For our large family trip to Ireland, which included 22 people, ( 13 adults and 9 children) we chose to use Butlers private bus tours. We started in Dublin made our way to Waterford, Cork, Limerick to Galway and back to Dublin. The Butler's bus was comfortable, spacious, and provided ample seating for everyone to spread out. Our drivers name was Peadar Homan, and he was an absolute delight. He was friendly and extremely knowledgeable on the history of Ireland, the people, the culture, and it's architecture. He was very professional, punctual, willing to work with our special requests, and provided recommendations for the group. Often times going out of his way to help make our trip seamless and enjoyable. Our family tour of Southern Ireland was amazing and memorable.The family is in agreement that Peadar definitely added to the overall experience. Would highly recommend using Butler's tours for your travel needs and if possible requesting Peadar Homan as your driver. read more

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The company claims to be cruise friendly. I notified them a day in advance that our cruise was in a storm and we would not be arriving within a reasonable time of the tour. The company refused to cancel the tour, citing their cruise policy only applies if the cruise does not disembark at all. With their refusal to cancel and no reduced fee for the tour, despite the fact it was a 3 hour tour instead of the day trip planned, going to none of the stops that were on the itinerary, I can confidently state this is not a cruise friendly company, nor a customer oriented one. Although it isn't the guides fault (or ours), our guide took us to a little town where virtually everything is closed. A reputable tour company does not do this. Everyone knows that a good tour company is one that understands a win-win is possible in these circumstances (more than one win-win option available in these circumstances), but greed took over for Butlers. Highly avoid! read more

This review is late as my intention was to post it months ago, but better late than never ! My family and I had the fortune of traveling with Butler Tours last summer . It was the best experience from the planning with Martina, who was knowledgeable and patient during the process of building an itinerary that worked for us to our amazing drivers! Thomas and Jer were fantastic, incredibly knowledgeable and fun!! I can't say enough about them. In fact, during our trip, we needed to attend a funeral via zoom back in the United States. Our service wasn't working and Jer allowed us to use his phone so we were able to connect back home. His kindness & sincere care will never be forgotten. Thomas made everything fun and we learned so much! Our family is so grateful and will certainly be back to beautiful Ireland with Butler Tours! ~ Theresa read more

We used Butler Bus tours for our trip to Ireland and they were fantastic. The bus itself was perfect for our group of 11 and our driver Paul is what made the trip special. His knowledge helped us organize the trip to go as smooth and most importantly he was the true embodiment of Irish Hospitality. His kindness helped make this a trip of a lifetime. I would 100% recommend Butler Tours read more

There were 12 of us who took a private tour on June 27 with Butlers and our driver/guide was Paddy. Our main destination was Blarney Castle, with a couple of other very interesting stops and lunch at The White House in Kinsale. Paddy picked us up at our Cruise Ship Port and off we went for an incredible day - mostly due to Paddy! He was so interesting and absolutely hilarious. We wanted to visit a "locals" restaurant for lunch, so he took us to The White House for Fish 'N Chips and oh my goodness were they delicious. (They also have a 9/11 memorial inside their restaurant which was very touching). I highly recommend this tour company AND Paddy. They took great care of us. read more

We just completed a 12 day whirlwind family tour of Ireland and had our private coach through Butler. Our driver, John O'Donovan was literally one of the highlights of our trip. John was extremely informative, pleasant, funny, and at times even entertained our group by singing Irish songs to us. John went above and beyond our wildest expectations and was quite simply a pure pleasure to be with. We did experience a minor problem with the new bus John was driving but he worked long into the night with the repair service to have our bus good as new the next day. To say he went above and beyond would be an understatement. His hearty laugh and pleasant demeanor was a joy to behold, and we were all a little sad when we had to say goodbye. We all ( there were 12 in our group) would not hesitate to use Butler again if ever we're lucky enough to return to Ireland. read more

We had a small private group of 6 looking to see the West and south of Ireland. We located Butler Tours from reviews and from the get-go it just all worked. Front end team with Claire was very helpful getting us set up. We did a 4 day itinerary and left some room in case of weather issues with some good advice. There was some flexibility in our schedule. The details of the trip were fully agreed with very reasonable fair pricing. Our driver, tour guide, and soon after mentor, friend, political and religious historian, travel professional, husband/Dad, lost cousin, sports writer /commentator and fellow travel companion ... John Stapleton arrived and greeted us with a smile .. It just all clicked in place from the beginning. Besides the widely places to visit, John introduced us all to a whole new level of understanding of what we were witnessing across our tour. He had points of interest lined up that he was personally keen on and had the intuition to keep us moving as these were all on the route. We made a decision one morning to forego a section of our tour because of bad fog and rain; so we moved on. John kept it all going and we felt we had a better time because of the little surprises. Places like the 911 Garden, Kennedy Compound and New Ross migrant boat were unexpected. The purpose of these reviews to help assist others in their choices when you have come across reputable vendors, hotels, restaurants, etc. I leaned heavily on other opinions in our planning for our trip and if I could pay it forward to the next group with good things to say in a timely manner than the process works. I cannot say enough positive things about our time with John. My group all agreed unanimously. Full days , plenty of stops, breaks, fast food (to keep it moving) and getting to the next pub /restaurant in time for a great local dinner. The wow factor was there as we drove from place to new place. Our photo diary is very extensive and using the photo GPS tag feature helps with locating where were had stopped along our tour. Standing on Inch Beach late afternoon, in a light rain with distant mountains and rain clouds was a moment we will all think for a while. It's been about 1 week later, we are back home and in our jobs and longing to see that again. Thank you John Stapleton and Butler Tours from the bottom of our hearts for a terrific tour of a special place... !! read more

We were four couples traveling to Ireland together. The men in our group planned six days of golf. The ladies wanted to tour the Emerald Isle without the hassle of driving. Butlers was the perfect answer! We had three different drivers...one for each part of Ireland we visited. Our drivers, Liam, Jessie, and Dick, each enhanced our experience in their own way. Courteous, professional, prompt, entertaining, knowledgeable...just a few ways to describe our experience. Our days were filled with sightseeing, personal attention to our needs, and great stories to share with the guys in the evening. I would not hesitate to recommend Butler's for your touring needs. Claire and Ian were awesome to work with to enhance our dream vacation! read more

The trip was amazing the tour was amazing you couldn't have a better guide than Liam Crowley is insight to Ireland was amazing so we suggesting things to do and recommending places to go is an absolute treat to have him as a guide couldn't asked to have a better one read more

Exceeded expectations! On a scale of 1 to 10, trip was a 20! A Butlers Tours private driver is the way to see Ireland! James, our driver guide, was OURSTANDING!!! Told Ireland's history, took us to shops, pubs and beautiful backroads scenery well beyond our itinerary. James took care of us checking into hotels and venues.I use a rolllator and James' help was amazing. Claire and Martina were ultra-helpful in organizing my dream trip. Loved it all--friendly people, the music in pubs, Cliffs of Mohr, breathtaking waterfalls and scenery. Saved the best for last--Ashford Castle and private falconry walk. I checked with several other tour companies, but Butlers was the best! Highly recommend. read more

It's very difficult moving 16 guys around for a golf trip, but Niall made it seamless and trouble free. His suggestions were spot on and his efforts coordinating luggage and golf clubs was amazing. Can't say enough about how much better our trip was because of Niall Mangan! read more

Ever had a guide who was a cultural treasure? John O'Donovan sang Irish songs, explained history, Irish sports, took us to the best sites and gave us an all around grand experience in Ireland and Scotland. He educated us from the famine and migration to the current economic situation. His beyond the call attitude took us to a tiny white cottage with live music for lunch and a gorgeous national park after we tired of the urban bustle. He's a gem at sensing what his flock wanted and providing just that. Heartily recommended. read more

We were on a private tour of Cork City, The English Market, and Kinsale from the port at Cobh with a 16 passenger van and our driver was Michael. We were traveling on a cruise ship and this is our second time we have used Butlers bus tours. * First the van, it was unbelievable, new (2013) and in perfect condition very nice van. I loved the seating arrangement great vehicle. * Next our driver, Michael. He was great, very informative, very nice and on time. As we pulled into port I saw him pull in about 30 minutes before we were scheduled. He was waiting at the bottom of the gangway with a sign with my name on it and off we went right on time. Very impressive. * The tour was great. We made all the stops plus one extra that was requested and Michael's recommendations on places to go and eat in Kinsale were very welcome. I would give the trip a 5 on a scale of 1 to 5 because the price was very fair and the quality excellent. read more

Took a tour in May of 2014 and must say I had never had a as good a tour or experienced more considerate and caring tour personnel as I experienced with Butlers Tours.... and as a bonus.....for a extremely reasonable price. read more

Rip off alert. Butler Coach Co Cork Ireland. DO NOT HIRE. In May 2017 we hired this company to tour our family group. They did not deliver what they advertise. Driver got lost often, could not control climate in the catch. When we complained to Butler the driver admitted to not providing what we paid for but the company will not compensate for insufficient service. We have been to Ireland many times and this company does not live up to what it advertises. Do not pay upfront like they ask you have no recourse after. read more

A great tour with a car and driver! We were not interested in driving on the wrong side of the road that were very winding and narrow so this was a great choice. We had a great tour guide/driver, James, for 6 days that gave us a great tour of southern Ireland. He was very knowledgable of Irish history and culture, entertaining and personable. His attention to detail was exceptional and made the trip wonderful even in November and December! Our days were arranged so that they were not too packed and we were able to make lots of interesting stops even on short winter days....advantage....very few other tourists! Thanks! read more