Irish Ancestry & Genealogy Tours in Ireland

An Irish ancestry tour is a custom travel experience that helps you trace your family roots by visiting ancestral towns, churches, graveyards, and historical sites connected to your heritage.

An ancestry tour is personalized around your family history, giving you a more meaningful connection to Ireland. Instead of just seeing famous landmarks, you visit places tied to your ancestors' lives.

Simply share any family details you know — names, places, stories — and we’ll guide you through the planning process. We can help fill in the gaps with local expertise.

We recommend consulting our ancestry experts 12 months in advance. This allows time to gather detailed information and craft a fully personalized private tour based on your family history. But if you have less time, no problem — just contact us and we’ll see how we can help!

Yes. We work with experienced genealogists and heritage centers to help you research your Irish ancestry before and during your tour.

Yes, in many cases. If we can identify the region or town your family came from, we build your tour to include those exact locations.

There is no set guidelines for tipping in Ireland. People will usually tip based on the quality of service they receive. ​ Meals – ​ This depends entirely on the quality of service and food. The food standard has greatly increased in Ireland over the last number of years and we know some gems of coffee shops & restaurants around the country. 10 to 15% is a good guideline. ​​ ​ Drinks – ​ Bar staff behind the bar would not normally be tipped. Lounge staff who serve you at your table would be tipped approx 10 to 15% percent. Once again this depends entirely on the service quality. ​​ ​ Driver Guides – We are often asked how much should I tip a tour guide in Ireland? Driver/guide gratuity is always appreciated and the amount is entirely based on your tour experience. If you feel that your guides have gone out of their way to provide a unique experience, an average tip would be somewhere between €50 and €100 per day total. This is entirely up to and and should be based on the quality of your experience. ​​ ​ Hotel Staff – A tip for porters & chambermaids is always appreciated but again, this depends on quality of service. Find out more about tipping in Ireland in our blog - Tipping in Ireland

As our tours are individually customised our tour prices vary depending on a large variety of requests including - Tour Length / Group Size / Accommodation Style / Activities Requested. Our tour prices will include Transport / Driver / Guide / Accommodation / Breakfast and certain selected activities. Our contact form provides enough information for us to generate an initial cost so please contact us for further details. ​ CONTACT US

All of our tours are individually customised based on our clients requests therefore our tours always vary and every tour is a new adventure. Our website features some suggested itineraries however they are all flexible.

This depends on the style of tour you have chosen. Day Tours - The lengths of our day tours will vary depending on the distance travelled. For example... A Dublin & Surrounds Day Tour could be 5 Hours whilst a Northern Ireland Day Tour could be 13 hours. ​​ ​ Multi Day Tours - The days on our multi-day escorted tours are usually 8 hours and based on a recommended 9:30am to 5:30pm schedule. This is entirely flexible and depending on the itinerary and the group, days can be shorter or a little longer. ​​ ​ Driving Times - Although our vehicles are of the highest comfort nobody likes driving too long. We try to design all of our tours so you will have a stop of interest every 1.5 to 2 hours at the most. There will be exceptional circumstances where a drive of 3 hours is required on our longer day tours.

Ireland's weather is always an interesting subject and is a subject dear to our hearts! Our weather is constantly changing. Expect during the course of your visit to see all the seasons - days of sun, light rain, rainbows, wind and lots more besides. One point to note however is that we tend not to have extremes. ​ Layers are the best way to go. Bring a fleece, a light raincoat and under armour. Layers are a great way of dealing with Ireland's changing weather ! ​ Also we do recommend good waterproof walking shoes. Not necessarily hiking boots, just a simple pair of waterproof shoes that you can wear for all occasions whether in the van or in the pub! Ireland would not be a particularly formal country in terms of dress so casual wear would be suggested. An exception is when staying in some higher scale 5 star castles. In this case formal dining wear may be required. Find out more on our blog here - What to Wear in Ireland

We are often asked if there is somewhere to wash clothes along the tour route. ​ The answer is yes! There are opportunities to wash clothes throughout your trip, in every location. Your driver guide will also help out with suggestions for this.

Little Gem are exclusively private tours for groups of all sizes. We specialise in crafting customised itineraries for private groups such as families which include private luxury transport, a professional driver guide and a selection of boutique and luxury accommodations. ​ We ensure our tours are flexible, personal and professional and are designed around each private groups wishes. We endeavour to take you off the beaten path and away from the crowds whilst also taking in the main attractions along the journey. Learn more of our private tours here - Private Tours of Ireland

Terms & Conditions & Cancellation Policy ​ Private Irish Tours T/A Little Gem Private Tours of Ireland Terms & Conditions Please read the following document carefully and sign and date to confirm that you have read and fully understood the terms and conditions. 1. Booking, Confirmation & Payment ​ In order to complete a booking a deposit of 25% of the total tour value is required to secure the tour dates. - We cannot secure tour dates until a deposit is paid. This deposit allows us to reserve accommodations and secure tour dates. Full payment is to be made if the booking is within 90 days of the tour date. For Day Tours we request full payment up front. We will then send you a written confirmation of booking so as to confirm a binding contract between us which will be governed by the laws of Ireland and subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Irish courts. The balance of the holiday must be paid no later than 90 calendar days prior to departure and if not received on time we reserve the right to treat the booking as cancelled. Payments may be made by credit card or bank transfer/wire. For payment by credit card, we accept all major cards. Little Gem Tours are not liable for any bank charges associated with bank transfer/wire. ​​​ Please find bank details on link below if you wish to pay by wire/transfer. ​ *** If you pay by wire/transfer please inform Little Gem Tours via email that you have made payment. ​​ LINK TO LITTLE GEM BANK DETAILS *** To ensure payment is processed as smoothly as possible, please inform your bank of the payment details prior to payment. This will ensure your bank does not block the transaction. *** ​______________________________________________________________ ​ 2. Client Alterations If, after we have confirmed a booking, the client requests a change in the dates or content of the agreed itinerary we will do our best but cannot promise to meet the revised requirements. Any alterations may mean an increased cost in tour prices and a change in tour itineraries and/or accommodations. ​ Client Requested Accommodation Changes - Changes can be made to confirmed accommodations without a fee up to 6 months prior to your tour date. For any client requested changes to confirmed accommodations within 6 months of the tour fees shall apply. ​ No alterations can be made to itinerary dates and overnight locations within 90 days of tour date. In the case of altered overnights and accommodations within 90 days of tour date this will be treated as a new booking and associated costs will apply. ​​ ______________________________________________________________ ​ 3. Client Cancellations If, after we have confirmed a booking, you request a cancellation the following cancellation policies apply: Deposit Payment – ​​ If you cancel your tour up to 91 calendar days from the tour start date the deposit or payment is 50% refundable. The deposit or payment is non-refundable within 90 or less days from the tour start date. ** Balance Payment – ​ Full payment is required 90 days or more before the tour start date. This balance payment is non-refundable unless the tour is cancelled by Little Gem Tours. In this case see section 4 below. ​ ​ ______________________________________________________________ ​ ​ ​ 4. Little Gem Tours - Alterations or Cancellation Once your booking has been confirmed we will make every effort to provide you with the booked holiday arrangements but reserve the right to alter or cancel the whole or part of the holiday if we cannot avoid doing so. In the event of cancellation of a tour by Little Gem Tours, Little Gem Tours will offer a full refund of the tour price only, less any nonrefundable elements, or alternative travel arrangements to all clients booked onto the tour. In these circumstances, no incidental or consequential expenses will be paid by Little Gem Tours. Little Gem Tours will endeavour to help in finding alternative transport arrangements in this circumstance. ​ ​ ______________________________________________________________ ​ ​ 5. Insurance The price of your ticket does not cover your travel insurance. Little Gem Tours strongly recommends that the client purchases comprehensive travel insurance cover for cancellation, medical expenses, personal accident, personal baggage, money and public liability before you travel. *** It is highly recommended that insurance is purchased which includes cover for Covid related cancellations **** The client should ensure that any activities undertaken by the client during the Tour are covered by their insurance, in this regard, please note that certain activities may require specific insurance and it is a matter for the client to ascertain the position with their insurer before partaking in any activity. Little Gem Tours reserves the right to refuse admission to a passenger unless the client has arranged appropriate insurance. ​ ​​ ______________________________________________________________ ​ ​​ 6. Weather Warnings Little Gem Tours will follow government advice with relation to weather warnings. Met Éireann, the Irish National Meteorological Service, is the leading provider of weather information and related services for Ireland. ​ In the case of a red weather warning being issued by Met Éireann touring will cease until the red weather warning has passed. Please see link to the Met Éireann Weather Warning System - HERE ​​ ​ ______________________________________________________________ ​ 7. Photos & Marketing Your driver guide will request to take photos during the tour. These photos may be used online by Little Gem Tours solely for the purpose of marketing Little Gem Tours. If you do not wish your photos to appear online please inform your driver guide and we will ensure your wishes are respected. ​ ______________________________________________________________ ​ ​ Contacting Us If there are any questions regarding these terms & conditions, you may contact us using the information below. Private Irish Tours T/A Little Gem Private Tours of Ireland www.littlegemtours.com tours@littlegemtours.com 00353 86 047 4836

In Ireland the power plug sockets are of type G. The standard voltage is 230 V and the frequency is 50 Hz. ​ Most appliances like smartphones don't need a converter. They just need an adaptor as they are built to manage the voltage. Appliances such as a hairdryer would need the voltage adaptor. Hairdryers will be readily available during the course of your travels in the various accommodations You can get a mored detailed description here - https://www.power-plugs-sockets.com/ireland/

We partner with a large variety of accommodation options from luxury 5 Star Castles to boutique farm stays. Once again this is a completely flexible and customisable element of your tour. We find that guests like a variety of accommodation styles so we try to mix up our overnights with a combination of 5 Star / Luxury B&B / Farm Stays & Castle Stays. We will always ensure that the accommodation is of the highest quality standard regardless of the ratings. Find our more about our accommodation partners here - Little Gem Accommodations

Daily costs will vary depending on individual cases however a rough guide would be as follows... ​ Note: We do not include activity entrance fees in our quotes. The reason for this is to allow for flexibility in terms of the tour content. ​ Meals - ​ Breakfast each morning is included in all of our multi-day tours. Lunch - Approx € 10 to € 15pp Dinner - Approx € 25 to € 100pp depending on style of restaurants Quality Pub Dinners - Approx € 20pp ​ Activities - (there would be usually one or two of the below per day) ​ Boat Trips - Approx € 20pp Museums - Approx € 5 to € 15 Heritage Farms - Approx € 10pp Large Exhibitions - Approx € 20pp Brewery's - Approx € 15pp Distilleries - Approx € 15pp National Heritage Sites - Approx € 10pp Live Music Shows - Approx € 50pp Private Hawk Walk - Approx € 60pp 1 Hour Private Demonstrations - Approx € 80 ​ Entertainment - ​ Pint of Guinness - € 5 to € 7pp Pint of Beer - € 5 to € 7pp Pub music - Usually Free Theatre - € 15 to € 50pp Live Music Show - € 20 to € 50pp Find out more about tipping in Irerland here - Tipping in Ireland

Well, each of the seasons and months have their own advantages and charms when it comes to travelling in Ireland. Take a look at our blog post on the topic on when to travel in Ireland for more details about Irish weather... ​ When To Travel in Ireland Blog Post

Step 1 - Browse our website for inspiration on your trip to Ireland. ​ We have suggested day trips and multi-day tours throughout our website. Take a look through the options and remember - your tours are private and fully customisable! ​ Step 2 - Contact us with as much details as possible. ​ Provide details around your length of trip, the number of people and your preferences on attractions / locations / accommodations / room styles, etc. The more information you provide about yourselves and your likes / dislikes the more likely we are to design your perfect tour. ​ Step 3 - We revert with initial suggested itinerary. We will now assign your private tour planner who will be your dedicated point of contact for your travels. You will receive an initial itinerary proposal. This will include our costs with full itinerary details including accommodation options and day to day sight seeing and activity options. ​ Step 4 - Feedback on the initial proposal. Now is your chance to provide feedback and any requested amends on the initial tour itinerary. ​ Step 5 - Deposit payment to secure your tour dates We finalise all initial itinerary details and request a deposit of 25% to secure your dates of touring. This allows us to proceed with your accommodation bookings if required. * Note: For day tours we request full payment up front. ​ Stage 6 - Accommodation Confirmations ! We will get back with your confirmed accommodations for your adventure as well as details of room styles and upgrades. ​ Stage 7 - Balance payment and condensed driver guide itinerary. Approximately 60 days before your tour date we will request the balance payment for your tour. At this stage we will then also go through the finer details of your day to day activities using a condensed driver guide itinerary. ​ Stage 8 - Pack your bags and get ready for an adventure of a lifetime with the Little Gem Tour Team !!!