Fáilte is Irish for Welcome and is something that Michael exudes. From the friendly handshake to... read more
Fáilte is Irish for Welcome and is something that Michael exudes. From the friendly handshake to... read more
Michael arranged a marvelous full day tour of Boyne Valley for us. Besides the Neolithic sites of... read more
Michael Fox is an amazing tour guide, bringing alive the magic, mystery and history of the people living in the Boyne Valley thousands of years ago. We enjoyed not only the expected sites such as La Grange but we also visited the stone age cairn at Loughcrew during the spring equinox. A very special addition to our previously outlined tour. There were many surprises along the way, places we would have never found without someone with Michael's intimate knowledge of the Valley. My husband and I felt this was the best of best in terms of tours and recommend Michael's personal tour to anyone with interest in the ancient sites of Ireland.
Kathy Bergstrom
Los Angeles, California
Michael Fox is a magician of a tour guide: calmly listening to a rather eclectic set of interests of three very different adults, and then planning, on the fly, and executing a most amazing one-day tour that hit all of the high points of our list, and far more than that. Expertly navigating a spotless late-model Audi through the backroads and byways of Boyne Valley without a wasted minute. We felt more in the hands of a trusted family friend than a tour guide. Intelligent, witty, and understated all while showing us the very best of this rich cultural landscape. Thanks, Michael. The trip was wonderful, and here, at last, is the first five star review I've ever posted of anything.
E. Gough
My friend and I went on a tour with Michael yesterday. I had discovered Michael on the internet while researching Loughcrew and discovered his web site (www.boynevalleytours.com).
I'm not a big fan of getting in large tour buses and heading to major tourist sites so I really appreciated Michael's personalized tour. He took us to some amazing places including Loughcrew--could have stayed there all day--along with some beauty and inspiring holy wells which I had wanted to see. Based on our interests, he really mapped out the day for us.
Michael is extremely knowledgeable about the area from both a folk and academic perspective. Will definitely go again to explore more sites in the Boyne with Michael.
We had a wonderful experience on our tour with Michael. We had come from Rock of Cashel the day before and were weary of the tourist crowds. We explained this to Michael, and he went out of his way to take us to little visited sites that were incredibly impressive but not in the standard tour guides.
Our favorite was Four Knocks Passage Tomb, where Michael picked up the key from a home nearby and we were able to enjoy the beauty and sacred nature of the passage tomb all to ourselves. This was a stark contrast to the next day, when we were herded into Newgrange with 25 other visitors and could barely see the artwork and structure before we were rushed out. We also loved Bective Abbey, where in addition to a personal tour, Michael introduced us to some archaeologists who were working on the site. We were able to talk to the archaeologists and they shared some of their finds with us, like a primitive needle and spear tips.
It was a wonderful experience and Michael was very generous in sharing his insider's knowledge of the Boyne Valley.
Our tour was much as others describe: individually crafted to suit our interests, well informed and timed to avoid the heavy crowds, a thoroughly pleasant experience and one that Micheal, while making sure we experienced the optimal amount of the wonders of the Boyne, also allowed us the time and space to have our own experience. Newgrange at 9AM, Four Knocks alone at midday and Tara in the late afternoon were really very special. Thank you, Michael! Trust this kind man to show you the land the he loves. Also, he has access to two lovely labyrinths. Don't miss them.
The tour of newgrange and surrounding areas (Hill of Tara etc.) was excellent. Michael was very professional and sincere. He picked us up at our hotel in an audi, made sure that we are as comfortable as possible and was very flexible in terms of matching the tour with our interests. Highly recommended.