What is the degree of difficulty for an American driving in Ireland?

You'll want to make a decision that is best and safest for you.

It would be easy to under-estimate the stressfulness of driving for the first time on the other side. Most things are reversed, so most things you've learned about driving, in your lifetime of driving, have to be changed, quickly. Many first-timer drivers know in the first 5 minutes of driving that it's going to be more challenging than they thought.

Some of the country roads will be narrower than you're used to. One of the more common accidents reported in here is drivers scraping the side of the car on another vehicle, on stone walls, or other fixed objects.

But the good news is that most travelers reporting in here do drive a rental car in Ireland, partly because the train system in Ireland doesn't get you to some country locations where you're probably going to want to go. And most of these drivers survive, physically and financially unscathed, although we've had some interesting stories here.....

So it can be done.
It helps if you have these:
- a confident driver.
- an automatic shift car, which is difficult to get there, most
rental cars are manual shift, unless you make a serious effort to require
an automatic and pay for it (just checking the box online may not be sufficient)
- a proficient assistant driver/navigator/map person.
- you're fully insured; note that many credit card insurances specifically exclude driving in
Ireland.

The first few miles take some adjustment as you must be alert to being on the other side of the road. Roads are narrower which means more precise driving and sheep appear around every bend. A good navigator is helpful. Manual shifts cars...no bother. Make sure you have ALL the insurance to cover every possibility (dents, theft, tires, etc.). Public transit to some of the best areas is pretty limited.

Will you be traveling with a partner to help trade shifts? I was fortunate and my husband drove the entire trip. I would have been comfortable with driving for most of the trip, I think, but there were a few areas I wouldn't have wanted to drive. Those were mostly optional (like Conors Pass or Gap of Dunloe). My husband would get fatigued after a few days of driving so we changed our plans a bit to accommodate. If you are sharing the driving duties, that may help. I'd definitely recommend an automatic and a GPS, along with an atlas.

Truman was in office when I was born so I've been driving for a long time. I do daily battle on LA freeways. Learned how to drive at age 14 on Hwy 17 in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Even after 40 years its still known as blood alley. If you're confident behind the wheel, driving on the opposite of the road isn't difficult. If you aren't, probably best you take a tour.

If you do choose freedom which having a rental provides, you'll need to understand the concept of roundabouts, know that the majority of roads are small, and that sheep roam freely. Amusing that both Connor pass and the Gap of Dunloe are mentioned in a prior post. In November of 2013 drove over both. Not crowded. No problems. GPS, as well as a good map ( I'm old school) and the ability to calculate kilometers into miles as well as a good sense of direction are helpful. One last thing, I'm no longer confident in driving after sun down, on freeways, highways, city streets, rural roads so I don't. My travel day is based on arriving at my location, accommodation, by that time. I'm not a night person so this limitation doesn't curtail when and what I see. Only you can decide if exploring Ireland by car is what you want to do on vacation.

It took me about a day to get comfortable with driving on the left (not to say that you can ever stop paying attention to it). When driving on smaller roads, it helps to plan out all the towns you expect to drive through. Many intersections just give you the choices of the next town in each direction, so you won't necessarily navigate by road numbers or north and south. A good paper map has always worked for me, such as Michelin or other European brand, at a scale that covers Ireland only, not all of Europe. See also http://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/driving-in-great-britain-and-ireland, which is not linked to Rick's other driving articles.

An Irish friend of mine gave me a tip which has stood me in good stead more than once. He said if you are approaching an oncoming car and you are not sure whether there is room for both of you on the road, just stop. The other driver is likely to be Irish and, therefore, experienced on the narrow roads and can get around you. And, worst case, if there is a collision, the moving car is at fault. That being said, I have driven in Ireland on four trips now. It is odd for a little while, but by the end of the first day it should be a lot more comfortable. If you can, fly into Shannon instead of Dublin. Shannon is a small airport out in the country, while Dublin is a larger airport on a busy divided street. It's much easier to adapt to the "other side" driving where there is little traffic.

Lauren,

Some people have the ability to adjust easily to driving on the "correct side of the road", while others have more trouble with it. If you're an experienced driver and feel you can handle it, driving is certainly an option.

As the others have mentioned, driving conditions will probably be considerably different than what you're used to. For example.....

• Roads in the more rural areas will be quite narrow, so as mentioned previously you'll need to be vigilant, especially when approaching another vehicle (especially a truck).
• It would be a good idea to do some research on the "driving conventions" in Ireland, such as how to use roundabouts, parking and things like "no left turn on red".
• Driving in cities with lots of traffic could be challenging.
• In addition to driving on the other side of the road, you'll also have to be vigilant as a pedestrian. Be sure to look the opposite way when crossing streets (I learned that quickly, after just about getting "smoked" by a Bus).

I've driven in England many times, but chose to take a tour in Ireland so didn't have to deal with driving there. I do remember speaking with a couple in Galway that were using a rental car. They damaged a tire or something and had been waiting for some time for the rental company to fix the problem and get them on the road again.

In Ireland, as opposed to England, we sprang for the super CDW insurance, which meant that no matter what happened to the car, we were covered. This gave great peace of mind. (We were really nervous in England).

You will pay more for an automatic but obviously if you can't drive a manual that's what you'll have to do. I had no problems with the manual, but it's what I drive at home, even though the gearshift is on the opposite side (I'm lefthanded so maybe that helped.)

But I would say the MOST important thing you should have when navigating Ireland is a good GPS. Our rental car came with one. That, coupled with a good road atlas which you have taken time to study beforehand, will help immensely. You should also use Google or AA maps to figure out drive times between destinations so you won't be stressed. But add 25% or so to the stated drive times; you will be going more slowly than you think.

The biggest challenge that I found was not driving on the other side of the road – it was very narrow roads, with other drivers going very fast, and few shoulders on which I could pull over and get out of their way.

I'm not a particularly timid driver. I live in California at the edge of the Santa Cruz mountains and drive those mountains regularly. Also, once a month for many years, I drive Highway 1 along the Big Sur coast. Consequently I'm very comfortable on narrow winding roads and driving along the edge of a cliff or the side of a mountain. But I did find driving in Ireland intimidating.

Would I drive in Ireland again? Probably. But I would--as on the last trip--do it only if I had a second person who could navigate for me, as well as full insurance. For safety's sake, I would avoid renting the smallest cars.

Driving does give you the freedom to explore, and that's why I would probably do it again. If you have concerns about driving and feel the guided tour could get you where you want to go, it's worth considering.

I've never done it, by I can tell you what my husband thinks. He's a really good driver and drives a lot for his job. He's always hated driving in cities, but is happy to drive on highways. He gets tense when there are a lot of people walking around the street or tons of traffic. That's in the US. He hates driving in Ireland. He adjusted to driving on the other side of the road pretty quickly and said he doesn't have a problem with that, although the traffic circles are a challenge. What he really hates is driving on narrow roads, sometimes one lane roads, when you have to be super careful to avoid scratching the side of the car. He also hates never knowing if you'll find a sheep or a guy on a bike or a huge bus around the next curve. That said, he thinks it's worth it to drive to be able to see the sites in places like Ireland. We avoid driving in cities at all costs.

My experience only sums up what others have mentioned...

Your Credit Card insurance is usually all but useless (they even specifically exclude Ireland) so consider either the Super CDW from the rental agency or looking for a third party.

Manual Transmissions, shifted with your left hand, are the norm, an automatic will cost you extra, and a portion of the time, when you pick up, they are "just not available" despite a reservation.

Narrow roads in places? well if bushes brushing both sides of the car is narrow, then yes; but those are usually in places you shouldn't be, there actually are many, many miles of modern highways and even four lane expressways.

Driving; being on the left is not much of an issue. But where it does get tricky is at an intersection, your tendency will be to turn into what is the wrong lane, think about it, if turning right, you tend to go into the right lane, which is wrong over there.

Roundabouts...really I do not recall many in Ireland, certainly not as many as the UK.

In the end, Drive a Manual, Have a Navigator to keep you straight, plenty of insurance...you will be fine.

I think the sheep are actually smart enough to stay off the blind corners.

If a cyclist is floundering on the dicey areas of the faster, 'N' roads,... maybe Darwinism should prevail?

As far as driving on the left goes,... it's pulling out of driveways that we're most likely to be offending the protocol. Especially making a right turn onto the public way,... think about where the cars will be coming from!

In response to johnarroyo's post, we rented from Avis with no problems. But, we opted for the CDW coverage. I believe it is standard for rental car hires in Ireland, that, if you decline CDW, they will put an excess charge on your card that they will reserve money out of for whatever reasons they so choose, such as damage or gas. Yet another reason to get the CDW. Sorry to hear of your bad experience, John.

to johnarroyo;

It sucks to have a bad experience, but for others sake, I have to point out several points.

First, CC CDW does not have to be honored by a rental agency, to decline any coverage is to take a risk. As you found out, they can, and do have the option to levy a security deposit, you were hit with 2000 euro, I have heard of up to the full value of the car.

If planning to use CC CDW, any reported damages are between you and the rental agency. They will charge your card, you can then fight with the CC company or their representative for the expenses or coverage.

Not sure what letter you had from Chase Visa saying you had coverage and if that even had any interest to the Avis franchise, but as I mentioned above, it is a very rare CC that will offer coverage in Ireland, A quick google for Chase Visa and Rental car coverage produced this from an FAQ:

**When and where do I have this benefit?*
This benefit is available in the United States and most foreign countries. No benefit is provided for motor vehicles rented in Israel, Jamaica, the Republic of Ireland, or Northern Ireland.Additionally, this benefit is not available where precluded by law or in violation of the territory terms of the auto rental agreement or prohibited by individual merchants. Because regulations vary outside the United States, we recommend you check with your auto rental company and the Benefit Administrator before you travel to make sure Visa Auto Rental CDW will apply.*

Ireland is mentioned specifically, then they vaguely step out of a committment by saying that the Country or Merchant can nullify the coverage. Rather than talking to the Credit Card about coverage, I would suggest getting the contact info of the company that administrates the coverage and talk to them, in fact the last part of that statement indicates that very thing, Chase Visa does not claim to guarantee coverage anywhere inernationally.

Your advice to take pictures is very good, but leaving a car unattended and not getting a return receipt noting the condition, including fuel level is risky.

Contacting Avis in the US is a good start, but they will likely point out that outside the US, sites are a franchisee, and they are responsible for service and any issues...they will gladly note your concern and may consider that in the event of franchise renewal, but have no authority to take action. (Probably word for word the response you got, or at least close)

As for refunding you in euros...they charged you in euros, so that is what you get back, no merchant would cover exchange rates. Of course had the rate went the other way, you maybe would not have complained, I wouldn't.

Yes, as the above couple of posts indicate, renting a car in some places in Europe is not the easy and economical experience that it usually is in the US.
Know before you go.
Thank you to the above posters for sharing their challenging experiences renting a car in Europe. I think we only on this forum only hear of a small fraction of the challenging experiences that over travelers have had; and it is especially useful when travelers share their less than pleasant experiences here, so that the rest of us can learn.
The CDW is often declined by renters domestically, but doing so in some places in Europe can result in being blind-sided by unexpected challenges, as the above posts show.

Do in-depth research on your rental before you go. I contacted Ireland Avis directly several times before we went, via email, to line out EXACTLY what we were covered for and how much we were going to be paying. They don't exactly make it easy to understand, but if you take the time to do your research and contact their customer representatives, I think it will eliminate any unfortunate surprises. I think the lack of research is what unfortunately causes so many negative experiences that I have read about over every travel forum out there.

I had Dan Dooley this past fall. We had an accident near the Cliffs of Moher (narrow village main street at the beginning of rush hour with kids just out of school running back and forth across the street, parking on both sides of the road, and a local who did a halfassed job parking while she ran into the post office, leaving her car two feet off the curb, and we scraped the side of her car, crumpling the passenger door on our minibus), but since we had the Dooley insurance we only had a 100€ deductible to worry about since we could continue driving it.

The rental agency's GPS did tend to take us on the most direct route regardless of the size of the road, so we went down some small roads. With the minibus, the L roads were as small as we got, but after I traded that one for the small sedan for my mom and I at the end of the trip, the gps did take me down a road about the size of a narrow alley in Chicago which had no place to pull over, no farm driveways to pull over in, and with grass growing in the middle, it had been used so rarely! Luckily, no one came the other way for the 10 minutes I was on it, and I just laughed over the tininess of the road. That was the only time I saw anyrhing like that, although we did drive on a busy single track road on our way to Clonmacnoise near Athlone, where we had to pull over a lot for trucks and tractors, but that was no problem.

Since I am from a part of the US with wide and straight roads, the twisty Irish roads were the biggest challenge, since I drove much slower than the posted limits to be prepared for bikes and others on the road just around the corner. Driving on the left was no problem, and the gps worked great to get us to just about everywhere.

The last poster made an excellent point about using GPS in Ireland. There were several occasions in which the GPS wanted to take me down a road that wasn't much wider than a cow path. Having looked at a good map before hand was incredibly useful – it let me know when I should ignore the GPS because I would find a good quality road in a few miles.

This thread makes me very nervous about driving in Ireland again. I did it on a 2002 trip without incident, though. Since then they have added speed cameras throughout the country (or perhaps I was ignorant of their presence in 2002) . Speed cameras really hampered our enjoyment on out 2013 England trip - I was constantly worried about getting a ticket. The speed limits are crazily low in some areas, and the locals apparently know precisely where the cameras are because they are tailgating you the whole way. I would hate to say I won't go back to Ireland because of the hassle of renting a car. In fact I think Ireland or Scotland may be our next trip. But the hassle of driving is definitely a consideration.

At first I over thought how hard it was going to be driving in Ireland and when the time came for me to do it, I fell in love with driving over there. GPS of some kind is a must, the majority of the roads in Ireland don't have names or signs. But a traditional GPS or Google Maps gets the job done wonderfully. I've only ever driven manual so it wasn't hard adjusting to using my other hand to shift. The best road map of Ireland I've found is Odnance Survey Ireland, Visiting Ireland Road Map www.osi.ie it's so detailed. My boyfriend lives on a unmarked road in Co. Meath and he said this is the first map that he's ever seen his road marked on. It also has a great break down of all the road signs in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. There isn't any reason to over think the speed cameras, they have signs telling you that one is coming up, also there is marking on the road. It's more important to watch your speed in towns and villages. I agree with Nancy if you don't feel you can pass another on the narrower roads then stop and let the other car pass. Last thing when mapping your routes keep in mind that R stands for Regional Roads (often one lane roads), N stands for National Roads (more like a lane and a half or two lanes) and M stands for Motorway (same as here in the States).

I have just finished reading all the posts regarding driving in Ireland. We have rented a car for 4 days in mid-May. I just can't imagine going to Ireland and not driving in the countryside, and we have rented cars all over Europe, but it just makes me a little sick to my stomach thinking about this. I know I couldn't drive on the left side of the road, after so many years of driving, but my husband feels confident he can. I hope he is right. I appreciate the clarification on the credit card CDW for Ireland. I was aware that many cards don't cover Ireland, Italy etc. However, poor John, I sympathize with him, because when we called Chase VISA last week we too were informed they covered in Ireland. I now know, that is not the case. One can learn so much on this forum, thanks to all for sharing.

I am confused on the need for the GPS. I won't drive on the left side of the road, but I am a good map reader and navigator. We have never used a GPS in the US or Europe. However, if roads are not marked, as several posters commented, how in the heck would a map be of any use. I will look up the map which the most recent poster shared. Any further comments on the need for a GPS vs using a detailed map would be appreciated.

I would not use GPS for the first time in Europe, much less in Ireland. I drove twice in the U.K. (2000, 2013) and once in Ireland (2002) and the driving on the left part is not the problem as long as you have an automatic. I think the hard part is the narrow two lane road roads and hazards (sheep, jutting rocks on the roadside) in Ireland. The speed cameras also add a layer of anxiety that I don't think existed when we were there last. I am a nervous nelly and I don't remember anything that bad on our 2002 trip.

Don't worry about the speed cameras too much. As has been said they tend to be sign posted in advance and their locations are on a lot of the maps. The only thing really to think about speed wise in Ireland is the Republic uses km/h, Northern Ireland uses mph for the respective limits. If you hire a car in Dublin it will be a car from the Republic, most likely with km/h only on the speedometer. If you take the car across the border you will need to do the maths, but that is pretty simple with a kilometre being just under two thirds of a mile.

Lauren,
When we visited Ireland, we hired a driver with his own car, who took care of the fuel, tolls, parking, his own overnights/meals, and navigating.

When all was said and done, it was not that much more expensive (and a heck of a lot more convenient) than had we rented a car and driven ourselves. It also saved us a lot of husband/wife tension, which was instead replaced with much enjoyment of our driver (who acted as sort of a tour guide) and added great humor and interesting info about what we were seeing.
One of the biggest challenges we would had (other than the wrong side of the road issues) was that signage is not great in Ireland. One can approach and interchange that has signs listing a bunch of different towns/villages, but no necessarily the one you might be looking for.
For our situation, it was the best decision that translated into a totally enjoyable vacation.

My daughters and I toured Ireland a couple summers ago. Older daughter (mid-thirties) did all the driving with an automatic and did quite well, although at times it was stressful for her. Younger daughter (early thirties) was the navigator. They planned out the daily routes in the evenings. I sat in the back with RS guide and other maps to offer advice when asked. We enjoyed travelling this way, although there were some tense moments. I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much if my husband and I were driving/navigating.

My wife and I have been to Ireland twice 2002 & 2008 and are beginning planning a trip for 2016. Both on the '02 and '08 trips my wife did nearly all the driving and while I was the navigator. In '02 the west counties were a bit of challenge, but the roads in Kerry particularly we found much improved by '08. For the '02 trip we only used a map from the back of a guidebook and a compass, and found our way from Dublin to Kilkenny, and Waterford to Kerry, Galway, Connemara and back to Dublin. We did get 'lost for a few minutes' here and there, but the key I think is to really ratchet up your radar and alertness. Driving is a great way to see Ireland allowing you the ability to get off the beaten path and explore nooks and crannies.

1. VISA and AMEX will not honor car rental insurance in Ireland but will in Northern Ireland. 2.Bank of America has a "Fidelity AMEX" credit card which is NOT an official AMEX bank issued card and BoA(FIA Card Services) claims the insurance company Crawford will honor Ireland. Unfortunately, even when presenting a Letter of Confirmation from insurance company the car rental company will still charge you 30 euros to place a hold on credit card.
2. Many US auto insurance companies will not cover car coverage in Europe - so check.
3. Ireland issues 2 fees when you rent a car which are unusual versus USA a. 30 euro fee to get a car in Ireland. AVIS includes the fee (they claim) in reservation but Auto Europe, Europa, etc the brokers DO NOT an is an extra at airport. b. 30 euro fee is applied to Credit Card if you decline CDW insurance with car rental company. This administrative fee is to place a hold on credit card between 2,000-3,000 euros.

Finally, I found AutoEurope the cheapest but they DO NOT give all expenses when quoted but are very knowledgeable in defining all airport extra fees.

AVIS was completely disorganized not knowing answers to fees blaming process on foreign country!
However, when I called AVIS in morning(PST time) I got Barcelona, Spain agents who knew the rules.
Thus AVIS is a nightmare of disorganization but a few employees can find the answers simply in agreement when they make a quote.

If you aren't going to get an automatic, consider the stress of getting used to driving a manual and shifting gears left-handed. I drove cars with manual for 15 years or more before switching to automatic, more than 15 years ago. In the past 2-3 years, I've rented manuals several times on the "continent" (thus right-handed). The first time, it took me a couple of days to get comfortable with it. On country roads with curves you are going to have a lot of shifting up and down.

I travel solo and found it challenging to both navigate and drive in a foreign country even with GPS.

If you're driving on the left, doesn't that mean the GPS is in the middle and you have to use it left-handed too?

pjdbbf--I think that you have a great concept! My husband found driving to be a real challenge on our first trip to Ireland and I've often thought that having a chance to "practice" ahead of time would have been so very helpful in relieving some of his anxiety. We are preparing for our second trip next month and asked at our local AAA office if there was such a thing as a UK driving school here so American drivers could get a feel for what to expect and how to handle unfamiliar situations like roundabouts. Apparently nothing like that exists. Your approach sounds even better--driving instruction/practice AND tour guiding. I love this idea!

We just returned from 12 days in Ireland. I elected to rent and drive because we both wanted to manage our own schedule. When we made that decision we weren't aware of a few things which I will share now with anyone weighing this decision:

• If you buy only the standard insurance you need to be well aware of how much your deductible will be....ours would have been 2500 euro
• So I bought the Super Coverage which I was told would reduce my deductible to zero
• And it would have.....but....in an idle moment during the trip I took a glance at my contract which specifically stated that wheel covers; tires and some third thing I don't recall are not covered by insurance. Wheel covers and tires on some brands of cars can be very expensive.

So if you decide to rent and drive be certain to understand very well going in what your insurance deductibles are and what it will or will not insure.

We had the trip of a lifetime in Ireland, absolutely loved it but our two most relaxing and pleasant days of the trip were the two days at the end of the trip when we hired a driver. Most of the hotels in Ireland can arrange a driver for you including for airport transfers and point to point transportation. The Dromoland arranged ours and even let us charge it to our room (35 to 40 euro per hour ) as we weren't carrying much paper money at that point in the trip.

We will almost certainly return to Ireland next year and I will arrange for private drivers for the entire trip. And I expect to spend a bit less for a private driver than we just spent for a car rental.

Like Charley (previous poster) we found that hiring a driver was no more costly than if we had rented a car, paid for fuel, tolls, etc. And, it was much less stressful. As far as flexibility goes, there was ultimate flexibility (to start the day when we wanted, see what we wanted, also received excellent recommendations from our driver, and ended the day when we wanted.

A negative about driving is that one person has to concentrate on the road, instead of enjoying the lovely views.

On this Forum, often the topic of getting to know or talk with locals comes up, having a local driver was like having an instant friend. And, now two years later, we still email back and forth about twice a year.

No reading road maps, no trying to figure out where to turn, etc.

We can recommend:

Tony McCann
Doolin Taxi

Our driver was excellent, his contact info for anyone interested is [email protected]. He works out of the Shannon area but was agreeable to driving where ever you might want to go.

We've been to Ireland twice, renting cars both times, and have found the experience pretty stressful. However, it was NOT the driving on the left that bothered us too much. It was the extreme narrowness of the secondary roads, most frequently with no shoulder at all, but frequently bounded by stone walls exactly at the edge of the narrow pavement. We will be probably making a 3rd trip to Ireland next year, and we have decided to rent the smallest car that we can. There can be as much as 8" difference in width between the smallest car and a compact car - and we will be MUCH more at ease with that. My $0.02

Kent indicated the following in his post. - an automatic shift car, which is difficult to get there, most
rental cars are manual shift, unless you make a serious effort to require
an automatic and pay for it (just checking the box online may not be sufficient)

I've checked the box and paid for the automatic shift car. Now I'm wondering what Kent's serious effort is required to actually get one. I have not driven a manual since I was a teen.
HELP!

Do not be surprised if, when you get there, they apologetically tell you that all the auto trans cars are already out. Prepare yourself for that by carrying info about at least one other car rental company that has advertised that they have auto cars as well.