Ireland's niche tour guides: Holidays for foodies, newlyweds and baby-boomers
For US couple Mollie Lyons and Ryan McGrady, hopping from one microbrewery to the next while on a tailored bus tour offered a perfect opportunity to elope.
The Pennsylvanians wed overlooking Dunquin pier in Co
Kerry
, with their parents as the only guests. They poured pints in Páidí Ó Sé's pub and celebrated in 'some of Dingle's finest establishments afterwards over a three-day tour', Mia Tobin recalls of what was, for her, a standout trip in April.
It is not the only quirky story that Tobin of Brewery Hops shares with The Irish Times. Her firm is but one of a proliferation of small-bus tour companies established over recent years that offer visitors a more intimate, experiential and tailor-made holiday in Ireland.
A windy wedding: Mollie Lyons, Ryan McGrady and tour guide Mia Tobin at Dunquin.
With the
Central Statistics Office tourism numbers
pointing to a continuing decline in inbound visitors, some operators are seeking to stay ahead in a toughening climate by operating in a niche market.
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Such companies provide a welcome addition to the tourism sector's portfolio of guided holidays, according to
Fáilte Ireland
and, it says, 'they complement rather than compete with larger coach operators, offering diversity in the market and helping to increase dwell-time in destinations'.
'The growth of boutique tours reflects evolving visitor preferences for more immersive tours and often appeal to culturally curious travellers seeking authentic, off-the-beaten-path experiences,' says Paul Keeley, director of regional development, Fáilte Ireland.
For Tobin, the quirkiness of these smaller tour groups has included couples getting engaged and old college friends enjoying reunions.
She is a Tipperary native and became smitten by the potential of a tourism career while working for a tour company in the wilds of the Yukon in northern Canada. 'By the time I came back home, I had decided to leave the corporate world and never wear a suit again,' she says.
Tobin started working with Vagabond Tours in Co Wicklow in 2011 and stayed with them for seven seasons while slowly developing Brewery Hops and going full-time in 2018.
'My customers are mostly couples and friends from North America, typically aged from 40 to 70, culturally curious and with a love of food and drink,' she says. 'They are happy to get off the beaten tour track to meet the local producer and taste their craft produce.'
However, day-to-day issues such as rising fuel and accommodation costs, and even the closure of many cafes and restaurants on Mondays and Tuesdays, can cause challenges, she says. Parking can prove difficult depending on the area, while 'Kerry welcomes buses, you are fined in Galway city if you stay over an hour'.
Larry Coady, of Anam Croí, talks about Charles Fort at Kinsale Harbour.
It was during Covid that Tobin's former colleague at Vagabond Tours, Larry Coady, who had worked as the company's general manager, began to develop his small tours concept, Anam Croí.
After being laid off during Covid 'the seed germinated' for his business, which began in 2022 and offers tours for a maximum of 13 people.
'Many of our clients are pretty seasoned travellers. They may have previously done coach tours and are now looking for a more personal experience.'
He says 'accessibility to places, unreachable by big coaches, allows [them] to reach some hidden gems while avoiding the crowds at major visitor attractions'.
Like with many small tour groups, the majority of Anam Croí's clients are North American and Australian, with 'baby boomers' – people born between 1946 to 1964 – encompassing the main age profile.
A group on an Anam Croí tour
'People are increasingly attracted by our scenery as well as the culture, heritage and, of course, the people. Most are pleasantly surprised and blown away by the high quality and freshness of our food,' he says.
Discovering familial roots remains a factor, albeit one that is tapering off, Coady says.
Rob Rankin's Vagabond Tours has a fleet of 25 small buses on the road
When Scottish native Rob Rankin started Vagabond Tours with one Land Rover pulling a trailer in 2002, his friends thought he was mad. Today, Vagabond and Driftwood Tours, based in Greystones, has a fleet of 25 small buses on the road.
'We were the first multi-activity adventure tour company here, blending the outdoors with culture and history as part of a scheduled experience,' Rankin says.
He says Vagabond's pioneering concept had led to at least 10 of his former guides having started their own specialised bus tour companies, with a good working relationship with all of them.
'When we started out in 2002, there was very little infrastructure here for outdoor leisure activities. There were no greenways, no bike-hire companies, for example. While land access for hiking can still be a problem, Fáilte Ireland has done really good work over recent years,' he says.
He stresses that 'farmers have every right to protect their lands and not be exposed to insurance claims', but that 'more marked trails would, on the other hand, be insured by government and provide an important educational resource for these tour companies'.
Rankin says the 'essence of what people want has not changed much since we started. They are still looking for an authentic and quality experience of Ireland, with a relaxed social element'.
All three operators are happy to confirm the Trump factor has not been an issue to date 'fingers crossed'.
Although tellingly, Tobin says, 'return guests who want to come back next year have said their equity in stocks has plummeted, which is the fund for the Ireland trip'.
'If there is a large economic recession in the US, we will certainly feel the repercussions in tourism in 2026,' she says.
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