Driving in Ireland. Is GPS map worth the expense?

In a word, yes. In addition to direction help, GPSs tell you where you are NOW, and can direct you to the next gas station, hospital, food, etc. You can't rely on it totally (sometimes my TomTom makes stuff up), but it's a very worthwhile tool - and getting one with your rental car will cost much more than that. You might look on eBay for maps, though. Lots of times people sell them after their trips.

The GPS maps are worth the price. You'll definitely pay a lot more if you rent the GPS with your car. I got a new Garmin all Europe road map two years ago on EBay for around $60 -- I can't remember what it was exactly. You can buy refurbished GPS units with both North America and Europe included. When my current GPS dies, that's what I plan to buy unless another technology displaces the specialized unit.

ABSOLUTELY! Most of Ireland's roads are little country roads w/o names or much in the way of signage. Not well lit at night either. But don't rely on the GPS alone. If you make a wrong turn, the GPS will recalculate the route instead of telling you to turn around and go back to XYZ intersection.
This can lead you to longer, more round'a'bout routes. As the navigator, make sure to read the maps and watch the signage for the driver. Having human navigators in the car was very useful. If you do the drive around the Dingle Peninsula, pls note that there a couple spots where the road is very, very, very narrow. "Go Mall" Go Slow. Have fun.

We just returned from Ireland. My wife downloaded Ireland and UK maps for $60 to her Tom-Tom before our trip. It was absolutely worth it!! A real lifesaverbe sure you have a map with you as well and plug in destinations along the way. We found if we put in our eventual destination, it would frequently take us via motorwayswhich we did not want. So we would pick a town along our route (not on the motorway) and put it in thus avoiding motorway driving. If you want to get from A to B the fastest (and most boring route) then use the motorway routes. It will occasionaly do weird thingslike having you turn into a field or show you are driving in a fieldbut preseverve for a few minutes and it will readjust! Just another fun adventure to tell your friends about. Have a great time!!

I agree! Get the maps! I'm in Ireland now, and my GPS has been very, very helpful.

Thanks for the advice. I am going to download Ireland map. And it's $60 not $80. One more question..will my car charger work in our Irish rental?

Yes, it will.