Testimonials

"Our tour guide, Garbhán Ó Ruis, was something special that I would recommend as strongly as possible for any international student tour. In fact, his private tour that we booked was so good that we connected with him a second time to do another tour focused on Irish music and legends as well as some lesser known Dublin monuments. That second tour was the highlight of our activities from my point of view, as everyone came away thrilled with the stories, poetry, and singing.

Having been on several dozen tours of various kinds, I can sincerely say that Garbhán was the best guide we’ve had anywhere. He not only knows his history, but his ability to act out key scenes and sing the songs brings so much of the knowledge to life.”

 – Brad Love, University of Texas

“Garbhán is the best!
Garbhán has so much enthusiasm and love for the history of Dublin. He had the whole group re-enacting history and pretending to take over the Dublin castle as well as singing on the lawn of Christ Church Cathedral. It was the best tour I have been on! He knows his stuff really well and he makes the day so interesting. And to end the tour he took us to a pub with countless beers on tap, specializing in beers that are hard to find anywhere else in Dublin. And we got discounts on the food there as well.”
- Brigette, Santa Rose, California

“We met up at the Dublin City Hall and were expecting just a half hour or so tour of the municipal building. Instead, a wonderful guide, Garvan Rushe, became our guide for a small pick-up group for several hours around Dublin. Garvan was excellent - with historical commentary, cultural insights and humorous quips about the several places we walked to, and all the while painting a vivid picture of the larger historical sweep of Irish history. His tour made our experience come to life in context. And a nice stop every now and then for a light snack or a pleasant sit on the bench or in a park chatting with our newly met fellow travellers added to the enjoyment.”
- njvisitor0704, New York City, via TripAdvisor

“I did this awesome tour with a great guide : Garbhan! He showed us the best attractions in Dublin. The guide was really nice and funny, and he explained in a very good way (simply, completely and with humour) a lot of details which set up the Irish history and the cultural patrimony of Dublin. Then, he brought us for lunch in a great restaurant with discounts for us. And we joined him in a pub the same night, and we had a great talk! So I strongly recommend this tour and this guide cause they are both really awesome!”
- Marine Lamberti, La Rochelle

“I took the Garbhan's tour by chance and it made my day. The guide was a red-haired knight coming out from Donegal, very proud of his country and its chaotic history. What better way to get to know Dublin?
Through his enthusiasm, Garbhan managed to have us feel the turmoil Ireland has gone through during centuries of occupation. Of course, responding to his questions, singing along when he proposed us to, asking him ever more about Dublin and Ireland made the tour even more lively. Garbhan unveiled a few mysteries of Dublin, probably made up some others to let our imagination what was Ireland in days of yore, what it looked like.
The tour is a great introduction to Dublin. We even get a chance to feel the Irish atmosphere further, with a meal we share afterwards as well as pints of Irish draught or stout. For a few Euros, you get your imagination running, food to heat you up and you have discovered the places to visit in Dublin by the end of your stay.
So go for it, enjoy Garbhan's enthusiasm and share yours, Dublin will be a fun city to visit !”
- Damien Cuenot, Paris

“My husband and I took the tour with Garbhan as our guide at 11am Tuesday, August 17 and we highly recommend it for your next trip to Dublin. Garbhan gave us a wonderful, in-depth tour. Garbhan has long, beautiful red hair and immediately you are drawn to him. He gave us a 3.5 hour tour filled with history and humor and engaged us all in learning about Dublin and Ireland's history. Garbhan was so informative that I asked his background and learned that he graduated with a degree in both Medieval Irish & Celtic Studies. You can tell that he enjoys being around people and loves sharing his knowledge. I don't want to spoil the tour for you with specifics of where you will go and what you will learn, but after the tour my husband and I discussed it and felt we had a solid foundation of Dublin and could get around the city better so I highly recommend this tour for the beginning of your trip. I would take it on the first day. You will have a good grasp of where everything is, recommendations from the guide on which pubs to go to and where to eat. Later that evening we met up with Garbhan at the Porterhouse Pub and Garbhan was gracious enough to sit with us and explain the Gaelic language and talked sports, religion and politics with us. We had a delightful time with him and wanted to hire him as a personal guide on a trip to Howth but couldn't get our schedules to mesh.”
- Cindy Cochran, New Orleans

“Our guide, Garvan (the aforementioned Garbhan, in Gaelic) was great. I got more out of this free tour than anything else we did in Dublin. It's a bit long, 4 hours, so it was a tiring day, but completely worth it.”

- Lydia, Iowa City, via TripAdvisor

“If you are in Dublin, you MUST do this tour. It was the most fun and interesting walking tour I have had. Garvan was so comical and intelligent. He answered ALL of our questions and was extremely knowledgeable not only about Dublin but about a number of other things. We went to all the main attractions and learned a brief history of Dublin. The tour was over three hours but had many breaks and we even stopped at a Pub in the middle. Also, we all had lunch at the end and got discounted prices. It was great.”
- Amsterduo, via TripAdvisor


Contact to arrange a tour garvan.rushe at gmail.com or Skype me. Prices will depend on size of group