We were on the 8 day Vagabond tour that went clockwise. We had a great guide in Carmel. For our first vacation in Ireland, it was just about perfect for what we wanted. We had a few days to ourselves first in Dublin (always recommended) and as part of that we took a separate 1 day trip to Giants Causeway and the Titanic exhibit in Belfast (both great) - but that was not with Vagabond.
Our tour was the active/overview that we really wanted. We hiked a LOT and did a vigorous bike ride through Killarney National Park. A few of us kayaked at Dingle, a few others did horseback riding, many of us took the boat trip out to the Skelligs (unfortunately landing wasn't possible for the hike up the island due to very rough waters) but even seeing Skellig Michael up close was fascinating. And plenty of time to shop and eat/drink! We frequently stopped "for a pint" after an active afternoon.
There are places I definitely wish we could have stayed longer -- I really wanted to walk/hike at Gougane Barra, one of the remotest-seeming places we were at, and even with 2 nights at Dingle, I wanted more time for hiking. We took a recommended hike toward the lighthouse from the hotel early one morning and had a beautiful walk - wish we could have done more! Spanish Point was a beautiful area and felt our time there was way too short. This is in no way a critique of Vagabond, since the nature of the tour is an overview. I'd highly recommend Vagabond.
The only very minor quibbles I wrote separately to Vagabond about was a request for power charging capabilities on the van -- we did charge up at night and I had a portable charger with us on the van and tried to share it, we would have loved to just plug in during van rides; and a request for Vagabond to exert a little pressure on some of their hotels and inns to use secure WiFi - even the larger hotel at Dingle was unsecured. Again, these are minor quibbles and the trip was fantastic.

Wish there were more than 5 stars to rate this tour and our tour guide Mark. The whole small group tour of Ireland was amazing! My husband and I can’t rave enough about what a great time we had and what we learned, saw and experienced! Everything about the tour was superb. The tour gave us a chance to really experience the real Ireland. Our lodgings were not just hotels, but warm, friendly accommodations, including the “haunted” castle. The tour was run professionally, with attention to every detail. Our tour guide was warm and friendly as well as extremely knowledgeable and entertaining. We can’t say enough good things about this tour and our guide!

As a return visitor to Ireland and as a seasoned traveler, who has taken over 20 tours around the world, there is no question that the guide makes the tour. We hit the jackpot with Mark Doherty, "the renaissance man". He entertained our group every day with songs, poetry, Irish history, culture, current events and that quick Irish wit! He always went out of his way to consider the group's interests and desires, to make the tour significant and memorable for each and every person in our group. His keen ability to time our stops, at the popular tourist sights to avoid the crowds was terrific, but his ability to assess our group interests and include smaller venues that he thought we would appreciate was really considerate. He is a gem!
Our hotel accommodations were fine, with great cuisine and our lunch stops were also great. The tour pace was perfect and included enough time for shopping and wandering around the towns to experience every day life in rural Ireland. An itinerary that includes the North is not common among Ireland tours and was politically insightful and the scenery was magnificant.
Vagabond's emphasis on sustainability is admirable. In all aspects, Vagabond small group tours of Ireland has got it!