The owner

Owner Rafa was born and raised in Dortmund, a city dominated

by heavy industry, such as steel works and coal mines back in the day.

 

An area famous for the local inhabitants with big hearts, cheerfulness, ultimate directness and sometimes a sarcastic sense of 

humour. An area where people live who won't fool you or mess 

around. Always straight to the point, so you know where you stand at all times

 

He thankfully had the opportunity to explore the island of Ireland first time while on a family holiday in 1984, bringing him to the magical area of West Cork, close to Rosscarbery.

 

Impressed by the countryside, culture, people and far and 

foremost, freedom and space, he fell instantly in love with this 

country.

 

Even though still a young lad, he had already made up his mind and had already decided, without even realising it, where he wanted to spend the rest of his life. 

 

The teenage and early adult years were dominated by countless

 journeys worldwide, but mostly, of course, to Ireland to 

explore every single corner, and also to follow his newly found passion for Irish traditional music, which also resulted in the co- founding of the successful trad rock band "Clover's Harp" in Germany.

 

Ever since Ireland has been home to him, and by now, he has spent nearly 40% of his entire lifetime living and working in the 32 counties of Ireland and acting as a valuable connection to this 

country for many abroad.

 

Besides being an agency owner, Rafa is also a certified National 

Tour Guide (Failte Ireland) and has introduced over 12.000 clients 

on 300+ extended tours around the Green Isle. 

 

Passion, charisma and dedication to this country are  key 

ingredients to his success, and being able to live a dream.

 

Still maintaining and proudly living  an "underdog image", Rafa

is sticking out in the mostly conservative tourism scene, with 

honesty, directness and the gift of the gab by having kissed the Blarney Stone at the age of 11. 

 

It turned out, that a lot of clients prefer to work with a smaller, efficient and knowledgeable agency, rather finding themselves tied to big agencies, who might have better prices, but are relying on multinational teams, who's first hand experience of Ireland is limited to the direct surroundings of their companie's Dublin office (which in the end their clients paid for).

 

Also, clients trust his years of experience on the road, as he has been more or less everywhere in Ireland and dealt with all types of situations and people.

 

He can proudly say he built this agency from scratch, based on a combination of expertise, business acumen, a love for what he is doing and not because of a sudden investment opportunity, a potential chance for quick money or having no other options.

 

Even though Rafa works all over Ireland, after years in Co. Cork, Rafa and his family now call Tipperary their home and live just a few doors down from the birthplace of his teenage hero, Shane McGowan of the legendary band "The Pogues".

 

Feel free to contact him directly. He won't bite and does not have anything to hide.

 

Our offers in a nutshell for business clients

• External DMC and product management services
• Researching, contracting and booking of services for group tours and events
• Itinerary, tour- and event design for the Irish market

• Quality assurance and training for the wider Tourism Industry
• Sales, marketing & business Development for tourism-, hospitaliy and SaaS businesses