Ireland With Locals
Ireland With Locals
4.5
09:00 - 21:00
Monday
09:00 - 21:00
Tuesday
09:00 - 21:00
Wednesday
09:00 - 21:00
Thursday
09:00 - 21:00
Friday
09:00 - 21:00
Saturday
09:00 - 21:00
Sunday
09:00 - 21:00
Full view
About
Ireland with locals provides exclusive and individually tailored private tours of Ireland for almost 30 years now. Using our Private Car service and our trained tour guides, we can provide any tour of Ireland you could wish for. Our private car tours are wide-ranging and include everything from a 4 hour Dublin City tour to an extended tour of Ireland with your own private guide.
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Ireland With Locals
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
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4.5
12 reviews
Excellent
11
Very good
0
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
1
Gary G
4 contributions
Sept 2018 • Couples
From start to finish and then some the service was excellent, the car was top luxury Mercedes. They did a great job of blending what we wanted to see and what we could/should see. They went beyond as well, excellent food recommendations after the tour as well. Use them, you will not regret it!!
Written 28 September 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Gary
Thank you for taking the time to review your tour with Ireland with Locals.
Glad you enjoyed your tours and the restaurants.
Regards Ines
Written 30 September 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
ngc825
St Louis, MO26 contributions
Jul 2019
Recently we enjoyed a leisurely but jam packed tour of Ireland with Bernard Kelly from "Ireland With Locals".
We saw and learned more than we expected with many stops along the way. From the Irish National Stud Farm to the Rock of Cashel as we were on our way to Kinsale. The following day included a brief stop at Old Head, a visit to Charles Fort (which is incredible), a distillery, beautiful scenery, delicious restaurant suggestions and reservations and so much more!
We spent two days on the Wild Atlantic Way enjoying all the sights and sounds one usually only reads about!
We completed our loop with a stop at Sean's Bar in Athlone, the certified oldest bar in Ireland dating back to 900 ad.
Our final full day in Ireland was spent seeing the city of Dublin with Bernard as our personal guide. Having a local professional guide for the week was a wonderful treat that we will never forget.
We saw and learned more than we expected with many stops along the way. From the Irish National Stud Farm to the Rock of Cashel as we were on our way to Kinsale. The following day included a brief stop at Old Head, a visit to Charles Fort (which is incredible), a distillery, beautiful scenery, delicious restaurant suggestions and reservations and so much more!
We spent two days on the Wild Atlantic Way enjoying all the sights and sounds one usually only reads about!
We completed our loop with a stop at Sean's Bar in Athlone, the certified oldest bar in Ireland dating back to 900 ad.
Our final full day in Ireland was spent seeing the city of Dublin with Bernard as our personal guide. Having a local professional guide for the week was a wonderful treat that we will never forget.
Written 31 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Nancy,
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. Glad you enjoyed your time in Ireland & hopefully will come back.
I will pass on your review to Bernard.
Regards Eric
Written 1 August 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
jeff_ellen
Simsbury, CT1 contribution
Sept 2018 • Couples
We engaged Ireland With Locals for two whole days and one half-day of private touring starting from our hotel in Dublin. Their vehicles were late model Mercedes (sedan and van) all immaculately maintained. Our driver and guide for all three tours was Andrew. He was a great driver who always had us at our next destination safely and right on time. He was also very knowledgeable, not only about our scheduled itinerary but provided a wealth of additional information, taking us to a number of interesting 'unscheduled' sights en route. We very much enjoyed our time with Andrew and would recommend Ireland With Locals to anyone looking for a private day tour out of Dublin.
Written 16 September 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Jeff_Ellen
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review of our service on TA.
I will pass on your review to Andrew, glad you enjoyed the tour & Ireland.
Regards
Eric Cosgrove
Written 17 September 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
JDDFlyer
Portland, ME197 contributions
Apr 2018 • Family
The owner Eric from the start was very efficient in his communication and our driver Andrew was prompt at 9AM! Beautiful Mercedes vehicle that was very comfortable for the day..
Andrew was very accommodating with my two girls , ages 9 and 11. The trip’s itinerary focused on Newgrange and then a few stops throughout Meath, Louth and through north Dublin! Would definitely recommend and use again....
Andrew was very accommodating with my two girls , ages 9 and 11. The trip’s itinerary focused on Newgrange and then a few stops throughout Meath, Louth and through north Dublin! Would definitely recommend and use again....
Written 16 April 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi John
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, glad you enjoyed the day and your trip to Ireland.
Ádh mor go deo
Eric
Written 17 April 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Michael M
2 contributions
Aug 2019
I contacted our hotel (The Alex Hotel) to book a private tour of Dublin for my wife and I. The hotel recommended Brian O'Reilly from Tours with Locals Ireland. Unfortunately, the hotel never confirmed the reservation with Brian. When I contacted Brian regarding the tour he was unavailable but arranged for a free tour the following day with his colleague, Alan Ingoldsby. Alan was a very knowledgable, personable and funny guide. He took us to Trinity College, (recommended us to book - Book of Kells Tour) , took us to numerous locations including Guiness Factory, Jameson Distillery, Phoenix Park ( US Ambassador & Irish President's residences), Kilmainham Gaol Jail, Hapenny Bridge, Dublin Castle among many other stops. Along the way Alan informed us of Irish history and recommended Pubs and restaurants that were enjoyed by the locals. The tour was a great overview that allowed us return to spots that we wanted to explore more in depth.
When I return to Dublin I will definitely contact Brian O'Reilly and request Alan Ingoldsby as a tour guide.
When I return to Dublin I will definitely contact Brian O'Reilly and request Alan Ingoldsby as a tour guide.
Written 26 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Michael
Great review, but I don’t think its for my company?
Written 27 August 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Alex M
Minneapolis, MN8 contributions
Aug 2019
We were very excited about a Northern Ireland tour with Ireland with Locals. We wanted to see Armagh and the Giant’s Causeway, with the Dark Hedges and Belfast on the list if we had time; Armagh was especially important and the whole reason for booking the tour (we had family roots there). Eric was friendly enough over email when we set up the tour, and warned us that all four of those actives would be “pushing it.” We told him that was fine, as long as we could see Armagh and the Giant’s Causeway. We paid the very high rate in full (it cost much more than any of the other 6 days of private tours we booked on our trip, which were lovely). Then, six months later, it was the day before our tour, and we realized we had not heard any follow up from Eric or Ireland with Locals in the last six months. We reached out to Eric, asking for instructions about where to meet our guide and hoping that the tour was still on. Eric responded promptly to say that Gerry would be the driver. We had no issues meeting with Gerry the next morning, but our tour quickly went downhill from there. We did get to see the Giant’s Causeway and Belfast. However, the day mostly consisted of searching for and stopping at convenience stores for Gerry to buy coffee and energy drinks, and we also stopped for gas almost immediately after being picked up (something that, in our opinion, should have been completed before we were picked up, especially given the price of the tour and the limited time we had). Although Armagh was first on our list of importance, we ended up not being able to see it at all. By the time we had made all the extraneous coffee stops and driven in circles around the same neighborhood in Belfast (with almost no commentary) it was late in the day. If we had opted to make the detour to Armagh at that point, we wouldn’t have arrived at our Dublin hotel until very late at night, and we had a flight back to the States the next day.
Seeing Armagh was the part of the trip my mother-in-law was most looking forward to, so that was particularly disappointing for her. Additionally, Gerry took side roads and circuitous routes to get wherever we were going, so driving anywhere took longer than he estimated it would, even without traffic. The drive from our hotel in downtown Dublin to the Giant’s Cauesway took over four hours—not because of traffic, but because of frequent stops and country roads. Gerry was nice enough, but didn’t speak loudly enough for us all to hear in the car, and when he did speak, he did not offer much in the way of commentary or guiding. In fact, it didn’t seem like he was very familiar with the areas we visited.
Overall, this was a very expensive and pretty terrible way to conclude an otherwise wonderful trip to Ireland. Perhaps the standard day tours offered by Ireland with Locals are fine, but this “custom tour” did not meet our expectations at all. We wish that we would have been more vocal and forceful about the timing issues and seeing what we wanted to prioritize. However, since we had already made our wishes clear while booking the tour, and given the high cost of this “luxury experience,” we unfortunately (and very wrongly) assumed that the company would have listened to us.
Seeing Armagh was the part of the trip my mother-in-law was most looking forward to, so that was particularly disappointing for her. Additionally, Gerry took side roads and circuitous routes to get wherever we were going, so driving anywhere took longer than he estimated it would, even without traffic. The drive from our hotel in downtown Dublin to the Giant’s Cauesway took over four hours—not because of traffic, but because of frequent stops and country roads. Gerry was nice enough, but didn’t speak loudly enough for us all to hear in the car, and when he did speak, he did not offer much in the way of commentary or guiding. In fact, it didn’t seem like he was very familiar with the areas we visited.
Overall, this was a very expensive and pretty terrible way to conclude an otherwise wonderful trip to Ireland. Perhaps the standard day tours offered by Ireland with Locals are fine, but this “custom tour” did not meet our expectations at all. We wish that we would have been more vocal and forceful about the timing issues and seeing what we wanted to prioritize. However, since we had already made our wishes clear while booking the tour, and given the high cost of this “luxury experience,” we unfortunately (and very wrongly) assumed that the company would have listened to us.
Written 25 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Alex,
Thank you for your feedback, I am sorry you feel short-changed with your tour.
If I can address the cost of the tour first, our costs are worked out on the amount of time and Kms involved in the tour our Giants Causeway tour is one of our most expensive tours as it is based on a 10-12 hour day and covers just over 600kms. The cost of this tour was set out right from our very first communication, so if there was an issue with the cost of the tour maybe you should have mentioned it to me back on the 24th Feb 2019.
Yes, you are correct Gerry should have had a full fuel tank when he collected you at your hotel so that he would make it back to Dublin without having to inconvenience you.
With regards, the extraneous coffee stops, Gerry stopped twice on the way up to the Giants Causeway. As our vehicles are tracked I can see that 1 hour into your tour there was a 10 minute stop and 2 hours into the tour there was an 8 minute stop. As your safety is paramount & driver fatigue can come on at any time & for many reasons including weather conditions. Gerry decided to get a coffee and a short break, I cannot fault him for that as safety on the road is always at the forefront of what we do. Stopping in total for 18 minutes would not have had a detrimental effect on your tour. We don’t clock watch on any of our tours. I have looked over the timings of your tour on our tracking system and have no issues with the timings as the day went on.
With regards driving in circles around Belfast that can be put down to the one way systems in some of our cities and trying to avoid the worst of the traffic (which is out of our control).
On the way back to Dublin Gerry pulled in to the services at Lisburn for a comfort break before continuing on to the motorway, nobody wanted to use the services (including Gerry) so Gerry continued on. I have no issue with this and it would not have added time on to your day. Side roads and circuitous routes are all part of our tours as we where possible try to keep of motorways this done to add to the tour to let our guests see how people live, style of houses & small towns etc.
Rightly or Wrongly Gerry made the decision to go directly to The Giant Causeway that morning and do Armagh on the return leg to Dublin.
On departing Belfast he was quite happy to take you to Armagh, but it was decided to return to Dublin.
I know Armagh was mentioned to both Gerry and Myself but there was nothing specific with regards this if it was county Armagh or Armagh City you wanted to see, you did mention in your first email (see below).
“We are particularly interested in a private tour of northern Ireland, because we would like to see Armagh (my mom has traced our family history back to there). We would also definitely like to see the Giant's Causeway. If there is time, we would also like to see Belfast and the Dark Hedges.”
We never want to leave anyone disappointed in any of our tours, Gerry was more than happy to take you to Armagh. It was your decision to return to Dublin via Belfast, at no point in any of our correspondence did I mention that you had to be finished by a set time, so in Gerry thoughts, Armagh was still going to happen on the return to Dublin.
With regards not being able to hear Gerry at no point during the tour did anyone ask Gerry to speak up or let him know they were having trouble hearing him.
I am genuinely sorry you feel hard done by with regards your tour, custom tours are what we do & usually take a lot of back and forth between us and the client to build the perfect tour for our clients. In your case, although you did mention Armagh in one email that was it, no further information on Armagh ie place or sites you wanted to see was sent to us by you, therefore, we put no great emphasis on Armagh other than you wanted to pass through it.
Written 26 August 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
vags
Boston, MA12 contributions
Mar 2019 • Friends
I visited Dublin with a friend and we didn't want the hassle of finding buses to and from all the sights outside the cuty, so we booked a day tour with Ireland with Locals. I am so glad we did! We had our own car (perfectly heated for a chilly day) and an AMAZING guide (Eric) who gave us so much wonderful information that I had to take out my notebook every time he started talking. He picked us up promptly and drive us out of the city, slowly, giving us tidbits about Dublin as we went. He then took us to Newgrange and the High Crosses at Monasterboice, along with the location of the Battle of the Boyne. After that he gave us some choices on what else to see with our day (we chose a castle and a great lunch). The day was pricey, but I can honestly say it was worth the cost. Eric let us ask him all kinds of questions about things new and old and at the end of the day I was sad to part ways. Definitely the highlight of our trip.
Written 18 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Kristen,
Thank you for taking the time to leave a very kind review.
Happy travels
Eric
Written 19 April 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
FWLV
Las Vegas, NV1 contribution
Feb 2019 • Couples
From the moment I received our first email response from Eric at Ireland With Locals, I knew we had chosen the right company for a full day private tour of Dublin, Newgrange, Slane and the surrounding countryside. Every aspect of our tour was exceptional, including the vehicle, timeliness, destinations and the extensive local and historical information that was shared with us. Eric is top-notch, and his knowledge, connections in the community which enhance the experience, and his always friendly demeanor (even after a full day with my wife and I) was exemplary. We will be visiting Dublin again in May 2019, and we will arrange another private tour with Eric and Ireland with locals. Outstanding experience.
Written 20 February 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Fred
Thank you very much for taking the time to leave a review of your tour.
Looking forward to seeing you again in May.
Regards Eric
Written 26 February 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Moani B
13 contributions
Oct 2018 • Couples
When we returned home from our trip friends and family asked how it was. The food, the people, the scenery and landscape were all incredible...but we had by far the best experience because of Eric. He knew where to go, where to eat and drink, and truly gave us the local experience. Highly recommend to anyone traveling to Ireland!
Written 6 November 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Moani,
Thank you for taking the time to put in a review.
Regards
Eric
Written 8 November 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
884paulineh
Weybridge, UK4 contributions
Sept 2018 • Friends
This Tour exceeded all expectations the guide Bernie was so knowledgeable, charming, helpful and nothing was too much. He listened to us and took us to places he knew would be of interest to us. There is no way you would be able to see as much of Dublin as we did with Ireland with Locals. I would recommend them to anyone
Written 28 September 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Pauline,
Thank you for taking the time to review your tour, I will pass on to Bernie.
Regards Eric
Written 30 September 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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