We had quite the interesting set of rental car experiences that I feel might be reassuring for some others nervous about driving in Ireland. First some background- I’m in my early 30’s, and was travelling with my younger sister, brother, and brother in law. I’m a very comfortable driver in the US- I’ve driven across the US twice, and I haven’t been in an accident other than minor fender benders. However, before this trip I’d never driven in Europe, let alone on the left side of the road. Also, I’m left handed- my Mom’s theory is that it made it easier for me to drive!
We rented our first car at the Shannon Airport from Hertz. I was still quite nervous at this time, so I got full coverage on the car. A bit more expensive that I’d hoped, but still quite close to the quote I came in with. Got the car in about five minutes with no trouble with my US license or credit card. We went up one level of rental when reserving online, I think from economy to compact. The car had plenty of space in the trunk for two large suitcases, one small rolling suitcase, and one duffel, plus a few backpacks. We found the car to be very comfortable, although it was weird being in a car where the engine stopped every time I fully braked. There were signs all over the interior of the car reminding me to drive on the left.
As for the actual driving, I very quickly got used to driving on the left. We first went to Bunratty, which was a nice, easy introduction to driving on the left. Then off to Doolin. That was a bit more of an exciting drive, but once I got used to the size of the car, I actually found passing cars to be relatively easy. Despite worries about taking forever to drive places, the phone GPS travel times were pretty much correct for me. I spent the next couple of days driving around Doolin and then driving to Dublin. Actually driving in Dublin wasn’t particularly fun, but was pretty typical City driving. Having a navigator the whole time was really, really helpful. I wouldn’t want to drive alone.
We dropped off the car in central Dublin after filling it with diesel. No problems with drop-off, even though we were a bit early.
Due to a variety of unexpected circumstances, we then wound up needing to rent a car for one day to follow a tour with their permission. It’s a long, boring story, but finding a one day car rental last minute was a bit challenging. We called several companies and got crazy quotes. The tour company recommended that we call Europcar, and they took care of us immediately. Only seventy euros for an automatic for one day with full coverage, and no need to put crazy holds on a credit card. We had to taxi out to the Dublin Airport to pick up the car. This was a way cheaper car, and took a bit more getting used to- It was only semi-automatic, so I had to get used to switching gears and using the parking brake to keep the car from driving backwards while switching to drive. The car didn’t have a park setting, just neutral, which was new to me! At first I couldn’t quite figure it out, but a kind agent came out to show me how to use the car, and I was able to pick it up pretty quickly after that. This car was a pain to get to go faster/switch gears. Based on my experiences, I’d highly recommend going up one level of rental car to get a slightly more advanced car. We also had a problem with the tire pressure light in the car- it went on about fifteen miles into the trip. We filled the tires but the light never turned off. A little unnerving, but we never actually had problems with the tires. Despite a slightly rougher driving experience, everything still went fine. I’m actually worried about returning to the US to drive, since my brain really likes driving on the left! No problems returning the second car either. Hope this is useful!