Tyrone man offering Americans magical, mystical tour of Ireland

With more than 30 million Americans identifying themselves as Irish, it’s obvious why so many love travelling across the Atlantic ocean and visiting the Emerald Isle.

One Tyrone man is capitalising on this passion for his homeland by offering Americans an opportunity to embark on personalised tours of Ireland, ensuring they see the country from a local’s perspective.

Raymond Coleman was born and raised in Ardboe, and, since moving to Philadelphia in 2009, he has earned a reputation as one of the finest Irish singers on that side of the Atlantic.

Now settled in Philadelphia, Raymond is married with children and working as a full-time musician.

But despite such success, he has never forgotten his beloved Ardboe, and devised an idea to combine return visits home with specialised tours for Americans.

“I usually come back to Ireland at least once a year to visit family, friends and play the occasional gig,” explains Raymond,

“I have lived in the States since 2009, and people were always telling me that they would love to visit Ireland, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to come home and show others the sights, sounds and craic around the place.”

The tours are called ‘50 Sheds of Hay with Ray’ – in a cute reference to the erotic novel and film ‘50 Shades of Grey’.

While tales of S&M may not be to everyone’s taste, Raymond’s ‘50 Sheds of Hay’ is proving increasingly popular, and the local man is looking forward to his next tour in July.

Accommodating up to roughly 40 people, the group flies from Philadelphia to Ireland to explore many points of interest, and some of our most beautiful sights… including Ardboe!

“For me, the best part of the tour is showing the people around Ardboe and visiting the Old Cross of Ardboe before heading down to the Battery for a few pints, music and craic,” said Raymond. “Obviously, we also visit well-known locations and last year I took the group to Dublin, Belfast, Derry and Ardboe,” he added.

“Along the way, we stopped to see the likes of the Book of Kells and the Guinness Factory in Dublin, the Titanic Exhibit in Belfast, the Giants Causeway, the Bushmills Distillery, and the Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge.”

Throughout the tour, Raymond – who is always good for a song or ten – performs in a selection of pubs the group stops off at along the way.

He often invites other local musicians along to show his American visitors just one of many things that make Ireland so special and loved throughout the world – the music.

“I’ll sing a few tunes anywhere I go,” joked Raymond. “But it’s always nice to get back down to the Battery to sing a few when I’m home, because that’s where I played some of my first gigs when I was younger.”

Following the success of last year’s ‘50 Shades’ tour, Raymond and his busload of American explorers will return for another week starting on July 30 this year.

Whilst some aspects of the tour remain the same, Raymond, himself, is keen to expand on the concept, and plans to spend time in the likes of Galway and Donegal.

“This time around, we will be visiting the likes of the Cliffs of Moher and Glenveagh National Park,” he said.

“As we head up further North, we’ll be stopping off in Derry again to see the sights, before heading back to Ardboe for another session at the Battery, and maybe even a wee trip on the boat across Lough Neagh to Coney Island.”

The Americans are sure to enjoy the beautiful Coney Island, which is rich with history and has many historical ruins, including Saint Patrick’s Stone, Coney Cottage, O’Neill’s Tower, and the Anglo-Norman Motte.

Before boarding their flight back to the States, Raymond and the crew will travel south through the stunning sights of the Irish countryside before spending one last night in Dublin.

“On the cards for our final day in Dublin will be a panoramic tour of the city centre, seeing the likes of O’Connell Street, Nassau Street and some of the many historical sights of the city,” said Raymond. “All being well, we’ll get a tour of Killmainham Gaol, or, alternatively, we will visit the Jameson Distillery before one last night of farewell festivities that will include a showcase of traditional Irish music, songs and a bit of step-dancing.”

As our friends from across the Atlantic board their flight home, they will, no doubt, take great pleasure in reflecting upon their time spent in Ireland. With such wit, talent and knowledge of his home country, it would be an understatement to say that there is no better man for the job than Raymond.

As the Irish folklorist and co-founder of the Irish Literary Theatre, Lady Gregory, once said, ‘I feel more and more the time wasted that is not spent in Ireland’.