We have worked with Discover Lough Derg, the Tourist Office at Nenagh, Tipperary County Council and Failte Ireland, as well as various business partners, to expand our offerings and reach out to customers both local and worldwide. Guided tours and eBike rentals are offered from Nenagh, Killaloe, Garrykennedy, Dromineer, Terryglass and Cashel. In addition, there are various ‘combo’ experiences with other operators and places to get a discounted lunch, of which more later.
A particular highlight of the year was getting featured in the press, with appearances on both the Six O’Clock Show on Virgin Media and in an article in the Irish Independent travel section. It was great to get the opportunity to represent County Tipperary on the national stage! Follow the link for the Irish Independent Article.
Customers
Our customers came from all over the world, but mostly from North America and Europe . Irish customers accounted for the most bookings, followed by people from the USA, then the UK, along with a scattering from all over Europe. It is great to get the chance to show some of the lesser-explored corners of Ireland to so many people, particularly when it is their first visit to the island. The following maps show the home bases of our customers.
Cashel Palace
I have very much enjoyed our ongoing partnership with the Cashel Palace Hotel, which started in 2024 and continued to grow in 2025. It is great to have the opportunity to show the hotel guests around the Cashel area, both within the town and in the surrounding countryside. New this year was the ‘Ancient Sites’ tour, which involves a short loop around Cashel, taking in many of the ancient buildings around the town and ending at the Rock of Cashel. Other highlights include Holycross (pictured below), and Athassel, which was once the largest monastic site in Ireland and can now be explored on foot. We also continue to offer the Fethard Culture and Castles tour, in conjunction with the Fethard Horse Country Experience.
Collaborations
One of the great things about operating in the Lough Derg area is the helpfulness of other businesses, who are only too happy to work with us to find new ways to explore the lake shore.
Besides the Cashel Palace Hotel, we have partnerships with numerous Hotels and other accommodation providers, wherein guests can have their bikes delivered to their accommodation, either for a guided tour or a self-guided rental. In the case of guided tours, we offer a 15% discount to guests of our accommodation partners. See link for a list of the ‘Places to stay & eBike’, along with details of the routes available and booking links.
For the second year in a row, we were delighted to offer a free guided tour for Heritage Week sponsored by the Heritage Council and Tipperary County Council. This time the tour was from Dromineer, taking in several of the ancient ruined churches of the Monsea and Killodiernan parish. John Flannery and Danny Grace of the Ormond Historical Society gave very entertaining talks at the Monsea and Knigh churches, full of interesting snippets about the local area. One thing which really stuck in the mind was the grave of Calib Minnit, which tells the tale of how he was ‘barbarously murdered’ and goes on to name his (alleged) killers. Seemingly no one was ever brought to justice, so it is assumed this was his family’s way of ‘getting back at’ the killers, even if the forces of law felt there was no case to answer. Another thing which sticks in the mind was the ‘memento mori’ grave inscription at Monsea, which reads
Reader beware as you pass me by
As you are now, so once was I
As I am now, so you will be
Therefore, prepare to follow me
In 2024, we launched the eBike and Kayak experience, in conjunction with My Next Adventure. For 2025, this collaboration continued at Killaloe, offering customers an experience whereby they would spend the morning doing a short eBike tour of the Killaloe area, followed by a discounted lunch, and then spend the afternoon exploring the canal and the River Shannon by kayak. This experience runs through the summer months. Read more at link.
Another combined experience is offered in conjunction with Lakeside Sauna, who offer a mobile sauna. The package consists of exploring the area from Luska to Terryglass by eBike, then taking a dip in Lough Derg and finishing up with a relaxing sauna on the lake shore. Read more at link.
The most popular of the combined experiences this year was the Inis Cealtra tour. This offers the choice of starting from Tuamgraney or Killaloe, and cycling to Mountshannon, where guests can visit the Inis Cealtra Visitor Experience before sailing out to Inis Cealtra / Holy Island with Holy Island Boat Trips, where they can immerse themselves in nearly 1500 years of history. Read more at link.
As a part of the above experiences, and also as an add-on to a guided tour or self-guided rental, we have arranged for discounts for our customers at the Derg Inn in Terryglass, at Larkins in Garrykennedy, and at the Killaloe Hotel and Spa. Our guests are also made welcome at the Mill Pantry in Carrigahorig and at the Lorrha Community Shop when visiting Lorrha on a guided tour from Terryglass.
New Offerings for 2026
The aim for 2026 is to continue to develop the routes in north Tipperary, East Clare and Cashel, and to offer lunch discounts with further local cafes and restaurants, in order to offer our customers the complete experience!
During the summer of 2025, Derg Lake Tours began offering tours on the lake by RIB boat. We are offering a combined experience, whereby customers can park at Dromineer (or Garrykennedy) and eBike to Terryglass, then enjoy a discounted lunch at the Derg Inn, before returning by RIB boat to the start point. We believe this is a unique way to experience the best of what the lake has to offer, and are very excited about introducing this to customers in the New Year. Read more at link.
Towards the end of 2025, the ‘Unravelling Shane MacGowan’ map was developed by Discover Lough Derg in conjunction with Shane MacGowan’s sister and widow, to mark out some of the places in North Tipperary which were key to the late singer’s youth, wherein he spent his summers and Christmases at the home of his mother’s family, the Lynches of Carney. We are now offering the opportunity to explore the route by eBike, with several options of start point and distance, ranging from the full tour starting and ending at Nenagh, to various subsections starting from Dromineer, Borrisokane or Terryglass. It’s a great way to explore the roots of many of his most famous songs, while visiting the places which so inspired him. And why not finish off with a pint in one of his old haunts? Read more at link.
Typically, our guided tours are around 30kms or more, which isn’t as intimidating as it may sound when you have battery power to help you along! However, we realise that not everyone wishes to cycle as far as that, and you may have less time to spare as well, so we are now offering a short tour of Killaloe, with 12km or 17km options, where you can explore the historic town, visit both sides of the Shannon, see a little of the surrounding countryside and visit the southern end of beautiful Lough Derg. Read more at link.
If you want to know more about any of the above, please visit our website, or contact us via info@loughdergebiketours.ie. See you in 2026!
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