ABSTRACT
My rst experience with an extended bus tour in Ireland took place in 2000 when I observed a group of Americans (most of whom I knew) on a tour from Killarney to Galway to Dublin. To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect regarding the tour itself except that we would be staying in the three cities in the brochure. I was especially unaware of the degree of responsibility that the driver (from Cavan) had for the group, the coach, and the entire organization of the tour. I was just a passenger on the trip-albeit someone who had spent a great deal of time in Europe and who had spent months on my own doing eld research in Austriaand after two days, I was annoyed by the actions of many of the people on the tour. I could only imagine how the driver felt. Four days into the tour, I had the chance to talk with him about the trip, and I could sense his frustration with certain members of the group who were continually late for departures, complained about meals, were seemingly disinterested in the country and the people, and were there essentially to purchase souvenirs and have pictures taken of themselves in front of the symbols of Ireland. At one point, as we were arriving into Galway, a passenger began to badger him about the best place for sh and chips in the city. He carefully pointed out Quay and Shop Streets as we drove past the pedestrian district on our way to our hotel and told her that McDonagh’s was without a doubt the best. She rolled her eyes and responded with “Why is that? Do they pay you to
say that?” Needless to say, she didn’t go to McDonagh’s and never left the hotel once we arrived. At that point, after several similar interactions with her and other members of the group, he stopped giving any personal recommendations to his passengers. I would think this is not an unusual experience for coach drivers anywhere.
