The terrifying – but funny – world of the disgruntled TripAdvisor reviewer

The terrifying – but funny – world of the disgruntled TripAdvisor reviewer Ireland’s grumpiest visitors Joe O’Shea PUBLISHED12/08/2015 | 02:30 SHARE 7The Rock of Cashel at sunset. They’re our top attractions, but to some caustic critics, the Cliffs of Moher are ‘just cliffs with vicious parking fees’ and the Book of Kells is ‘old and dirty’. Joe O’Shea unearths the funniest TripAdvisor reviews… SHARE The Rock of Cashel is “just a rock and some ruins”, Blarney Castle is “basically hell on earth” and Cork’s famed English Market is “full of smelly fish shops”. Don’t even think about going to the Cliffs Of Moher, all you will see is “fog and […]

TripAdvisor reveals its Top 10 Irish Museums

TripAdvisor reveals its Top 10 Irish Museums – No.1 fits into a single house in Dublin Punching above its weight Pól Ó Conghaile Twitter EMAIL PUBLISHED18/09/2015 | 11:30 SHARE 3Trevor White, Director of The Little Museum of Dublin, one of our less obvious attractions. Ireland’s No.1 museum is a small, non-profit housed in a Georgian building overlooking Dublin’s Stephen’s Green. SHARE That’s according to TripAdvisor, which has just named the Little Museum of Dublin as Ireland’s top museum in its Travellers’ Choice Awards. The non-profit museum, which tells the story of the capital throughout the 20th century, is just four years old. Its collection was donated by the public, with […]

Star Wars’ is coming back, but should it be a welcome guest on ancient Skellig

Skellig Michael: Is 6th-century rock star selling out to a galaxy far, far away? The Force Awakens Graham Clifford PUBLISHED06/09/2015 | 02:30 SHARE ‘Star Wars’ is coming back, but should it be a welcome guest on ancient Skellig, asks our reporter. SHARE Just days old, the little bird would easily fit into the palm of my hand. Nestled between the stone walls of a monastic beehive hut, the grey, fluffy storm petrel chick is ­sheltered from the elements. In ­another corner I hear a Manx ­shearwater cooing as the winds  roll in from the Atlantic. This is Skellig Michael, monastic rock, ecological paradise and since last year, a film set. […]

Find out why Sarah Jessica Parker keeps coming back

Subscribe It sounds like a cliche, but South West Donegal is truly a hidden gem. Sarah Jessica Parker and hubbie Matthew Broderick have been coming to this unspoilt region to escape the glare of the paparazzi for over a decade – and from the minute we arrived, we could see why. From its rugged, beautiful scenery to its delicious seafood and unrivalled traditional craft fare, you’d be hard pressed to find a more magical Irish getway. Castle Murray House 3pm : Hold court at Castle Murray House Father and daughter team Martin and Marguerite Howley have run this charming little hideaway since 2002. Quaint comfortable and homely, Castle Murray House […]

Six Irish attractions have made it onto a list of the world’s top 500 must-see sights

Six Irish attractions have made it onto a list of the world’s top 500 must-see sights of all time, compiled by guidebook publisher Lonely Planet. The Cliffs of Moher are placed 378 on the list, “where Co Clare plunges off 214m-high cliffs”. The immense sea swell and craggy offshore islands attract big-wave surfers and puffins alike. “Northern Ireland’s most popular tourist attraction”, the “multimedia extravaganza” at Titanic Belfast, is the only museum on the island of Ireland to make the list, at number 424. With talking holograms, film footage, computer “fly-throughs” and rides depicting the ship’s doomed history, the museum “doesn’t feel macabre, celebrating instead the achievements of shipbuilders”. The […]

General Booking Conditions

PAYMENTS Ireland West Private Tours accepts payment by check or major credit cards   DEPOSITS A non-refundable deposit amounting to 10% of the total value of the arrangements made is required to confirm reservations. The booking is only confirmed when the deposit is received.   FINAL PAYMENT Full payment must be made 45 days prior to departure. We reserve the right to withdraw all, or part of, the services if this condition is not complied with and the deposit payment will be forfeited   CANCELLATION FEES In the event of cancellation, it should be noted that the following cancellation fees would be levied, depending on the date of cancellation. The […]

Customised Tours

  Though we specialise in west coast tours we can customise tours to all parts of Ireland. We can draft or amend itineraries to meet your particular cultural or recreational interests. Where possible we can draft itineraries to coincide with festivals of music, film, food, theatre literature, and a broad range of sporting events.     Our Writers Trail which focuses on the places that inspired such notable Irish writers as James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, George Bernard Shaw, W.B.Yeats, Sean O Casey, Seamus Heaney, Brian Friel, Frank McCourt Demote Healy, John McGahern and Tom Murphy is a very popular tour.

The Wild Atlantic Way

The Wild Atlantic Way is Ireland’s longest defined coastal touring route. From Donegal to Cork, you can explore the rugged beauty of the west. All of our west coast Itineraries take in the more spectacular sections of this ever increasing popular route.

Senior Discounts

Avail of our Special September and October discounts for Seniors.  Email us for further details.    

Three Days in The West Clare and Kerry

Three Days in The West Clare and Kerry Day 1   We leave Galway and travel to Kinvara, here we stop at Dunguaire Castle which is probably the most famous land mark that is associated with Kinvara. The castle was built in 1520 by the O’Hynes clan on the picturesque shores of Galway Bay. This restored 16th century tower house sits on a rocky outcrop on the shores of Galway Bay. We then go to the Burren, this is an area of limestone rock covering imposing majestic mountains, and tranquil valleys with gently meandering streams. With its innate sense of spiritual peace, extraordinary array of flora and wildlife, and megalithic tombs and […]