About
I’m all about creating amazing experiences
Amazed when I look back at this journey as a local Tourist Guide 25 years ago. Right away you will have worked out that it all started after the conflict of Northern Ireland ceased and the Northern Ireland Peace Process was agreed in 1999.
Today at Guided Tours Ireland I work towards planning and providing that individual bespoke personal tour to visitors. Working personally with you creates a friendship which just continues through your tour with me.
Why not drop your thoughts across in an email. It’s good to chat.
Keep well.
Biddy (Barbara Ferguson)
Learn more about me
Our Tours
Barbara’s Favourites
With Guided Tours Ireland the emphasis is on “Your Tour”.
Brainstorming with your group/partner/family over a get-together starts the process. Everyone gets to feed their thoughts into the pot – no matter how unrealistic they think they are! This is a great way to get a real image of your ideal trip to Northern Ireland.
Reviews
Reviews
What do our customers think?
Barbara was so fully engaged in my quest to discover people and places connected to my ancestry, as if it were her own family history. She went above and beyond in preparing for our time together well in advance of my trip, and what she enabled me to experience far exceeded my expectations. Her knowledge of the history of the Emerald Isle was invaluable, and spending time with her was like being with a long lost friend. Can't wait to book my next family trip to Ireland with her!"
Bill Verner, USA August 2025
"I spent three full days with Barbara traipsing all over the countryside looking for ancestors' homes with no address (just old letters and family trees with hints as to possible locations). She was extremely pleasant, patient and knowledgeable about history and the local area. In addition, she is a fabulous conversationalist and is willing to seek out every lead, random road and farmhouse to get answers. On more than one occasion, Barbara called up a friend to get more information, stopped by a home in the area we were searching to ask for information, and pulled other wisdom from sources that seemed magical. With Barbara's help and expertise, we were able to locate several homes of our ancestors which was a real thrill. And, in the process we also learned much Irish history. I can't recommend Barbara with enough praise - truly.
Sheena Trotter-Dennis Canada. August 2025
"Barbara is a friendly and knowledgeable guide. We spent half a day around Armagh and were impressed with her great knowledge of the area and its history. She also ranges more widely around Ireland, and on a future visit we hope to work with her again to see other areas of Northern Ireland and the Republic. I cannot recommend her too highly."
Gary H
"Barbara was my delightful guide for a June day, seeking places that had come up in my genealogy research. She met me at the ferry from Scotland outside Belfast. We had a well planned day seeing Lough Neagh, the Hill of the O’Neill in Dungannon, various ancestral places from my family, and the sights of Barbara’s home base of Armagh. Along the way we had enjoyable conversations, as I learned about Northern Ireland history from medieval times through the present. By the time we reached the rail station for the continuation of my journey towards Dublin, it had been a full and rewarding day."
Bill Witherspoon
"From the Armagh Catholic Cathedral, Barbara collected us taking us to Armagh Church of Ireland Cathedral. We were immediately impressed by her firsthand knowledge of the cathedrals and surrounding landscape. Barbara's narratives of the local architectural and cultural heritage took us to time and place, from the gaols to The Palace to the Observatory. All in all, a very good tour. Barbara's jovial personality and insider's knowledge enriched the lovely experience."
R
"Hope you have recovered from your time with the Loughlin clan. We are unanimous in agreeing that we had a GREAT trip - thanks in large measure to you. (Raymond's driving skill and good humor when plans were changed were great additions. Please thank him for us when you see him.) There has been a lot of work done on the photos we (mostly Dan) took. Great memories"
Loughlin Clan
Our Blog
Keep up to date with our latest stories
“MAD AS A MARCH HARE”
MAD AS A MARCH HARE BLOG Wednesday 5 March 2025 A character most famous for appearing in the tea party scene in Lewis Carrol’s 1865 book Alice’s Adventures ...
JANUARY 2025 BLOG
MY HAZEL & BLACKTHORN GROVE THURSDAY 24 JANUARY 2025 -BEFORE THE STORM Living in rural County Armagh all my life the joy of searching out remote hide away p...
