Guinness is a lasting symbol of Irishness.
No matter where you travel in the world, the Guinness logo will be associated with your accent more than an Irish passport is. It’s why the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin city centre is one of Ireland’s most popular tourist attractions. It’s a hub for Americans searching for their roots or stopping over en route to Europe.
Because of its importance to our representation as a country, there's a responsibility on the tour guides working in the Guinness Storehouse.
They're not just teaching the interested tourists about the process behind and history of the world's most famous stout, they're also representing Ireland and our collective Irishness.
Frankie Farrell is one of those tour guides.
He quickly became a Guinness Storehouse employee after graduating from Portobello Institute's Tour Guide course in 2019.
Responsible for leading groups of tourists and individual guests around the facility before teaching them the proper etiquette for pouring a pint of Guinness, Farrell loves what he does.
“This year, I took a group of students form my old college, Portobello Institute, on a guided tour at the Guinness Storehouse – something I never thought would happen,” Farrell explained in 2020.
For some, public speaking and the showmanship aspect of being a tour guide can be daunting. It’s not television in front of millions of people but often it’s actually tougher to speak in front of smaller groups.
Being able to see all of the faces and all of the reactions you’re engaging with can be more daunting than just working in front of a camera. But that’s not what made Farrell’s success a surprise to him.
“I am dyslexic [but] I love learning new things.”
As Farrell notes, there’s still some prejudice involved in dyslexia, “In the opinions of some people, gaining a qualification in tourism and becoming a tour guide was not an option for me.” Those who doubted Farrell assumed that the volume of learning and the exams required would overwhelm him.
But they didn’t.
And Farrell credits the Portobello staff for helping him:
“This was not the case for my tutors at Portobello Institute – they believed in me, supported me and helped me every step of the way. In so many ways. They got me through and I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.”
Having dyslexia is just a small element of who Frankie is. Did it present him with challenges other people never had to overcome? Sure. That’s all it did though. Once those challenges were overcome, he graduated alongside the rest of his class.
His personality and his interests made him an ideal tour guide.
Portobello Institute's staff takes great pride in seeing Frankie's success. Our college is built on nurturing the one in everyone. We treat our students as individuals, we understand their challenges and adapt as much as possible to them so they can thrive through their learning journey.
We don't carry students to their graduation but we help them to learn in the way that suits them.
On the Tour Guide course, you study three modules:
- Irish Tourism.
- Roles & Responsibilities of the Tour Guide.
- Professional Guiding Skills Group Management.
- Practical Experience.
- Irish Natural Heritage and Culture
- Ireland’s Cultural Heritage.
- Ireland’s Built Heritage.
- Ireland’s Natural Heritage.
- Contemporary Ireland.
- Principal Tourist Attractions and Activities.
- The role of the Tour Guide in promoting sustainable tourism.
- Background knowledge
- Tour planning and preparation transfers and arrivals
- On Tour hospitality desk operation
- The self-employed guide-tour manager
Taking the skills he learned in Portobello, and then incorporating the relevant facts and stories about the Guinness storehouse specifically, Frankie developed an ability to deliver interesting, entertaining and informative tours.
He would never have managed that without attending Portobello Institute:
“I would say to anyone, considering any course of study regardless of the challenges they face – go on, take the plunge, work hard, seek support and you can have your dream job too.”
If you are interested in becoming a tour guide or studying in the area of travel and tourism, you can contact Brandon McLean of the Portobello Institute admissions team. Brandon will answer all of your questions about the course and the opportunities these qualifications can create.
You can contact Brandon on 01-892-0035 or by email at brandon.mclean@portobelloinstitute.com.
Virtual meetings can be scheduled through this link.
On September 7th, Portobello Institute will host a virtual open day for all of its courses in all of its departments. You can read more about our wider courses in the Knowledge Zone or look at the different departments on the website.
REGISTER HERE FOR PORTOBELLO INSTITUTE'S VIRTUAL OPEN DAY ON SEPTEMBER 7th.
