ODDBALL TOURS
Organising Tours to Unique & Unexpected Destinations around Ireland since 2010
Contact: info@oddballtours.com
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Ireland - The home of Father Ted’s Craggy Island, where there's a museum dedicated purely to leprechauns and a festival crowns a goat king, Oddball Tours is on a mission to show you all the fascinating and unconventional sights, tours, activities and festivals taking place around Ireland throughout the year. Click on the photos for just a few examples.
Oddball Tours is a one of a kind Irish tourism business. We create "off the beaten track" experiences showing locals and tourists alike, people old and young, aspects of Ireland normally overlooked by travel guides sending you to places other tours don't and won't go - the oft ignored as mundane but in reality fascinating, bizarre and downright odd sights and attractions the 32 counties of Ireland have to offer.
With custom designed packages ranging from personalised itineraries for self-guided tours to complete packages with accommodation, transport and concierge, we cater for groups big and small. Start from anywhere in Ireland. We design tours for all modes of transport - car, public, bike and feet! Mystery tour itineraries possible also.
Where to? We bring you county hopping in the contentious border counties of Cavan, Louth and Monaghan Think: A jumping wall Bog snorkelling A magic road Hover crafts A dead saint's head A giant pink chair For more info on this tour, contact us at info@oddballtours.com
Where?: Spend some time exploring the People's Republic of Cork - if they let you in... Think: Wanderly wagons and Mongolian yurts Ireland's Alcatraz A mobile sauna on the beach A tribute to the Choctaw Nation Sumo competitions The People's Republic For more info on this tour, contact us at info@oddballtours.com
Where?: An urban safari of sorts checking out places around Dublin (both North and South of the Liffey) you won't find on normal tourist trails. Think: Photo opp at Misery Hill Sit on the Joker's Chair See the Smallest Pub in Dublin Step inside the HQ of a secret society Locate a mysterious plaque Walk the Monto, the former red light The "Stiletto in the Ghetto" A museum dedicated to leprechauns Experience 7D Finish at Dublin's best kept secret For more info, contact info@oddballtours.com
Where?: Hoping you got the FAT Dad reference with the tour picture. But in case you haven't, this tour brings you to Fermanagh, Antrim, Tyrone, Derry, Armagh and Down. Think: Lower Balix near Stranagalwilly Bubble domes The Armada Tree Madman's window The most bombed hotel in Europe Polar bear of Ballygalley For more info on this tour, contact us at info@oddballtours.com
Where?: Like the Russian version but without the gun and an Irish twist. No, no vodka either. Basically we choose the mystery tour for you. For more info on this tour, contact us at info@oddballtours.com
Where?: We send you on an alternative tour of the City of the Tribes - exploring some gems hidden in plain sight. Note: Not a tour of a red light district. Sorry to disappoint. Think: Shortest 'Walking Tour of Ireland'…in a pub An Urban safari around yuppieville Stevie Wonder's favourite tech shop The town of 1,000 Beards Muckanaghederdauhalia Galway Hooker A trad session on a double-decker bus Galway's Fawlty Towers For more info on this tour, contact us at info@oddballtours.com
Where? Too many ghosts in Ireland to count! You can't go anywhere without tripping over a ghost or ten. Depending on your location we send you to the most haunted locations on the paranormal meter. For more info on this tour, contact us at info@oddballtours.com
Become a local in a day! On this tailored one day course we show you and teach you how to "behave" like an authentic Irish person. Masochist. Think: A whistlestop tour thru 20th C Irish history and pop culture An Irish language or slang taster class Irish literature thru a lunchtime reading Find out about the most famous and infamous Irish exports Discover your Irish roots Go for a pint with locals Sample local delicacies For more info on this tour, contact us at info@oddballtours.com
Where?: We take a break from the diddley-eye tourism Kerry has become known for and show you the real Kerry - no Kerry Man jokes, promise! Think: The festival crowning a goat king A mad well Charlie Chaplin's vacation statue The Last Jedi Wife carrying championships An abandoned film set village A faux-pub (the teases) For more info on this tour, contact us at info@oddballtours.com
Where?: Ireland's answer to Detroit, Limerick gets a bad rap (no pun intended), but don't let its nickname (Stab City) turn you off. Limerick has a lot to offer by way of oddball attractions! Think: Photos opps at Effin, Meanus, Kilmacat, Hospital & Kilmacow One of the quirkiest collections in Ireland – in 1 man's garden The Rubberbandits' hometown A horse outside A High Nelly home Roller Derby Quirky street art God Pods For more info on this tour, contact us at info@oddballtours.com
Where?: The flyover states of Ireland, poor Laois, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath often get overlooked by tourists. Kanye West and Kim Kardashian were famously spotted at a cinema in Laois on their honeymoon in Ireland. Should have taken an OT! Think: The Jealous Wall The water that flows uphill and the tree that won't burn Michael Jackson's Irish hideaway Marie Antoinette’s ring Pope’s helipad Napoleon's horse's grave A burial pyramid For more info, contact info@oddballtours.com
Where?: Originally this tour was called Mad Mayo because of being home to some of the strangest attractions in the whole of the country but was changed for fear of offending the locals of this never ending county. And then changed back again. The place is MAD! Think: A Musical Bridge John Lennon’s Island NAMA Stonehenge Knock – Ireland’s Vegas Cum See sample itinerary on home page for more For more info on this tour, contact us at info@oddballtours.com
Where?: Though technically not an imaginary land of strange people and talking animals, the North West counties of Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo have their fair share of ethereal sights and attractions for the discerning visitor. Think: St Patrick's Purgatory The King of Tory A fairy world Eire 80 Sign A trawler converted into a studio Go Daniel O'Donnell hunting A slightly surreal famine village For more info on this tour, contact us at info@oddballtours.com
Where?: Home to an infamous prison and what is possibly my favourite pub in the world, reason enough to give landlocked Roscommon it's very own tour. Note: May venture into next door neighbour Lonely Longford. As when ever will you find yourself there otherwise?! For more info on this tour, contact us at info@oddballtours.com
Where?: Still waiting for The New York Times to do a 36 Hours in Clare layover review. This place has it all - stunning views, twee tourist attractions and weird and wonderful festivals aplenty. Think: Cruising around Shannon town Craggy Island and surrounds Street art in Ennis St Brigid’s Well grotto A flight simulator A loopy light house A matchmaking museum Steven Spielberg’s favourite café For more info on this tour, contact us at info@oddballtours.com
Where?: As someone from the wet west the resentment is ingrained! A long-time favourite holiday destination for day tripping Dubliners we send you on a walkabout around Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford and Wexford. Think: Santa's burial ground A 27 storey mural on a long abandoned hotel A road that goes backwards An inn est. by Ireland's first convicted witch A quirky cafe in an old train carriage A life size doll's house For more info on this tour, contact us at info@oddballtours.com
Where?: By Definition (Urban Dictionary...): The area of and surrounding Dublin Ireland. Full of West Brits and D4 accents and home to many a rugger bugger. Also venturing into the neighbouring Meath and Kildare. Think: An Echo Gate Giant footsteps in a field The Central Shop (Google it!) A rude sculpture park A German war cemetery For more info on this tour, contact us at info@oddballtours.com
Where?: I'll be honest - this tour is not for the faint hearted. Or those of the alcohol abstention variety. Some of Tipp's best alternative tourism attractions revolve around pubs. Not sure what that says about Tipp or my gravitation when compiling. Think: Andrew Lloyd Webber’s local Ned Kelly's hometown A Swiss Cottage in Cahir The coffins of two brothers hung in the wrong A house in a bar Burning of Bridget Cleary Obama Plaza For more info on this tour, contact us at info@oddballtours.com
Where?: For those who want a bit of a road trip this tour takes you around the country over the course of two days and will enable you to see a few of the attractions on different tour routes. When one Oddball Tour just isn't enough! Think: A Railway Bar The tree that will not burn An Echo Gate Giant footsteps in a field The Magic Hill The Mad Well For more info on this tour, contact us at info@oddballtours.com
Where?: It does what it says on the tin. Think Anthony Bourdain's The Layover but in Ireland on shit roads and with a fair amount of rain likely. A great boast though if you manage to complete it! For more info on this tour, contact us at info@oddballtours.com
Sample Tour Activities - County: Mayo [Can be incorporated into a half day, full day or multi day plan]
- Boat it out to the former Hippy Island and John Lennon and Yoko Ono's planned retirement home
- Explore The Lost Valley near Louisburgh, Co Mayo
- Coffee break at Kelly’s Kitchen in Newport, ancestral home of the Hollywood star Grace Kelly
- Visit NAMA-henge constructed over a weekend by a controversial property developer and protester
- Walk around the Deserted Village at Slievemore, Achill Island, a haunting reminder of times past
- Drag stones along Bellacorick's xylaphone Musical Bridge
- Enjoy a photo opp upon arrival in Cum, Co Mayo
- Stop for tea in Ireland's Titanic Village
- Take a whiskey distillery tour to give you Dutch Courage to face the rest of the stops
- Check out one man's collection of Irish memorabilia comprising over 100,000 items spanning 400 years
- Rock up to Ireland's answer to Vegas...
- Pit stop in Tooreen where the devil famously made an appearance at a dance hall back in the day
- Technically not Mayo but worth the detour, the quirky Hell's Kitchen in Castlerea, Co Roscommon
Who
Founded by Jen Condon, an avid traveller who has to date visited over 100 countries and states. After travelling around the world and having had what can only be described as some truly bizarre tour experiences in foreign lands, between...
climbing a slag-heap in a post-industrial Belgian town, camping out in a mud hut on an isolated Indian reservation in Mormon-country Utah, getting lost & spending Halloween night with some friendly police men in an NYC subway station…wearing a tutu; a story-telling session in a Beijing shanty town; mezcal tasting in Mexico; spending time with members of the Amish community in America’s mid-west; visiting an abandoned Soviet satellite station in northern Latvia; attending the surreal & visually stunning Mass Games in North Korea complete with 100,000 performers...
...to touring Detroit's abandoned ruins; traditional cooking in Morocco; hanging out in unrecognised Russian breakaway republics; a Communist theme park and underground KGB captive bunker experience in rural Lithuania; dressing up on the abandoned Battleship Island off the south coast of Japan; traversing Heroin Highway in Eastern Tajikistan; wandering through cobblestoned streets in Dracula’s Transylvania; night time border crossings in Iran; wedding crashing in Guatemala; enjoying a frankly sacrilegious graveyard tour in the Deep South’s New Orleans; exploring former Communist-era bunkers in the Czech Republic and Art Deco Eastern Germany to trawling London for the most recent graffiti paintings of elusive street-artists...
…the attention is now focused on Ireland!
Pricing
Tours of 32 Counties [Duration: Any County, 1 Day]
Included: Customised tour + all bookings, reservations & entrance fees
Extra: Tour guide, transport & accommodation
€55 Per Person (1-2), €45 PP (3-5), €40 PP (6-10)
Guided Walking Tours of Dublin [Duration: 3 Hours App]
☘️ Northside Urban Safari - Dublin 1
☘️ Southside Jaunt - Dublin 2
☘️ James Joyce's Dublin Pub Puzzle Tour
€50 Per Person (1-2), €40 PP (3-5), €35 PP (6-15)
Honorary Irish Crash Course with Cert - Dublin [Duration: 6.5 Hours App]
☘️ "Honorary Irish" Induction Training (Layovers, Onboarding, Tourists, New Arrivals, Diaspora, etc.)
€100 Per Person (1-2), €85 PP (3-5), €70 PP (6-10)
Event Management & Consultancy
☘️ Team Days Out (Sports, Social & Work Groups)
☘️ Event Organisation (Unorthodox Weddings, Parties, Festivals, Funerals...)
☘️ Destination Mgt & Extracurricular Activities (Delegates: Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions)
☘️ Freelance Travel Journalism & Content Generation For Blogs, Business Promotion
☘️ International Trip Scheduling (To oddball places obviously!)
Prices Upon Request