About DoChara.com
DoChara.com is an Unofficial Guide to Ireland, providing unbiased information for anyone who plans to tour Ireland independently, whether by car, on foot, by bicycle or in some other way. It aims not just to provide information to make touring Ireland easier and more enjoyable, but to give visitors a taste of the real Ireland.
Why is it Different
DoChara is intended to fill a need for a different sort of site for visitors to Ireland, one that....
- ...does NOT belong to a tourism body
(not really in a position to be critical) - ...does NOT exist to sell a specific tourism product
(hardly objective) - ...is NOT dependent on making money from listing or reviewing tourism resources
(without caring if they are good once they pay).
We are neither paid by nor beholden to any tourism interest, we don't exist to promote any place, product or service. This independence means we are free to guide our users to the good stuff but also away from the mediocre, tell them about the best places but also warn them about the bad ones. Our loyalty is totally to our users.
Stuff People Ask us About
What does "Do Chara" mean?
The name was chosen because "Do Chara" means "your friend" in Irish. It's pronounced duh-kahr-ah. The aim is to tell visitors the sort of things a friend would, the good, the bad and the indifferent, the hidden places, where to find value, how to avoid being ripped off.
This site is intended to be your Irish friend.
How did it begin?
The site happened almost by accident.
The creator and owner of the site, Katherine Nolan of InKK Design, met lots of people from America, Canada, South Africa, Australia and other far flung places while participating in various Internet forums. Of course she didn't actually 'meet' any of them, in the face-to-face sense, at first.
Some of these people planned trips to Ireland, or their friends did. Katherine gave them some tips before they visited. They found the tips very useful and other people, friends of friends, got in touch. It was getting out of hand!
So we decided to put all the stuff together, add to it regularly and make it available to everyone as DoChara.com.
Who writes it? Who decides what to include?
Katherine writes a lot of it, edits all of it and has the final say on what's in and what's out. She listens very carefully to what users of the site have to say and takes heed of feedback from lots of people who have visited Ireland in the past. Other people kindly contribute or advise on subjects they know a lot about, general information, tips and valuable local knowledge.
More Questions?
Contact us and we will be happy to answer them.
