is a bank holiday in Ireland and it just happens that i can relax at home for a change, and eventhough i spent a lot of my day working on programs for prospective clients, i did get time to catch up on some gardening as my garden was in danger of becoming a jungle. I always get a great sense of satisfaction when i look at my garden after cutting the grass and doing a bit of weeding and tidying.It does look nice once again.
The picture above gives you some idea of just how high up you are at the Cliffs of Moher. The tiny looking boat below is actually a small ferry which brings people on trips to view the cliffs from below. The Cliffs and the Burren of County Clare are wonderful places to visit and most unusual so put them on your list.

 What a beautiful horse this is....the majestic Connemara Pony enjoying the sunshine near Clifden in Connemara. The Connemara pony makes a really great pet for kids as they have a lovely temperament and are not quiet as large as a full horse.

 My sparring partner Terry Rooney, at the fjord in Leenane. This man knew his stuff when it came to computers. I have invited him back again next year to challenge him on computer skills. Easy money for me.

The lakes of Killarney......renowned in song and story. You can take cruises on the lakes......maybe visit the monastic ruins on Inisfallen Island. Ross Castle on the shores of the lake is also a magnificent castle to visit.


Visit my web-site for more nice pictures and more information about what i do. I still have free dates so if you are looking for a chauffeur/private driver, then drop me a line.

http://www.chauffeurdriveholidays.com

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.

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.