About Us

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 We are professionally qualified expert guides with twenty years experience in Ireland, UK, France, Spain and Portugal.

  Lynn Corken is Belfast born and bred, a graduate of Leeds University (Spanish and Portuguese) and is a professionally qualified Blue Badge tourist guide who began her guiding career in 2007.  She has been leading tours in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French all over Ireland.  She worked as a translator/interpreter in industry, and then for twenty years in various administrative posts at Queen’s University Belfast.  She has been leading Rick Steves Ireland tours since 2014.  She has been a guest on Rick Steves radio shows and on BBC television, leading her Astral Weeks Van Morrison walking tour of Belfast.  She also works as a tour guide in Belfast City Hall and leads regular excursions around Northern Ireland for cruise ship guests.  She is a Director of the Northern Ireland Tour Guiding Association (NITGA).  She lives in Bangor, County Down. 

 Paul Corken is also a native of Belfast and graduated from Southampton University (French and Spanish).  He spent the majority of his career teaching modern languages in a leading Belfast school.  He lived in Paris for several years, teaching at the Sorbonne, and also taught in Madrid.  He is a qualified White Badge guide and has led many tours in Spain, France and Italy. Paul also lives in Bangor and, having realised many years ago that playing in a local punk band would not lead to fame and fortune, now contents himself by leading a rock and roll tour of his hometown!   He  works as a tour guide in Belfast City Hall, Crumlin Road Gaol, and leads regular excursions around Northern Ireland for cruise ship guests.  He also leads tours round Ireland for Rick Steves Europe .   

Travelling in a small group means you can truly connect with your guide, enjoy a wealth of personal insights and lived history, and therefore experience Ireland in a much more meaningful way.

 All our tours are conducted in luxury, modern, air-conditioned minibuses with a full-time professional driver.

 Our focus on small groups enables us to comply with social distancing safety standards and strict hygiene protocols. You will be accompanied by one of our full-time professional guides on every step of your Irish adventure.

My wife and I spent two weeks touring Ireland with Paul Corken. The sights were beautiful and the experiences amazing, but it was our guide, Paul, who made our trip truly special. Paul’s breadth and depth of knowledge about Ireland was very impressive, and his “local” connections enabled us to enjoy small group performances and special venues. Paul was also so well organized that we could pack in lots of activities but we never felt rushed. Paul arranged unique tour experiences, added music and interesting stories to his commentary, and took excellent care of our entire tour group. I just can’t say enough great things about him, but if you’re going to visit Ireland, make sure you do it with Paul as your guide!

Gary, Monterey, California

My first exposure to Ireland was on a two week tour, with Lynn Corken as our Guide.  What really made the trip such a personally rewarding experience was Lynn’s enthusiasm, skill, and care in guiding us, and particularly her knowledge of the history and culture of this beautiful island.  Lynn made each of us feel like we were her favorite brother or sister, and every activity, innkeeper, musician, and craft person she introduced us to contributed to making it an unforgettable vacation.  I’ll look forward to returning again and making more friends like Lynn!

Don Fallon, Hightstown, NJ

Edmonds WA, January 2019

We traveled around Ireland for two weeks in the fall of 2019 with Paul, who made it a magical experience.  His deep historical knowledge, music appreciation and years of experience created a very memorable trip.  Each place we visited was brought to life through his well paced narrative, story telling, personal connections and music.  What came through the most was how much Paul cares about Ireland and its people.  Paul is an exceptional guide with whom I would travel again in a heartbeat.

Katy Castagna, California

...and then we met Lynn, our tour guide.  And we both knew in a microsecond that we had made the right choice.  For the next 15 days we were guided through the cities and countryside of the Republic and Northern Ireland; experienced culture; history; and the personal narratives of the Irish, their joy, their sacrifice, their courage and their shared common heritage. The beauty of the countryside was matched by Lynn's grace, passion for the history and culture of Ireland, her good humor, and her great skills as a shepherd for inquiry and exploration.  

Subsequent to our Irish adventure, we have been on other great tours, with wonderful guides.  None, however, exceeded Lynn's ability to draw us into the excitement of exploration. 

Christopher C Colenda & Kathryn W. Colenda