Chauffeurdriven tour of Dingle with Dave Hogan

After spending the night in Killarney, we were on our way today to tour the magical Dingle peninsula. Dingle is one of my own personal favourite areas, and it is a major attraction on the Wild Atlantic Way. The sea views, the rugged mountains, and the offshore islands, blend together to bring you back in time to the days when the people who lived here had to survive in really hard conditions. They were sheep farmers and fishermen mainly, and they had very little, compared to what people have today. They spoke the Irish language, and their entertainment consisted of Irish dancing, story telling and music. 

 Peter and Jan, pictured together at Inch, with the lovely Inch beach in the background. The land mass in the background is the Iveragh peninsula, better known as the Ring of Kerry.

 We visited the home of the late Maura Houlihan, a dear friend of mine, who passed away a little over a year ago. Her home, pictured here, is over five hundred years old. A second story was built on to the house,which originally was a cottage.

 How would you like to cuddle a lamb? well most people do just that, and here at Maura's you can enjoy that treat. In the picture above we have, from the left, Annika, Jan, and Iren, with their two beautiful babies.

You can visit the ancient Beehive huts on Maura's land. These were stone dwellings, inhabited by ancient farmers and fishermen, and the monks of old. There were literally hundreds of these in this region, many of which were destroyed, and the stone used to build new houses and walls and roads down through the years. In this picture above, you can see one of the bigger ones, and a smaller one to the left of that. They had no windows, and just an entrance door. They lit their fires in the middle of the floor, and cooked their food there.

 

 At the tip of this peninsula you can see the Blasket Islands offshore in the Atlantic. They are no longer inhabited, as they were finally abandoned in the mid nineteen hundreds, as life on the islands was no longer acceptable. The vast majority of the islanders emigrated to Springfield Mass, and to Hungry Hill, where many of their relatives had emigrated down through the years.

Today was another really interesting and enjoyable day and we all had a really nice time together. Later we returned to Killarney for our final night in this area.

My friends spent time today at Muckross House in Killarney. This was the house Queen Victoria stayed in when she visited Killarney, and the gardens here are a real treat. The rhodendrons, and many other species of beautiful flowers, are in full bloom at the moment, and what a lovely place to spend some time, if you do get to Killarney.

Tomorrow we are off to the Cliffs of Moher,.

 

Chauffeurdrive tour with my new friends. April 2017.

My new 2017 season began this past week with my new friends, Peter and Iren Nelson , and their Swedish friends Jan and Annika Ericsson. 

I collected my party in Cove, where they had been staying the night before. The above picture is of the river Lee at Cove (Cobh).

Here, we have, from the left, Annika, Iren, Jan and Peter, seated at the memorial statues of Annie Moore and her two young brothers, outside the Heritage centre in Cove (Cobh). Eventhough my friends looked all wrapped up against the weather, it was actually really lovely for the full duration of our time together. Not bad for April.

Our mission on this trip was to try to discover as much as we could about the birthplaces of Peter's ancestors, and as it turned out, we had a most successful few days, and could not have asked for more. Peter did have a lot of useful information from research done before he came over, and this was most helpful.

Our first destination today was the town of Castletownroche, a small town not far from Mallow in County Cork. Peter's great grandfather lived and worked on an estate there called Annesgrove, before emigrating to the USA in the eighteen nineties, and to the Boston area.

We had no great difficulty in finding the church which was located nearest to Annesgrove, and which would have been the most likely one that the family had attended. The church was still the original one, and dating back into the eighteen hundreds, and the baptismal font was also the original one, and possibly the one where family members would have been baptised. Pictured above, we have Peter, standing behind the font.

Another stroke of fortune today was the arrival of the parish priest, Fr O'Brien, while we were there. He was most helpful, and felt that we were correct in deducing that Peter's family would have attended this church. The next closest church would have been Ballyhooley, which we also went to see.

Here we have Peter, pictured outside the church in Ballyhooley.

It is possible that the Ballyhooley church played a part in some of the ceremonies for the family, and here we have Peter posing at the baptismal font there.

Then it was on to Annesgrove , but unfortunately renovations and restoration work are being carried on there, and it was off limits. Here we have Peter, pictured at the entrance gates to Annesgrove. Peter is determined to return here and visit this estate in the not too distant future. The gardens here were famous and it is good to know that they have been protected, and will now be in the hands of the state, and become a national treasure once again. It was here that Peter's Great grandfather spent his young working years before making a new life for himself and his family in the USA.

Now we were off on the second leg of our family history discovery road, as we made our way from East Cork to West Cork, and the town of Ballyvourney. It was here that Peter's great grandmother was born in a place called Dangeanuisalach, adjacent to Ballyvourney. Nobody seems to know how Peter's Great grandfather and Great grandmother met, but they did travel to the states together, and were married over there.In the picture above, we have Peter and Jan outside the Mills Inn in Ballyvourney, where we enjoyed a lovely snack.The family, the Kelleher's, also have strong connections with the town of Ballymackeera, which is actually a connecting town with Ballyvourney. Kelleher seems to be a very common name in this region, and Peter has much information available now which will surely lead to him locating more family relatives.

This area has a strong connection with one of our most famous saints, Saint Gobnet. She had a settlement here, and her own old church, and a holy well, and this place is a most popular place for pilgrims, who come here for help with all kinds of illnesses. Many cures have been claimed due to the intervention of St Gobnet. In the picture above we have, from the left, Peter, Iren, Annika, and Jan with St Gobnet's ancient church in the background.

Finally, on this day, we visited the church in Ballymackeera and once again had the good fortune to find the Parish priest there.He was also most helpful, and a very nice man indeed.

 i can only add that we seem to have been guided by Peter's ancestors today, as we had such good fortune, and discovered so much. Maybe Saint Gobnet had something to do with it also, but it was a great day for all, and i do know that Peter will return home feeling more Irish than ever before. 

Later today we made our way to Kilklarney which was to be our base for the next couple of nights.

More to follow.

If you want to contact me you can write to me at dovechauffeurdrive@gmail.com

Chauffeurdriven vacations in Ireland.

 One of the tunnels you pass through on the Ring of Kerry road.

The statues of Annie Moore and her two young brothers outside the heritage centre in Cove in County Cork. They were the first people to register on Ellis Island in 1892.

If you are planning on taking an Irish trip this year please contact me as soon as possible as spaces are running out.

Regards for now

Dave Hogan

If you are Anne Marie Hennessy with a Boston e-mail address please write to me again at 
dovechauffeurdrive@gmail.com
 as i have replied to the address you sent, and it does not seem to be working.

Chauffeurdriven tours with Dave Hogan and Dovechauffeurdrive

 Now is the time to get started on finalising your plans for an Irish adventure. This coming season looks like being a bumper season as Ireland is now looking like one of the safest places to visit. It is also one of the most beautiful countries on earth, and is there anybody anywhere more friendly than the Irish.
Our weather here at the moment is really nice, but as always, unpredictable. Ireland is not a destination for sun worshipers, but it has everything else. Beautiful places like the Cliffs of Moher (pictured above).

Ancient roads through the mountains like the Gap of Dunloe in Kerry.

Majestic castles like Ross Castle on the shores of Lough Laune in Killarney.

Seafood restaurants like Moran's of the Weir on the outskirts of Galway city. Our fish and seafood are second to none, and all of our meat is free range, and to die for.
 Why not make it easy for yourself and let me show you my lovely country. Driving and trying to enjoy the view at the same time is maybe a little dangerous.  Driving on what you would call the wrong side of the road is also tricky. Why risk it.
It costs nothing to make an enquiry, and  you just might be surprised at how well it works out.

Have a look at my website for more information. Just follow the link from here.

www.chauffeurdriveholidays.ie

Car and driver guide in Ireland. Executive chauffeurdriven tours with Dave Hogan

Welcome to my Blog. I have a few more nice pics for you, and a little more information. First of all, that old chestnut, Irish weather. Let me tell you that our weather here at the moment is really lovely, mild and sunny, with occasional showers to keep all of those negative people who say that it always rains in Ireland  happy. We have had one of the mildest winters ever this past winter. Anybody planning to visit this St Patrick's day, could be in for a treat.
When is the best time to come to Ireland?  I do not encourage people to come during the months of November,December, or January, and February, but outside of that, you can have nice weather at any time. I have also toured in thise months that i do not recommend and have had lovely weather. That is Irish weather, unpredictable, but rarely extreme. This is not a country to come to for a sun tan, but i love Irish weather, never too hot and never too cold. Yes we do get rain, but i like Ireland to remain green, and beautifully adorned with a magnificent array of flowers and shrubs, most of them wild. 
The picture above?This is a Currach, the traditional west of Ireland fishing boat, which was used by the local fisherman for centuries, and is still used by many of them. It is an extremely light boat, which rides the waves, and is much safer than the ordinary rowing or sailing boats. Note the three rows of seats, you can have from one to three oarsmen in this boat. The prow of the boat is tilted upwards, which enables the boat to rise up and over the waves. The Atlantic seas are extremely stormy at times and many fishermen have lost their lives trying to feed their families. Despite the fact that these boats are much safer than the ordinary boat they take skillful handling.

 A little bit of nostalgia thrown in here for you, this is the dance hall where my Dad met my Mom, about fifteen miles outside Galway city. I think that things have changed a little since then.

 The Dingle peninsula. on a wild Winter's day with the Blasket islands in the distance.

This picture helps my business no end. This is the road over the Conor Pass on the Dingle peninsula. The fact that it is a two way road might give you a better idea of what you face, and maybe encourage you to drop me a line. 

I would love to hear from anybody who is planning to come our way. It costs nothing to enquire. It just might be the answer to your prayers. 
I look forward to hearing from you.
(Maybe you would like to send my Blog link to a friend)

holidaysireland.blogspot.com

Executive Chauffeurdriven vacations in Ireland west and south west.

Many people believe that chauffeurdrive services are limited to cars carrying smaller numbers of people. We can cater for larger groups also, and here i am posting photos of the  variety of transport available to you. All of our vehicles are fully tested regularly, and approved by our transport authority. Our drivers are also likewise tested and approved. It is important to know these things as you should be sure that you are properly cared for in every way. Stay safe.
The top picture is of a sixteen seater Mercedes bus.

 Here we have my lovely Lexus hybrid car.

My Ford Tourneo carries 8 people in all leather comfort.

I am making an appeal to a lady by the name of Mary Kierzek from Minnesota, who contacted me through my Blogger contact form, but who must have, somehow or other, sent a faulty e-mail address, as i have replied many times, but it keeps being rejected. 
She was planning a tour for herself and six friends for sometime later in the Fall, and i would love to be able to make myself for her and her friends.  Can you help? If so, please write to me on my e-mail address

dovechauffeurdrive@gmail.com

St Patrick's day in Ireland with Dovechauffeurdrive and Dave Hogan

 Spring has arrived, but the weather does not seem to know that yet. I myself live in a quiet rural area outside Galway City, and all of my close neighbours are farmers. This Momma sheep is resident in the field next to my house, and she was making it very clear to me, when i was taking this photo, that i was to remain on my own side of the wall. Her three tiny lambs were sheltering from a cold breeze. I love where i live, and feel fortunate to be surrounded by nature. I am close to the shores of Galway Bay, and the Burren of County Clare, and the famous Cliffs of Moher. I am blessed.

 I pictured this farmer, strolling on a country road, with his two Irish red setters. What a lovely picture. There are people who still live that simple peaceful life. Have we lost all of that?

This island can be clearly seen from Slea Head at the tip of the Dingle peninsula, and is known as "The Sleeping Giant". Easy to see why.

St Patrick's day is nearly upon us, and that signals the begining of another tourist season. We will have our influx of visitors, from the USA mainly, who love to be here on our special day. Most of them will have Irish ancestry, and love to flaunt it openly here where everybody celebrates happily with them.
My touring season looks like being a very busy one, so if you want to make an enquiry, then now is the time to do it. I would love to hear from you. If you want to send me a phone number, then i can call you, and maybe help you with your plans.