When it comes to coaches there’s one name in Cork that stands out, Barrys Coaches of Mayfield who have been a mainstay of transport in the southern capital since 1960. 

The family run business has become synonymous with coach travel and tours in Cork whether it’s coach hire, tours of Ireland and Britain or trips to the big football matches in the UK. Operating 25 coaches out of Cork with 38 employees is no easy task but for general manager Thomas Kavanagh, making sure it all runs smoothly is all in a day’s work.

The Kilkenny native came to Cork to take on the task of running Barrys when the company was bought by Kilkenny-based Bernard Kavanagh & Sons, Ireland’s largest private coach tour operator.

As a result Barrys remains part of a family run Irish company which also happens to be the most successful company of its type in Ireland.
As well as the Cork and Kilkenny operations the company also operates businesses in Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London and Bristol.

With such a wealth of experience it’s no wonder Barrys continues to set the bar in the industry in Cork. Thomas himself is highly qualified as well as having all the expertise you’d expect from his experience in the industry. He grew up in Urlingford and it’s no surprise that hurling is still a major passion for Thomas in his spare time as well as rugby.

School days were spent in Thurles and from there he went on to study Transport and Management Logistics at DIT. He followed that up with a Diploma Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations also at DIT.

“There are really two main strands to the business,” he says. “Private hire is one major element and then you have all inclusive tours which is the other significant part of the business”.