Hello and thank you for considering me as your private tour guide and chauffeur while in Ireland. What you need to know about me…I am first and foremost a husband and daddy of three young kids. I’ve trained in TV and radio presenting and am a casual radio presenter on local community radio.
I’m a native of Donegal and my love for showing people around my home developed when I took up a position as tour guide with a Donegal tour company. I later joined Glenveagh National Park as a Visitor Guide and knew that I had definitely found my calling.
I am a Fáilte Ireland approved Local and Regional Tour Guide and fully compliant with all SPSV licences and insurances for transporting passengers. My private Donegal day tours and extended tours of Ireland are relaxed and tailored to the pace of each group and their interests. Whether you are on a quest to find your ancestors’ home townland or visiting the many historic and scenic attractions along the Wild Atlantic Way, a bespoke tour with Donegal Tour Guide is an excellent option for your small group.
Join me as I show you my home, County Donegal, Ireland. Beidh Failte Romhat! (You will be welcome!)
Is mise le meas,
Henry
The ‘Inishowen 100’ offers scenic views from Grianan of Aileach fort, a breathtaking descent at Mamore Gap, a step back in time at Doagh Famine Village as well as a visit to Ireland’s most northerly point Malin Head.
Immerse yourself in the traditional Irish culture at Glencolmcille Folk Village and enjoy views of views of the Atlantic Ocean, Donegal Bay and the Sligo Mountains from over 600m high at Sliabh Liag sea cliffs.
Learn a cúpla focail (a few words) of Irish on board this Gaeltacht tour as you marvel at the castle and gardens at Glenveagh National Park and take in the majestic sights at Donegal’s highest peak, Errigal Mountain.
Donegal Tour
Henry is an amazing tour guide. My mom and I had a blast. He is extremely knowledgeable about history and the history of Donegal. The tour was also super exciting and fun. He had great restaurant recommendations and all the sites were magical. I highly recommended doing a tour with Henry. My family plans on visiting him again soon!
“Henry is amazing. He was professional and very informative. We will definitely be back to see the places we didn’t manage to see this time. I highly recommend his services.”
South Donegal Tour
Henry took us on a private tour. We went to Donegal Castle and Slieve League Cliffs. We stopped in a local shop and the employee showed us how they make the Irish Tweed.
We also stopped along the way for photo opportunites and for lunch. I would highly recommend Henry as your tour guide. He went above and beyond to show us a good time. We never felt rushed in any of the places we visited. He is very knowledgeable and we learned a lot about the area. Henry even dropped us off at the Shopping Center at the end of the tour as we had time before our bus was departing. I hope our paths cross again Henry. Thank you again! Linda and Kaitlyn
Reliable, knowledgeable, and good fun
Henry brought us from Donegal airport. He has been very efficient in communication, was full of knowledge about history and had many interesting stories to tell. The car was spotless and “corona-safe”. He was wearing (as we were) masks throughout the journey. We will definitely book again.
“The tour itself was a very immersive experience. The tour guide was a lovely gent who drove smoothly and explained the journey very well beforehand in which we understood and knew what was to be expected for the day. Everything was hassle-free and comfortable.
100% would recommend to anyone who stays in an Airbnb or if transportation would be a problem as they offer collect and drop off services”
Donegal is absolutely a hidden gem of Ireland. The scenes of Sliabh Liag Cliffs, Fort Dunree and Malin Head are breathtaking and majestic. Riding on winding roads through lovely fields and magnificent slopes with Henry is an unforgettable experience for us. Henry is an amazing tour guide with intimate knowledge of Donegal’s history, culture, community, and of course stunning spots. First greeting us with a playlist of Vietnamese songs to make us feel at home, he carefully explained the tour in advance. He was also very kind in telling us interesting facts about each place and answering our questions (despite some silly ones 😀 ) about local customs along the way. Thanks for a great trip in Donegal! I will definitely book another tour with Henry if I visit Donegal next time.
My wife and I booked Henry to take us from our wedding venue in Rathmullan to our mini-moon in Ballyliffin. He as there promptly and helped us load the car on a drizzly day. The night before, we had to adjust our plans, adding a stop at a hospital in Derry so that my wife could visit her ailing grandfather. Henry made the adjustment without issue and waited patiently in the car during the visit. My wife’s grandfather passed away that afternoon. Late that night, I sent Henry a text asking if he could pick us up early so that she could be with her family. He responded promptly and was there exactly when he said he would be the following day, then drove us safely to Derry through terrible conditions.
The long and short of it is that if you are looking for someone that is kind, compassionate, and professional. You won’t find anyone better than Henry. If you want a comfortable ride with a driver that knows and loves the region, Henry’s your man.
Even during our short and emotional trip I was impressed by his knowledge and ability to tell a story. He shared tidbits of information about places we’d both been, that neither of us knew. We can’t wait to book him again for a full tour experience.
Wonderful Two Days in County Donegal
Henry was a great tour guide and very easy to work with. He picked us up at our hotel in Donegal town and took us on a variation of the south Donegal tour with the addition of a lovely Assaranca waterfall and Maghera beach and caves. Henry is very knowledgeable and delightful company. This first day finished with a lovely drive across the County by Mount Errigal to our hotel in Derry (Londonderry). He picked us up the next morning and took on the Inishowen tour including a great lunch stop at Nancy’s Barn (must get the seafood chowder). Henry even produced a double rainbow at Malin Head but don’t expect that every time. I am sure wherever he takes you it will be great.
Fun, Flexible, Fantastic
Henry Doohan and other members of Donegal Tour Guide could not have been more welcoming to myself and my family during our visit to Ireland. Always on time, flexible when we needed to make changes in our schedule or number of individuals in our party. Extremely knowledgable of the landscape. I highly recommend utilizing Henry and Donegal Tour Guide.
Henry Doohan, the best driver/tour guide
Henry picked us up at Donegal airport, drove us 1-1/2 hours to Ballyliffin and back 2 days later. He was on-time, responsive, knowledgeable with a good sense of humor and very pleasant to be with for 2 hours. He showed us points of interest along the way and made the ride very pleasant. We would recommend Henry highly and without reservation for any driving in Ireland whether it is to play golf, visit friends, or special occasions.
Indispensable
Henry is a godsend to people like us who don’t like to drive on holidays. With public transport almost non-existent on Inishowen, his service is much appreciated. We had a lovely day with him. Would recommend to anybody who prefer scenery to the dashboard on their holidays.
We took a special tour to the Donegal Gaeltacht. Henry was brilliant. He understood exactly the kind of tour we wanted from the brief phone conversation and scheduling. He customised our tour to meet our particular desires. He took us to see Croc an Dúin, Cill Mhic Réanáin, An Ráith, An Fál Carrach, Cloich Cheann Fhaola, Gaoth Dobhair, Dún Lúiche, and many other exciting off-tourist and hidden locations. He also hooked us up with new friends, facebook friends, internationally famous Donegal people and na seanachaí. We highly recommend Henry Doohan and Donegal Tour Guide for any exploration of Co. Donegal.
Amazing South Donegal Tour
Henry was great about making this tour for US. We saw and did things you wouldn’t do on a group your. We went into a local hand-knitters home, had tea and visited. Went to Maghera Beach, stopped at roadside stops for photos. Spent time at Slieve League and Glendesh Pass. Highly recommend doing a private tour w Henry!
“Henry is one of the best guides we ever meet. Everything was fantastic! Top of the top!! very recommendable”
“We are a group of 7 and spent 2 days with Henry touring us in South Donegal and Inishowen Peninsula. Hands down the best tour and Henry as the best tour guide we ever had! I was reaching out to Henry first about our trip to Donegal and was honestly so torn which tour to do best (all looks very interesting!!) given our limited time. Henry was very kindly recommending the 2 tours and on half day he wasn’t available, he recommend us to other tour with another brilliant tour guide. We really appreciate it!
South Donegal is such a gold especially we’ve visited it on a sunny day. Highly recommend going for it if you only had a day. Both South Donegal and Inishowen Peninsula drives were scenic and just so beautiful. Henry is very knowledgeable sharing histories/stories and was generally just a brilliant guy making us all feel comfortable and spoiling us like VIPs. Not to mention Henry’s car is superb and very clean and comfortable. We were also touring on his birthday giving us a good opportunity to show our gratitude for taking care of us in Donegal. Thanks again, Henry! Highly recommend his tour folks.”
“I highly recommend booking with Henry if you want to see Donegal. We went on the Inishowen Tour and it was a full day of sightseeing. He is very knowledgeable and accomodating. We never had the feeling of being rushed or having to get on to the next stop. It was actually the opposite. Henry told us to take our time exploring, taking photos etc. It was a relaxing and very enjoyable day. He asked what we had on our bucket list to see (besides the normal stops on the tour) and he made sure we saw everything on it! There is no other way we could have seen as much without Henry taking us. I mentioned my family enjoyed Golf so he also made a stop for us to see the Ballyliffin Golf Club. Donegal has beautiful scenery and the Inishowen Tour is a great way to see it. Hope to see you again Henry for another tour in the future! Thanks for a great day in Donegal!”
“What a great experience! Highly recommended. Henry arrived on the minute and collected us at our hotel. His vehicle is clean, super comfortable and cool (it was a very hot day). Setting out on our tour, Henry made sure we were comfortable, asked if we had any requests and off we went. I appreciated him going off the beaten path sometimes to show us beautiful, breathtaking sights like Malin Beg. He has an excellent knowledge of Donegal, the community and the culture, and shared that throughout. Henry had arranged a great picnic lunch for us as well which we enjoyed at Sliabh Liag. We will definitely be booking a future tour with Henry. Thank you!”
Great Experience
We wanted to visit Ireland and see where my Wife’s ancestors came from. She had done some research and had limited information about them, While we wanted to see the highlights, we let Henry know we were most interested in chasing down information about her ancestors and visiting the remote towns in Donegal where they had lived about 100 years ago. We sent him the information and he prepared the perfect itinerary for us. In addition to showing us a few highlights in the area, he worked his way though a couple of cemeteries with us in Clonmany and found her Great Grandfather’s grave site. He also helped us find his old abandoned home along a near impassible dirt road in Shamdrin. He understood us and was completely flexible in making changes in the daily plan on the fly as we learned more about her ancestors along the way. Most importantly he was a pleasant, engaging and knowledgeable companion. At the end of our two days, we felt we were leaving a friend. We will likely go back to Ireland and we will look forward to connecting with Henry again.
The only way to see Donegal
Our family of four had one of the best experiences we’ve had traveling around Ireland thanks to Henry. We booked Henry for 3 days and each day he gave us a comprehensive and highly enjoyable guide around different regions of Donegal. Henry is funny and extremely knowledgeable and we had such a wonderful time touring the county. We traveled in comfort and got to see views and visit places which simply are not accessible with large coaches or difficult on your own. Simply put, if you want to see Donegal, leave the car at the hotel and get in contact with Henry. Cannot recommend Henry’s private tours highly enough.
“My parents booked this tour with Henry and it was breathtaking. The sights and locations were all so beautiful and filled with history. Henry was such an amazing tour guide. He was extremely accommodating, charismatic and informative! I would highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to spend a day in Donegal.”
“We spent our honeymoon in Donegal and rounded off the trip with the South Donegal Private Tour. Couldn’t recommend Henry highly enough. We had a fantastic time.
I booked through the chat feature on his website and was pleasantly surprised with the prompt reply. The South Donegal tour takes in miles of perfect scenery with plenty of pitstops including Killybegs, Slieve League Cliffs, Glencolmcille Folk Village and Ardara.
We opted for the additional picnic made up of local food and drinks which I’d highly recommend particularly during restrictions in dining.
If we had travelled with Henry earlier in our stay we would probably have done another day’s tour. The whole experience is very chilled out while taking in as much as possible at a really nice pace. Highly recommended.”
“We booked three tours from Henry (Inishowen, Fanad and South Donegal). During these days we saw a lot of beautiful places. Henry is a knowing guide and nice and pleasant person. His car is very comfortable and cozy. Henry adjusts to the client’s tastes. Thanks to him we not only saw a lot of interesting places, but also had a good rest.”
A Memorable Day in Fanad
This was the first leg of our Ireland visit and we hired Donegal Tour Guide to help us get acquainted with the area and find the remote townland where our ancestors once lived. Henry’s friendliness and expertise made him the right choice for both. He picked us up promptly at our hotel in Donegal Town and transported us comfortably in his minivan. Our day was a delightful combination of the highlights of the Fanad Peninsula Tour and a personalized journey to my great-grandmother’s birthplace on that peninsula.
Henry combined a knowledge of the region’s history and geography with the passion only a local could provide, answering our many questions about modern life in Donegal. Every stop was a highlight, including Rathmullan, with views across Lough Swilly as well as the awe-inspiring vistas at Fanad Lighthouse and Ballymastocker Bay. We enjoyed a waterside lunch complete with Henry’s local recommendations of the alcohol (Kinnegar) and non-alcohol (Football Special) varieties. The afternoon was a very thoughtfully researched trek through our family homeland. Thanks to Henry, who showed us the meaning of Céad Míle Fáilte, our day in Fanad was among the most memorable of our trip.
Fantastic Tour with Henry
The Tour with Henry has been fantastic. I have seen a lot of the landscape from Donegal. Henry has given me important information of the area from Donegal. I have also Seen the Fanad Light House and this was my highlight on my vacation.Henry is a fantastic Tour Guide with important information and he was very helpful. When I came Back to Donegal i would book again a Tour with Henry.