MacCoole Day Tours
MacCoole Day Tours
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MacCoole Tours Cliffs of Moher and West of Ireland DAY TOURS from Dublin seven days a week. FREE gentle guided mountain walk, FREE farm visit- have fun at our 300 year old working family farm. Met our baby lambs! Taste our mums delicious homemade apple pie in our farm cottage cafe. See the world famous Cliffs of Moher. Explore vibrant Galway City!We depart Suffolk St. Tourism Centre at 7:10am daily. We operate this tour 7 days week, no cancellations.200% local guides guaranteed!!
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4.5
202 reviews
Excellent
168
Very good
19
Average
3
Poor
7
Terrible
5
prain4u
Western Illinois24 contributions
Nov 2012 • Solo
I took the Cliffs of Moher and West Coast of Ireland Day Tour from Dublin. I really enjoyed this tour. It was one of the highlights of my entire trip to Ireland. It was a good value for the money (in my opinion). I was a customer of the tour company on what appeared to be "not their best" day. Yet, I still felt inclined to give the tour an "Excellent" (5 Stars) rating.
However, I do think that some things need to be highlighted--lest people come to this tour with incorrect assumptions and false expectations.
I had read the tour company website thoroughly and I pretty much knew what to expect. Unfortunately, not everyone on the tour had done so. Thus, they were not dressed appropriately for the tour and they had some misconceptions regarding what the tour entailed and included.
This tour isn't a situation where one just hops on a tour bus early in the morning (wearing nice clothes and expensive shoes) and then sits on that same comfortable tour bus for the rest of the day. I took this tour in mid November 2012. I don't know how they do the tour in "peak" season--but in November 2012 the tour required us to use a couple of different modes of transportation--coordinate with two different tour companies---and do considerable walking outdoors in various kinds of weather.
There were about seven people taking the tour from Dublin on that day. We were met by Caroline (from McCoole Tours) at 7:00 a.m. at the Suffolk Street Tourism Center in Dublin. Caroline is a delightful person and very knowledgeable. I would love to spend several hours with her on a tour--or chatting with her in a pub. She led us on a couple block walk from the tourism center to a bus stop. Caroline gave us a brief--but informative--orientation. We were then given what amounted to a printed itinerary and a "bus voucher" and we boarded a public intercity bus from Dublin to Galway. No person from McCoole Tours was with us for this phase of the trip.
We got off of the intercity bus at the appropriate stop in Galway. We had to wait a few minutes at the bus stop (apparently our bus had arrived at Galway ahead of schedule). Then a tour van from Lally Tours met us. We boarded the van and we were escorted on our tour. Our tour guide was pleasant and knowledgeable--but he often played Irish music over the sound system which was a bit too loud. It was difficult to converse with other people when the guide was not giving tour commentary. No one from McCoole Tours was with us in the van.
Fairly early in the tour, we arrived at the family farm. It was one of the highlights of the tour and of my entire trip to Ireland. Our tour guide was another of the family cousins (Dara?). He was filled with much knowledge and he had a WONDERFUL (dry) sense of humor. We had a great walk and tour on the family "mountain" and through the fields of the family farm.
NOTE: I wore appropriate footwear for walking on uneven--sometimes rocky-- terrain. Some females in our tour group wore nice dress shoes. (Not a good idea!) It had been raining off and on that day. So, there were some occasional muddy or damp spots. Rain gear was needed at times. (The people from McCoole tours did provide some basic rain ponchos for customer use during at the farm portion of the tour for those without any. This service was free of charge).
The hike on the "mountain" is not strenuous--but it is also not for people in extremely poor physical condition or with walking difficulties.
The desserts at "Granny's Cottage" were very good. Just take note that the desserts and beverages are an additional charge and they are NOT included in the tour cost. (Again, I was not surprised by this--but a couple of people in our group were). The family dogs were present on the tour and/or at the cottage. They were very well-behaved and pleasant creatures. (One person on our tour confided to me that they were allergic to dogs).
Having grown up around farms, I was well aware that in November there would be no cute little lambs or baby calves (only fully grown animals). Some of the college-aged females on the tour were somewhat disappointed that there were no cute baby farm animals.
After the farm tour concluded, it was time to get back into the van from Lally Tours. (No one from McCoole Tours joined us). Lally Tours were our tour guides and our transportation for the remainder of the trip--until we left Galway for the return journey to Dublin.
The Cliffs of Moher were wonderful. We were there for approximately one hour--maybe a little longer. This is enough time to have a good basic walk around the entire "Cliffs" area. However, more time at the Cliffs would have been helpful.
After leaving the Cliffs of Moher, we spent the rest of the day driving through gorgeous scenery. We saw farms, small towns ,castles, and seaside views. We stopped 3-4 times for photo opportunities. We never saw Poulnabrone Dolmen and we had approximately a two minute photo opportunity outside of the medieval banqueting Castle of DunGuaire (and we almost did not get that two minute photo opportunity due to approaching darkness).
At the end of the tour, we returned to Galway. We were let out in the center of the city. The location of the intercity bus depot was pointed out to us. We were told when and where our intercity (public) bus to Dublin departed. We were then on our own. The formal tour was completed. We took the public bus back to Dublin.
Did I enjoy myself? Yes! Did I absolutely love the time spent on the family farm and the hike on the family mountain? A resounding, "Yes'! Were the Cliffs of Moher wonderful and was the rural and coastal scenery that we drove through beautiful? Yes! Was this tour a good value for the money? I believe so. For all of these reasons, I give the tour an excellent rating (5 Stars).
However, be forewarned that this is NOT your typical tour. You will walk--in Dublin, on the farm and at the Cliffs. You will be outdoor in the elements. You will ride intercity public buses between Dublin and Galway. You will deal with two different tour companies. At times, you will be "on your own" with no tour guide present. This is NOT a situation where you will hop on a luxury tour bus in Dublin--wearing nice clothes and "dress" shoes --and the tour guide will take care of your every need until you return back home at the end of the day.
I had read the tour company webpage and I was prepared for most of this. The tour was essentially everything that I had expected--and what the company had advertised. HOWEVER, some people on the tour had NOT read the website thoroughly--and they were not fully prepared for the tour. They were not dressed properly. They were not prepared to be outside in the elements. They didn't realize that desserts at the farm and lunch at the "pub" were not included in the tour price. They didn't realize that baby lambs and newborn calves are not generally available in November. Thus, they seemed to be a bit disappointed.
I thought that the tour was wonderful.
However, I do think that some things need to be highlighted--lest people come to this tour with incorrect assumptions and false expectations.
I had read the tour company website thoroughly and I pretty much knew what to expect. Unfortunately, not everyone on the tour had done so. Thus, they were not dressed appropriately for the tour and they had some misconceptions regarding what the tour entailed and included.
This tour isn't a situation where one just hops on a tour bus early in the morning (wearing nice clothes and expensive shoes) and then sits on that same comfortable tour bus for the rest of the day. I took this tour in mid November 2012. I don't know how they do the tour in "peak" season--but in November 2012 the tour required us to use a couple of different modes of transportation--coordinate with two different tour companies---and do considerable walking outdoors in various kinds of weather.
There were about seven people taking the tour from Dublin on that day. We were met by Caroline (from McCoole Tours) at 7:00 a.m. at the Suffolk Street Tourism Center in Dublin. Caroline is a delightful person and very knowledgeable. I would love to spend several hours with her on a tour--or chatting with her in a pub. She led us on a couple block walk from the tourism center to a bus stop. Caroline gave us a brief--but informative--orientation. We were then given what amounted to a printed itinerary and a "bus voucher" and we boarded a public intercity bus from Dublin to Galway. No person from McCoole Tours was with us for this phase of the trip.
We got off of the intercity bus at the appropriate stop in Galway. We had to wait a few minutes at the bus stop (apparently our bus had arrived at Galway ahead of schedule). Then a tour van from Lally Tours met us. We boarded the van and we were escorted on our tour. Our tour guide was pleasant and knowledgeable--but he often played Irish music over the sound system which was a bit too loud. It was difficult to converse with other people when the guide was not giving tour commentary. No one from McCoole Tours was with us in the van.
Fairly early in the tour, we arrived at the family farm. It was one of the highlights of the tour and of my entire trip to Ireland. Our tour guide was another of the family cousins (Dara?). He was filled with much knowledge and he had a WONDERFUL (dry) sense of humor. We had a great walk and tour on the family "mountain" and through the fields of the family farm.
NOTE: I wore appropriate footwear for walking on uneven--sometimes rocky-- terrain. Some females in our tour group wore nice dress shoes. (Not a good idea!) It had been raining off and on that day. So, there were some occasional muddy or damp spots. Rain gear was needed at times. (The people from McCoole tours did provide some basic rain ponchos for customer use during at the farm portion of the tour for those without any. This service was free of charge).
The hike on the "mountain" is not strenuous--but it is also not for people in extremely poor physical condition or with walking difficulties.
The desserts at "Granny's Cottage" were very good. Just take note that the desserts and beverages are an additional charge and they are NOT included in the tour cost. (Again, I was not surprised by this--but a couple of people in our group were). The family dogs were present on the tour and/or at the cottage. They were very well-behaved and pleasant creatures. (One person on our tour confided to me that they were allergic to dogs).
Having grown up around farms, I was well aware that in November there would be no cute little lambs or baby calves (only fully grown animals). Some of the college-aged females on the tour were somewhat disappointed that there were no cute baby farm animals.
After the farm tour concluded, it was time to get back into the van from Lally Tours. (No one from McCoole Tours joined us). Lally Tours were our tour guides and our transportation for the remainder of the trip--until we left Galway for the return journey to Dublin.
The Cliffs of Moher were wonderful. We were there for approximately one hour--maybe a little longer. This is enough time to have a good basic walk around the entire "Cliffs" area. However, more time at the Cliffs would have been helpful.
After leaving the Cliffs of Moher, we spent the rest of the day driving through gorgeous scenery. We saw farms, small towns ,castles, and seaside views. We stopped 3-4 times for photo opportunities. We never saw Poulnabrone Dolmen and we had approximately a two minute photo opportunity outside of the medieval banqueting Castle of DunGuaire (and we almost did not get that two minute photo opportunity due to approaching darkness).
At the end of the tour, we returned to Galway. We were let out in the center of the city. The location of the intercity bus depot was pointed out to us. We were told when and where our intercity (public) bus to Dublin departed. We were then on our own. The formal tour was completed. We took the public bus back to Dublin.
Did I enjoy myself? Yes! Did I absolutely love the time spent on the family farm and the hike on the family mountain? A resounding, "Yes'! Were the Cliffs of Moher wonderful and was the rural and coastal scenery that we drove through beautiful? Yes! Was this tour a good value for the money? I believe so. For all of these reasons, I give the tour an excellent rating (5 Stars).
However, be forewarned that this is NOT your typical tour. You will walk--in Dublin, on the farm and at the Cliffs. You will be outdoor in the elements. You will ride intercity public buses between Dublin and Galway. You will deal with two different tour companies. At times, you will be "on your own" with no tour guide present. This is NOT a situation where you will hop on a luxury tour bus in Dublin--wearing nice clothes and "dress" shoes --and the tour guide will take care of your every need until you return back home at the end of the day.
I had read the tour company webpage and I was prepared for most of this. The tour was essentially everything that I had expected--and what the company had advertised. HOWEVER, some people on the tour had NOT read the website thoroughly--and they were not fully prepared for the tour. They were not dressed properly. They were not prepared to be outside in the elements. They didn't realize that desserts at the farm and lunch at the "pub" were not included in the tour price. They didn't realize that baby lambs and newborn calves are not generally available in November. Thus, they seemed to be a bit disappointed.
I thought that the tour was wonderful.
Written 30 November 2012
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.
Loretta1217
Rome, Italy1 contribution
Nov 2012 • Friends
Yes ... I came to Galway for a P.S. I Love You experience. I did not find Gerard Butler, but from this place I did get a really great memory. The tour leaves from Galway, and the first stop is a tour of the family farm. The landscape was absolutely beautiful and I've never felt so at peace. I'm not sure why I was so moved by this place - I think it was the beauty combined with the charming stories of Ireland that were told by our tour guide, Dara. He was a great storyteller, like many of the Irish seem to be - informative and very funny. It was freezing, and I'm not one to like the cold, but I think I was smiling the whole time. The tour brochure lured me in with promises of pie and Grandma's cottage, and that did not disappoint - what an adorable place! Also, Dara was cute and he sang to the tour group at the end ... awesome
BUT THIS IS THE BEST PART ... I happened to drop my leopard glove during the hike. I emailed the tour with the intent of getting it back, but then I thought of something better. Your tour guide will show you a fairy tree, and will tell you the story of it more eloquently than I could. In short, many pieces of string or cloth are tied on this tree, and it represents leaving your problem or struggle with the fairies. There was something on my mind, so I asked the tour, if they do ever find my glove, to tie it to the fairy tree. They found it, and did so. Now, a part of me will always be there :)
The bus tour was hilarious - the tour guide I believe was named John. He was highly informative and very charismatic, and his humor made this experience great. The weather prevented us from seeing the Cliffs of Mohor, but we were able to step out near the water at the end.
A truly excellent experience - the warmness of the guides and their stories kind of made me fall in love with the Irish culture. Whenever I think of this experience, I just smile. One of the best tours I have ever been on and I would highly recommend it
BUT THIS IS THE BEST PART ... I happened to drop my leopard glove during the hike. I emailed the tour with the intent of getting it back, but then I thought of something better. Your tour guide will show you a fairy tree, and will tell you the story of it more eloquently than I could. In short, many pieces of string or cloth are tied on this tree, and it represents leaving your problem or struggle with the fairies. There was something on my mind, so I asked the tour, if they do ever find my glove, to tie it to the fairy tree. They found it, and did so. Now, a part of me will always be there :)
The bus tour was hilarious - the tour guide I believe was named John. He was highly informative and very charismatic, and his humor made this experience great. The weather prevented us from seeing the Cliffs of Mohor, but we were able to step out near the water at the end.
A truly excellent experience - the warmness of the guides and their stories kind of made me fall in love with the Irish culture. Whenever I think of this experience, I just smile. One of the best tours I have ever been on and I would highly recommend it
Written 9 November 2012
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.
Dorota O
5 contributions
Aug 2013
I've been living in Ireland for more than 12 years and visited many places including the Cliffs but it was nice for a change to visit somebody's private cottage, farm and even a mountain:). Views were fab! John the guide was very informative and funny and I really enjoyed the walk. The buts were the price for a piece of pie (€4.50) without fresh cream or homemade iceream (icecream was from a plastic tube - how disappointing) and barely warm cup of tea... On a personal note I wish Kasia would embrace her polishness as she embraces her irishness...
Written 16 August 2013
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.
Kim J
California130 contributions
Aug 2012 • Family
We met the tour representative at 7 am, and then waited for over an hour for the citylink bus to arrive. She directed us to a street corner to wait for the city bus and fill us in on the days events, yet that corner had street construction complete with jackhammer and could not hear her at all, yet she kept on talking. In Galway we transferred to another bus that already had passengers on it. We drove to the family farm where the walk up the hill was very informative, but there were no farm animals to visit with and granny's pies were €4.50 per slice. While we were at the farm, the other guests on the bus went to a cave then we had to go pick them up, gobbling up valuable time. The main attraction, the Cliffs of Moher, we barely had an hour there. This was nowhere near enough time there, they are spectacular and wanted to enjoy our time there and not be rushed. We were to stop and visit a castle, but the driver said we didn't have enough time to stop. By the time we arrived in Galway we barely had 25 minutes there before we boarded the city bus back to Dublin. As I may never be back to Ireland I am so saddened that I booked this tour as I feel I didn't get the tour that I read about and thought I was getting.
Written 1 September 2012
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.
Chris M M
Calgary, Canada49 contributions
Sept 2015 • Solo
I did the day trip to the Cliffs of Moher, from Dublin. The guides were informative and nice on the way out. Went out to the family farm for a walk around. Tip- skip the WAY OVERPRICED slice of pie. Then onto the Cliffs of Moher- the highlight of the trip but not enough time spent here. Had to race to get back to the bus and no time to walk to the far end of the cliffs. Then a weird stop at the end in Galway City- not enough time to really do anything before catching a bus at the city terminal back to Dublin. I'm 50/50 on recommending this tour.
Written 29 June 2016
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.
mfriee
10 contributions
Oct 2014
Booked the Macoole's tour to the Cliffs of Moher and met the guide at 6:30 AM for departure. After 30 minutes waiting in the cold dark rain a bus came, but we were told we couldn't get on and would have to wait until 7:45 for the next bus. When this bus was also 30 minutes late with no definite ETA, we bailed.
Did get a full refund, but we're very disappointed as flight out tomorrow. A family of 3 had tried the same tour the previous day,
with the same result.
Did get a full refund, but we're very disappointed as flight out tomorrow. A family of 3 had tried the same tour the previous day,
with the same result.
Written 20 October 2014
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.
Chloé
Dijon, France103 contributions
Aug 2014 • Friends
I booked this tour from my school (EF) and I'm not disapointed at all. It was a really good experience. The driver and the guide were very nice.
I visited a family farm (provide €4,50 for a slice of a very good cake) then the Cliffs of Moher then we stopped at a castle on the way back. We had explanations during the trip about what we could see from the bus.
Note : The family farm is more of a walk in the mountains / hills than seeing animals but we've seen beautiful landscapes. If you want to bring something to eat for lunch I think it's better or you're going to buy something from gas station or the Cliffs' shop which are expensive.
I visited a family farm (provide €4,50 for a slice of a very good cake) then the Cliffs of Moher then we stopped at a castle on the way back. We had explanations during the trip about what we could see from the bus.
Note : The family farm is more of a walk in the mountains / hills than seeing animals but we've seen beautiful landscapes. If you want to bring something to eat for lunch I think it's better or you're going to buy something from gas station or the Cliffs' shop which are expensive.
Written 5 August 2014
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.
mjsimone
5 contributions
Aug 2013
This tour was a disorganized mess. We were told to meet at Suffolk Street in front of the tourist center. We then took a ten minute taxi ride to a Gotours bus to Galway. In Galway we were again outsourced to another bus. Lally of Galway. Our bus driver was just that, a bus driver. Not a tour guide. He had trouble keeping the young tourists in line. The only "tour" part of the tour was at the farm. We walked around the rocky hills for about an hour with the farm owner/archeologist. We were then offered pie and tea, which we had to purchase. Back on the bus for another to to another small town, where we had to buy lunch at the town's only pub. 12 Euros for salty stew. The Cliffs of
Written 24 August 2013
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.
MaryC
Long Island, NY6 contributions
Jul 2014 • Family
We were told to meet cousin Caroline at 6:20 am on Suffolk Street. Another woman, not Caroline, met us and after waiting several minutes walked us to a City link bus Stop where we boarded the bus to Galway. The woman who met us had no idea how many people were booked for the "maccoole family tour" that day- so right from the beginning i had a bad feeling. From previous reviews i knew the beginning of the day was a little confusing so i wasn't too concerned at this point. We arrived in Galway and there was no one there to meet us. We (the 7 people on the maccoole tour) wound up being added to a Lally's of Galway tour of the cliffs of Moher. On the way to the cliffs, we were taken to the family farm- meaning we were walked through a gate and passed a young goat before we headed on our guided walk through the burren. Our guide, David, was very friendly and knowledgable about the vegetation that grows there- but the family farm and its workings were never mentioned. I was hoping that John or Caroline who are given such incredible reviews previously would accompany us for at least part of the day- but neither one materialized. Ultimately, we just got added on to another tour. We saw the cliffs and had a guided walk in the burren but it was nothing special. I wouldn't recommend this tour to anyone.
Written 19 July 2014
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.
La_getxa
Dublin, Ireland6 contributions
Jul 2014 • Family
We were waiting for Caroline 30 minutes and we had to phone her (fortunately we are living in Dublin so we have an Irish phone number otherwise we should had spent so much money on that call), please notice that we were told to be at 6:20 am on Suffolk st.
When se arrived we was trying to waste as much time as possible for getting the next citylink coach- As she arrived she started to talk to an Italian 4 year-old boy who obsoulsy had no clue what she was talking about, meanwhile all the group was looking at her. Additionlly, she asked for introduce ourselves (in order to spend some more minutes)
We got on the bus 1.30h later than the expected hour and when we arrived to Galwat there was nobody waiting for us.
The farm: there were no animals (apart from a sick goat and we were told that she was sick and we should avoid to take her photos), The hiking was completely surrealist, as the exlanation was mainly focused on plants and flowers as opposite to Irish culture and views.
The rest of the tour was fine except for one delay of one of the guys (10min) where the driver got upset about that delay - note that we initially had 1.30 h of delay.
We strongly don't recommend this tour, as we have been atteding to different ones and this one was completely disorganised.
When se arrived we was trying to waste as much time as possible for getting the next citylink coach- As she arrived she started to talk to an Italian 4 year-old boy who obsoulsy had no clue what she was talking about, meanwhile all the group was looking at her. Additionlly, she asked for introduce ourselves (in order to spend some more minutes)
We got on the bus 1.30h later than the expected hour and when we arrived to Galwat there was nobody waiting for us.
The farm: there were no animals (apart from a sick goat and we were told that she was sick and we should avoid to take her photos), The hiking was completely surrealist, as the exlanation was mainly focused on plants and flowers as opposite to Irish culture and views.
The rest of the tour was fine except for one delay of one of the guys (10min) where the driver got upset about that delay - note that we initially had 1.30 h of delay.
We strongly don't recommend this tour, as we have been atteding to different ones and this one was completely disorganised.
Written 7 July 2014
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,
Is this tour appropriate for a 4 year old kid? I just wonder if there is a lot of walking etc.
Thanks in advance.
Written 27 October 2016
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