Group Tour Reviews

Group Tour Testimonials

 

Hello Steve, 

This was a great trip. I have traveled to 56 countries and I rate this trip as one of the best. All the hotels were excellent( clean, friendly and excellent service, good bedding,really good food). The bus driver was a good driver, friendly and helpful. The dinner show at Merry Ploughboys was really good. Thank you for this. Your help in planning and putting the tour together was excellent. Overall, I rate this tour an A+. You can use this info anyway you want to, and I would be glad to recommend you and your Tour Company to anyone. I would be honored to be a reference for you and your Tour Company for all your help in making this tour a great success. I will send some pictures. 

Special thanks for everything,

Pastor Kenneth Sturgill, Virginia - Private Group Tours of Ireland...

 

Hi Steve, 

I can't thank you enough for the wonderful service and quality tour that you set up for my group. As the group leader, I felt like my clients got so much for their money, and they were extremely pleased with all aspects of the tour. I have received wonderful feedback from them regarding the hotels, food, motorcoach, driver, and guide. Mary and Will added so much to our experience and I was extremely thankful to have them. The food choices for dinner and breakfast were fantastic! The only thing that could have made the experience better is having more time to spend in your beautiful country! There is so much I still want to see. The trip was fantastic, and we were blessed with many wonderful memories. I can't wait to bring another group to Ireland! 

Thank you again for all that you did to make this trip a success! I will be in touch about a future tour. 

Sincerely, 
Kristen

See the World Adventures

 

Dear Orla, 

I cannot begin to tell you what a wonderful job you did organizing our trip. It absolutely was the best vacation I have ever had. This was my first time over seas and what a wonderful experience. Thank you so much for all your hard work. I am going through "James" withdraw today. He was an amazing tour guide and fit in so well with our group. I will definitely recommend you if I know of anyone thinking of going over to Ireland. Your country is so beautiful and everyone is so friendly. I can't thank you enough for everything. 

Blessings, 

Beth Ann and Don Goetz 

P.S. I wasn't happy this morning because I had to make my own breakfast! 

Beth Ann and Don Goetz

 

Hi Milda, 

What a FANTASTIC time we had! For me it was the best trip to Ireland yet being able to share the whole experience with friends and the band. And Fiona and Brendon were the best guide and driver combo we could have hoped for. 
After performing in Griffen's pub in Clifden, the publican, also a retired fireman, told us "they'll be talking about this for weeks". 
So, I have forwarded this survey to the rest of our group and I'm sure you will receive many good reports. 
Thanks again Milda so very much for all that you and Steve did to make this adventure such a huge success. Little details like the menus at the Slieve Donnard printed with our band's name and the presentation of a plaque from the band that performed for us in Doolin at our hotel did not go unnoticed. Very impressive! Some of us are already talking about another trip in three years to do the bagpipe festival in Dingle. 
So, until later. 

Slan, 
Ed

Edward Snyder - Private Group Tours of Ireland...

 

Hi Milda, 

On behalf of the Nagle family who travelled from Australia, America, Great Britain and Ireland for our family reunion I would like to thank Milda Grigone and Irish Tourism for all they have done for us since we started to organise our family reunion well over 1 year ago. 
Any time I sent Milda an email she got back to me straight away no problem to big to solve. 
We found them to be very professional. 

Iris Tourism made our reunion a memorable occasion which we will be forever grateful. 
Many thanks to 
Steve Royston and a very special thanks to Milda Grigone who I found to be a very easy person to communicate with her professionalism is to be commended. 

We stayed at the Glenroyle Hotel in Maymooth for 4 nights. 
The staff at the hotel could not do enough for us from the time we arrived to the time we left. 
The rooms were perfect and very clean as you would expect. 
On the Saturday night we had a gala night the function room had a very homely feel to it and the food was excellent. 
The leisure centre kept the children occupied. 
This is a hotel I would recommend to anyone having a family reunion many thanks to the Glenroyle Hotel. 

Once again thanks to everyone who made this a very memorable occasion for the Nagle Family. 

Kind Regards 
On behalf of the Nagle Family 
Maurice Nagle. 

Nagle Family Reunion - Group Short Breaks...

 

Joe Cassidy 
Irish Thunder Pipe Band 
Montgomery County, 
Pennsylvania, 
USA 

Subject: Thank you from the Irish Thunder Pipe Band! 

Hello Steve and Milda, 

On behalf of the Irish Thunder Pipes and Drums I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the Irish Tourism Company for the exceptional service we received during our recent trip to Ireland. 

Your drivers and guide Fiona were professional and informative. Fiona was a major force in keeping everything on track. I’m so glad she was there to assist. Steve and Milda, I appreciate all of the up front work you did to make this happen. I now have new found respect for what you do every day. 

The band is already discussing were we want to go next. We’ll be in touch. Until then, thanks again for making the trip a memorable one for the 118 people on board. 

Regards, 

Joe Cassidy

Joe Cassidy, Irish Thunder Pipe Band, Pennsylvania, USA - Private Group Tours of Ireland...

 

Hello, I would just like to comment on the best tour of Ireland that my husband and I had last week. First of all our guide Fiona Lane was the absolute BEST! So organized and always there to answer all questions. She did a outstanding job with such a large group. Definitely an asset to your organization. 

All the hotels and places we visited, to many to mention, were also so clean and friendly. Again, being such a large group, they were also glad to see us and we had no complaints. 

Would definitely recommend your group to my friends. As a matter of fact, one of my co-workers is looking into visiting Ireland next year and I have recommended your tour to her. 

Thanks for all the great memories! 

Len and Joanne Gregory USA

Len & Joanne Gregory, Irish Thunder Group, USA - Private Group Tours of Ireland...

 

Steve and Ronan, 

Thank you for the experience of a lifetime! I could not have been more pleased with the way our O’Brien Estate Wine Club trip turned out. Every detail of the organization was perfect. The sites we visited were phenomenal and well-chosen to tell the story of the life and death of Brian Boru. 

In addition to the sights and the great lodging and meals, was our bus driver and tour guide Seamus O’Callaghan. Not only was his knowledge of Irish history extensive, his sense of humor was equally vast. He thoroughly educated us and entertained us. 

All of our Wine Club members complimented Barb and I on how wonderful the trip was, so I wanted to pass them on with a heartfelt thanks of my own. Please send me Seamus’ email address so I can send him a thank you as well. Please let me know if it would be helpful to your marketing efforts to send this letter in hardcopy. 

Best regards, 

Bart O’Brien

 

In May I led a tour to the Emerald Isle of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It was one of the best trips I have ever been on. Ireland has some amazing scenery in all the different shades of green. We saw castles (even stayed in one) and churches and burial sites. We toured the Waterford Crystal factory, and the famous Jameson and Bushmills Distilleries. We saw where thousands emigrated to the United States, and the new Titanic Museum in Belfast. At the Giant's Causeway we could see over to Scotland. Our spiritual life was lifted up with a study of St Patrick and the Shamrock and his teachings on the Trinity. We ended our trip with a visit to Guinness and the famous Irish dancers. 

Thanks to all the staff for giving us a wonderful tour. 

Pastor Stephen Hein

Pastor Stephen Hein - Private Group Tours of Ireland...

 

Dear Tony & Ronan, 

My name is Lori Jurans, Director of Sales for Faith in Travel in Kentucky, USA. We recently chose to partner with Steve Royston and your company for a custom pilgrimage we planned for a group of pilgrims. 

I worked closely with Steve for over a year carefully planning every detail of the tour. From the very beginning Steve was responsive, prompt, knowledgeable, and a true joy to work with throughout the planning process. From the very beginning I was happy that we chose to partner with him and your company and I felt very confident that the trip would be amazing. We were thoroughly impressed with every detail of the trip. We plan trips all around the world for large groups and we have come to know and appreciate quality when we see it. There were, as always, some minor things that came up, but Steve and your team were quick and flexible to accommodate any necessary changes along the way. 

We were also delighted with the service that both Kenny, the driver, and Fiona, the tour guide, provided! Every member of your team was outstanding. So much so, that when another group leader approached us to design a custom tour to Ireland, we did not hesitate on who to contact. 

Thank you again to your team! Please accept our sincere vote of confidence in Steve Royoston, Kenny, and Fiona! We look forward to visiting your beautiful country again next summer! 


Warm Regards, 

Lori Jurans 
Director of Sales 
Faith in Travel

Lori Jurans, Director of Sales for Faith in Travel in Kentucky, USA. - Private Group Tours of Ireland...

 

Steve Callan 
Staten Island 
New York 

Private Chauffeur Tour of Ireland 

Hi Stephanie 

I want to thank you for helping us set up the trip to your country “IRELAND”. We had a great time. Aidan Ryan our Driver was on time everyday and he was pleasure to ride with. The sights were beautiful and the bus was comfortable. 

The Castle was awesome, they even upgraded us. I do wish we could have stayed there 2 days, there was a lot to see and do, and the staff was great. We saw a Sheep & Dog Demonstration on the way to Dingle it too was very good. The Hotel in Kinsale was another good place that we stayed, the rooms were very spacious and clean, everyone loved it. We were glad we switched to two days there instead of Kilkenny. We ate in town at Fishy Fishy and it was very good. 

The Old Head Golf course was also very good. We teed off on time and did not have any rain until we finished. The rest of the group met us for Lunch to see the spectacular views. 

We went to Jamison in Middleton, (I think that's where it was) which was excellent, they had a tour that was very enlightening and enjoyed by our whole group. One of the highlights of the trip. 

Guinness on the other hand was more geared up like a factory. Too many people, too crowded (Penn State) but the beer was good...LOL 

The Dublin hotel was also nice. We did the hop on hop off tour, and that was nice...(We wish that Penn state Football game was another time ...Too many rude American ....LOL) they were in town and all over the place.. 

The flights both ways were good. On my next visit I will bring my clubs and play a little more Golf.... 

I attached a picture of our group, I’m the one next to “Callan Golf Club” in Brown Shirt 

Again Thanks for the Help, and I hope my short update helps you in booking future trips 

Steve

Steve Callan, Statten Island, New York

 

Anne Fleming 
Toronto 
Ontario 
Canada 

Private Chauffeur Tour of Ireland 

Hi Tina 

We had a wonderful trip. It’s hard to plan for nine people of varying ages (4 to 85), interests and mobility, but I think everyone did something they liked! I found it useful when planning the trip to use your suggested itineraries to get an idea of what would appeal to families, to set a reasonable route and to find good hotels. The chauffeur aspect was really invaluable and took the stress out of having to rent and drive a large group. I found our dealings with your office to be prompt and professional. I would definitely recommend your services to others. 

The hotels were all well-chosen – comfortable, good amenities, decent restaurants. My sister (mother of the 4 year old) was especially happy to have a full kids club in Dingle so she could get a little break (although she ended up spending her time doing laundry!) The kids especially loved the Dromoland Castle, with its go-karts and pool. I found it handy to have everything prepaid. 

Hiring a driver was the right thing to do and Bill was delightful. He shared his enthusiasm for his homeland and gave us an insider’s view, finding us nice little places to eat and to explore. He was punctual, safe and dependable – we won’t soon forget him! 

There was a little communication issue at the start. He asked my sister and dad if they had anything in particular in mind for the trip and they said not really. I on the other hand had done a lot of research and had a better idea of what I wanted to accomplish each day. Bill believed he was going to show us everything his way, while I was expecting something else. Once we sorted that out, it was smoother sailing. I’m wondering if it might not have been useful for us to email our planned excursions ahead of time? Just a thought. 

Attached you’ll find a few pics of the trip, including a selfie with Bill on the last day. I'll attach a few more to the next email. 

Again, many thanks! 

Anne and family

Anne Fleming, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

 

Maine Alumni Group – 21 Sep 2014 

Simply an amazing assortment of attractions, almost too much to take in all at once. I also thought the lunch time we spent in Adare with its beautiful park also was a very special attraction for me. I was amazed I liked the Jaunting cars so much. Our driver was a magically gifted comedian. John and Fiona were superb. Hats off to them. Fiona was there for us whenever we needed something. 

Everything in this tour was wonderful (!) But, the dinner/show at Bunratty Castle was a notch above and was the highlight of the tour. WE LOVED IT!! John, our driver, simply could not have been more helpful. Fiona.....AHHH, YES.....Fiona. I suspect that every man on this tour fell in love with Fiona. Whatever you pay her......it's not enough. She was the PERFECT tour guide.

Maine Alumni Group

 

John Dorney – USA, 16 July 2014 

Steve and Milda, 

I appreciated all your personal attention to detail for our trip. Everyone was very impressed with how smoothly everything went. Steve, I also appreciate your taking the time to meet me in Adare. 

John Dorney, USA

 

After returning to Germany from a wonderful Tour of Ireland I would like to say “Thank you” to Irish Tourism- especially to Steve, Milda and Nicole. 

With their help we had our itinerary tailored and enjoyed the “Emerald Island” very much. They organized beautiful accommodation for 7 nights and supplied a coach to match the size of our group as well as an experienced and careful driver. All guests were surprised to find a printed itinerary with their names when they got onto the coach the first day. Everything was well prepared. 

Thank you again and we look forward to visiting the beautiful island again. 

Barbara Pflicke

 

Good morning, 

I would like to express my appreciation to the Irish Tourism 
Group for a wonderful trip this past week. The Tour Guide, 
Seamus O'Callaghan, was a perfect representative of Ireland. 
He was knowledgeable, good humored, very professional, and 
had the ability to relate to every passenger. He added so much 
to the trip, and the trip would not have been as enjoyable or 
memorable, without him. 


Thank you very much. 


Debra Payne

Debra Payne

 

Steve, 

I am on an airplane home as I am writing this. 

The tour was absolutely fantastic! I was truly amazed at the value you provided. Staying at Dromoland Castle was a big hit, as was Clontarf Castle. The Park House Hotel is perfectly located in Galway and very nice. I was surprised at the number of meals included in the tour this year - that was a very nice bonus. 

Seamus was once again the star of the show. His commentary, jokes, and great attitude were appreciated by all the guests! 

Thanks again! 

Best regards, 


Barton O'Brien

Barton O'Brien