Carrig Coaches

29/05/2023

Whether you're heading to a business meeting or starting your dream vacation, our luxury airport transfers set the tone for an extraordinary trip.

Trust us to make your arrival or departure in Ireland a truly memorable experience. Book your luxury airport transfer today and elevate your travel to new heights.

29/05/2023

Seamless luxury airport transfers await you in Ireland. Experience the epitome of comfort and convenience with our exclusive service.

Arrive in style and let our professional chauffeurs whisk you away from the airport to your destination in utmost luxury. Sit back, relax, and enjoy a smooth ride in our luxurious vehicles, equipped with all the amenities you desire.

Whether you're heading to a business meeting or starting your dream vacation, our luxury airport transfers set the tone for an extraordinary trip.

Trust us to make your arrival or departure in Ireland a truly memorable experience. Book your luxury airport transfer today and elevate your travel to new heights.

29/05/2023

🌟 Your ultimate destination for luxury & private chauffeur-driven tours in Ireland. 🇮🇪 Experience the epitome of comfort and impeccable service with LeaTours. ✨

From breathtaking landscapes to historic castles, our tailored itineraries will take you on an unforgettable journey through the Emerald Isle. Sit back, relax, and let our expert chauffeurs guide you through Ireland's hidden gems and iconic landmarks. 🍀

Whether you're traveling for business or pleasure, our fleet of luxurious vehicles ensures a smooth and stylish ride, tailored to your preferences. Indulge in the finest comforts and let us handle the logistics, so you can fully immerse yourself in the beauty of Ireland.

With LeaTours, every detail is carefully curated to create a personalised and unforgettable experience. Our knowledgeable guides will share captivating stories and insider tips, giving you a deeper understanding of Ireland's rich culture and heritage.

Embark on a journey like no other and let LeaTours exceed your expectations. Book your exclusive chauffeur-driven tour today and discover the true essence of luxury travel in Ireland. 🌟

21/03/2023

Another Fabulous tripadvisor
Jan 2023 • Family
A trip of a lifetime! We took our 3 older teens to Ireland and only had about 5 days. My husband and I had been twice before and drove ourselves. This time we decided to splurge on a driver/guide and let me tell you, the best decision! From the minute Brendan Murphy greeted us, I knew this trip was not going to disappoint. If we had spent a year planning, we would have never covered, seen or learned as much as we did with Brendan. I can’t recommend him or Carrig enough. The van for our party of 5 was comfortable and clean. Even on the gloomiest of days, we saw so much and had loads of fun! Can’t wait to go back! 💚🤍🧡

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19/03/2023

A beautiful start to a tour with a stop off at St Peters on to Monasterboice with it's high crosses & round tower before paying a visit to William Bruce king of Ireland grave & St Bridget's well.

11/03/2023

A day of two very different weather types in the Burren national park today.

10/03/2023

Connemara in all its glory today looking absolutely amazing with the snow backdrop.

10/03/2023

In the shadows of a very snowy Ben Bulben

09/03/2023

A beautiful morning on the Antrim coast very clear views of Scotland off in the distance to the left of Rathlin Island.

08/03/2023

Part of an amazing 9min light show that opened this weekend at the Titanic Belfast.

08/03/2023

A fabulous trip today to the all new internally designed Titanic display which opened this weekend in Belfast.

06/03/2023

Kevin O’Hara:
Ode to an Irish bus driver — the passing of C.I. Joe

Mar 4, 2023

My latest blow came last month from across the Atlantic. It was more crushing than some others because this one came out of the blue. His name was Joseph Clancy, 77, who hailed from County Limerick, Ireland.

I first met Joe in May 2013 after Don and Maureen Anderson of The Cruise Store in East Longmeadow asked if I’d lead a group tour to Ireland on the strength of my first book, “Last of the Donkey Pilgrims: A Man’s Journey Through Ireland.” I jumped at the chance, although I had serious doubts of being able to entertain a busload of Berkshire County folks around the Emerald Isle. But Maureen assured me that I’d be teamed up with a veteran bus driver/tour operator through C.I.E. Tours in Dublin.

Despite Maureen’s assurances, I figured my assigned driver would be a short-tempered, Ralph Kramden-from-The-Honeymooners type. But my anxiety evaporated as soon as I met Mr. Clancy at Shannon Airport that first morning. Joe was a proper gent who looked more like the company’s CEO than their bus driver. Joe later confessed he shared the same trepidation about me. He feared that I’d be a snobbish professor who’d be reciting Yeats and Wilde throughout our nine-day, 800-mile journey. Oh, really?

In spite of both our assumptions being dead wrong, we still had a rocky road at the start. Joe was accustomed to well-traveled routes, but I requested a few out-of-the-way places, which were highlights during my donkey travels in 1979. When Joe found his 40-foot-long coach stuck at a hairpin turn on the Glengesh Pass in Donegal, he turned to me and said, “Look at the fine mess you’ve got me into.” He next addressed our nervous troops. “Don’t get a rush of blood, but a few prayers won’t hurt us any.” Loud applause followed as soon as Joe’s remarkable driving skills pulled us out of that near-impossible jam.

However, when I broached the subject of venturing to Northern Ireland to visit Belfast and Derry, surprisingly Joe didn’t bat an eye. “The more the Ulster people see of us, the less division there’ll be.”

Since he’d worked for C.I.E. for 40 years, I nicknamed him C.I. Joe. In turn, Joe dubbed me his “cabin boy,” and my wife, Belita, “The Countess,” as she was relegated to count our passengers each morning.

As we traveled from post to post, Joe would expound on the history of the island, and quote many of its writers and poets. He’d next sing a medley of songs befitting a cabaret at Jury’s Hotel, followed by a spate of hilarious “Kerryman” jokes and limericks.

“As I sat beneath an apple tree/A birdie sent his love to me/And as I wiped it from my eye/I said, Thank goodness that cows can’t fly!”

Following his humorous skits, he’d announce over the bus mike, “This is fantastic stuff. I’d love to be sitting at the back of the bus listening to all of this.”

Compliments would pour from our lively gang: “Why, Joe is a walking Irish encyclopedia!” Joe had mentioned that he’d graduated from Carmelite College in Castlemartyr, Co. Cork. “I couldn’t handle office work,” he admitted, “because the open road kept nudging at me.”

Along our scenic routes, he never failed to bring everyone’s attention to a donkey in a field. “Look,” he’d announce with mischievous delight, “there’s one of Kevin’s ladies-in-waiting!” When he spotted a motorist making a foolish move, he’d shout in “Amadan mor.” (In Irish: “You big eejit!”)

Joe also embodied the centuries-old tradition of Irish hospitality. After he learned how one elderly passenger had dropped her thermostat three degrees for three winters to save for our trip, he instructed the “cabin boy” to return the generous tip she had given him. On another occasion, after learning that one of our gang was battling cancer, Joe made sure he was crowned King during our medieval banquet at Bunratty Castle.

Our upcoming trip this May was to be Joe’s last before his retirement. Shortly after he passed, C.I.E. sent their sincere condolences and promised me another top-notch tour operator. Even so, I’m sure to well up a time or two when I think back on my dear companion with whom I traveled side-by-side over 10,000 rollicking miles.

Yes, I’ll never forget C.I. Joe, especially at day’s close. There he’d be, tapping his fingers on the wheel while humming an old Irish ditty, looking forward to our evening pint that always capped the end of our wondrous road. A road, I’m sad to say, that wasn’t quite long enough in the end.

In closing, I kindly ask the hundreds of Berkshire County residents who had the pleasure of knowing Joe to lift a solemn glass in his memory. That, and a heartfelt prayer to his lovely wife, Roisin, of whom he always spoke so fondly.

Thank you Kevin from all of us that travel the highways and byways of Ireland for such kind and true word's about Joe.

01/03/2023

18/02/2023

After a couple of wonderful days traveling Northern Ireland. Today it's off to the hill's of Donegal

17/02/2023

Lunch at the Badger bar Derry.

10/02/2023

Stopping at Colm's house from the Banshees of Inisherin. But no sign of Colm.

05/02/2023

The Fairways, Castletroy, Limerick / Bray, Wicklow

05/02/2023

It's with great sadnes that the world came through last night that our colleague and friend Joe Clancy had passed away peacefully, a through gentleman of the road and always a pleasure to meet for a chat. His vast knowledge of the highways and byways of Ireland was legendary among the coach industry. His willingness to share that information to people starting out was a through character of the gentleman that was our friend Joe.
Mike McElligott and all the team at Carrig Coaches would like to extend our deepest condolences to Rose and all the Clancy family. “Go Raibh Suaimhneas Síoraí Air”

04/02/2023

Slievemore village Achil island

The Deserted Village at Slievemore consists of some 80 – 100 stone cottages located along a mile long stretch of road on the southern slopes of Slievemore mountain. While some of these dwellings were occupied as ‘booley’ homes in the 20th century the area itself is rich in archaeological artefacts including megalithic tombs dating from the Neolithic period some 5,000 years ago. Local field systems and site remnants indicate that settlement in this area dates from at least early Mediaval times.

04/02/2023

What a day searching all the film locations of The Banshees of Inisherin looking for Jenny the donkey even had a meeting with some sheep but no sign of Jenny.

03/02/2023

A very moving stop on a crisp February day at Lahardane (or Lahardaun), one of North Co. Mayo’s most scenic villages, that lies at the foot of Nephin Mountain.
The story of Lahardane’s is a sad one. The village is known as “Ireland’s Titanic Village”, due to the huge loss of life that occurred from the village in the 1912 maritime catastrophe and the disaster is remembered in the Addergoole Titanic Memorial Park. Fourteen people from the Addergoole Parish boarded the Titanic at Cobh in County Cork in search of a new life. Sadly, within days, eleven of these had met their death in the icy waters of Newfoundland when the ship struck an iceberg and sank.