Cathal Farragher

I came to Phil with some driving experience on a provisional license. As a result of this I had developed some "interesting" driving skills and habits, which I knew, would prohibit me from passing a driving test. I presented Phil with a challenge of helping me to pass quickly as I had a new baby on the way and being able to drive would be a huge benefit to both my family and me.

Phil has a remarkably relaxed style of teaching that allows for the student to develop skills without feeling under any pressure. The whole process of driving is brought together in a jigsaw fashion, piece by piece, in a very skillful manner. One thing I found particularly useful is that Phil does not try to force a driving style upon the student. Rather he allows the student to drive in a way they are comfortable with while all the time adding the touches and skills necessary to ensure that safety and awareness become key elements of this style.

Phil has clearly put a lot of time and effort into knowing the preferred test routes and into understanding what the examiners look for and does all he can to get the student familiar with these. The real benefit of this is not felt until test day when you will find that very little is new or alien about the experience.

While Phil has an extraordinary talent for foretelling what will happen about fifteen minutes before it does, his greatest skill is his ability to make you feel at ease through the whole experience. He is terrific at building confidence and will make you feel that you can pass the test from the first time you sit in the car with him. He is also a lovely guy to spend two hours in a car with! But perhaps the greatest compliment I can pay him is that he has managed to take a driver with many years of bad habits and get me to pass the test first time, not just that but with absolutely no driver faults!! How can you ask for more then that? I would recommend Phil without a moments hesitation.