My family of 10 went on the Doolin Ferry to go on the Aran Islands tour. It was a gorgeous day. It…read morewas a simple ride to the islands and we loved every second of it. Great little sight seeing adventure.

We used the ferry for the cliffs tour…read more It was drizzling and very windy but smoother out from the dock. There was commentary during the tour and an amazing view. There is plenty of parking (be sure to pay), toilets, and food stands. It is a perfect way to get a sense of how truly tall the cliffs themselves are!

This was a fabulous experience. We booked via phone and the ticket pickup and boarding process was…read moreeasy. During our journey, we saw many dolphins (jumping, chasing the boat, riding along with the boat's bow), a seal, many birds, and numerous historical sites in the area. The crew was made up of the captain and 2 resident zoologists. They walked around the boat during the tour answering questions, providing insight, and telling stories about the area. They (Mary Kate and Deb) made the trip great. Highly recommend!

From the owner: Dolphin Watching & Wildlife Eco-Adventure Watch and learn…read moreabout Ireland's resident group of bottlenose dolphins on this guided boat trip into the Mouth of the Shannon. With approximately 200 individuals in this group, the dolphin encounter rate with Dolphinwatch is one of the best in the world. Every trip is different in this dynamic environment! You might meet a grey seal emerging from a cave, spot a herd of wild goats on a hillside, learn about the many species of nesting seabirds, and delight in the  stunning cliffs and caves of the Loop Head Peninsula and the coast of North Kerry. A family business since 1992, Dolphinwatch is the only marine tourism business to be awarded a gold certification from Ecotourism Ireland. Carrigaholt, Co. Clare is a Discovery Point on the Wild Atlantic Way.

During our first trip to Ireland we enjoyed a sunset cruise of the cliffs near the Cliffs of Moher…read morewith an awesome company, Doonbeg Adventures. What a fantastic company to sight see with! Cathal, the owner was the captain and tour guide for our cruise, and not only did we get to see amazing cliffs, but we were told some of the history about the area and Ireland as a whole. I know that Doonbeg Adventures offers Bicycle Hire, Sea Angling, Sunset Cruises and accommodations and I will be using them again on our next trip to Ireland. I would recommend Doonbeg Adventures to anyone that is traveling to Ireland, or lives there already, and would like a professional, comfortable and very pleasant experience fishing or taking a sunset cruise.

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...

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

Ferry Ride I…read morevisited the largest of the islands 23 years ago Worth the ferry ride for lunch Must visit? Perhaps, maybe,.... I have experienced a number of ferry rides

Early in the 1970s, I saw an article in National Geographic about this set of 3 islands in Galway…read moreBay. "Ive got to go there someday" I swore. In less than 5 years in was on a small plane from Galway city to Inishmore, the largest of the islands. All of Ireland is beautiful, but Inishmore was absolutely stunning. We passed on the horse and buggy ride and made our way on foot to the north side. Thousands of miles of stone walls line the roads and fields. We stopped at the stone hut that was used in the filming of "Man of Aran." At this point, we realized that we had to get back to the plane, so we managed to use a crank phone to put in a request to the island's one cabbie. We had enough time to take one more walk to the cliffs on the west side of the island. In 2008, we managed to go back and see Inisheer, the smallest and most southerly of the chain. At dinner, we had the only truly great steak I'd eaten in Ireland (usually better to stick to the lamb). I'd hoped to get a sunset shot, and the one I got showed all three islands at once. High on my bucket list is visiting the third island someday.