renting a car

You could always get a copy of your State driver's license record showing your previous years' driving experience.

will try that - thanks!!!... my itinerary is primarily rural areas that would be difficult to get to without a car!

I think you should be fine with a copy of your previous drivers license as David suggested. I would recommend contacting the rental agency just to be sure that's sufficient. I think it also depends on the rental agency. I renewed my license October 2011 and moved to Ireland in January 2013. Not even two years since the renewal, I was able to rent a car at Thrifty with no issue.

Also, I would highly recommend renting a GPS or bringing your own GPS if you have one and upgrade it to include Ireland. When not on the motorway/highway, sometimes it is difficult to locate road signs and street signs...sometimes they are even lacking the signs! This is quite common. It is especially difficult to locate the street signs in Dublin because the street signs are usually posted on the corner of a building, not always obvious. I lived in Ireland for a year and would not drive anywhere without my GPS. It made it SO much easier and less stressful as you're already getting use to driving on the other side of the road. I had bought my GPS in Ireland for 70 Euros versus spending 10 euros a day. The GPS included Ireland and the UK...used it when I traveled to the UK a couple times and even lend it to friends. If your spending a week in Ireland and/or also driving in the UK, then I would recommend purchasing a GPS rather than renting it from the agency. Though if you buy one in the US, it will most likely only include North America. If you buy one in Ireland, a good place to buy it is PC World (equivalent to Best Buy).

To avoid surprise costs, check what is covered in your rental (taxes and insurance). Depending on if you booked directly with the rental agency or a third party site (Expedia, Carrental.com, etc), their quotes may or may not include the taxes and insurance. When I lived in Ireland, I found that Thrifty and Europcar had the best rates for full coverage insurance.

thank you so much! I will take documentation with me from the BMV. Will also take your advice about the GPS - I plan on avoiding the tourist traps and don't want to get lost on the rural roads!

Good advice from Lizcarr. Would only add that we purchased our Garmin GPS from Amazon before our own trip last year. Found a reasonably cheap model with European maps already loaded. Used it for a couple of months here in the US to get familiar with it, then set off on the Irish roads with no problems.
We backed up the GPS with a good road atlas (Collins), and I used Google Street View to preview our daily routes. Helped to have seen intersections, signage, roundabouts, etc. at least once before we started our day trips.

thank you - will definitely use the Google Street view - appreciate the tip!

I'm pretty sure the requirement is that you have been a licensed driver for at least two years, not that your current license was issued more than two years ago. If you appear to be in your mid-20s or older I don't think anyone will challenge your license status. I suppose you could bring your previous license if available to be absolutely sure.

I visited Ireland in July. Had a great time, no problem driving except a flat on the first day, and the original tire had been patched multiple times. However a month after returning home, I received a speeding ticket. With it came instructions to pay 80 Euros, fill in forms, and warnings that if the citation was challenged, or I did not respond rapidly, the charges would escalate. I had heard about speeding ticket scams in Europe, so I was a bit concerned. And I have never had a speeding ticket before. So I paid via a Bank draft, and I sent the required material via priority mail, with 3 weeks to spare. I felt sure the material would arrive in time because the ticket was delivered within 4 days of issuance. I also photographed all the material at the UPS store it was mailed from, including the material in the envelope, etc. Sorry to say a month later, I received an additional notice reporting that my material was late and none of the forms were provided. The ticket and mailings seem to be of government origin, and I assume my rental company had provided the linkage between the car and me, but this is a scam. I would really consider hiring a car service with driver. If revenue generation is the underlying issue, then I would greatly prefer a surcharge on the rental to this kind of annoyance.

goodness - will have to stay aware and keep an eye out for scams. I have heard that seems to be a growing problem. thanks for the heads up.

I believe that you are misinterpreting the thing about having held a driver's license for two years. I have just come back from Ireland (North & South) and my friend who traveled with me just got his license renewed in July, this year.
He was able to rent a car from Dan Dooley with absolutely no problems.
I am over 80 so I can't rent a car on either side of the border. Have a good time in Ireland. Jim

Thank you. That makes me feel better - I appreciate the feedback!

If you are not accustomed to driving on the left side of the road make sure your rental car has an automatic transmission. You need to concentrate on being on the left side of the road without worrying about shifting gears too. It is well worth the upgraded cost for this convenience. Be safe.

Will do - thanks!!

It just adds to the challenge!

I also recently saw this policy and was concerned as I will also be carrying a recently renewed license when we visit in March 2016. I called Avis (the cheapest rate I could find from what I deemed to be a reputable company). The national office said I'd need documentation proving I've had a license > 2 years. I was able to get my official driving record from NY state and I sent it to them asking if that was sufficient - which they said it was. I also called the local rental agency in Shannon where we will be renting the car from and they seemed waaaay more chill about this to the point that I wonder if it would even matter. In any case, I will bring the official record and my old license.

I rented from Hertz at Shannon airport and they apparently have no such policy....There was no problem with my current license which is less than a year old. I highly recommend using GPS..... Saved a lot of time!

Yes, it's easier to drive an automatic on the left side of the road but more of an adventure to drive a manual. As I recall the pedals were the same but the left hand operates the stick (in the center of the car) while the right hand steers. :-)