Irish Tourism  Reviews 

Review of our Ireland Trip with Irish Tourism

We recently had the pleasure of embarking on a fantastic trip to Ireland, organized by Irish Tourism, and we are incredibly thankful for the experience. Overall, it was a well-organized holiday with many highlights, though a few aspects could be improved for future travellers. Here’s a breakdown of our journey:

Car Hire
We were offered a complimentary upgrade from a small compact automatic to a small SUV, 6-speed manual, which turned out to be an excellent choice. The SEAT vehicle was comfortable, easy to drive, and fuel-efficient, holding our luggage without any issues. However, there was a strong push for extra insurance, which was a little off-putting.
- Positives: Free upgrade, excellent vehicle, good service.
- Negative: Unnecessary pressure for additional insurance.

Kilkenny – Lyrath Estate Hotel
The Lyrath Estate Hotel was a wonderful place to stay, with spacious, comfortable rooms and beautiful, well-maintained grounds. The dining experience was exceptional. However, its distance from Kilkenny city made exploring the town difficult. The city centre was crowded, and with no parking available, we missed out on visiting Kilkenny Castle and other attractions.
- Positives: Fantastic accommodation, excellent customer service.
- Negatives: Too far from the city, car park was a long walk from the hotel entrance.

Cork – Imperial Hotel
The Imperial Hotel offered a comfortable stay in the heart of Cork. Its central location made it easy to walk around, though we struggled with the offsite car park. Dropping off and picking up luggage in front of the hotel was challenging due to the busy location. The restaurant offered great food for both dinner and breakfast.
- Positives: Central location, great dining, comfortable room.
- Negatives: Long walk to offsite car park, difficult luggage handling at the entrance.

Killarney – International Hotel
The International Hotel was in a prime location in Killarney's city centre, with enjoyable dining options and a large bathroom featuring a built-in spa. Unfortunately, there was no convenient way to drop off or collect luggage, as the hotel lacks street access for vehicles. Our room’s location was also a challenge, requiring assistance from the staff to navigate the complex corridors and stairs. Despite these inconveniences, we had a wonderful offsite meal at a traditional restaurant nearby, which we highly recommend.
- Positives: Central location, large bathroom with spa, great dining.
- Negatives: No luggage drop-off access, room was difficult to reach, offsite car parking.

Galway – Screebe House
Screebe House was a luxurious stay with excellent food and attentive hosts. However, the 50-minute drive to Galway meant we missed exploring the city entirely. Our day trip to the Aran Islands and the Cliffs of Moher took the entire day, leaving no time for sightseeing in Galway. We also missed breakfast on our first morning due to the late start time at the hotel. In hindsight, we would have preferred staying in both Galway and Screebe House to fully enjoy each location.
- Positives: Excellent accommodation, delicious food, friendly hosts.
- Negatives: Too far from Galway, missed breakfast due to late serving time, and the room was on the third floor with no elevator.

Dublin – The Green Hotel
Our stay at The Green Hotel in Dublin was wonderful. The room was spacious and comfortable, and the breakfast facility was good. The location was perfect for exploring the city, with easy access to Dublin’s attractions. We enjoyed a night out at the Celtic Nights show, a walking tour of Dublin, and a morning at the Guinness Storehouse. Dublin was the perfect way to end our trip.
- Positives: Great location, comfortable room, enjoyable activities.
- Negatives: None to mention for this part of the stay.
We are truly grateful to Irish Tourism for organizing such a memorable holiday. While there were a few minor hiccups, the overall experience was fantastic, and we would happily recommend them to others looking to explore the beauty of Ireland.

Our trip around Ireland was booked with the help and expertise of Irish Tourism. Their packages are flexible and made-to-measure, and with the capable and friendly help of Nuala, we had an amazing experience.

Excellent planning made our tour a wonderful experience! Linda Larkin did a superb job from listening to my wishes and needs to creating an itinerary that met all my requests. Every single day of our trip was perfect!

Ireland tour comments

Overall, the trip you put together was excellent. We loved Ireland.

My comments below highlight some opportunities for improvement.

General comment; there was inadequate attention to detail in the planning.
* There were transportation connections and planned consecutive events that were set too tight to make them.
* Documents were promised by a certain date but I had to email and call multiple times to get them.
* We twice received updated documents to reprint without any explanation why. Only later did we learn it was due to a rail outage in NI. Why no explanation?
* Most importantly, from my point of view, almost no consideration was given to accommodating my disability, despite it being well described in advance.

Specific comments:

1. The rail trip from Dublin to Killarney is fairly long. It added many hours to a travel day that was already very long. We should have spent a few days in Dublin at the start of our trip instead of the end.
2. Finding the train was a challenge. We didn’t have a lot of time to spare, and we were unfamiliar with the station, the signage and platform layout. We had expected our driver to do more in the way of pointing us in the right direction but he just let us out of the car and left.
3. We had trouble finding our train and coach at Houston Station. We eventually found that coaches were lettered, but it was only after we were aboard the train that a ticket collector showed us our coach and seat for both legs of the trip were printed on one ticket. All of this sounds simple, but it lead to us being rushed and feeling stressed.
4. The Great Southern Killarney hotel was exceptionally good. Great choice.
5. The Dingle Peninsula and the Ring of Kerry tours were both great.
6. Our private driver, Brian, from Killarney to Dublin, was excellent. He took great care of us for the 3 days we were with him. He had great ideas and took us places that tourists would often miss. Especially important to us, Brian found ways to help us see the sights without me hurting my feet more than necessary. He’s an excellent chauffeur and a nice gentleman.
7. Ashford castle was spectacular. We loved our time there but because we still had the service of Brian for that time, we had limited time to enjoy it.
8. Newgrange and Knowth were fascinating and well worth seeing. I have one issue:
* There was a great deal of walking required. There was no consideration for my disability. Even from the visitor centre to the bus was long. It was one of the worst days for my feet.
9. The Grand Central Hotel in Belfast was another excellent choice.
10. The Black Cab tour was excellent. We were very impressed with the knowledgeable and friendly driver. Top marks.
11. Taking a temporary bus to a train from Belfast to Dublin was not possible given my disability. The driver I found was excellent; you should take note of his company for future. We appreciate you covering this expense.
12. The Green hotel in Dublin was perfect. Great location, excellent property.
13. The house party was great. Good food, excellent service, fun music. A1!

Second time we used IT, they are great people to work with and always there to answer any questions. Will return.

All went very well! Almost perfect but I didn't realize that the Clifden, Galway meant Galway county and not Galway city. My own ignorance about City names vs County names so we had to juggle our plans to see performances in Galway since it was too far for that BUT we loved Clifden and really enjoyed the whole trip. Excellent Hotels and breakfasts and the touring/driving descriptions sent by Irish Tourism really helped us plan what to do since we rented a car. Well done! Can't wait to go back and see more.

We were referred to "Irish Tourism" by a friend who lives in Ireland and Stephanie was amazing! She helped us every step of the way from start to finish. We told her our desire to drive ourselves around the Wild Atlantic Way to see the entire coast and she made it happen. One of our must haves was King-sized beds in 5 star accommodations and every hotel was top notch with excellent customer service. She gave us a detailed report of many points of interests along our route based on our preferences. We had a wonderful time and highly recommend using them to plan your next trip to Ireland!

Our experience with Irishtourism was exceptional. Nuala Sheedy was very attentive and knowledgeable; she was able to book exactly what we were looking for on our trip to Ireland. We had a wonderful experience.
Thank you, Nuala!

Linda Larkin was our contact at Irish Tourism. We can't say enough good things about her and everyone we dealt with. Everything she planned and booked for us: the wonderful Sean McLoughlin Chauffeur services that drove us from Killarney to Galway, and John Lamb who got us to the Dublin train station were all so lovely. The tours Linda booked for us were exceptional. The hotels were fabulous, perfectly located, and everything was booked as promised. If we had questions, Linda was quick to respond and gave us after hours contacts in case of emergency. In short, the service was very personal and accessible. We had a wonderful and memorable vacation with one glitch in the beginning with our luggage. It got left in London and did not get transferred to Aer Lingus in Dublin like it was supposed to. John Lamb waited a long time for us to get a "lost luggage" notice filled out, which meant we missed our train. He waited for us, helped us get on another train at no extra cost, showed us how to redeem train tickets, got us on the train and helped us understand what seats were available and saw us successfully on our way. In short, Irish Tourism and everyone we came in contact with were wonderful. Even Aer Lingus, which is not associated with Irish Tourism, did Ireland proud. As soon as our luggage made it from Heathrow to Dublin, Aer Lingus made arrangements to get our luggage to us in Cork by the next day.

Thank you again Linda Larkin and everyone associated with Irish Tourism for planning such perfect memories that we will cherish forever.
Pat B 9/4/2024 - 9/14/2024

Working with Nuala was a joy! She accommodated all of our wishes into an amazing trip to Ireland. I would book through Irishtourism again!

My wife and I recently returned from a two-week trip to Ireland arranged by Irish Tourism. Our agent, Niamh Butler was delightful to work with, always available, and very responsive to questions and concerns. The itinerary was executed flawlessly and the trip exceeded our expectations. Our accommodations were exceptional. The Imperial Hotel Cork was a classic beauty with very attentive staff located close to the English Market. Coffey's Loch Lein House Hotel overlooked farmland and the lake a few miles from Killarney. At the Ballinalacken House Hotel, our room was located at the base of Ballinalacken Castle near Doolin, and the Cliffs of Moher were visible. The owner provided tours of the castle. Finally, O'Callaghans The Green Hotel in Dublin was located across for Stephen's Green and within walking distance of the National Museum, Trinity College, The Irish Whisky Museum, and the Temple Bar area. Meals at the locations were all terrific and reasonably priced. Irish tourism hired our chauffeur through Kinsale Executive Travel. We are glad we chose that option as it relieved us from having to drive on the other side of the road on unfamiliar and often narrow routes. Our experience driver, John Murphy, drove us in a Mercedes van. John was a retired policeman with an extensive knowledge of the countryside and its history. He suggested visiting locations that we would not otherwise have considered, and his expertise greatly enhanced our enjoyment. This was a dream vacation made possible by the professionalism of Irish Tourism. I recommend them without reservation!

If one needs to explore Ireland, look no further and opt for the services of Irish Tourism. We had a custom itinerary prepared for us according to our needs. Niamh and all the team were always very prompt in replying to any queries and they even followed up during our stay. The choice of accommodation was superb and the suggested itinerary was of great help in visiting Ireland's main sites. Very professional service indeed! Thanks to all!

Nuala Sheedy of Irish Tourism (irishtourism.com) was very communicative and accommodating. She formatted our 10 day train tour to our time frame and sent along explicit instructions for our daily events. In addition, she provided a 62 page summary in pdf form highlighting the many places we visited so we didn't have to carry along any bulky tour guide books. We were able to choose the quality ratings of our hotel stays and we were very pleased with those provided. The full breakfasts and various tours were lovely as well. Overall, we'd highly recommend this company for your consideration.

Exactly as advertised! Very reliable. Everything went off exactly as planned. Pretour service with many questions answered by Niamh Butler was done very promptly, often by return email.

Since this was a knitting tour, it included at least six opportunities to buy Irish yarn, which was very important. I was unable to participate in at least two workshops, due to my own shortcomings, but I thought the number of workshops was about right, too.

My husband accompanied me as a non-knitter and was made to feel very welcome and part of the group. There were two other husbands along also. He enjoyed the three factory tours and the visit to the alpaca farm.

All the hotels and the provided meals were fine, particularly the lunch at Bushmills Inn. If anything, the experience of traveling to Inis Mor and being there was a little disappointing. Outside of driving around the island for a short time, visiting the ruins of a church, and visiting several knitwear shops, I don’t recall seeing much else. I thought there were some castle ruins there. My husband missed seeing them.

Our coach driver, Dan, was wonderful—very accommodating—always helpful. The man who picked us up at the airport in Dublin and returned us there, John Lamb, is just great and a wonderful welcoming host for Dublin. Hopefully you can use these two as often as possible.

We have participated in many group tours over many years and have rated many tour directors. The tour director on this tour, Freda O’Dea, did everything right, and we had a very good experience; but at times it seemed she had trouble staying organized, and I cannot give her the highest possible mark—close, but not five stars.

I can only offer one comment for improvement. I don’t know if people gathered to knit together after dinner or not, but it would be nice to have a small dedicated
lounge area where the group could gather, as some hotels are not enthusiastic about a group if women knitting and chatting in their main lobby area and probably not ordering anything from the bar.

"Local | Flexible | Trustworthy" is Irish Tourism's calling card and an apt description of the service that they provided for us. Irish Tourism made the effort to understand what we were looking for in a road trip through Ireland within the confines of our budget. We quite enjoyed our trip to and through Ireland and were pleased with the itinerary and accommodations that Irish Tourism recommended and arranged.

Maria was very helpful with all of my questions and concerns from the start. She set everything up the way I wanted . There were no problems at all. We are very pleased and will use Irish tourism when we return to Ireland in the future. They are the best!

When I contacted Irishtourism.com to help plan our family trip to Ireland, I really had very little idea beyond we weren’t a family who wanted to do a “group bus tour”. Niamh helped me to plan a wonderful self-guided driving tour of Ireland. After many emails and phone conversations (she was very patient!) a route was set. Prior to our travels, Niamh sent vouchers for every reservation with detailed directions along with a comprehensive guide that outlined suggested places to stop along the drive. Because everything was so well communicated and planned, it allowed us to focus on the beauty of Ireland and not on the stressful minutiae usually associated with travel. I cannot recommend Niamh and Irishtravel enough!

The accomodations were amazing and the staff at Irish Tourism worked diligently to accommodate some last minute updates. They were courteous and helpful at all times and helped me work within a budget. They were also most helpful selecting just the proper automobile for our travel needs.

I highly recommend Irish Tourism.

Good information and communication

Stephanie good day,
The trip was simply amazing. The most important was the fact that it simply accomplished the goal for my wife and I to have the experience we ere looking for visiting Ireland. On that end the trip that you put together definitely accomplished this. Everywhere we went and everyone we met were so nice and joyful, it was hard to leave. Well my wife wanted to have an our dogs shipped over as she wanted to move and live in Ireland moving forward…..lol. Our only regret was the 1 night we spent in Cork at the Imperial Hotel, this we would not recommend for future travelers. We know it was not a hotel you had suggested as it had been by our friends, so no bad notes for Irish Tourism.
For sure we plan to return and may do it as soon as next summer as there is so much we have not seen.
Thank you again Stephanie and Irish Tourism for the level of professionalism and hospitality.