Driving in Ireland

I know you're going to get differing opinions about this but here is mine:

I have driven in Ireland several times. Every time, my flight has arrived early in the morning, and I have gotten right on the road. Landing in Shannon is a big advantage, since the airport is small and out in the country. You'll have plenty of time to get used to driving on the other side of the road before encountering any traffic. I don't feel that there is any need to stay in the Shannon area for a day first before heading out. On our first trip, we drove from Shannon to Bunratty Castle, which is only about six miles. We toured the castle, had lunch across the way, and then continued on. This gave us a tiny taste of driving, and a break, and then we launched into the rest of the day.

The roads in that part of Ireland are somewhat narrow, but there is little traffic. You can always pull over or pull off if you need to.

My suggestion would be to take the Killimer/Tarbert ferry across the River Shannon to save some miles from your drive, and go on down to Dingle. Viamichelin shows it as a drive of 2 hr. 40 min., but it will probably take you a bit longer than that. Still -- you could easily be there by mid afternoon.

Phil, These are not odd things to worry about -- they're excellent things to worry about! Everyone is different, but I would not want to get off that plane and face a long drive. My husband does the driving in our family, and he is willing to do 2 or 3 hours on the first day max. If it were me, I'd limit it to an hour. I find the flight over is very exhausting, and I have little energy on my first day. Do you have any experience flying to Europe. If not, I would plan to stay fairly close to Shannon and get a good night sleep before setting out.

As for the driving, I think it is stressful because the roads are so narrow. There is not a lot of traffic, but you never know what is around the bend, so you have to be really alert. I think my husband does great, but he does get stressed. Driving on the road side does not bother him -- he gets used to that really quickly. But he hates the narrow roads. He is someone who hates driving in cities in the U.S., but is a great driver and likes driving on the highway. So I would say if you don't mind city driving, you will probably be fine in Ireland. Just don't plan to get places quickly. The scenery is beautiful, and driving lets you really see and enjoy it.

I know Nancy and I disagree on this point! I grew up in Scotland where the roads are generally better than Ireland, but not nearly of the quality we have here in Western Cnada and the US states I have travelled in - all the western and most of the southern states. Never been to the midwest or east coast.

We were in Ireland last September. The roads are narrow with almost no hard shoulders. The surface can be unpredictable once you leave the main roads -and you will if you are going to Dingle or anywhere else on the west coast. Yes, there are motorways like our freeways, but mostly round Dublin.

I left the driving to my sister who still lives in Scotland and even she was uncomfortable when the turns in the road and the camber did not match, which seemed to happen frequently. I also remember a heart-stopping moment when I looked up from the map and saw a tour bus coming towards us on a road not much wider than our back alleys.

I do not say do not drive. I do say be prepared for roads that may be quite different from what you are used to. Maine may be different from what I am used to, also, so bear that in mind when you read this.

Phil,

Driving in Ireland can be quite challenging, so you'll need to weigh the pros & cons carefully. When I was there last, I spoke with a number of people who had chosen to drive, but were wishing they hadn't. To give you an example, one individual "hit something" and damaged the front end of his car, requiring the rental firm to deliver a new car (a process which took some time). Unfortunately, Ireland doesn't have the same transportation choices as Europe or England, so at times driving is the best (only) method.

In addition to driving on "the correct" side of the road, you'll have to contend with narrow roads and signs which will be in Gaelic (with the English part spray painted over). A good Map in addition to a GPS unit would be highly advisable, along with FULL CDW of course!

Good luck and happy travels!

So would taking a bus from Shannon to Dingle be better? I like the idea of the car for giving us the ability to stop and do what we want. But some of you are echoing the concerns raised by others. (It would also mean a bus from Dingle to Galway.) And I assume I would still need transport to get around Dingle to see sights.

Hmmm... Thanks for the input so far...

Whatever you decide, don't spend any actual vacation time in Shannon (except for getting in/out of airport) as it's extremely dull. If you want to take that first day/night to rest, pick another town nearby to stay overnight before you head to Dingle.

It's not "bad" to drive in Ireland, it just takes a lot longer than you might think when you are looking at a map. Don't think in American driving times where you get from Point A to Point B in a short time because you are zipping along at 70mph on a super highway. If you want to watch a hilarious send up of what it's like to drive in Western Ireland, rent Season Three of "Father Ted" and watch the "Speed 3" episode.

My favorite tips for driving in Ireland, posted here by others in the past, are: #1) Get the kind of car that has the sideview mirrors that flip in, flush with the windows, at the touch of a button (if you're wondering, why would a car need to have that feature, you'll find out)#2) To save time, just give in and, early on day 1, take off the hubcaps on the left side of the car and put 'em in the trunk--especially if you've decided to save money by not paying for the CDW or if you think your credit card CDW will cover you in Ireland (if you're wondering why the hubcaps on the left side, you'll find out).

Hi, Phil! I'm about to do a similar trip in May! It will be my first time driving in Ireland (so I have many of the same questions.) I can say form previous trips however, that the buses are safe, cheap, clean, comfortable, reliable, and don't make too awful many stop. They were pleasant, and a nice way to meet some local or other traveling folk (some of whom I ran into again a week later! grin). At least that was my experience! :)

I'm one of those people who enjoyed driving in Ireland, but my background probably is a contributing factor. I've driven cars with manual transmissions all my life and I spent many years in western states where county highways are gravel as often as they are paved and driving on narrow forest service roads on the side of a mountain is routine.

Whether you drive straight to Dingle or stop overnight along the way, I recommend that you do not take the ferry across the Shannon River. You would save only five miles and you would add a fair amount of time to the trip. Save the ferry ride for your Dingle-Galway route. If you drive Shannon-Limerick-Adare-Tralee-Dingle, you'll be on major roads and you could spend the night in Adare. If you drive all the way, be sure to stop often both to admire the view and to fight jet lag.

IMO, by far the best way to see small town and rural Ireland is by car. You can stop whenever you please--and you'll want to stop often to take a short walk in the gorgeous countryside.

You'll need a detailed map. I found the Michelin Ireland map to be detailed enough. For even more detail, buy the Ireland West Ordnance Survey map.

Phil I drove all around Ireland and N. Ireland. Female, 47. Never a problem or a fear. First of all I didn't encounter that many other drivers on the roads and when I did none were speeding. Cars are small, roads tiny but you're not driving on the autoban so your speed is manageable. Just say on the left side and be on the look out for sheep.

The comments about English versus Irish on signposts reminds me of a couple of points. There are areas where there is only Irish (Gaelic) on the signposts - Dingle is one of them. These areas get a subsidy from the government for promoting the local language provided they follow the rules - including Irish only signs.

Another problem we found was that the spelling on the signpost did not necessarily match the spelling of the name place on the map. We had two maps and sometimes the name of the same place was different on each map and the signpost showed a third spelling, which may change again when you come to the next signpost! Most confusing.

We also came upon crossroads, or more frequently Y-junctions where only two of the three had a direction sign - usually including the one we had come from, which did not help, and the place indicated meant nothing to us. It was often the unsigned road that was the one we wanted.

Phil,

With a little research and prep ahead of time (which you've already started by posting this), there's no reason why you won't be able to drive Ireland safely.

A few tips:

1. Pay extra to get the full CDW insurance. This gives you piece of mind that if anything happens, you won't get a big bill from the rental company. Plus, they'll come and bring you a new car if you need one (this happened to my wife and I last year).

2. Though it costs more, an automatic makes the most sense. Even if you have lots of experience with driving stick, you'd be using your left hand to shift in Ireland and you don't need the added aggravation.

3. Get the Michelin Ireland map and a good GPS with the Ireland map. You can rent them from your rental company if you don't have one.

4. Don't bite off more driving than you can chew each day. It takes longer there, and you'll want time to stop along the way. For example, I would stop somewhere along the way from Dingle to Galway. There are many small towns after you get off the Killimer-Tarbert ferry over the Shannon that have B&B's where you can stop for the night. I stayed in Kilrush when I did that trip. If you want to see the Cliffs or the Burren, they make a convenient stop on your way to Galway the next day.

5. Shannon to Dingle is very doable. It's up to you whether you'd rather spend the night somewhere your first night. You could play it by ear and if you get tired you can stop and if you feel OK you can head on to Dingle. Tralee would be one town you might stay in for the night. It's a nice town with the County Kerry museum that offers a nice overview of the region's culture and natural beauty.

Good luck as you plan your trip.

If you are hiring a car in the UK or Ireland its worth remembering that we can't understand why anyone in their right mind drives a car with automatic transmission.
If you are used to an automatic then make sure this is clearly stated as part of your contract otherwise you'll end up with a manual.

Thank you all so much for the various perspectives and suggestions. I'm nearly reassured about driving.

Because it's such a short trip (only seven nights!), I was trying to take the suggestion seriously of spending two nights at least in any one place. Hence my desire to get to Dingle from Shannon on the first day, so that we can have two nights there before leaving for Galway.

Likewise, I was hoping for two nights in Galway before taking the train to Dublin (and three nights in the big city).

Is trying to make it to Galway in one day, driving, really a dumb idea? I figured if we could do that, we would have two nights at the same B&B and have a full day to sight-see around Galway.

Again, thank you all for all the advice. It has been really helpful so far.

In addition to the Dingle-Galway in one day question, is auto europe THE site to rent a car from?

One comment on car rentals, we noticed all of the rental cars had the hubcaps fastened with plastic tie wraps, a good idea. Driving in Ireland is different, it also remains one of my fondest memories.

Phil, I always rent from Irish Car Rentals (www.eirecar.com). They have always had the best deals when I have been looking. Everyone has their own opinions, and rates change frequently, so there is no THE company.