Over the summer I organised a stag in Cavan and found Marcus from Rural Adventures, and boy what a gem! We wanted something different and he did not disappoint. He was so professional and attentive. We were brought on an amazing abseiling afternoon in the most idyllic setting that was both fun yet sufficiently challenging for our level (inexperienced). His local knowledge is exceptional and he is a master at his craft. It was perfect for the lads and they are still talking about it to this day. Since the stag loves a good ould trad session I asked Marcus (by pure chance) if he could recommend a quiet pub where the pints were good and we could have a sing song after the activity, and again he delivered. Thinking I was going to have a headache finding musicians, Marcus mentioned that he played guitar,sang and would be happy to oblige. Skeptical at first thinking this was all too god to be true, I took a gamble and went with it. Marcus rocked the pub playing guitar&harmonica and covered all genres of music. That set the tone for the rest of the weekend. He is an amazingly talented musician yet very modest and a really solid lad. I can honestly say if I was to organise an activity/outing /sing song or any kind of adventure with friends I would look no further than Marcus and Rural Adventures. We had a ball! Marcus&co thanks again for a superb weekend...fantastic, amazing, professional and fun. Top Marks!
James (Dublin)
Hi James, thanks a million for your great review. I am totally humbled by this and so happy ye had a great time. I really enjoyed the day with you guys and loved the sing song after. I think it was ye that rocked the pub with all the tunes ye knew and it was great to hear so many fantastic Dublin songs in Cavan belted out by ye lads and I loved accompanying ye on them. The doors are always opened if ye are back down this neck of the woods again, Slan agus go raibh maith agat, Marcus
My partner and I booked a 3 day, 2 night, trip with Marcus. From the moment we got picked up, to the moment we left everything was incredible!
We spent our first day having a little wander around Dublin as we had tailored our tour a little differently, Marcus had loads of history and facts about the city to tell us, which was great. We also went out to Loughcrew, and visited an amazing cairn, with what we expect had beautiful views....luckily we're from Scotland so the Irish weather didn't put us down haha. (The weather improved greatly on our second and third day though, beautiful sunshine!)
We did our climbing, abseiling and kayaking on our second day and had so much fun! Marcus is very well trained and so trustworthy, for anyone out there who's a bit nervy haha. I won't go into too much detail about where we went and how the activities went, but everything was fantastic. As it was our trip Marcus never rushed us in or out of things, we just went at our own pace and still managed to cram everything into our short time. He definitely ensures you get the best out of your time there though! Always recommending things to us and giving us the choice of where we wanted to go.
Along with Marcus' great hospitality came his wife, Julie, we stayed with them for the two nights, and we really got to know them. Their house is beautiful, and hospitality is something to be desired! Our room was very homely and comfortable. We had our own bathroom to use and a little conservatory if we wanted space. If you stay with them on your tour, please ask about their wedding as the story is amazing! We were also very pleased to meet his adorable daughter, whom we were lucky to make friends with haha!
I've so much more to say, but I will finish with Marcus' music skills, he is an extremely talented musician, and hopefully you get the chance to hear him play his guitar and sing, or the harmonica too! All in all we had an absolutely fantastic time, the only thimg we would change is that we would have stayed longer. 110% will be back!
Thanks a mill Natasha for the fantastic review. I had a super weekend with you guys and I am looking forward to the next time ye are back. Will have the Whiskey ready for ye!!!! Say hello to Johnny for me :)
Slan
Marcus
We booked the trip to Donegal and it was a very good experience. For different reasons we were only 3 of us, Marcus and Gary (guides). Everything turned out like if we had been friends for a long time and we had a very good time. Marcus is a very professional person, with wide experience and is always looking for the best experience for the people he guides so he can think of different alternatives depending on the circumstances (in our case was going to rain so we had to rearrange the activities).
I would recommend with no doubt Rural Adventure and I am certain we will book it again with them.
Thank you very much for the experience, the knowledge and the craic.
On the road again.
José.
Good Man Jose
Thank's for the review, it was a great weekend and really enjoyed your company. Look forward to the next one, On the Road Again, I can't wait to get on the road again :-)
Slan
Marcus
Based on the description of the kayak trek on the Rural Adventure website, I was pretty sure that the day would be my favorite memory of our family trip to Ireland. I was wrong--Marcus and his tour EXCEEDED my expectations! My husband, 12-year-old son, and I had a chilly but lovely day to kayak in the stunningly beautiful County Cavan countryside out to the ruin Clough Oughter Castle, accessible only by canoe or kayak. We then had a delightful tea on the grounds. Marcus was such a fun host. He told us about the history of the area and so many fascinating stories. We then headed to Loughcrew, where we had a delicious lunch and hiked up Carn Bane East--a striking hillside with so much history and a wonderful 360 view of the Irish countryside for miles. We topped off the day with a glass of Guinness in The Seven Wonders Bar with the charming barkeep Anita and enjoyed Marcus playing his guitar and singing Irish ballads. He's such a talented singer, and everyone in the pub had fun singing along with the refrains. I'm sharing my experience with all of my friends who might be going to Ireland because our family had such a fabulous experience off the typical track. Thank you, Marcus and Rural Adventures! Can't wait to book another trek when we return to Ireland!
Hi Judy
wow, thanks for your review, I am so happy you enjoyed the tour and look forward to meeting ye again when ye return to Ireland. It was a pleasure showcasing what we have to offer and I really enjoyed the day with ye. Say hello to the rest of the crew for me,
Slan
Marcus
I signed up to go kayaking I found out it takes at least minimum of four and no one had signed up so far. While I was at the pick up point I saw that there was no one else was there. I was worried that the kayaking trip was canceled and since I had no access to the internet I couldn't check my e-mail to see if it was. When the guide showed up I felt great that the trip was still on, I was so looking forward to going on this trip. When he told me that he had four people, but three canceled and that he was still going to take me on it; I was impressed. Had to admire someone who. even when they don't have their minimum required people for the trip, but kept his appoint anyways was incredibly awesome. Marcus Magee, of Rural Adventure.ie, was my guide and we hit it off quite well on the trip up to where we were going kayaking, he was very easy going person.
Marcus made sure that I was well fitted for the right kayak and gave me safety tips about going out on the water in a kayak; he was quite knowledgeable. Out on the water we had a great time. Marcus told me a little history about where we were and sang a couple Irish tunes. Seeing the country side from the waters we were paddling was incredible and so peaceful. We paddled up to and stopped for a break on an small island where there was ruins of a, equally small castle. back in the day, the British army lead by Cromwell, had bombed, with his canons from shore. Cromwell, hopefully I spelt his name right, had destroyed many castles and Abbies in Ireland. To see a bombed out castle was amazing in one sense and sad in another. This was a part of history; I was there and I got there by water in a kayak. After we left Cavan Canoe .Centre, where we went kayaking, we went to an old style pub, Across from the pub was an Abby in ruins, with grave sights scattered throughout the grounds. Marcus tells me that vikings destroyed this Abby. It was fun and exciting to take a trip through history and the Irish country side by kayak with a great guide. Next year I think I'll go hiking to check out the Irish country side in another way and have Marcus as my guide, that would be totally awesome. Gary Dow from Prince George, B.C, Canada.
Hi Gary
Thanks a million for your great and descriptive review of our tour. I really enjoyed the day and it was like being on a tour with a mate. Look forward to when you are back in Ireland, hope all is well in Canada,
Slan
Marcus
