Troy S, Jan 2023
I don't think you can find a better private guide
I read these forums for months prior to our November 2022 trip to Ireland and gleaned much from forum posts. I wanted to add my bit here and give a recommendation for Best of Ireland tours which is run by a fellow called Niall Cleary He is based in Ennis, but will go pretty much anywhere in Ireland to drive/guide you for several hours or several days.We just took a private tour with him out of Galway for the day, from about 9:00 AM to about 6:00 PM. I had been in touch with Niall for months prior to our day together and even had a couple of phone calls, both an introductory one back in August and then another one in November to firm up our plans. We also communicated via email frequently leading up to our day tour together, and as always, Niall was kind and affable as well as timely in his communications.I had pieced together a driving tour based on a few sources and personal preferences and drawn it out using Google Maps. I sent him this map and proposed route for his feedback, and he was happy to oblige with my requested route. We talked about practicalities ahead of time and he made some recommendations based on his experience driving and touring this region.He pulled up to our B&B in Galway right on time. His chariot is a white, late model VW van with comfortable seating for a group of 4-7 I would say--we were four, my wife and me and our two children (9&11). Niall knows how to make everyone feel comfortable and strikes a wonderful balance between humor and history. He is a guide who doesn't talk too much, nor too little. He just gets how to be a pleasant and informative tour guide who makes you feel more and more like family as the hours go by with him. By the end of the day we felt like we had a true Irish friend.And he remained flexible all day long. We ended up skipping one stop we had planned to make because we had decided it was going to be too similar to some of the countryside we had already seen, and we had an opportunity to clamber around some castle ruins instead, so he happily switched gears (or "called an audible" as we Americans say) and we are so glad we did, as our unplanned stop ended up being a highlight of the day! He was willing to take comfort breaks whenever we needed them to get food or use the restroom, which was very nice. It truly felt like a dear friend was taking us around western Ireland for the day, that is how personable and comfortable the whole day felt. It was our favorite day of our entire trip. And it didn't hurt that we had absolutely spectacular weather for mid November!
So here is our itinerary for the day:
- 09:00-Departed Galway
-Cong (Cong Abbey, Quite Man statue)-Maam (restroom stop at Keane's Pub where the kind owner let us use the facilities)-Lough Nafooey valley and the Nafooey Waterfall (a place Niall had not been before but happily adventured with us to find)-Killary Harbour at Killary Fjord-Lunch at Kylemore Abbey (we thought we might tour the abbey, too, but ended up just making it a lunch and shopping stop which was fine for our crew. We were able to get a great photo of us with the abbey in the background across the lake from the parking lot at the shop and cafe).-Instead of going into Connemara National Park next for a look 'round and a short hike as we had planned, we decided to skip it and push on to Clifden to hike out to the Clifden Castle ruins. Niall stayed with the car, but as a family we trudged down the dirt road and to the ruins which are in an absolutely spectacular setting. We met a man at the ruins who owns adjacent property just to make sure all was well as we explored the ruins. They tolerate visitors there but are leery because of the liability of climbing around the ruins. It is worth a try to get there though.-Drove the Sky Road in Clifden and stopped at the lookoutAnd that was it! It was a wonderful day that did not drag or seem overlong at all, it was just a great day and our family built a beautiful memory along with our new friend, Niall Cleary! Get in touch with him if you want to make a new friend and have a wonderful tour in this lovely country. At the time our our tour in November of 2022, our day with Niall cost about $500--so well worth it!And as a P.S., Niall has started a gift company where we ordered two terrific Irish knitwear pieces as Christmas presents this year--they were gorgeous and affordable, especially with the special one-time discount Niall gives to all of his tour customers.