Ireland My Way Tour Company: Meet Patrick McCarthy
What Inspired the Creation of Ireland My Way?
I have been a tour guide and professional driver for 20 years. During my many years, I’ve seen a lot of tour companies with the same very generic itineraries. Same stops, limited time, rushed clients.
My belief was to create flexible itineraries, with options to stop and go as you wish, as well as random photo opportunities to suit our guests and generally a more relaxing trip. This would appeal to lot of people who do not like the strict and rigid format of other tour companies.
What types of tours do you specialize in and what’s usually included?
We specialize in providing tours for couples, families and friend groups. The guests know each other and enjoy each other’s company.
We cater to all elements of the tour once our guests have arrived in Ireland. Transport, accommodation and activities (as chosen by our guests) are included.
What kinds of vehicles are used to transport customers?
We have a varied fleet that includes a limousine and minivans suitable for 2 to 5 people.
We also have mini coaches to suit groups from 6-16 people. Larger coaches are also available upon request.
How customizable are your itineraries for visitors who are interested in taking an Ireland My Way tour?
All our itineraries can be fully personalized to suit our guests wishes and requests.
What’s the most popular tour that you offer?
We have two lovely 8-10 day tours. They include the North Route: Dublin – Belfast – Derry – Donegal – Galway – Dublin as well as the South Route: Dublin – Cork – Killarney – Galway – Dublin.
What’s a hidden gem or lesser-known destination that you love including in your tours?
We love to take the road less traveled, including off-the-beaten track roads that reveal a magical beautiful beautiful place or area. Achill Island, mountain passes on the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula are some of those places.
One story that I remember is when we were traveling with clients who had some information about a family homestead, but unfortunately, the location was very generalized. While we brought cameras and dash cams to create a home movie of our clients’ trip, our best asset in recent years has been our drone.
Using the drone and a picture our guests had of the homestead, I was able to navigate a very narrow passage and locate the house in the middle of a forest. In fact, we took lots of photos and a drone video of the homestead location in relation to a known town and river nearby.
Our guests were over the moon. This added technology that we have will allow future visitors to accurately locate their family homes and it also makes for very happy guests.
When we initially get a tour enquiry, I personally contact the person involved to seek out some more information, such as the number of people interested in the tour, the areas that they would like to visit, other sightseeing locations as well as any other wishes that they have and special requirements that need to be taken into consideration.
I then prepare a proposed itinerary and route. After that, I arrange a video link, with a date and time for all involved in the trip. We discuss all options on the proposed itinerary.
My tours are created to ensure that my guests will have a magical and memorable Ireland trip that is full of photos opportunities.
Our guests leave Ireland, longing to return for another visit and bring back even more people with them to enjoy and experience our country with Ireland My Way.
Patrick says that his tour company provides a “unique travel experience” for those looking to visit Ireland.
“The mountains, coasts, castles and green fields, a magical land steeped in history and folklore. No place like it anywhere, a place that I like to say God created on the 8th day. Come visit us and experience life as it should be. Ireland My Way Tours can take you on a journey you will never forget.”
Ireland My Way is a member of the Ireland on a Budget Licensed Private Driver Network.
