Shamrockroutes Reviews 37

Ambrose was an exceptional driver and guide on our journey from Dublin to Killarney. He filled the day with fascinating history, local stories, and wonderful stops at places we never would have discovered on our own.

In addition to being a great storyteller and always down for a good laugh, he was friendly, professional, knowledgeable, and incredibly accommodating, making sure everyone in our group was comfortable and enjoying the experience.

His stories, knowledge, warmth and enthusiasm made the trip truly memorable. We never would have experienced Ireland in the way we did without him. We highly recommend Ambrose to anyone looking to experience the magic of Ireland beyond the typical tourist route.

Rose was also super helpful to us before we left for our trip. She is fabulous!!

We just returned from our second vacation of a life time with Ambrose McKay of Shamrock Routes. My husband and I and two of our best friends enjoyed our first trip to Ireland so much, we immediately started planning a Northern Ireland and Scotland trip with Ambrose. We hit it off immediately with him. He's friendly, polite, and professional, as well as well informed. We worked together over time planning what we wanted to see, but as with last trip, he adds additional jewels to the trip that match our likes. He goes more than the extra mile to customize your trip and be sure your visit is complete and memorable. We had many things on our list and he added some that we are very grateful he did. He's always thinking ahead and is flexible when needed. I don't know how we will ever be able to travel with anyone else again. And kudos to Rose in the office - very efficient and easy to work with . We truly appreciate all she did towards addressing our wishes and needs, answering all our questions about lodging and making all the arrangements. Excellent communication also. If you want to really treat yourself - use Ambrose McKay and Shamrock Routes to give you a vacation of memories to last a life time. You won't be sorry.

This is our second trip with Ambrose driving and he is excellent on making your dream vacation come true. He figured how to let my husband play golf while we toured. He added surprise stops that included new views, food, music or activities that are always excellent. He really knows the best spots to take pictures. He makes sure everyone is happy. Very customer focused. Thank you Shamrock Routes!

We had a great 10 day tour of Scotland with shamrockroutes and Ambrose…September 2025 such a great experience… We visited beautiful destinations.. Edinburgh, Inverness and isle of Skye…Beautiful weather the lakes looked great..
Our driver guide was more a friend than a guide/ driver.. His history knowledge and understanding of Scotlands culture was amazing… His driving through testing roads Cityand Highlands was done with ease…
Our overall experience was incredible and increased by Ambrose…The experience far exceeded our expectations, thank you, have no hesitation in recommending Shamrockroutes and Ambrose for Scotland tours , we are booking Ireland for this year 2026 with Ambrose… Thanks, David Moore, Missouri US

We just returned from an excellent family trip to Ireland, with Shamrock Routes tending to all of our ground transportation needs. From Mark’s support with airport transfers to Tony Pierce’s outstanding and personable touring and driving during the week, to Rose’s planning, coordination, and communication, we could not have selected a better team to make our vacation safe, comfortable, and highly memorable. In particular, Tony was amazing at helping us arrange key experiences that were highlights of the trip: Killary Sheep Farm, Doolin Ferry Cliffs of Moher cruise, Connemara and Kylemore Abbey, and even a visit to our family’s ancestral cemetery. I’ll be recommending this team to anyone planning a trip to Ireland - truly a reliable, cheerful, fun, knowledgeable, and professional group!

Shamrockroutes, specifically Ambrose Mccay made our Ireland and Scotland trip a memory we will always treasure. He has the knowledge of the history and imparts this during every part of our trip. His experienced driving took us safely through both countries as we comfortably relaxed and enjoyed the scenery around each turn or the event of an excursion. He has a kind spirit including a sense of humor that made for easy rapport, always made sure we were comfortable, was very flexible with our very detailed itinerary, showed us lots of extras, made great suggestions, took amazing photos and really added so much to our trip. It indeed was a trip of a lifetime and we made memories together for the 2 weeks. What an experience! Thank you from us both!

My husband and I just returned home from a wonderful trip to Ireland and Scotland using Shamrockroutes. We planned our itinerary with Ambrose’s assistance for over 6 months. He was always available to answer questions and/or make suggestions. His kind and fun spirit, knowledge, and his attention to keeping us safe and comfortable were top notch. We made memories that will be with us forever! Highly recommend his services.

What a grand gift to have been in the care of Shamrockroutes and Mr. Ambrose McCay on our recent travel in the beautiful and serene southeast Ireland countryside! From the moment of his warm and hospitable greeting/pickup at our Dublin hotel to our drop-off point 2.5 days later at Shannon Airport, we felt that we had drawn the lucky straw to be under the patient and expert guidance of Mr. McCay. His knowledge of so much Irish history, geography, political climate, economic development, agricultural practices, tourism, trade relations, nature, urban planning, construction, travel, and navigation led us to special places and stimulating conversations that were unexpectedly over the top, and exceeded our expectations in every conceivable way. We had a loose framework of places we wished to visit, and Mr. McCay made a 'silk purse' out of our skeletal itinerary. He made excellent and thoughtful suggestions for veering off the path, taking more time for certain excursions, taking less time when the value was less (like meals!), and he showed us views and natural beauty and historic sites that we had not even contemplated, and would have never encountered had we rented and driven a car. He ensured that we maximized every single hour of our time together -- and amazingly, we never felt rushed, tired, or anything less than invigorated and curious about what was around the next corner.

As a driver and chauffeur, Ambrose McCay navigated us through a handfull of challenging scenarios, demonstrating calmly amazing driving and parking skills. He frequently shared inforamation, and paid close attention to our interests and desire to hear more about certain topics -- all while skillfully operating his pristinely clean and well appointed luxury SUV. He made the narrow and curvy roads seem like a piece of cake. He parked in spaces that I didn't even think existed until I realized he had successfully parked us within a few steps of our destination. He displayed considerable charm and charisma with parking lot attendants and valets, always securing the very best outcome for us. He helped us with our 'elasticity of time', making gentle and well-informed suggestions about taking longer, or spending only a few minutes. He was ALWAYS exactly right on point. And, since he took on the responsibility of driving, navigating, and parking, we were able to relax in a way I would not have thought possible. What a gift.

Mr. McCay is a complete expert in his role as chauffeur, travel guide, interpreter of history, and natural teacher about flora, fauna, and the natural world. And did I mention his photography skills?!!! He brought intention and great discernment to capturing all the exactly-right photos, created for us a gallery of memories that we were able to immediately share with our family back in the US, and also post in social media. What a bonus!!!!

He is a gentleman and a scholar, and a heckuva terrific driver and tour guide. He even procured for me a car charger when I realized my own setup was not correctly situated for the car.

Ambrose McCay's intellect, knowledge, professionalism, and deep competence shaped this phase of our Ireland travel into the most extraordinary collection of memories and highlights. We recommend him without reservation. If you have the chance to be on the receiving end of his particular set of skills, do not hesitate! Book with Shamrockroutes!

Shamrockroutes/Ambrose are simply the best. Knowledge, passion, personality, accommodations. This trip could not have been any better. They took care of every need from pubs and music to castles and scenery. A strong recommendation from me and my group. We will be back and it we will definitely use Shamrockroutes.

We traveled with Rose throughout Ireland in April 2026. Rose helped curate our last minute itinerary thru Ireland. From the start, Rose was tirelessly accommodating, kind, helpful and doing whatever she could do to make our trip the best trip possible. We cannot wait to visit Scotland and travel with Rose and her crew in the near future. We are very grateful for her knowledge, kindness and generosity.

Ambrose went above and beyond to make us have an unforgettable trip! We did lots of amazing things including a private horse and carriage tour through Killarney National Park, a sheepdog demonstration, lots of castle tours, and so much more.

Rose was amazing. She was very attentive, accommodating, organised and helped us keep track of time in order to meet and plan our excursions. She gave us suggestions that heightened our experience ie. pointed out not to miss landmarks, gave us outstanding restaurant/pubs/break suggestions & even made reservations for us that worked out perfectly and that allowed us to make the most of our time & experience more enjoyable. Loved hearing stories and bouncing questions off of her. We enjoyed her sense of humour and would do it all over again.

Ambrose made planning our trip a breeze. He had helpful suggestions and also listened to what we wanted from the trip. Our driver Martin was amazing. His friendly spirit, humor and wealth of knowledge made the trip comfortable, enjoyable and an experience we will never forget! Thank you both!

Myself my wife and 2 adult children recently came to Ireland for a 10 day tour of Northern Ireland and The Wild Atlantic Way with Shamrockroutes and Ambrose…
We travelled to Belfast City and had an amazing experience with Ambrose our chauffeur…. He is more than just a driver… Delievered above and beyond, Professional and we felt he was more a friend than a driver…
Derry City was also amazing and the history.. We travelled the West Coast from Donegal to Dingle… Breathtaking views including Cliffs of Moher…
Our evening restaurants were booked in advance by Ambrose, food was amazing and the Irish traditional music pubs were out of this world….
Shamrockroutes provided an amazing experience, we would have no hesitation recommending Ambrose and his company for your next Ireland adventure 👍👍👍

What an absolutely unforgettable experience with Shamrock Routes ☘️.

We were privileged to be part of a very special adventure involving the wonderful Keelan Tiernan fresh from his debut on The Late Late Toy Show along with his family and friends. From start to finish, Shamrock Routes delivered excellence, care, and professionalism.

From the early morning pick-up at Keelan’s home, to the seamless journey to The Westgrove Hotel, onward to the National Stud for Passport to Christmas, and back again, everything was handled with precision and warmth. The team ensured guests were relaxed, happy, and fully enjoying every moment of the journey.

The young guests were a credit to themselves, and Shamrock Routes created an atmosphere that was fun, safe, and truly memorable — Santa was, of course, a huge hit! 🎅

Shamrock Routes do exactly what they promise: create magical experiences and lifelong memories. We would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a first-class, well-organised, and heartfelt travel experience.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Highly recommended.

— The Westgrove Hotel, Clane

Did a private tour of Southwest Ireland with Ambrose and it was everything and more we could have hoped for. His knowledge, thoughtfulness, and lovely personality added so much to our experience. We would highly recommend him and his company and, should we come back to see more of that part of the world, we will definitely be asking for Ambrose's help in making the most of the trip.

Shamrock Routes was the unexpected gem of my family’s trip to Ireland this past summer (July 2025). We were treated like family and truly wanted for nothing thanks to Ambrose. Far more than just our driver, he acted as historian, mentor, photographer and day planner. He was consistently thinking three steps ahead to make sure we had everything we needed, and was incredibly accommodating with our schedule and generous with his time. During our time together my family and I had some last-minute opportunities arise that created once in a lifetime memories, and Ambrose supported us every step of the way. His professionalism was exceptional. A true gentleman and a good man who takes pride in the service he provides. We are grateful to Ambrose and Shamrock Routes for taking such good care of us, and are looking forward to more adventures when we return to Ireland.

Our family had an amazing time touring Ireland in June 2025 with Ambrose as our guide. He was incredibly knowledgeable about the history and culture, and his friendly, approachable manner made every stop enjoyable. He even found ways to make the tour fun and engaging for our kids, which made the whole experience unforgettable. We couldn’t have asked for a better guide!

This was absolutely the trip of a lifetime! When I first thought about having a private chauffeur I thought that seemed a little much. Now I won’t travel any other way. Ambrose introduced us to authentic parts of Ireland I didn’t even know existed! I did loads of research and would have missed out on amazing experiences had it not been for Ambrose. The flexibility of being able to do exactly what we wanted to without having to be herded around in a crowd of tourists was amazing. It was truly an authentic Irish experience. We went on a horse drawn carriage through the gap of Dunloe, experienced an Irish castle with dinner and traditional Irish music at Bunratty castle, visited an Irish pub in Killarney with live music that had people standing on the streets to enjoy and hiked around a beautiful waterfall at powerscourt. None of which we would have been able to do without his recommendation. It was so nice not having to worry about driving in a different country, missing a train or a bus. Ambrose was completely dedicated to taking care of us and making sure we were comfortable and happy with our experience. At the end of every day we would discuss what time we wanted to start in the morning and everything was able to be adjusted according to our preferences. I haven’t relaxed that much in my entire life! I had complete trust that Ambrose would keep us safe while making sure we got the most we could out of every day. Visiting this beautiful county would not have been such an EXCEPTIONAL experience without such a wonderful host. The moment we got home we started planning our next trip with Ambrose!

If you're dreaming of an unforgettable journey through Ireland, Ambrose McKay is the guide who will make it truly magical. Known for his flexibility, friendliness, and exceptional knowledge of Irish history and culture, Ambrose crafts experiences that are as enriching as they are effortless.
From the moment our tour began, Ambrose’s warm and approachable nature put us at ease. We praise his ability to read the group’s energy, adjusting the pace and itinerary to suit OUR interests—whether you're chasing castles, exploring coastal cliffs, or diving into Dublin’s vibrant streets.
Ambrose’s deep understanding of Ireland’s landscapes, legends, and local traditions brings every destination to life. His storytelling blends historical insight with folklore, making each stop feel like a chapter in a living book.
What truly sets Ambrose apart is his custom itinerary design. We can't rave enough about how he tailored each journey to reflect our unique interests, helping to avoid the stress of rigid planning and instead embrace the joy of spontaneous discovery.
Whether you're exploring the Wild Atlantic Way, tracing ancient Celtic roots, or uncovering hidden gems in the countryside, Ambrose McKay delivers a tour that’s intuitive, immersive, and unforgettable.
Our 1st trip out of country and he ensured it was a trip of a lifetime. Thank you Ambrose, our guide and friend.
The Mickey’s