I have the air, and stays booked for our Southwest Ireland itinerary; 16 nights in June 2023 for my fam of 5. Now it's time to plan the finer details. We arrive in DUB at 1030 and our first night is in Kilkenny. We would like to drive through the Wicklow Mnts with a stop in Glendalough before preceding onward to Kilkenny. I know for some this drive is too much to do after an international flight but we seem to manage quite well and have had no problem hitting the road on arrival to our destinations.
Posted by
Colorado Springs
2980 posts
The way you propose to go is, in fact, the most scenic way to get to Glendalough from the airport. Once there you'll be battling the tour bus crowds of midday but it should still be a pleasant diversion.
From there to Kilkenny I doubt that it matters much which way you go since everyone in the car (except the driver hopefully) will be asleep as the effects of jet lag, the long day, and the general malaise you'll all feel after lunch start to kick in.
I suggest that the driver (and co-pilot) "coffee up" at lunch in order to stay alert for the rest of the drive ... you'll need a major caffeine boost in order to push thru to the end safely.
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
10599 posts
Have you driven on the left before? Where are you flying from? Do you sleep on the plane? Driving in Ireland, or anywhere that you drive on the left, is not like driving at home. I’m in Ireland now and these narrow winding roads are exhausting. Years ago we landed in Dublin and drove immediately to Kilkenny. Straight there, not a longer scenic drive. It took at least 1.5 hours and I barely made it. For comparison I can drive from Sacramento to Portland, about a 600 mile drive, by myself in one day. Please don’t underestimate how tired and stressed out you will be. This trip we spent a couple of nights in Dublin before picking up the car and driving to Kinsale.
Posted by
OP
25 posts
@Andrea thank you for your concern but as you can see from my post, I have yet to have any problem with jet lag and driving the day of arrival (Greece, UK, Amsterdam, Paris, and Italy multiple times) and my husband learned to drive in London. Maybe it's from years of working nightshift in the ER bur flying forward does not cause us to feel sick or tired.