Esther McCarthy meets the people whose job it is to give tourists that special Irish welcome.

Game of Thrones has proved such a letdown in its concluding season it was difficult to imagine in what way the final episode could any further tarnish a reputation already reduced to ashes and rubble.

What’s your idea of a perfect road trip? For one group of friends it’s a two-day, 800 km journey along the Kingsroad to take in the sights of Westeros — or Northern Ireland as it’s usually known.