Portumna Quay is a nice place to visit for a range of reasons:…read more Swimming Fishing Canoeing Photography Dog walking Lake watching We did all but one of those on our first visit alone. There is a section for swimming only, so you wont be bothered by jetskis or boats. There are toilets too, which were unlocked when the lifeguards came on duty, at around midday I think it was. It's one of the great amenities Portumna has.

One long cruise great captain and crew. Upper and lower deck for great views of the river and…read moreshoreline.

From the owner: Step on board one of our modern, clean, safe and comfortable passenger boats, in their idyllic…read moresetting on the shores of Lough Derg, Ireland's pleasure lake with its breath-taking views of Counties Clare and Tipperary, Killaloe River Cruises provide sight-seeing tours on Ireland's finest waterway, the River Shannon. The relaxing tour is accompanied by a captain and crew. The views from our purpose built cruise boats offer the best opportunity to explore and capture the River Shannon, its wildlife and spectacular scenery. Both of our boats depart from the quay on Lakeside Drive, Ballina Killaloe. The towns have been awarded the heritage town status because of their rich and historic past. Killaloe/Ballina offers a wide variety of shops, boutiques and walking trails. Later you can stop off at the restaurants and bars each with its own brand of cuisine and fine pints. Killaloe River Cruises have been in operation from Killaloe/Ballina since the year 1999. James Whelan the owner of both boats has worked in the boat hire business since 1991. His father who owns Whelan's Foodstore in the town decided to start hiring boats as people were constantly inquiring in the shop as to the possibility of taking in the local scenery. James first started with a small 12 seater passenger boat that was purchased in Dingle Co. Kerry and then brought to Killaloe and called the "Brian Boru". In the year 2000 a new 50 seater passenger boat called the "Spirit of Killaloe" was acquired...

Did the Kilkenny boat trip last week - beautiful scenery and wildlife and knowledgeable guide.read more

The boat tour guide was highly informative on all things associated with Kilkenny, both past &…read morepresent. He took the trouble to get to know his passengers & provided many humorous anecdotes which went down a storm with all. Thankfully, the boat didn't go down & he was highly conscientious in ensuring everyone's safety at all times whilst on the water. Top marks must be awarded for a highly enjoyable boat trip.

I'm honestly unsure of the best way to rate this tour company. On one hand, it's Ireland and Irish…read moreweather is unruly. On the other hand, there was a forecast and the forecast called for rain. And as I heard from other local visitors, their tour companies cancelled and refunded their tours in advance. I had purchased an Aran Islands and Cliffs of Moher tour via Viator. It was nearly $100 for two, which is rather pricey, but it included views of the cliffs from two angles, a coach bus from Galway, and some time on the smallest of the islands. It seemed like a good deal. The actual tour was boring and flat. I would have liked to stop and take photos at the castles and the lighthouse we passed, but the bus kept on going. I got some drive-by shots, but they're not the same. The bus was also very cold on a very cold day, which was unsettling and uncomfortable. The tour guide only rattled off some basic facts and mostly about the educational system in Ireland. Cool, but not exciting in the least. Once we arrived at the docking area, we were given tickets and boarded the tiniest little ferry on the literally wild Atlantic Ocean. I was terrified. The half-hour journey to the Aran Islands was mortifying to say the least. People were puking. I was doing everything in my power to not join in. The crew seemed fine. We got to the Aran Islands without me puking, which was nice and surprising. We then paid a local guide to drive us around since it was raining so hard. We got to see a nice sliver of the islands, which was nice and probably my favorite part. We then had a small, very bland lunch and I took more motion sickness meds. After about an hour, our group boarded a vessel before being told to get off. We then waited outside in the cold for far too long and were placed on a slightly larger ferry. This time around, I wasn't so lucky on the seasickness front and spent most of the trip back staring at the inside of a bag...along with many other folks. Did I get views of the cliffs from the sea? Nope. Did I get views of the cliffs from the cliffs? Nope. Do I feel kind of ripped off? Yes. But is it Ireland? Yes. Was it their fault? Well, yes, I think so. I found out we were the last ferry to go across that day. The storms from the hurricane remnants were strong. I honestly wish they had given us the option to postpone our tour. I would have in a heartbeat. The next day was much nicer and I would have actually gotten my money's worth. I absolutely know they can't control the weather, but they should have some sort of system in place to avoid such situations.

Cliffs of other, Coast of County Clare and the Burren Day Tour from Galway…read more My husband, daughter and I had a informative and fun day long tour with Patrick as our guide. He took us to the places that were listed along with additional perfect pictures spots and a local pub for lunch. We learned history and insights about the area from a local. The day went by fast and I would highly recommend a Patrick and Spirit of Ireland Travel

If you are intending to do something different this summer, I'd advise you to try a boating holiday…read moreon the River Shannon with Carrick Craft. I have enjoyed a number of holidays boating on the River Shannon and it is an amazing experience. It is a really relaxing and thereputic. You can hire your boat from Carrick Craft which is located in Carrick-on-Shannon in Co.Leitrim. Anyone who is interested in steering the boat will be shown what to do by a member of the staff. There are different size cruisers from the Carlow Class (2+2 Berth) which would suit two people to the Roscommon Class (10+2 Berth). No licence is required to cruise the rivers, so anybody can take command of one of the cruisers. Once you stop for the day, there is plenty of things to do from cycling to horse-riding or just sit, relax and take in the country air. As for food, you can either cook on board or you can otherwise check out the number of great range of pubs and restaurants which are dotted along the River. The only problem we had was finding berthing places at the evening but don't worry as boating people always give help when help is needed. This holiday is a great way of seeing Ireland up close and personal and I'm sure the entire family would enjoy it immensely! Get cruising! I had a blast and would highly reccomend it.

book and go from Carrick On Shannon itself. it is easy with public transport to get to Carrick,…read moremore than can be said about other harbours/start points, and you have the choice of going north or south with peace and quiet in both directions.

Inis Oírr & Cliffs of Moher Cruise Combo is worth the price and a great time. It was a calm day at…read moresea so we saw everything very clear and got to see everything up close. The boats are heated inside and have a bathroom. The crew was helpful and funny and it was a fun cruise. I just wish they sold beverages/snacks on board but it was not a big deal.

I would not recommend taking any of the ferries from the Doolin pier to the Aran islands. 1) There…read moreis no way to know which ferry to take as there is no signage. We paid for passage to Inish Mor but were herded from line to line and taken to wrong island. 2) When we asked the crew about getting to the other island they were unconcerned and advised us to make sure we were back at the pier early in order to get back to Doolin. 3) When we arrived to the pier to return there were mobs of people, no signage, and no information. There were probably 300 people waiting for return ferry but there was no way of knowing what ferry to board or if other ferries would come as there were mind of people and not enough ferries. 4) Extremely unsafe environment as mobs of people trying to push into tiny gangway with nothing but a gap between pier and boot to fall into and be crushed between boat and pier.

Great, cheap and FAST! We came through on St Patricks day expecting the boat to be swamped. We…read moreliterally drove right on and 10 minutes we were on the Wexford side! Saves you from having to make the drive all the way around Waterford and the nearby bay. Great experience and adds to the fun of the drive. Give it a go!

Been planning to take a trip with these guys for a while so, as a treat, we booked three one-way…read moretickets to Howth. All the protocols were observed, hand sanitiser, masks etc. It was a very nice day so we perched on the deck for the entire trip. It took about an hour for the crossing, great scenery and a chance to see the city and environs from a different angle. We then had lunch in one of the myriad restaurants on the pier and took the Dart back to DL to pick up the car. Highly recommended for a different way to spend your afternoon.

The good: - The scenery is beautiful…read more- Very relaxing if you enjoy being out on a boat - It's easy to book through their website - You get to know a bit more about the coast of Dublin, Howth and Dún Laoghaire - There's a bar and a bathroom on the boat The bad: - It's hard to identify where the cruise is departing, they should have more signs around the pier. - The boat was late - and we were asked to be there half an hour before departure. The boat only arrived 15 minutes after that. - The crew was a bit too rude Don't do this if you get seasickness, it sounds obvious but a lot of people were very seasick and two even threw up. There will be waves, especially if it is a windy day.