Bespoke Day Tours out of Dublin

We will work with you to design your own tour. You might want to visit Malahide Castle, the home place of your Irish ancestors, or the location of a film or TV series. The Ballykissangel TV series was filmed in Avoca and Enniskerry, County Wicklow. Others prefer a day in the Boyne Valley, combining Newgrange and Knowth with the Hill of Tara, Monasterboice, or quieter stops such as Fourknocks and the Hill of Slane.

Tell us what matters most to you: ancestry and parish records, gardens and country houses, monastic ruins, castles, scenic mountain drives, or a mix of several themes. We shape the day around your interests, pace, and how much walking you want to do.

We will collect you from your accommodation or cruise ship. Pickup in Dublin city, the airport area, or nearby hotels is straightforward, and the itinerary can be adjusted on the day if the weather or your energy changes.

Dublin is within easy reach of Ireland's Ancient East, an area rich in history and heritage. Ireland's Ancient East offers visitors a personal experience of 5000 years of history through a relaxing journey of discovery in the beautiful landscape that attracted warring settlers for millennia. The Boyne Valley sits at the heart of that story, with Neolithic passage tombs, early Christian monasteries, and later Norman strongholds all within a short drive of the capital.

Stretching from Newgrange and the Boyne Valley in the north east and ranging through the midlands all the way down via Kilkenny's Medieval mile to Waterford's Viking Quarter and Cork's many cultural attractions, Ireland's Ancient East's proposition is to match and complement the Wild Atlantic Way in terms of scale and ambition. A bespoke day from Dublin can stay close to home in Meath and Wicklow, or reach further along that heritage corridor when time allows.

Irish Private Tours

Irish Private Tours with Michael Fox offers private day tours beyond a standard Dublin circuit, for travellers who want more time, context, and flexibility than a checklist coach trip. Each day begins with collection from your accommodation in Dublin or Meath. Travel is in a modern sedan or MPV, with room to adjust the itinerary as the day unfolds, whether your interest is archaeology, history, scenery, photography, or simply enjoying the places you visit.

The Boyne Valley is the centrepiece of many tours. At Brú na Bóinne, the Stone Age passage tombs of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth predate the pyramids and Stonehenge. Beyond those monuments, the wider valley includes Monasterboice, the Hill of Tara, and quieter sites such as Fourknocks and Dowth, woven together through stories that place them firmly in the landscape.

A private day in Wicklow offers a different pace. Often called the garden of Ireland, Wicklow is known for mountain scenery, glacial valleys, and quiet back roads. Glendalough sits beside two lakes with early monastic ruins, and scenic drives through the Wicklow Mountains leave time for viewpoints that larger group tours often miss.

Further west, a day in County Galway can take in Galway City and the wild landscapes of Connemara, including film locations such as the Quiet Man Bridge near Oughterard. A tour to the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher explores County Clare's limestone pavements, Poulnabrone Dolmen, and the Atlantic coastline.

Michael has run a specialist website dedicated to the Newgrange World Heritage Site since 2007 and has been guiding private Boyne Valley tours since 2010. These days are designed for visitors who value depth over speed, comfort over crowds, and conversation over commentary.

"I would highly recommend Michael as a guide. He showed us places most tourists never see. His insights and humor made each day a pleasure. We were never rushed, but didn't seem to miss a thing. Michael is full of historical information. This is the way to see Ireland! Michael was certainly worth the extra cost. His car was very comfortable and it was great having someone else drive." Jill, Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States.