Testimonials

We returned from our trip to Ireland on August 11. We were there for a week. My husband, myself and our four kids 24, 20, 18, and 16 all went. When I started planning the trip I had no intentions of hiring a driver until my nephew sensed I was overwhelmed and told me his friends had done it and had a wonderful experience. I decided to look into it and researched a few companies and came across Executive Hire. Mike was very helpful and informative and made me feel confident with my decision. He told me they would leave no stone unturned and assured me we would have a great trip! Well, he’s a man of his word because that’s exactly what happened. Pat picked us up from the airport that morning and we made a friend who made our family trip the best it could be. He took care of everything for us and it allowed us to focus on the reason we were there; to enjoy the country and the people. I wish I could explain in words how much we appreciated Pat and enjoyed his humor and knowledge and respectful demeanor. He was patient with us and understood our family and what he thought we would enjoy so no time was wasted. We came back to the states with the best memories, a new friend, and a strong desire to return next year to do another tour with Pat! Thank you Executive Hire for everything!!!

Our trip to Ireland was fantastic in its own right but what made the experience over the top was our driver, Liam who was gracious, generous, funny, experienced, safe, knowledgeable and super fun! The kids loved the tour, the van was luxurious and of course they thought Liam was the best part of the trip. I could not recommend Liam or Mike Ryan’s company highly enough!

If there was a way to give more than a 5-star review, I would. Mike Ryan’s Executive Hire company was absolutely fantastic to work with as my partner and I planned a post wedding week-long trip with our parents and my sister. We provided him with some parameters on what we were looking for and he quickly drew up a suggested itinerary based on our ideas. The week-long trip would venture from Shannon to Dublin to Killarney to Adare and then to the airport in Shannon in a very comfortable Mercedes Sprinter van. Before we arrived, we had the entire itinerary lined up and Mike also took care of all of the hotel accommodations along the way. We felt really prepared for the trip even before setting foot in the country.

We were picked up by our driver, the incredibly wonderful Brendan McCarthy, and started our journey. Brendan was incredibly knowledge about where we going, and thoughtfully found things along the journey that matched what we were looking to do on our trip by taking time to get to know us. One moment that particularly stood out was when Brendan heard that my dad liked Irish music and helped us arrange tickets to a live show. Not only was the show (Celtic Steps) great, but he also had one of the performers congratulate me and my partner on our wedding. It was a little gesture, but it is representative of the many ways Brendan attentively shaped the experience to our needs and really meant a lot to us.

All in all, the ease of planning and the care and attention to our needs was top notch. I can’t thank Mike, Brendan, and the Executive Hire team enough for an incredible experience. When we visit Ireland again, we will definitely be using Executive Hire again.

Our vacation was absolutely amazing. Mike was so easy to work with and handled all of the hotel bookings and planned an amazing itinerary for us. We had no issues what so ever with anything and it was so relaxing to know someone else was dealing with all of the details.

Our driver Hoppy was so much fun and always offered up tid bits of history and information of every city, village or scenic vista we hit. Hoppy also went above and beyond to find our family land and cottage which is something we could never have done on our own. One of the extra unexpected perks was Hoppy always knew the best local pubs or restaurants to hit for a delicious meal.

I plan on going back to Ireland and will definitely work with Executive Hire again and for sure will request Hoppy as our driver.

Having someone else do the driving is the best way to see the sights. Especially when you’re out of your element in a different country. Executive Hire took that experience to a new level. Our driver and guide for the duration of the stay, “Hoppy” was amazing. He went out of his way to help me find my family lands and even a specific grave site belonging to my great great great grandparents. It was a deeply moving experience that I would not have had if it wasn’t for Hoppy. He truly wanted us all to have the best travel experience possible. If you’re looking for a company that will absolutely make you their number one priority, check out Executive Hire. And make sure to ask for Hoppy!

Judy and I just got back from our third holiday in ireland, and this was the best of them all. In the past we’ve rented a car and driven ourselves, with only guidebooks and hotel reservations to help us out. This time we engaged a car and driver through Executive Hire for four days of our holiday. The other days we used public transportation or just walked where we wanted to go. Paul’s knowledge of local places to visit, his attention to our descriptions of places we’d already visited, and his generally wonderful attitude toward being a helpful guide made all the difference to us. He even made suggestions of what to do and where to go on the days we didn’t see him. Best of all — I didn’t have to drive and could look around at the countryside all I wanted to — safely! I’ll never travel around Ireland any other way, now that I know this is a possibility.

We are just finishing a tour of Ireland where we contracted with Executive Hire to chauffeur us around the Republic of Ireland for 7 days. I can’t say enough about how great the service was both during planning stages and during the trip. Mike was the first company among several to reply to my inquiry with a detailed proposed itinerary. I had already booked my hotels and, had I known Mike could provide that service, would have happily left it to him. Even still, he worked around my bookings, designed a great trip, and assigned Kevin Bourke as our driver. The Mercedes was an amazing ride! It was a very new vehicle with fully adjustable heated and cooled rear seats. The car had WiFi and USB access for both rear passengers. From the start Kevin made us feel comfortable and did his best to accommodate and anticipate our travel needs. Kevin is an easygoing and knowledgeable driver, providing historical context and facts about all the sights we were seeing. He was quick to pull over to show us roadside historical markers and explain the significance and found great stops for lunch. He simply was a delight to travel with. It was by far the best travel experience I’ve ever had and would say it was definitely worth the expense. Kevin really went the extra mile to make our trip to Ireland memorable and was a lot of fun as a tour guide. I would definitely recommend this company and that you specifically ask for a Kevin!

I have just returned from our trip to Ireland and England and wanted to take a moment to write a review. I have to say the best decision we made was engaging Executive Hire services for our tour of Ireland! Having Hoppy act as our guide truly made the trip not only much easier and efficient, but provided a truly “value add” to our trip. Hoppy really went out of his way to ensure we had a great time, even helping us out when the airline misplaced our luggage for a day by knowing where we could pick up some emergency items! His knowledge and love of Ireland really shone through during the entire trip including his great restaurant recommendations and inside tips for us. The selection of hotels also greatly enhanced our stay, they were much more than we expected and made the trip that much more enjoyable. Many thanks to Mike Ryan and Hoppy of Executive Hire and I would certainly highly recommend them to any looking for a great experience! I hope I have the opportunity to return to this beautiful country and will most certainly be wanting to use this firm again.

We contacted this company to tour us at 3 cruise ports. We were met by Alfie at Cobh cruise port and visited Cork, Kinsale and return to port. Alfie than met us in Dublin and toured for the day. Our last port of call was Belfast and there he was waiting promptly for us at the pier. We had full days of touring at our own pace. Blarney Castle, Jameson Distillery, Guiness Experience, Book of Kells, Trinity college, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Giants Causeway, Dunlace castle and Titanic Museum to name a few.

Just returned from a week trip to Ireland and used Executive Hire Chauffeur Services for the trip. Brendan McCarty was by far the best driver I have had!!! He was prompt, informative, and just plain fun. The service was great all week and I highly recommend the company but if you get a chance to meet Brendan you are in for a great experience. Wonderful guy!!

We are very happy with Executive Hire Chauffer Services. We were travelling through Ireland in September 2019 with my elderly parents and we did not want the stress of driving ourselves. Mike Ryan is the owner of Executive Hire and he corresponded with me via email and phone and we set up a 4 day tour from Galway to Kinsale, and then to Kilkenny and Dublin. The van was super comfortable with plenty of room for 4 adults plus all of our luggage. Our driver was Liam Dolphin who is a wonderful people person and an excellent driver. He was also a knowledgeable tour guide and full of charm and stories about the history, culture, and best shopping spots. He went above and beyond what we expected and even stopped off to buy cough medicine for my boyfriend who was coughing in the back seat. We would hire Liam again for our next visit to Ireland. We have had other drivers and he is the best.

If you want a first class Ireland experience, I highly recommend using Executive Hire. From my first contact with Mike Ryan, the owner, I felt confident that this was the company for our 1st trip to Ireland as a group of 6 young seniors. Mike was prompt in his replies, professional and accommodating. He suggested an 11 day itinerary based on our wishes to visit both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and we could not have been happier. We decided to do Dublin on our own, and Mike was more than accommodating with both our dates to start his tour and booking hotels for us, which by the way were amazing and better than we could have hoped for!

Before we left Canada, we were advised by our Airline that they had changed our direct return flight from the Shannon Airport to the Dublin Airport due to the grounding of all Max8s. Mike Ryan sprang into action and changed our original last night’s accommodations near the Shannon Airport to a hotel near the Dublin Airport, and his company was able to drive us to Dublin (a 3 hour drive), at the end of our last tour day in Ireland. He truly set us up to have the vacation of our dreams, including the driver he arranged.

On the first day of our tour we were picked up promptly in a Mercedes Sprinter Van by our AWESOME personal chauffeur/tour guide, Brendan “the navigator” McCarthy. Brendan was everything we could have hoped for as a person, driver and tour guide. He was professional, prompt, friendly, personable, knowledgeable, patient, and most importantly an excellent driver. He could maneuver that sprinter van on a dime and we felt very safe in his hands. The vehicle was spacious and comfortable, had great viewing, on board wifi, charging stations and was even equipped with a small fridge stocked with water. It made for a luxurious means of transportation navigated by “the best driver ever”!

Brendan’s love and passion of Ireland came through every day as he told us stories, legends and customs of Ireland. He went the extra mile, leaving no stone unturned, making sure we totally enjoyed our Ireland experience. Brendan exuded pride and understanding of Ireland’s history and he knew when to avoid crowds, as well as the best places to shop and eat. Brendan threw in many additional stops for us, based on our interests, and yet at the end of every day we ended up at a new hotel with lots of time to explore the area, (that Brendan had familiarized us with, prior to making sure we were checked into our accommodations without a glitch). We will never forget how he wove each couple a St. Brigid’s cross (from personally picked rushes) and gave us all a small Irish dancing lesson. One evening he arranged for us to see “Celtic Steps”, an enjoyable and unforgettable Irish music song and dance show. We would not hesitate to recommend Executive Hire to any of our family or friends, and we thank both Mike Ryan and Brendan McCarthy for making our trip to Ireland an amazing and unforgettable one.

We just returned home from our anniversary trip to Ireland and want to thank Mike Ryan for arranging a lovely holiday for us. Mike, the owner was very responsive and easy to work with. He gave us great suggestions on our itinerary to help make the most of our experience in this beautiful country.

Tony Hickey was a very accommodating and wonderful guide for us. He was very knowledgeable of all of the areas we toured. He took us to some unexpected stops each day, that enriched our experience and gave us a deeper appreciation for Ireland and it’s long history. Tony was always happy to make stops and take photo’s for us. He was always on time to pick us up and never in a hurry to drop us off at the end of the day. And, his skillful driving helped to provide us with a stress free vacation.

I highly recommend Executive Hire for anyone looking to do a private tour like we did or a semi-private tour for a small group.

Grandparents, parents and 4 kids aged 2 to 12 years. Our driver and guide , Brendan McCarty met us at Dublin airport. A welcomed sight after an overnight flight. In no time were were on our way !
Throughout he made sure we stopped in clean welcoming places to eat and stretch. Some smaller pubs and restaurants with the best of food and history. He was interesting to all in our group with history and folklore. Both the adults and kids in our group were interested and entertained. Even the our youngest grand daughter took to him. We appreciated the stops off the regular paths taken by large tour groups, the St Brigitte crosses he made for the kids, a souvenir from Ireland which will bring up conversations of this past trip and inspire further travels. I could go on … but this was our personalized trip. It was great! Brendan turned out to be a professional , a family man, proud of his Ireland, family, and work. We could not have picked a better person suited to our group. Thank you Brendan and to the Mike Ryan organisation. We will be recommending your services to friends and family members heading to Ireland.

In a few words, we had an outstanding experience with Executive Hire. We had visited Ireland seven years ago, and, while we had a great time then, it did not compare to our most recent visit coordinated by Executive Hire. On our prior trip I drove, and so I spent a goodly amount of time staring down at the asphalt as I attempted to negotiate the narrow roads, roundabouts, and Ireland style of driving (i.e, steering wheel on right side, driving on the opposite side of the road). With our Executive Hire driver, Kevin, I could relax and let him worry about the driving. Kevin also took us to places that we would never have found out about on our own, juggled the itinerary so that for the most part we were outside during the sunny periods and inside during the rainy times, and somehow managing to get us into places before the large crowds arrived. Kevin was a delight to be traveling with—entertaining us with stories and observations about what we were experiencing. He let us keep our own pace going as fast or slow as we wanted—he was dealing with three couples with very different interests and levels of endurance. The accommodations were outstanding, the ride in the Mercedes van was very comfortable, and the sights breathtaking. Unfortunately, TripAdvisor only gave us up to five stars with which to rate Executive Hire! Thank you Executive Hire and Kevin.

Executive Hire Chauffeur Services and Mike Ryan put together the PERFECT personalized tour of Ireland for the six of us. Responding immediately to our frequent requests, they arranged wonderful hotels and CASTLES for us to enjoy, as well as linking together the perfect tours of everything from the Neolithic, Newgrange to Cliffs of Mohr, Dingle Pennisula and more.

Our tour guide and chauffeur, “Patrick O’Brian”, safely escorted us throughout the gorgeous Irish countryside. He always knew the perfect spots to stop for lunch, snacks,pictures, and arranged for us to arrive at sites at just the right time to avoid lines. His stories about all the sites and people who have crossed his path, kept us entertained the entire 10 day trip!

In Noember,2018, we contacted Mike Ryan to work with us on a 2 week itinerary around Ireland. With email and phone conversations over the next 6 months, Mike put together an itinerary that exactly fit our needs. Any time we requested a change, Mike responded within a day.

Our 2 week adventure began with a train trip from Dublin to Limerick wheere we were met by Patrick Conway. Over the next 13 days, we got to know Patrick not just as our excellent driver and guide, but as a real friend. As we travelled from place to place, we came to rely on Patrick for information and insigh not just on scenery and location, but on history, current events, and even sports. His conversational style, sense of humour and patience allowed us to enjoy the journey as if we had been friends of his for years.

We would be remiss if we didn’t mention that at almost eveery stop, regardless of the town or village, people knew Patrick and treated us really well because in their words, “any friend of Pat Conway is a friend of ours.”

To conclude, we would highly recommend Executive Chauffeur Hire for any trip to Ireland. Mike Ryan’s expertise in arranging the itinereary was superb. He even sorted a hotel bill error three weeks after we got back home. We also thank Mike for gifting us with Pat Conway. He has made us friends for life.

We finally had the right opportunity and time to visit/vacation in Ireland this year, a long-sought destination based on repeated recommendations from friends who had been there. To best experience/tour the country, we knew that a lot of country driving (rental car or hired driver) would be a critical component of the trip. A former work colleague who had toured Ireland twice referred us (strongly and glowingly) to Executive Hire’s Mike Ryan, who took my initial toll-free inquiry call personally. From that moment on our Ireland experience was an incredible dream come true. He not only made terrific additional site/attraction suggestions to our rough itinerary, he also booked a golf tee time for me at a famous Dublin course and — most importantly — set us up with “the best tour driver in all of Ireland” Peter Noonan. That level of billing creates an incredibly high bar for anyone to live up to, but Peter delivered in spades and beyond. Remarkably intuitive about each of us so he could easily blend in as another family member, Peter took us on the country tour of a life time, from Dublin, to Galway to Killarney (and Dingle Peninsula) to Cork to Kilkenny and back to Dublin over six phenomenal days. Each day we dictated our pace, and Peter filled in each with special historical castle, sheep farm and countless natural green and wondrous sites (Cliffs of Moher et al), wonderful pub grub and downtown shopping recommendations, and Irish lore stories that kept us relaxed, entertained and thoroughly educated. Sure, a luxury Mercedes SUV w/expert driver costs more than a rental car, but it was worth every penny and so much more…we quickly realized that driving on the opposite side of the road and car (from the U.S.) along mountain curves on narrow two lane roads where you might run into a grazing herd of sheep right on the pavement at any moment was best left to the deft piloting capabilities of Peter. I cannot recommend Executive Hire enough for anybody who wants the absolute best Irish experience. Slainte!