If I could possibly give Rabbie's an infinite number of stars, I would! If you are reading this and considering a trip with a bus tour, I'm telling you, look no further. And in the event that England were to take back control of Ireland, it should be for one reason alone: the knighting of our guide, Sir Patrick Foley...
My wife and I had recently taken the five-day Escape to the West tour leaving from Dublin as part of our honeymoon. We had never been on any type of guided, multi-day bus tour, and I had no idea what to expect, as well as a personal desire to not have our honeymoon be on what could be deemed a 'forced march.' It was anything but, and every single aspect of the tour was made as accommodating, and as worry-free as could potentially be.
Patrick represented the company with esteem and grace, a man that the Blarney Stone itself should get up and kiss to raise its own eloquence, with a heart that would make the Skellig Islands jealous. The tour itself was set up to near perfection, with plenty of stops for drinks, food, bathroom breaks, and of course, beautiful, unforgettable Irish sights...all with an absolute astounding amount of information and history from Patrick. But of all the sights seen and things done, I think the one thing I didn't expect or know I needed to take back to the states was what Patrick brought to the proverbial pub table...an Irish spirit that made me remember I needed to go home and take more pride in the places and people around me, have a larger sense of community, a bigger presence around my family, laugh more often and laugh at myself, and sing without care (his voice is much better than he lets on, and I have video to prove it).
Thank you Rabbies, I have no doubt all of your tours are as wonderful, and I intend to do it again. And thank you to Patrick, who I intend to make my own part of the world better for. read more