About Us

My name is Patrick McLoughlin and I am a native of Galway.  I am the owner, and general manager of 'Ireland West Tours', and I have been chauffeuring people like you on guided tours along the Wild Atlantic Way for many years.

I am a keen photographer and have done extensive landscape and seascape photography in the West of Ireland particularly in Connemara, The Burren and Cliffs of Moher, and along The Wild Atlantic Way.

In our travels to other countries, we found that sightseeing guided tours lacked flexibility.  As tourists on various coach tours, we found that we had no choice as to where and when we wanted to start our tour and had absolutely no control over stops, itinerary, or duration. 

We were often disappointed not to be given a little extra time to enjoy a view or item of special interest to either of us,  because of a tour schedule. Disappointment often turned to annoyance and frustration when "the schedule" no longer mattered as soon as the driver and/or guide got us to the shop or restaurant that gave him a commission on our spending.

We found it next to impossible to find a tour that would allow us to see and do the things that we wanted to see and do, or let us eat and/or shop where and when we wanted to.  I guessed that many visitors to Connemara, The Cliffs of Moher, the Wild Atlantic Way, and Ireland generally would want the freedom and flexibility that we sought on holidays.  I guessed right! 

Ireland West Tours went online 20 years ago and has since satisfied many customers in their quest to see places like Kylemore Abbey, Clifden, Connemara National Park, Famine Memorial, Inagh Valley, Rock of Cashel, Ring of Kerry, and many places off the beaten track all over Ireland in a leisurely manner on a personalized chauffeur-driven guided tour to suit you, the customer.

Because of the success achieved in giving customers what they want, Ireland West Tours has continued to grow and now has several chauffeurs that are trained to bring you on your personalized Tour of where you want to go in the West of Ireland, whether it is to see our historic sites and monuments like Kylemore Abbey, savor our Irish Culture and Heritage, enjoy our beautiful scenery or a combination of theses.  Our experience will help you to get the best experience in the West of Ireland. We hope to include you in the growing number of people who enjoy the experience of real Ireland with a tailor-made Guided Tour with Ireland West Tours.

 "We hope that you will give us the opportunity to bring you on a personalized meaningful guided tour of the beautiful scenic and enchanting area that is The West of Ireland. We would love the opportunity to show you places like Kylemore Abbey, Clifden, Inagh Valley, Renville Point, The Killary Fjord, Kilkenny Castle, Rock of Cashel, Ring of Kerry, Dingle Peninsula, and the Cliffs of Moher. We look forward to bringing you a taste of our unique history and culture."
 

Read what some of our many satisfied customers wrote about Ireland West Tours:

"We spent a wonderful day with Jim last week and are still raving about all we saw and did in that nine hour period. Jim showed us his favorite spots and told us his favorite stories and took us to all the places that make Connemara special. He played the weather well, saving the most beautiful spots for the afternoon, after the showers and fog had cleared. I know we were on roads that local people have never seen, as Jim showed us so many fabulous places."

You can read the full review on 

Here is an extract from another one of our satisfied customers:

“We hired Jim Parslow and Ireland West Tours for a day tour of the Connemara region from Galway.  BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT: We really enjoyed our tour and would highly recommend anyone consider visiting the Connemara or other areas of Ireland to use Ireland West Tours. 

A little background my fiancé and I are in our 30s. We wanted to maximize our time and see as much of the Connemara as possible covering the highlights and "get off the beaten path". Jim exceeded our expectations. We covered a wide range of scenery ranging from mountains, castles, meadows, bogs, rivers, oceans, cliffs, lakes, beaches, and a fjord. At times we felt like Jim was the "Mayor of Ireland" because of his connections with the local people and familiarity of the area.“

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An extract from a customer who engaged Ireland West Tours for a multi day tour: 

"You can get to places no bus tour has ever been. We hiked to remote churches, visited little known Tower houses/castles...all things that our amazing guide, Paul, was able to recommend. This was worth every single penny, and then some. Jim, you are lucky to have Paul as a driver. Best wishes to you both."

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"Not wanting to do the typical "bus tour" of Ireland, and not wanting to drive on the left, I booked a tour with Ireland West Tours. We hiked to remote churches, visited little known Tower houses/castles...all things that our amazing guide, Paul, was able to recommend. This was worth every single penny."

Marsha, Minnesota, USA

 

You can read the full review on 

 

Satisfying the customer 

Over the years we have had several compliments on our drivers from many of our satisfied customers. Click on the link to "Tripadvisor" below to read, in full, the reviews of some of our many happy customers.

"Once you experience a private guided tour, you will never consider a coach tour again! Jim is personable, knowledgeable, and an excellent driver. After 7 days in Ireland, I can say my favorite memories are those spent on our private tour. Best money spent was with Ireland West Tours."

Miss Wanderlust, South Carolina, USA

 

You can read the full review on 

IRELAND WEST TOURS

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