Every Vagabond tour of Ireland is led by one of our award winning team of guides.
They have the best job in the world, roaming Ireland going for walks and horse rides amongst the stunning landscape, having a great laugh with like minded people and sharing with them their knowledge of the Island's history, culture and landscape. People are amazed at the knowledge and enthusiasm of the guides and how much information we pass across to our passengers.
The guides also work very hard to answer any queries and make you feel at home throughout your trip. To ensure this, our staff are carefully selected and trained (to be naturally funny and entertaining) to make sure you'll never forget Ireland or Vagabond.
Rob
Rob Rankin - Founder and owner of Vagabond. Originally born in Scotland but has lived in Ireland for many happy years, he started Vagabond after travelling in Southern Africa and thinking that a more active, adventure tour of Ireland would be a great idea. Rob is an outdoor enthusiast and also a keen amateur historian (with an MA in Modern History), so this is the perfect job for him.
Please do not ask Rob to sing on tour, for your own sake.
Paula
Paula is originally from Dundrum in County Tipperary (a long way away) and has just completed her second degree, in International Relations. Her historical and current affairs knowledge is un-rivalled, as is the interesting and humorous way in which she delivers this information.
Paula also has a BA in Spanish; she is of course fluent but has a tendency to mumble. Paula has travelled and worked all over the world, often in teaching and voluntary roles.
She has a unique singing voice and would be only too happy to sing for you on tour.
Hi, I was just on your Northern Ireland 5 day tour with Sam & Paula. To start with thank you for such a great and memorable holiday. It was absolutely fantastic. Sam & Paula really made the trip what it was though, I'm sure there are other ways to get to all the places that we saw but Sam & Paula were great full of useful info. They are great story tellers and great fun to be around. Thanks again for providing such a great tour. Well worth the money. 10 out of 10.
Gary and Vanessa, Australia. 5 day Northern Island Tour, June 2008
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Niamh
Niamh is the team's Galway girl and has just finished an Arts and Irish degree and is heading back to do a masters.
Niamh is a keen surfer, drummer and wonderwoman lookalike. She is also an expert on, and believer in, the fairies.
Niamh holds the world record for the hottest Land Rover handbrake ever.
Just wanted to drop a quick note on how thrilled we were with out 7 day north by northwest trip. The trip was made by Niamh our guide. She did a great job with history, folk lore and managing 14 people, including our 20 and 18 year old.
Brian Mason, USA, July 2008
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Sam
Sam is originally from Sligo on the west coast of Ireland, and is the storyteller of the team. Sam's knowledge of ancient Irish mythology and history is already legendary. As a young boy he became fascinated by the stories told to him by his uncle, stories of Giants, great battles and Celtic warriors and today Sam is passing on these traditions to his passengers in his own laid back style. He also has one very good joke.
Sam does all his own stunts.
Was great. I have been to Ireland many times but I think this holiday was one of the best. My friends had never been to Ireland and I was not too sure what they would make of this type of holiday but I am glad to say they to enjoyed themselves. Sam the man has the patience of a saint. He helped to make our holiday a great success.
Maureen, USA. 7 day 'World Tour of Ireland', June 2008
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Jean
Originally from Dublin, Jean will do anything she can to be out in the countryside of Ireland, so this is the perfect job for her. Jean has a degree in Heritage Studies, including Heritage tourism and archaeology and she has also worked as a genealogist in the west of Ireland. So if you have a historical question or want to trace your ancestry, Jean is the person to ask. She is also qualified in Neuromuscular Therapy, enjoys scuba diving and playing the flute and the violin – all at the same time.
Had to let you know that David and I had a marvellous time in Ireland and on the Vagabond tour! Truly great experience, great fun, and we fell in love with both our tour guides (Jean and Sam); they're terrific.
David and Nancy Duda.
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Kevin
"Wow, that guy really loves his country" is normally the first thing passengers say about Kevin. A Professional photographer in his pre-Vagabond days, Kevin decided that he wanted to share his love and knowledge of his country with visitors to Ireland. An excellent mimic, storyteller and singer, Kevin also has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the country and its people, plus his alertness and attentiveness to the needs of every single customer is un-rivalled. (There is a rumour that Kevin was actually raised in Africa by Meerkats)
We write to say a big THANK YOU to Kevin for the tour of Ireland that we were privileged to be on! We were very impressed with Kevin's knowledge and the interesting way he led the tour, also for his help with photographs (especially seagulls!)
Many thanks again for making our holiday special. Rosie and John Parsons
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Steve
Steve (Sarge) is the action man of the team. When not leading a Vagabond group he is often found with the part-time Irish army with whom he serves. And when he is not doing that, he is studying for a degree in Computer science and German. Calm and collected, nothing is a problem or too much to ask for the Sarge and you know that when you are on his tour you are in safe hands.
Steve - I want to thank you for making our trip that much more enjoyable. As I told you, I had planned this trip for years and it was very important to me to take Erin to see Ireland. I had plenty of time to have a lot of images in my head of what I expected it to be like. You helped make that dream come true, with your friendliness, easy-going attitude and knowledge of the country and it's history. Thanks again for all you did for us.
Mary
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Mark
Mark, from Naas Co Kildare is a true Vagabond, having travelled and cycled almost all over the world, including Iceland (with his bike) and Antarctica (without his bike).
He once had a job as the lion feeder in the circus, a job many would give their right hand for.
Mark is currently on a sabbatical from vagabond (having taken a sabbatical from his previous job to join Vagabond) and is currently cycling around the world. He hopes to be the first Irishman to do so, and we wish him luck.
We recently did your 5 day SW tour of Ireland - 18th May - and thoroughly enjoyed it. I just wanted to let you know that the tour was great - Mark was the perfect guide. He was always positive and worked his butt off keeping us all happy with things to do and presented a nice clean van each day. I think he deserves a raise!!!!!
Dee and Lindsay, Australia. 5 day 'World tour of Ireland' May 18th 2008
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Below is a typical day in the life of a Vagabond driver guide,
who has one of the best jobs in the world!
Leap out of bed/run outside into the bright sunshine.
Legendary Irish breakfast.
On the road. Big Jeep. Cool gang of people. Hit the beach. Gaelic football/'vagaball'. Tell some jokes/hear some jokes. Walk in the Mountains. Crank up the music. Wave at less fortunate tourists. Off-road down the beach/through river/up mountains. Stunning castles/ancient sites. Have a great laugh. Loads of history etc. Horse-riding/swimming/surfing/chilling out. Enjoy great scenery/view from office window.
Off to the pub. Good Food. Pints (2 max). Music. Mighty craic (fun).
Blissful Sleep
It's a dirty job but someone has to do it.
(Bono, thank you for your calls, and we WILL let you know if we have any vacancies)
