Driving around Ireland

Thank you for all the replies. I am a confident driver in the US and drive a couple of hours a day in country and city. I am 49.

I would prefer to have a driver, but, can't get the logistics to work.

What is an RS?

Is it possible to get a driver to take us from Dublin to our cousims houses, leave us there for a couple of nights and pick us up again to take us across to Dingle?

Although I think I can do the driving, I would prefer not to worry quite as much.

Mary,
I'd like to pass on an idea my mom used when driving in England. She put a bright wristband on her left hand to remind her to keep left. Worked for her -- don't know if it'll work for anyone else!

Also, don't drive in the big cities. Save stress and park the car and use public transportation.

I lived in Ireland once upon a time and hope you have a great time!

Mary, driving in Ireland can be "challenging", especially if you haven't previously driven on "the other" side of the road. The roads are quite narrow in some places, so renting a larger car is not a good idea. I'd recommend an auto transmission, which will probably cost more.

Many of the road signs are in both Gaelic (Irish) and English, but in some cases the english portion has been painted-over. Therefore a good map and / or a GPS unit would be a really good idea. You'll want to familiarize yourself with parking signage and regulations also.

I've driven extensively in England, but chose to take a RS Tour rather than drive in Ireland. I felt that was the right decision for me, and I had a fantastic trip!

Happy travels!

I agree that an automatic makes things much easier. You'll get used to driving on the other side fairly quickly, but be careful turning corners, or turning into driveways (like at gas stations). It's really easy to slip back to staying to the right of an unmarked driveway, or to look the wrong way when pulling out. Remember that the closest lane will be coming from the right, not the left. (Easy to forget when walking across the street, too.)

Mary, my dad and I just returned from Ireland last month. I was in a bit of the same quandry because we rented a house and care in County Limerick based on my husband being with us. He ended up taking a new job and couldn't go.

If you can drive a standard it is doable but the automatic is a much better option.

Think this through because the other travelers are right ....it is tricky and stressful in Ireland to see the sights and drive on the left. Navagating and driving in Ireland are both very different ....even than in the UK. Several RSTEVES followers told me the same thing. Lots of tractors, some sheep, goats and very NARROW (but beautiful) roads at times...

We ended contacting our landlord for the house and they found us a driver. It was worth the expense ....and turned out to be ALOT of FUN. I drove in the evenings around Abbeyfeale and by the end of the trip drove the car back to the airport.

Mary I drove solo in Ireland in my late 40's and never felt encumbered. Got the right insurance, opted for the automatic, had a good map, a plan and off I went. Drove at a nice pace and once I got the kilometer conversion straight had no worries. Did the entire island with nary a scratch. Was careful for sheep, lories,
cattle, etc. Stayed on the back roads and often went for hours before seeing another car. It was ideal. Are you confident as a driver here in the states? If yes, then go for it. Slainte.

Mary, "RS" is the usual abbreviation here for Rick Steves. I took the RS 14-day Ireland tour last fall, and it was a lot of fun!

Cheers!

As others have said, rent a small auto transmission car & be sure to get the CDW and SDW insurance. It will be expensive -- but very worth it for peace of mind. You and your daughter will have so much fun wandering around Ireland. With your own car you will be able to come and go and explore as you wish.

I suggest buying the Ordinance Survey's Complete Road Atlas of Ireland. You can order it from Amazon.com. It is a great spiral bound road map book with very detailed pages. If you get it now it will even help in your planning.

The 2 key phases to remind yourself to drive on the left are: "Driver in the Middle" as you start down a road, and "Short Lefts- Long Rights" when you come to an intersection. Think about those and they will become your trip mantra! Have your daughter join in and shout "Driver in the Middle" -- that will keep you on your toes!!

I absoulutely agree with the previous poster that you should drive in Ireland. Yes, a bit more caution is necessary than you are probably used to, but with a teenage daughter to help you, staying on the correct side of the road should not be a problem.
A previous poster gave you the major tip: make sure you, the driver, is in the middle of the road, not the passenger.

The only other, and original, thing I would add is to be careful after using the rear view mirror. I found that this could be confusing.

Have fun!

Thank you. I will have a wrist bad, constantly say driver in the middle, purchase the map book now to help with planning and follow the other excellent suggestions. I will be making a little card with the suggested phrases to put on the visor. You are all really a great help. Thank you very much.

I love driving in Ireland. The only problem I kept having was getting into the wrong side of the car and wondering who stole my steering wheel

Hi Mary,
It sounds like you have already been given some great advice and I totally agree that it is worth it to drive in Ireland! One piece of advice that a local gave us while we were there that really helped was that most local people actually drive down the center of the road when there are no other cars. This really helped us on some of the small side roads and made driving much less stressful. We were so accustomed to having to make sure we were always in our lane that it hadn't even occurred to us to do this. Although, you will have to mind curves and blind spots to be sure you are in your lane. Happy travels!

We recently rented a car for a two week tour of Ireland. Being Aussies, it was no hassle for us. There were very prominent yellow and black signs in several places inside the car reminding the driver to keep left. You'll be fine. Take your time, stay out of the big cities and enjoy. I navigated during our trip with no problems. I used a Michelin map in conjunction with the step-by-step directions I downloaded from the from the AA web site.

Great Advice! We just got back from 2 weeks driving in Ireland and it was wonderful - would do it again and again. However - what made it SO easy and hassle-free was our Tom Tom GPS with all of the Ireland maps downloaded. We loaded everything here and took it with us and it worked PERFECTLY! We met a number of people who had reserved GPS systems with their rental car but then there were none available when they arrived. So - my advice is that, even more important than renting an automatic (if you're comfortable with a standard here, it's not too much more difficult), take a good GPS with you. It will allow both you and your daughter to enjoy yourselves so much more!

I know you have been advised to get the CDW insurance, but I just want to make sure you know that most if not all credit cards do not cover this in Ireland, even if they do in other countries.

One other thing -- be aware that driving is slow because of the narrow one-lane roads. Many people make the mistake of thinking they can cover the same distances in the same time as in the US. It will take twice as long in Ireland.

Good luck and have a great trip!

Part of any trip is becoming a native. Driving on the other side is only a problem for a while then it's old hat. You may even forget how to drive when you return to The States. Give yourself plenty of time to get from one place to another, speeds are low and pasture traffic can be heavy. As you drive remember little wide spots in the road you may need to back up everyonce in a while. Don't forget the little ditch on the road side before the hedge-row, you could dip into it. If you get lost, don't worry most people will be glad to help. My wife and I got lost looking for our B&B. Looked for the local police station for directions, it was closed. Saw that the pub a few doors down was open and stop in to get directions from the bar tender, he was new to the town but told us to talk to the man holding court in the back of the bar. We asked him and he actually walked us out to our car an drove with us a couple of blocks to show use the right street.

In another case we missed our turn because we forgot to look at the street signs that were attached to the foot of the buildings. We only learn of this when we looked at picture of the town when we got home.

Have fun

People who have to use a GPS system so they will not take a wrong turn miss out on a great deal of the charm of Ireland.

Something I forgot. While driving on back roads in No. Ireland, I had to take a detour when the police blocked a road because of an accident. The officer told me the first 3 turns and then his voice sort of drifted off.

Well, after the first three turns, I became aware that I was totally lost. So I stopped my car at the next stop sign and got out! The next driver to pull up to the stop sign asked if I needed help, decided that the directions were too complicated and drove ahead of me for 3 MILES to get me to the right road.

The Irish are wonderful, helpful people who will treat you like family (or at least like a neighbor). Don't worry about getting lost.

They also miss out on lots of stress, arguments with their car-mates, and missed tour appointments and check-in times. I have never used a GPS in Ireland (yet) but I fail to see how getting lost acquaints you with Ireland's charm. I don't think I have missed any of that charm on my trips just because I didn't get lost.

Okay, I thought of a few more driving tips for you. One is that you find round-about everywhere. Once you get used to them you will realize they are a brilliant idea. Traffics just moves right along. This has to be better for getting better gas mileage! When you approach a round-about -- yield and look to the RIGHT. Wait for an opening and then enter the roundabout. You will have had very clear signs prior to the round about so you will know just where you need to exit. Your daughter can help you read the signs and help you say outloud-- we take the 3rd exit ( or whatever) Then you just drive around to your exit and pull out. No one is SUPPOSED to overtake you in a round about -- so keep your course. After you get used to it a little more then you will be able to move to the middle of the round about ( toward the center ) until your exit gets near and then you can pull back out to the outside to leave. This sounds confusing until you have some experience - then you will understand. Sometimes you will encounter roundabout after round about to get you off a busier road -- where in the US you would just have an exit ramp and stop light. Just stay your course and keep following the signs and you will be fine. Your daughter will not be able to nap while you are driving!

Another thing is that the roads ARE very narrow and it feels like the trees and srubs and stone fences are only inches away from the left side -- you are right they are only inches away. We lasted about 20 minutes before our left hand passenger mirror got pushed in -- It ended up staying that way for the whole trip and really saved having to buy a new one when we got back!!

Also remember that your rearview mirror will be up to the left -- not the right, and that the turn signal and windshield washers will probably be reversed. The people driving behind you might not know where you are going-- but your windshield will be clean!

Your will have FUN!!!!

Make sure you know how to turn the windshield wipers on before you leave the rental lot. Trying to figure out where they are is no fun in the midst of an Irish downpour.

Ireland is not about stress, or at least not after you have been there a while. If you talk to locals in a pub they always joke about some of the stressed people coming over. Don't set an aggressive time schedule. We leave lots of time between places and sometimes stopped when we see a sign that looked interesting. Once saw a sign for home made soap and pulled off to find a small business that made dozens of different smelling soaps. We got a fun private tour of the Buren by stopping at an interesting sign. We have taken many little side trips "just because". Hey, you’re on holiday. As a previous writer wrote, the round-abouts at first are crazy, cars whizzing by and all, take a deep breath, it will get easier as you go. Road are not always marked for their name or number, but they will point you to a town, know what town you want to go to, and know the towns before it too.

It’s a good idea to test all of the things in your car before you leave. Head lights, Turn signals, seat adjustments, how to lock and unlock the car… Sounds dumb but these cars could be different. Check your spare tire too!

We are considering driving from Ballina up through Northern Ireland to see the Antrim Coast and then on to Dublin.
Any advice about driving that route and what to be sure to see?
Also want to know if I need to have B&B's booked before we go or can we find some along the way. We are traveling the week of Aug 10-17.

Judy,--- You will be going at the height of the tourist season and I would recommend having your rooms booked in advance. It's not that you will not be able to find some place to stay but you will be wasting valuable time doing so and may end up sleeping some place you would not normally stay.

With GPS you can spontaneously take a side road that beckons to you with the knowledge you will be able to get back on track easily. Plus I have found it to be really useful after dark.

Here's a tip about roundabouts that worked for us.
I was the navigator, not the driver. So, when heading into a roundabout I could check out the signage and when I saw which exit to take, I told her to follow a car taking the same one....as in follow the red truck or the blue car. It helped us a lot and should work fine with your daughter and you.
I will be driving myself this fall for the first time and have noted several of the great suggestions here.
thanks.