Drive or big bus tour of Ireland?

You could divide your time between Dublin &/or Galway,Cork and take day tours from there. Bus Eireann and Irish Rail offer several tours as do other privately owned companies.

If you are already comfortable driving a stick it's not that big a deal to shift with your left hand (I mean once you're out of first you can always get moving and out of other drivers way in a pinch). Just takes a bit of practice and since traffic is light in Ireland (outside of big cities naturally) it's a good way to ease into it for future trips to countries driving on the left. That said you can reserve an automatic (more expensive). Personally I think you will get so much more out of Ireland driving yourself and staying in B&Bs. Distances are short but don't forget the twisty roads and driving through villages when computing driving time. Buy a good map and don't sweat asking for directions. The Irish are, in my experience, some of the most helpful and friendly people around.

Go for the car! When we went to Ireland in April I was worried about driving. We did rent an automatic, which for me was worth the extra money. It was a little stressful the first day, but after that it was fine. With a car you can go where you want, when you want, and stay as long as you want.

Lynne: There's well-meaning advice from people who have driven there and now tell you to do the same thing, "go for it"--but you know yourself, none of us do, so I'd suggest you stick with your instincts about not being comfortable with left handed stick shift and left side of the road driving--since this is a safety issue involving, potentially, the safety of yourself and your group, and can also become a financial issue if something happens. Unfortunate experiences have been reported here by other travelers.

Lynne, check out (Google) tours offered by Irish based tour companies. I'm sure they will cater for smaller groups. If you are uncomfortable with driving, this would be a good way to go.

Just returned from 9 days in Ireland, rented an automatic mini van (there were 6 of us). Bumped a LOT of curbs the 1st 2 days but after that it was wonderful. Saw something in the horizon & found a way to explore. We based ourselves out of a farmhouse in Anacarty in Tipperary Cty, send 1 night in Galway & 1 night in Listowel & last 2 in Dublin. If we had to do it over would have limited Dublin to 1 day. Enjoy

I, too, just returned from Ireland. We rented an automatic and stayed in B&Bs. In Dingle, we took an archeological tour with a guy named John Connor. There were four of us in a minivan and it was great. Other than that one tour, we drove ourselves and started when we wanted, stopped when we wanted and took the time to visit with some locals. I feel you miss too much of the travel experience on a tour but everyone is different so do what makes it a great trip for you.

Lynne,
We were apprehensive about driving so we opted to take the bus and plane. From Dublin we flew to Cork and from the airport took the local bus to Blarney.

There's also day busses at Cork, which took you around the city, etc., and there's also the hop on/ hop off bus.

You can pick your own B&B and then find a company at the city, which specializes in local tours.

No contest. Get the car.

I think Kents post makes the most sence,., its like some people just cannot understand that others really may not feel comfortable driving in certain situations.

I think safety is the first issue, and secondly,, as a driver,, they never get to really enjoy the scenery half as much,, they should not be looking off to the side much now should they... so must stop often to get views other then the straigh ahead ones..

Pat's correct that Kent's post makes the most sense. But I still say get the car. It's not as hard as you think. First time I did it (the right-hand driver's position with a manual shift, in England) I was pretty young and very nervous, but it wasn't as hard as I'd thought. I've done it several times since and wouldn't do anything else.

Maybe you rent a car for one day and see if it works for you.

We "did" Ireland on a bus tour about 15 years ago. We enjoyed it very much. The guide was excellent. We DO NOT drive in Europe! That's just the way we want it. In the UK and the continent, we use trains, but Ireland is not that "train friendly". Take a tour and relax.

What I have done in the past is to do both. In Dublin and Galway to take day tours with one of the tour companies and then rent a car to see places the tours did not cover. On two different occasions I have gone to Sligo from Dublin by train and then rented a car for my week in Donegal. It has turned out to be the best of both worlds. You did not say where you were flying into but there are many good tours originating in Dublin which you could take and then rent a car to see other parts of the country. Aer Aerann and Ryan Air fly to some of the smaller airports in Ireland where you can rent a car and then be on your own.

I have drove in ireland and i was scared at 1st, but now looking back on it-it was fine. I'm actally trying to see if i should drive over there again or take a train/bus. I'm leaning towards driving with just my teenage daughter. I'm not a tour person i like to stop with i feel like it and keep going if i feel like it. I say do what you think you'll like the most! enjoy!

My sister and I -in our 50's and not seasoned travelers-went in 2001 to Ireland for 10 days and rented a car-get an automatic-small compact-and get the insurance for full coverage-then enjoy !After an hour, flying in to Dublin and hitting the road about noon,we did great Have done several tours but being on your own with your own agenda was fantastic !We had vouchers-had great b and b's-and truly enjoyed getting to know the Irish on a personal basis-something that is hard to do on a big bus tour. Go to Dingle ! Better than Ring-follow Rick's book on Dingle and you can't go wrong.

We did a Coach tour a few Years ago for about 13 days and saw and did just about everything one can do with so much information it made our heads spin. I especially wanted to see the Connemara area as I collect the beautiful green marble jewelry, we saw it all and Kylemore Abbey is so beautiful. We did big cities and little towns and ruins and cliffs and islands just everything Ireland has to offer!

Take a look at websites for Globus/Brendan (sister companies) or Trafalgar for some suggestions. Have fun whatever way you choose.

We've driven and toured and done both in the same trip.

CIE and several of the other companies offer small group tours, chauffer driven tours on smaller busses, and B&B tours. You can plan the itinerary or they plan the itinerary. You name it, its out there.

Driving is fine too. I would get an automatic. My husband is fine driving on the left and shifting, but others in our family were not.

Google Ireland tours.
JG