Chauffeurdrive Vacations in Ireland for 2012

I took this photo during the Summer on a hot hazy day (yes really). I was standing on the beach at Inch on the Dingle peninsula looking across at the Iveragh peninsula and the Ring of Kerry on the other side.This is really lovely beach and a great place for a swim. There is aslo a lot of surfing done here so if you are into that you can come here and rent a surfboard.
This is the view i have from my kitchen window (that heifer is not always standing on the wall though). This guy was a bit of a thrill seeker as he was precariously perched on top of that loose stone wall eating the lush ivy which they like so much. The good news is that he managed to get down safely after he had his fill.
This sad memorial stone is dedicated to the poor little children who were buried on this beach near Carraroe in Connemara during the famine. Connemara was one of the worst hit areas during the famine and burying the dead was a huge problem for the poor starving people who had barely enough energy to carry their children as far as the beach. Digging a grave in the sand made the physical side of it easier but there was nothing to relieve the mental torment. Maybe worth just comparing our lot now to theirs? Our recession would(for them) have been a life beyond their wildest dreams.
The Puck Goat (ram) pictured here is the King of the "Puck Fair" week in Killorglin every year. It dates back to Pagan times when this was an annual festival where people came from far and wide to gather together for trade and festivities of all kinds. The goat was the King of the Fair and today we carry on that tradition every year with this great festival of song, dance and music during the Summer. A goat is captured from the mountain and he is placed on a high platform in the centre of the town. He is the King for the week. Do not worry about him at all.....he is well looked after and released back onto his mountain after the week is over.....maybe a little hung over from all the Guinness, but in good health otherwise.
I can never look at this wreck of an old fishing trawler without picturing her in her heyday. What a proud vessel she must have been, and now, just a sad reminder of bygone days. It is hard to look back at her without looking back at my own younger days.....but the memories are good.

I took this picture in St Mary's Cathedral in Killarney. It is a prayer that i find helpful when i am finding my work load heavy. Maybe you can read it if you enlarge the picture. No matter what denomination you are, i think you might find it nice.

November has been a pleasant month in general so far and the weather has been very mild for this time of the year. We have not had any temperatures down to freezing point as of yet and, compared to this time last year, we are really doing well. Every day that goes by now shortens the Winter, and that really is a bonus.

Planning a trip to Ireland is not easy for people in general, especially those who have not travelled a lot. I find that many people who write to me have been doing a certain amount of research, and that is not a bad thing, but taking advice from people who were here for a week or so, and want to plan your trip for you, is not always the best idea. I work with my clients from day one and try to find out their ideas and the places that they most want to see. Then i incorporate them into my own plan with my own ideas and put the lot together in a way that is practical. Doing it yourself is really full of hazards as you really have no idea of distances and road qualities and all the other things that crop up to upset your plans. When somebody takes me on i always tell them to try to leave the end plan to me as employing me and doing it yourself is like "Having a dog and barking yourself".
One hundred miles might seem very little when you know that in your country you can cover that in an hour and a half. It does not work like that here. It is easy for me to plan a tour because of my experience and i know what is sensible and i know what is just plain ridiculous. Most people who hire cars end up stressed out as their plans are just not practical and they just try to do too much. I can cover a lot more ground in half the time as i do not need maps, i do not get lost, and i know the places that are worth stopping off to see and the places that are not. There are many books and travel magazines that promote stuff that i would not bother with. You only have so much time here and it should be well spent. With me it will be. I do get a lot of enquiries from people who do not travel with me and i do not mind giving them advice. Many of them would love to be able to come to me but for different reasons they just cannot. Sometimes it is a financial thing, sometimes it is just because one of the party feels that hiring a driver and guide is unescessary and that they will do it themselves, but many of them regret that as they end up stressed out, not only from the driving but from all of the tension in their passengers, not to mention back-seat driving. Many of them find to their regret that financilally it was a disaster as they have accidents, and even if the accident is a minor one, their deposit is gone. So much for saving. With me everybody can relax and enjoy the scenery. I have two ladies coming to me next year who were here before and who told me that this time they want to have somebody with them who" can tell them what they are looking at " as as they go. The last time they loved everything but did not know half of the time what they were looking at. This time i am sure i can help.
If you want to know more just message me.

Dave