Essential Ireland Tour Reviews - our favourites
- info6804034
- Feb 20
- 7 min read
Updated: Feb 21
Behold, a nice wee compilation of Essential Ireland Tour Reviews - our favourites from 25 years of welcoming guest on our award-winning small group tours of Ireland.
Pam writing on Rick Steves Travel Forum, 2024
Question:
We are hoping to visit in May (first trip, 3 adults) for a week, mostly hitting Wild Atlantic Way. For past trips to Europe, I've planned and booked everything direct using Steve's guides. But older and busier now, so want someone else to handle all arrangements and transport BUT we want very small group or private. Contacted AAA who had only 3 companies and their group tours were 40+ people and had very "touristy" stops and lodgings. I came across Essential Ireland Tours which seems to be run by current/former Rick Steve's guide. But I can't find much info on them other than their own site (for reviews). Any experience? BTW - I did check Rick's tours but timing doesn't work out. Thank you.
Answer:
That's Stephen McPhilemy's company. He's a long-time RS guide and knows Ireland. He has a couple of B&Bs in Dingle Town. Looks like the North Atlantic Way tour stays at Milltown House which is his first acquisition. (got a tour when he was still re-doing it!)
I had Stephen for an RS guide on the Best of Ireland tour. He's a great story-teller and had me laughing until I cried every day on the bus. He's very knowledgeable and certainly understands what US-based tourists want in a tour.
Posted by Pam
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
16690 posts
Rick Steves and his Ireland sidekick Stephen McPhilemy of Essential Ireland tours (not forgetting Seamus the Irish Wolfhound, who is the canine sidekick of Stephen McPhilemy)
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Essential Ireland Tours
Posted by Ruth (Ithaca, NY, USA) on 09/19/24 08:55 PM
Has anyone taken one of their 7 day tours? If so, I’d love to hear about it, as well as what you did and didn’t like. Thanks!
Posted by David
Cleveland
899 posts
My wife and I took the Northern Ireland tour last year. Outstanding. Stephen McPhilemy is a gifted tour guide, storyteller, comedian and not a bad singer too. He'll make you laugh, cry, and sing.
Based on our recommendation, some friends took another one of his tours this year in the south. They likewise couldn't say enough good things.
If you want to see one of the Rick Steves videos that Stephen is in, the below link will give you the chance.
Happy travels!
Posted by David
Cleveland
899 posts
Oh, yeah, 5 years ago we took the then 8 day RS Ireland tour where Stephen was the guide at the time. Unbelievably good. But I've heard all the other Rick Steve guides are fantastic -- although I'll admit I have a hard time believing they can match him.
You can't go wrong either way!
Happy travels.
Posted by Ruth OP
Ithaca, NY, USA
943 posts
Thanks, David! Since you’ve traveled with both groups, what would you say are the similarities and differences between the RS and Essential Ireland tours? Is there a difference in quality of accommodations? Were your tour mates similar types of people? Any details would be really helpful. Thanks!
Posted by David
Cleveland
899 posts
I think they will be pretty similar in pacing, in types of places they stay (w/ exception of castles tour offered by Essential Ireland), what they see and so on. The Essential Ireland are small groups-- ours was 9 people.
But I actually personally preferred the RS group size more which for us was 24.
Stephen loads the day and even the supposed free time had overfilled options so be prepared for long days -- if you count the nights at the pubs-- which is not to missed!
His "bus time" between sites was my favorite thing though-- he'd tell stories growing up in the troubles, he'd educate us on "soupers", he'd get all singing Irish tunes-- it was like having George Carlin leading a tour.
I honestly think though either way will be great!
Posted by Carrie
Chicago
4083 posts
Stephen was just a guest on a recent episode of Monday Night Travel. You can see him here. He seems very personable.
He just retired as a Rick Steves guide to focus more on his own tour company, the Essential Ireland Tours.
Posted by Ruth OP
Ithaca, NY, USA
943 posts
Sounds fantastic… IF you get Stephen as your guide. Unfortunately they now seem to have multiple guides. Seems like that happens a lot…a great RS guide starts their own small company and leads the tours themselves, word gets out that the tours are great and more people sign up so they expand and add more guides, who may or may not create the same experience
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Oct 2025 • Couples
My husband and I just returned from our first trip to Ireland. It was a trip of a lifetime for us and our chosen tour group did not disappoint! After lots of research we chose to travel with Essential Ireland for many reasons, but most of all because they offered small group travel, and because their Wild Atlantic Way tour included 3 nights in Dingle, the place we most wanted to see. What a fabulous week they provided! Sam, our tour guide was awesome and the perfect fit for our group of 7. He is a master storyteller and wove history into personal stories and songs and even poetry in Gaelic (Irish). We so enjoyed the small little stops along the way that big tour groups likely would not do - like giving us time to enjoy a tiny little chocolate shop, or tossing coins into a centuries old wishing well off the side of the road. These small moments are some of our best memoires! We spent one night in Galway and 2 nights in Killarney, but the highlight for us was our 3 nights in Dingle. The town itself is wonderful, full of pubs, restaurants, fresh and delicious seafood and lots of shopping. But the beauty of Dingle peninsula will forever be what I remember of Ireland. There are so few words to describe the breathtaking landscapes, the forceful Atlantic, sheep everywhere dotting the hilly pastureland, islands off shore that captivate, narrow roads through the hills that open up unto glorious vistas. That is what we will remember and hold in our hearts! I imagine lots of other tours drive around Dingle peninsula, but Essential Ireland gives you space and days to experience it and take it all in. For that and so many other reasons, I can heartily recommend Essential Ireland tours! You will not be disappointed.
2 contributions
Local Guide • 71 reviews • 132 photos
starstarstarstarstar 27 Sept 2023
When my husband and I were planning a trip to Ireland, he wanted a bus tour and I really, really did not. I like creating my own itinerary and having the freedom to set our own schedule. But he found the Essential Ireland site and, the more I read about it, the more I was convinced. If you are on the fence like I was, there were three things that tipped the scales for me: 1) The small group (no way was I going to be part of a group of 40 on a massive coach bus), 2) Having more than one night in most places. I didn't want to spend the whole time on the bus, and then unpack and repack every day, even if that meant getting to fewer places, and 3) The extra experiences included.
We booked the Wild Atlantic Way tour, which starts and ends in Dublin. The tour itself doesn't do a lot IN Dublin, so we flew in a couple days early to explore it and take some tours. The tour had us 2 nights in Killarney, 3 nights in Dingle, 1 night in Galway, with stops in between the towns such as the Rock of Cashel and the Cliffs of Moher.
Stephen McPhilemy, company owner and our tour guide for the week, is truly amazing. A student of history, he was able to teach us so much about the country's history, as well as the current political and cultural landscape. The bus rides passed quickly because it was so interesting to listen to him. When we stopped at historical sites, he was able to give us an informative tour of the spot. Add in that he is also a singer and taught us a few songs!
Noel, our bus driver, was a gem. He was skillful at navigating the twisty, narrow roads and always so helpful with the luggage. He's got a great sense of humor and knows a few magic tricks to boot!
The itinerary for the week was a nice mixture of events & experiences planned for us and free time to explore on our own. Stephen and Noel made recommendations for the free time; always nice to have the opinion of the locals!
The extra experiences really set this tour apart. We were able to take part in a falconry experience in Dingle. Falcons and owls flew to our hands (posing for a picture, of course), and then we had a tour of the aviary. One night, we participated in a Druid ceremony to welcome the autumnal equinox; it was a very special moment. We had a private performance from Riverdance entertainers. We got to sample Dingle Whiskey, see a demonstration of glass cutting, see a sheep shearing, and hold baby lambs. Such a great mixture of experiences! (We had family touring Ireland on their own during this same week and they were gobsmacked when I told them all we had done and learned!)
It should be obvious by now that I highly recommend this tour company!
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