REVIEWS & TESTIMONIALS

I had the pleasure of meeting val and getting the blarney and kinsale trip it was top class from start to finish 5stars expérience he knew all the places to take us and he gave us memories of ireland to take back to france for a lifetime highly recommande thank you val will see you again

Trip to cork over Christmas. A hotel found Val for us, Val gave us a great day he brought us to kinsale and Blarney. We had lunch in a country pub and a great lots of fun Val was very helpful.

I was visiting Cork over Christmas a hotel recommended Val.Val brought us to an unbelievable day to Kinsale and Blarney Castle ,he’s knowledge of the area is amazing.

Val picked us up from Cobh and proceeded to give us a very comprehensive tour of Blarney Castle and the beautiful town surrounding it. Wonderful experience. I would highly recommend this local guide.

Great day on our tour at Blarney Castle. Beautiful grounds. I would urge that people who tour castle to be in physically good shape as the stairs are steep and narrow

We got off our ship and had Val as a driver. Val is the cream of the crop!!!! He guided us through our whole experience and never led us astray!!!! From the car ride in and the picture before we entered to where to go while we were on the growns!!! If you want a great experience get Val as your guide!!! Top notch!!!!!

Val is a fantastic guy. We had a wonderful tour. Very knowledgeable and accomodating. Great craic and all round lovely day. I would highly recommend him.

Wonderful transportation service Cork to Galway! We hired Val to drive us from Cork to Galway. It was a pleasurable experience as he was very knowledgeable and accommodating. The vehicle was great as well. He had good recommendations for us and we stopped in Blarney to visit the woolen mills which was a surprising treat. Great communicator. Highly recommend.

STOP GET THIS GUY TO SHOW YOU AROUND! What a FANTASTIC time we had with Val! He showed US Unbelievable scenery we would have not seen on a bus! If your looking for a great time & looking for the true spots & stops of Ireland Omg VAL IS THE GUY! VAL if your seeing this THANK YOU FOR A ONCE IM A LIFE TIME EXPERIENCE!

Our Travels to Cork! Val was a wonderful guide, from the friendly chit chat, to his knowledge of the area. We had a fantastic dinner at his recommendation and would absolutely travel with him again. Thank you Val!

A MUST for anyone visiting Cork! After disembarking in Cobh, we were greeted by the charming Val, who from the minute we met him made us feel like we had known each other for years.

On our way to Blarney, Val pointed out various local landmarks in Cork, such as Blackrock Castle, the port and the incredible Parc Ui Chaoimh. The pride Val has in his local community also shone through as we passed and then was subsequently pointed out, his local GAA club, Glen Rovers. Val is a proud Corkonian, which is clearly evident through the stories he tells.

Throughout our tour, Val offered valuable information into both Cork's and Ireland's storied history. He didn't have to do this, but it is a measure of the man that he took the time out to expand our knowledge on a city and country with so much heritage.

Once we hit Blarney Castle, Val again displayed his vast wealth of knowledge. Any questions we had, he answered fully and more often than not, with a story to boot. The Blarney Stone was a particular highlight of the tour, as well as the vast grounds the castle itself is situated in. The poison garden was a welcome surprise, something we previously knew nothing about.

The only negative of the whole tour was the weather, which was typically Irish. Val somehow found a way to turn this into a positive though. Because of rain, Val decided to take us to Kinsale, allowing us to see another landmark steeped in history and heritage. Having never been to Kinsale before, it is safe to say we will be back! What a wonderful place and setting. As well as getting a glimpse of the local town, Val took us for lunch in a lovely country pub called The Speckled Door, again a lovely surprise.

I could not recommend Val enough as a tour operator. His demeanour, coupled with his vast knowledge of the local area, as well as the isle of Ireland, set him apart from his peers. I look forward to our next visit to Cork, where we will for sure be taking in the Ring of Kerry with our new friend Val.

After docking in Cobh from our cruise, we enquired into visiting Blarney Castle. Val Calnan was recommended to us for a tour to the castle and the beautiful grounds on which it sits. Val was so knowledgeable about the area and history (quite the character). We truly had a wonderful time. The Blarney woolen mills was my personal favorite for some great shopping. Well worth the price between six of us. The castle grounds are beautiful.

Val was absolutely great!!! He is knowledgeable, fun, and accommodating. Our group absolutely loved Val. With the rain he was able to make the changes last minute to make sure our experience was not hindered from the weather. We highly recommend Val if you are ever in Cork!!

Val was voted best and funniest tour guide by our group of 5 adults. He was very funny in addition to being a font of knowledge. He personalized our tour and pick up spot making it very easy for us to see what we wanted. He timed our visit to Blarney Castle with real knowledge so we avoided a long wait. He had us into the Jameson Distillery and all together the day trip was fantastic. We highly recommend Val.

Your Cork, Ireland Expert! We had such a nice time and Val was so helpful with areas. It was refreshing to have a knowledgeable local to show us important places and give us information only a local would know. We recommend! Friendly, kind, and easy going!

Cork visit! Val collected us from Cruise ship in cobh and brought us to blarney. We had a truly magical time. Val is a gent so professional he helped to make our visit to cork amazing thank you Val

A Spectacular Day Made Special by Val! We had such a wonderful experience on our private Carey tour in Ireland. Even though it was raining, Val turned the day into a fun adventure. We explored Blarney Castle, kissed the famous Blarney Stone, and stopped for a cozy pub lunch filled with local charm. Along the way, we were treated to breathtaking views of the ocean from incredible vantage points. The tour ended with a moving visit to a garden that highlighted the deep bond between the people of Ireland and the United States. What could have felt like a dreary weather day became an extra special one thanks to Val’s warmth, knowledge, and thoughtfulness. It’s a day we’ll never forget!

Cork family tour! After our original tour guide cancelled on us, we were so fortunate to find Val since the tour he provided was absolutely wonderful . Val was super friendly, extremely patient and accommodating to our requests and provided an excellent tour for our family of 6. (2 Seniors, 3 50somethings and a 26YO). He worked the tour around a time scheduled visit to the Midleton Jameson Distillery, without limiting the length of time at the Blarney Castles & Gardens. Val drove us through the city center showing various historical sights and to see St. Finn-Barre’s Cathedral. Val even offered to help us locate additional tours guides while in the British Isles should we have another last minute cancellation. His hospitality was was greatly appreciated and I would highly recommend Val as a guide for any tour while in the region.

Fantastic private tour! Val was a great tour guide! He knows everyone in every town he takes you too. Also the fact he has a brand new BMW M5 sedan was a huge plus in my book. I look forward to using him again my next trip to the Cork area.

Great Blarney Castle experience. Val picked us at Cobh port from our ship he was so friendly and professional. Took us on a fantastic tour of Blarney Castle.

Had an amazing time and great weather… Trevor and Val were very knowledgeable about Ireland. We had a great time and highly recommend this private driving tour to the Blarney castle and Cork.

Best tour guide in Cork! We arrived this morning off the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship, we had Val for the day which he brought us to the Ring of Kerry, we went to Killarney, Muckross House and Gardens, Torc Waterfall and Molls Gap, then headed on to Kenmare and Sneem, we had amazing weather, views and craic all day.

We had a beautiful lunch overlooking Kenmare Bay, the tour lasted 7.5 hours and would highly recommend booking Val for a tour, he was very experienced and knowledgable, a great help all day!

Poor. We wasted more the hour in a horse ride for which we paid additional $125. Ring of Kerry lasted less then 2 & 1/2 - What we saw of Ring of Kerry was not impressive at all. Out of 8 hours of this private tour we
spent no more then 1 or 2 hours on the Ring.

Five star day with Val jr. - Our day started with Val Sr. Greeting us ship side with a sign so it was easy to find him. He introduced us to his son Val Jr. who was our guide for the day. Val had a Personalized tour planned out giving us all the best of Cork and getting us to Blarney Castle ahead of the lines just before they opened. We were probably the 25-30 people up the castle stairs giving us plenary of time to tour the gardens and enjoy the property. Across the street was the Blarney woolen market, where I was able to purchase a few items on my bucket list at great prices- I was pleased that the mark up was not ridiculous. On to lunch and then around Cork with spectacular views. On to English market for fresh strawberries and olives. Definitely a must. Then on to Jameson Distillery for a tour and tasting. Then more of historic Cork at the St. Fin Barre Cathedral. Val was a wonderful guide, fun, professional and very knowledgeable. We had a 5 star day to remember.

Wonderful Private Guide - Val was friendly and very funny. Loved hearing his stories. He was adaptable and changed our trip to best accommodate the weather as the day unfolded. I would definitely request
him again.

Val saved our day and made it incredible! Our PaddyWagons tour bus left us without us on it (along with a ton of other people), but fortunately Val was there and literally saved our day! He was extremely friendly and helpful, and even when I thought I was going with PaddyWagons I wished I could have gone with him instead, so when we found out they weren't coming back for us, we happily jumped in his taxi and had a great day touring Blarney, Cork, and Kinsale.

He took us to places that PaddyWagons never would have taken us, and were some of the most spectacular places we've seen in our entire lives. He was well worth every penny spent and went the extra mile to make sure we were happy with the day and even helped us get refunds from PaddyWagons. He's just a genuinely kind and helpful person, and as a bonus gives knowledgable and excellent tours!

Ring of Kerry just how you like. Great trip to the old sites on the Ring of Kerry. Cal gave us ample time to do whatever we wanted and stay at our stops as long as we wanted. We saw so many amazing things. Was
a relaxed trip that felt comfortable for our larger group.

Highlight! Ring of Kerry was a highlight of our trip. We had the pleasure of having Val as our driver and enjoyed it greatly. He went above and beyond to give us a special experience for our day with him. We were greatly appreciative to him for his excellent communication and wealth of knowledge along the way. Thank you so much Val!

Great Day, Great Guide!! Highly recommend this tour. Val was very friendly, informative, and accommodating to all in our group. We saw so much in one day, but never felt rushed. He went above and beyond to make sure we had the best day.

A Nice Day in Ireland - Val used his experience to tailor our day for the perfect tour. We saw more in one day than we thought possible! Val was engaging and friendly, resulting in a nice, relaxed day.

VAL was amazing. We walked off the ship and there he was, ready and waiting. He started communicating with me almost a week earlier to ease my hesitation and answered all my questions. He knew the area and truly gave us a culturable immersion experience. We did not feel crowded or rushed at any of the stops. I would love to come back and just hang with him over a pint! I would recommend him every time and wish he was available in more ports! All of the 7other clients on this trip gave him a 5-star rating! Don't book anyone other than Val in Cork!

Great guide/driver named Val Calnan, Private Van was awesome, Wonderful tour! Our driver Val Calnan was wonderfull! Knowleable, fun and clean comfortable vehicle. He gave us plenty of time to explore Blarney Castle and Gardens, Woolen Mills and a delicious lunch at an Irish pub. We had a great day! Thank-you Val!

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Hello, I am writing to pass on our Thanks and to recommend Val Calnan. We chose Tours By Locals specifically to have a tour that was outside of the larger tour companies where we had more control over our schedule. I discussed specific destinations with Val in advance and the tour was set. The Ring of Kerry was amazing and it's now checked off my bucket list. We were in Cork for our daughters continuing education. Val was an excellent guide but more importantly he helped welcomed her to Ireland!