Shannon O'Brien

Tour Sales and Operations Manager

As Tour Sales and Operations Manager, Shannon is responsible for scheduling journeys across our Irish-based tours - booking suppliers, assigning transfer times, and ensuring every guest receives their driver guide schedule ahead of departure. She also handles client communications, from initial bookings and phone queries through to payment processing.

Shannon joined My Ireland Tour on 1st April 2019 and has spent the past seven years building deep relationships with both our guests and the suppliers who make each tour run smoothly.

Shannon O'Brien

Shannon's background

Before joining My Ireland Tour, Shannon worked at Blarney Woollen Mills, where she regularly dealt with American visitors in the shop. That experience gave her a real understanding of what international tourists need when they arrive in Ireland - even when both countries speak English, the cultural differences can feel significant.

"I would have understood that when they're coming here, despite the fact that we're both English speaking countries, they might feel like the culture is very different. Things like how to navigate the roads, how to pay for things - really small things. I know that the Discover Card they use doesn't work here. Just little things like that give them reassurance."

Key focus

Shannon takes particular satisfaction in two areas: reassuring clients who call in with queries, and the precision logistics of scheduling tours across a high volume of suppliers and dates.

"I like the fact that the more I talk to them, they feel reassured. And then on the other side of it, the logistics of the visits - I love that I've got 50 spreadsheets open at the same time making sure all the times are correct for the tour."

Tour specialisations

  • Scheduling and coordinating Irish-based tour visits with 50+ suppliers
  • Assigning driver guide schedules and transfer times across 250+ tours per year
  • Handling client queries, bookings, and phone payments
  • Liaising with driver guides to fine-tune timings and itinerary flow
  • Catching and resolving scheduling conflicts before they affect guests

Working style

Shannon works closely with our driver guides, taking their on-the-ground feedback about traffic, timing, and logistics and using it to continuously refine tour schedules. It's a process she clearly enjoys - a half-hour problem caught early is, in her words, exactly the kind of thing she loves to fix.

"I love the fact that at the end of the year no problem happens. I would have caught it before it happened."

Online presence

Articles & Contributions for My Ireland Tour