In Ireland, sit back and enjoy

I enjoyed the article “Impressed with Ireland on a Chauffeured Tour” by Barbara McMahon (Dec. ’11, pg. 6). I’ve traveled to Ireland twice, and I always encourage friends to take a guided trip.

On escorted motorcoach tours in many countries, the drivers do, unfortunately, stop at gift shops, where passengers jump out and stock up on expensive items for which the drivers get kickbacks from the shops. But that’s an acceptable tradeoff for letting them maneuver the narrow streets.

Also, in Ireland, passengers sitting in coaches are able to see over the tops of the tall hedges that surround many properties.

Cobh was one of my favorite towns. Since my husband’s family is Irish, I was anxious to show Bob the Queenstown Story heritage center that Barbara mentioned. We visited in 2009, and they had added a lot to the Titanic story since I’d been there decades before.

I visited Bunratty Folk Park village in February 1983 on a tourism “familiarization” trip. In winter, most of the buildings are closed, but we still enjoyed walking around to see them from the outside.

My experience at Bunratty Castle matched Barbara’s. At the medieval banquet, my first impression was that it would be very touristy, but it was well worth the greasy fingers (there are no utensils) and the time spent listening to the singers.

KATY WHEALE
Greenville, SC