Question 1

Who operates Essential Ireland Tours?

Accepted Answer

Essential Ireland Tours is operated by 'Essential Ireland Tours & Travel ltd.'
Our  tour-company is 100% owned and operated by our co-founders, Stephen  McPhilemy and Patrick Wade. Patrick is an Irish-American entrepeneur and  Stephen is 100% Irish born and raised and is Ireland’s leading  Tour-Guide.

Question 2

How to book a regular ‘Essential Ireland’ tour? Essential Ireland TOURS cancellation policy?

Accepted Answer

If you are ready to make a reservation, you can simply click here and pay with your credit or debit card. 
We  offer regular departures on our signature itinerary - the 1 week  Essential Ireland, 'Wild Atlantic Way' Tour and have frequent departures  for our famous 'True North Tour' and our luxury 'Castles &  Classics' tour.
Tours start in March, just in time for St. Patricks  Day!, and our last tour runs in mid-November, just after our big  Halloween festivities and before dear old Ireland begins to hibernate  for her mild winter.
If you have further questions you’d like to ask before booking please email us at info@essentialirelandtours.com

CANCELLATION POLICY 
(for the full policy and Terms & Conditions, click here)
We take a small deposit for every Tour, and this deposit is non refundable.
Then  we offer a payment plan and one month before the tour departure, the  balance must be paid in full.Once this final payment is made, no refunds  are possible in the unlikely event of a need to cancel (so please have  travel insurance in place). 
Note: Regarding our ‘Castles  and Classics’ tour, the same rules apply except it is a three month  cancellation-notice period instead of 1 month.So 3 months  before the tour departure date, the tour must be paid for in full and no  refund is possible in the unlikely event of a need to cancel.
If you have any immediate questions regarding this policy, please send us an email at info@essentialirelandtours.com

Question 3

What types of tours does ‘Essential Ireland’ offer?

Accepted Answer

We offer 2 types of tour. We have a ‘never-cancel’ guarantee.The first  type is a tour that you can just click and book right now on this  website. This tour-series has set departure dates. It is a tour for a  small group of 16 people who are all diverse members of the general  public.The second type of tour is for small groups of travellers who are  already connected in a group or family and want to travel together on  an ‘Essential Ireland’ Tour without other members of the general public  joining. Prices for these tours are dependent on your requirements and  numbers on the group, a quote can be attained by emailing info@essentialirelandtours.com

Question 4

Who will I meet on tour?

Accepted Answer

You will meet travellers who are fun-loving professionals, who lead busy  lives and who want to unwind and enjoy the best experiences Ireland has  to offer in a defined space of time. We appreciate that time is your  biggest commodity in life and we guarantee not to waste your time on  second-rate attractions and touristy-shopping visits.The attitude of our  travellers is they want to see the essential Ireland, thats why they  choose to travel with us. Our travellers wish to learn the local history  and discuss politics, and just as much they also love to party with  locals in some of the best pubs in the world and enjoy food and music  experiences they will remember for the rest of their lives.

The  majority of our guests are from 25-75. Though we do not have any age  policy on tours. All ages are welcome. (note: we do not normally accept  under 14’s on our regular departure tours, but we occasionally make  exceptions. We can always welcome children on our specially designed  tours for private groups and families).

Question 5

Who will be our Tour-Guides and local experts?

Accepted Answer

Stephen McPhilemy, our co-founder and Irelands leading Tour-Guide is the  100% Irish expert and Guide on many of our tours. Stephen is very loyal  to his mentor and dear friend, American TV travel personally Rick  Steves, and led over 250 Ireland tours for Rick and 'Rick Steves Europe  Inc' before taking a retirement in the summer of 2024 with the best  wishes sand blessings of Rick.

In the event that Stephen cannot  guide an Essential Ireland tour (as he may be on the road guiding one of  his private tours) , we provide a guide from our hand-picked team of  Irish tour-Guide veterans, trained by Stephen and who guide in his  unique style - a passionate, intelligent and fun insight into their  beloved Ireland. Local experts and local guides: One of the highlights  of our tour itineraries are the quality of the local guides and experts  we will introduce you to each day. It is imperative that you meet  different local characters, male and female, with different Irish  accents and fresh outlooks on modern Ireland. 
We guarantee that you will. 
‍
Essential  Ireland chooses to be a smaller niche tour-operator with emphasis on  small groups and a limited number of departures. Generally we choose to  organise only between 15-20 tours per year.

OUR FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Who operates Essential Ireland Tours?

How to book a regular ‘Essential Ireland’ tour? Essential Ireland TOURS cancellation policy?

What types of tours does ‘Essential Ireland’ offer?

Who will I meet on tour?

Who will be our Tour-Guides and local experts?