MY IRELAND TOUR - Key Persons
Home to Portmarnock, Baltray and The K Club, East Ireland is a Mecca for golfers from all around the world. Situated within easy reach of Dublin airport, the golf courses and resorts on the east coast are always popular with visitors from abroad. Once you have tasted the alluringly challenging links golf on offer here, it's easy to see why. This page gives full details of the best and a directory of the rest.
Elizabeth Tower, more affectionally known as Big Ben (Big Ben is actually the name of the 13.7-tonne bell within the tower, and is barely invisible from outside), was added as part of the restoration works after a fire ravaged The Houses of Parliament in 1834. The tower was completed in 1859 and has been chiming merrily to the people of London ever since - although it was largely silent for the 5 years between 2017 and 2022 when it underwent a major restoration project.
It was 35 years ago when David O'Gorman (Eric's father) set up our first family business. In the early days, we specialised in educational, horticultural and agricultural tours. We offered highly customised tours with a personal service to match.
Jedburgh Abbey is closed on December 25th and 26th, and on January 1st and 2nd.
King John's Castle
Located alongside the River Shannon in County Limerick, on King's Island. Dating back to 922, to a time when Vikings were the inhabitants of the island (Thormodr Helgason, the Viking sea-king, built the first settlement here. The castle itself was built in 1200, under the instruction of King John of England.
Rosslyn Chapel was originally founded in 1484 by Sir William St Clair. Since then the chapel has endured a somewhat tumultuous existence. Having fallen into disrepair during the Reformation, the movement of the 16th century to reform the Roman Catholic Church, it was then attacked by Cromwell's troops in 1650 and used as a stable for their horses. Weekly services did not resume in the chapel until 1862, during a time of Victorian restoration. Further restoration during the 1950s ended in disaster when it was found that the cement used had reacted with the humidity of the chapel and destroyed some of the ancient stonework. In 1995, in order to restore and preserve the chapel, a major conservation project was undertaken.
Rosslyn Chapel is located a 30-minute drive from the city of Edinburgh city. While the visitor centre and grounds are easily accessible by all, part of the chapel's interior and crammed and narrow. The is a steep stairwell leading into the chapel crypt, and is not accessible to those with mobility issues.
Temple Bar is perhaps the most visited district of Dublin, with many tourists scarcely venturing beyond Dame Street and the Liffey which mark the upper and lower reaches of this cultural quarter. Tourists who enjoy Trinity College and Christ Church Cathedral won't have far to go to enjoy the nearby Meeting House Square with its galleries, archives and weekly food market. Stalls with Irish produce and food trucks take over the Square every Saturday between 10am and 5pm.