Greetings from Ireland!
Summertime and the Living is Damp

Good day and welcome to the August 2007 issue of Deals and Tales, Authentic Ireland’s monthly contribution to spreading the good news. Regular readers may be forgiven for raising their eyebrows at the use of ‘monthly’, as we have been anything but of late. But believe us, monthly is our intention so we will continue to use the monthly moniker if only to spur ourselves on. We’ll try harder, we promise.

So what’s been happening? Well, after our general election in May we got ourselves a brand new government in June. Except it isn’t really that new – it’s Bertie Ahern and his Fianna Fail party again, this time with a shade of Green for good measure. There was much laughing, celebrating and slapping of backs and then they all promptly went on holidays until September. Great work if you have the neck for it.

The Irish summer we were so looking forward to has so far failed to show its face. It hasn’t been cold or anything, just not very sunny and most days a shower of rain is either busy raining on you or is visible queuing on the horizon to do so. If you have been in Ireland anytime since the start of June we can only apologize. We might have guessed the Irish version of global warming would involve more rain. And despite our petitions on your behalf, the new Government is so far refusing to pay compensation.

But if you are due to visit Ireland in the next couple of months please do not worry. In fact, there is every reason for optimism. Everyone is predicting that August and September are going to be gorgeous. There is no scientific basis for this of course other than the fact that we heartily deserve a break from the incessant rain. Trust us, the sun is coming. We can feel it. It has to be. But pack a rain jacket just in case.

This month the Connemara region west of Galway gets the “When in” treatment, there’s big breaking news for anyone interested in getting married in Ireland and as a special we are offering 2008 vacations at 2007 prices if booked before the end of September.

So break out the sunblock and stick on your shades..

• Get Married in Ireland
• Specials – 2008 vacations at 2007 prices
• When in - Connemara
• Authentic Referral program
• Next issue: stuff to look forward to
• Admin: on/off this merry-go-round, etc.

At the moment as the law stands, it is possible, but extremely difficult for non-residents to get married in Ireland. The red tape and multiple pre-wedding trips to Ireland required make it so infuriating as to be impractical. Only rock or movie stars ever seem to pull it off. But all that is about to change. From November, any non-resident can get married in Ireland provided they give 90 days written notice and are in the country 3 to 4 days before their intended wedding day. Simple. As it should be.

And best of all you can have a religious ceremony in the church of your choice, or a civil ceremony in the location of your choice. Ok, we don’t have the Grand Canyon at sundown, but we got some nice places.

And since we’re such romantics here at Authentic Ireland we’re going to make getting married in Ireland a breeze. In the next month or so we’ll be gathering all the information you could possibly need and putting it up on our website: the Highly Useful Guide to Getting Married in Ireland (HUGGMI). And not only that, we will organize everything for you. From hiring a Rolls Royce on the Aran Islands, to editing the Best Man’s speech.

More information real soon. Any questions in the meantime please email us at: weddings@authenticireland.com or call us toll-free 1-888-771-8350.

Every year we run this special and every year it is the most popular by far. And with good reason. Great savings can be made by booking your 2008 vacation before September 30, 2007. Every year the cost of bed and breakfasts, hotels, chauffeur hire and car rental increases. There’s nothing we can do about it. I believe they call it inflation and everyone seems to blame it on someone else. Unluckily for us we don’t find out how much those costs will increase until September each year. So anyone inquiring about a 2008 vacation between now and then receives a quote based on 2007 costs. Our special: we will honour the 2007 price on all 2008 vacations booked before September 30, 2007. This applies to all of our self-drive, chauffeur/group and golf tours.

And remember, a 20% deposit is all that is required to book. The balance you pay 60 days before you travel.

Connemara, or Land of the Sea, is a wild region of bogland, pristine lakes and mountains located in the west of County Galway. Unlike the more famous Ring of Kerry or Dingle Peninsula, Connemara is sparsely populated and the landscape much more open. This is Ireland’s big sky country. Because the area is so remote, the Irish language and traditions have survived here and Irish is the first tongue of many of the inhabitants, particularly along the south coast.

Connemara is a beautiful place to drive through but this area more than any other in Ireland is all about open air and out doors. All manner of activities are catered for from hiking to fishing, horse riding and scuba diving. All told, Connemara is the ultimate anti-dote to life in the fast lane. Two days is good, A week is fabulous. Any longer and you may not want to get back on that freeway.

Read our top picks and tips for Connemara >

It's very simple. If you refer a friend to Authentic Ireland and they book a tour with us, you will be entitled to your choice of:

- $30 amazon.com voucher, or
- $50 per person off your next vacation booked through Authentic Ireland.
All your friend has to do is mention your name when booking, we'll take care of the rest.

Refer a Friend: Please Use the link at the bottom of this page to forward this newsletter to a friend!

Next month sees the continuation of our “When in…” series with the scenic southwestern region of Dingle in the spotlight. Each month in this series we will pick a town or city and make recommendations of things to see and do in the area, including picking the best local pubs and restaurants.

If you missed any previous issues they are available here: http://www.authenticireland.com/newsletter.htm

We welcome your feedback and opinions. Please send any comments or suggestions to newsletter@authenticireland.com. If there is any topic you would like us to cover, or you have a specific question about Ireland, just let us know and we will try to cover it in a future issue.

Well that's it for this month. We hope you enjoy the start of spring and we will see you back here for another month of Travel Deals and Tales.

And just in case you had forgotten, whatever type of vacation you are interested in, Authentic Ireland can help. We specialize in custom Self-drive Vacations, Chauffeur / Group Tours, Escorted Coach Tours and Activity Vacations. We also have a dedicated team of golf experts ready to assist in organizing your ideal golf vacation. We also invite you to dream up your very own Ireland Vacation. We like a challenge. Whatever it is, we can make it happen.

All the best & happy travels,

The Newsletter Team
Authentic Ireland Travel
http://www.authenticireland.com
Toll-free (from U.S & Canada): 1-888-771-8350
Rest of World: 353-65-684-4941