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Jon Kiger

I first realised that Matthews was the best choice for TurfNet when our driver had a family emergency that required him to be o the road during our visit to Ireland. We were immediately informed of the situation and introduced to an excellent substitute driver in Simon Smyth. Simon had the perfect personality for our group. Firm enough to get people on the coach when we were on deadline for our tee times (or a Dundalk FC football match at Oriel Park) and flexible enough to adjust the plan when our guests wanted to spend more time somewhere or make a special stop. Our group is somewhat different in that we typically drop o 24 golfers at a golf course rst thing in the morning and then the remaining non-golfers are taken to area heritage sites before collecting the golfers later in the day. I had every confidence that the non- golfers would be well looked after while we played golf and that was certainly the case each day.

It takes a special individual to gauge the interests and temperament of the people on the coach. Our driver did just that. When I had suggested a rather ambitious tour of Belfast, he suggested a more modest coastal tour that was in keeping with the interests of our group and the time they had available. He also suggested some time for talk and reflection on the rocks at The Giants Causeway which made that stop extra special for our guests.

Generally you don’t have to worry when things go as planned. It’s how you respond when things don’t go as planned that show the true nature of the company you’re working with. One of our guests fell ill and wasn’t up for continuing the tour that day. Further complicating the picture was the fact that we were repositioning the tour from Dublin to the Ballymascanlon Hotel in Dundalk later in the day. Our coach driver took this guest to one of the Matthews commuter coaches which was headed back to Dundalk and Paddy Matthews himself met the coach and drove her out to the hotel so she could rest and be more comfortable. That’s just one of the examples of the outstanding service we received during the week from Ma hews Coach Hire. The coach itself was safe, clean, comfortable and perfect for our needs.

Finally TurfNet believes in giving back to the communities we serve in the US. It was great to see so many examples (from supporting community radio to their promotion of local artists) of Matthews Coach Hire doing the same in their area. It’s true as the song says, “Matthews Takes You There” but there is so much more to be gained from entrusting your trip to such a fine organisation.