First TIme to Ireland

Nancy I agree....And thanks everyone for same response as I think that has convinced my husband to rent in Dublin..although when I looked at car rentals it says it was 100.00 to drop off in another place?? Any suggestions on car rental sites...I personally agree and want to rent in Dublin, head to Cashel and do exactly what you said ending in Shannon. Also doesn't waste a day just getting to Shannon and with only 9 days we do want to enjoy the people and countryside. We are planning on staying in B & B's so that we can meet local folks. 2 or 3 days in Dingle as that really appeals to us. Of the sites we listed is there anything not worth the time or something along the way we should definitely see?? Flight tickets not booked yet so could add on one more day..if needed as we will be with friends in England for 4 wks after that.. Did you add the extra insurance when renting cars also?? I see pros and cons on RSteves site..

It's doable but Eire is all about taking your time to enjoy the beauty and meet up with the Irish. Driving on the other side of the road isn't that difficult. Simply follow the car in front of you. The round a bouts may take a circle or two but once you get used to the concept, piece of cake. Truman was in office when I was born so I'm not some unexperienced driver throwing caution to the wind. Then again I experience LA traffic daily so I'm battle tested. Ireland is a small island. A lot can be seen in a day, although day light hours will be a tad shorter in September. Factor that in as you drive to your accommodations. On the smaller roads, drive slower, watch out for the sheep, and plot your route the night before so you know where you are going. Also understand the concept of kilometers as opposed to miles. Don't just drive for the sake of getting from point to point. Drive, stop and explore. If you don't get to a place on your list so be it. The world won't end. Enjoy your first visit. Magical country.

'take the train or bus on monday to Shannon to pick up a car' It only takes a bit over two hours to drive it, it's freeway the whole way, and going to Shannon only to pick up a car is a waste of time. Cashel would be a back-track. If you drove from Dublin to Cashel to Enis, you're looking at less than four hours of road time, making the whole thing a very easy day. 'although day light hours will be a tad shorter' At the solstice, there will be thirteen hours between sunrise and sunset and about fourteen between the beginning and end of civil twilight.

Thanks for the advice.. We lived in England for 3 years in the 80's and recently were in New Zealand so driving on the other side isnt bad just takes a day to adjust. The reason to get the car in Shannon is that we are flying out of there and would save the drop off fee. Maybe we should do the loop in reverse and start at the Cliffs once we get the car and go down to dingle, ring of kerry, blarney, Cashel and back to shannon to fly to England??? That way once we get the car maybe we can do the cliffs that day then start down to dingle.etc...

You're taking a train across the country to pick up a car just so that you don't pay a drop off fee for getting it in Dublin? The last time I checked, the drop off fee was something like $22. Seems like a waste of time and money to do it this way. Even your most recent revision means training to Shannon and then making a big, backtracking circle. I would just rent in Dublin, make the swing across the south and up the west, and finish in Shannon.

It's expensive but I always take the "super CDW" insurance. The roads can be narrow, you're on the other side of the road, and you can be distracted by the painted sheep or the old Norman tower ruin in the distance. You might also find third party insurers that could cover the deductible (which is what the "super" includes) but if there is an accident you generally have to pay the damages and wait to be reimbursed. With the rental counter insurance, you just turn in the keys. I just checked the drop off fee for the class of car I rent where I usually rent, picking up in Dublin and dropping at Shannon and the price difference was about $70 - but train tickets and your time are worth more than that.

Thanks Nancy...What is the name of the car rental company you use...txs.

On three of my four trips, I used Irish Car Rentals. The other trip was with Dan Dooley, but I found them more expensive when I was shopping for the other trips. I didn't read through it all that closely just now, but I see that ICR says that they have "all-inclusive" pricing, which might make it easier to compare to other companies than it used to be, I don't know. ICR has a US tollfree number for questions, also.

Nancy Thanks I will check them out. I also found D Dooley very expensive. I have one more ? If you had to choose would you drive around Bera Peninsula or go up to Muckross Gardens. We are now loo,king at renting a car in Dublin. drive to Cashel Rock on. Monday and on to Blarney Castle, probably end up staying there for the night time wise... then Tues drive to either Kenmare along Bera Peninsula or up to Muckross Gardens...Then Wed am doing the ring of Kerry...and end up In Dingle but could stop on the ring somewhere and get to Dingle on Thurs...that would leave us Sunday to get to cliffs of mohr and end up in. Shannon to fly out on Mon...We want to enjoy our first time and not feel like we are just rushing from one site to the next. :-)

Just spent a week in Ireland. Rented a car in Dublin. Spent one day seeing New Grange, Castle Trim and Monasterboice. Was well worth the day. Spent two days in Dublin which was perfect. Saw all the sights. Drove to Rock of Glendalough, Rock of Cashel and then on to Kinsale. Great day Rock of Cashell was amazing. Got up early and hit the Blarney Castle early. We heard horror stories of the castle as a total tourist trap with lines and long waits. We got theor early on a Tuesday and had the castle to ourselves. One of the highlights of our trip and a great surprise. We spent several hours there and let as all the buses pulled in. Drove to Kenmare and had a great night. Ring of Kerry was anticlimatic. The ring forts were very nice but I wished I had stayed in the interior and visited more history. Driving is interesting. I brought a GPS and several times I thought it had put me onto a long driveway, what a surprise to find that the "driveway" had a speed limit of 50mph and cars coming at me. I survived driving Dublin...any one can. Drive slow and wave a lot. the Irish are forgiving!

Any time you plan to spend a day driving one of the rings, you need to also have some alternate plans in place. If the weather turns out rainy or foggy there won't be much to see. That happened to us on the Ring of Kerry. We ended up spending the day in Kenmare instead. Given the choice between Beara and Muckross, I think I would go with Muckross because there is more to do in the area if the weather didn't cooperate.

Nancy Thank you again for all the valuable information. When you traveled did you always have your rooms booked ahead?? In September I am concerned about not having our B & B booked ahead but that makes it hard if you want to change your plans. Most places want a 2 day notice of cancellation but sometimes that isn't possible. I have booked Dublin, and Dingle so far but not the inbetween place yet. :)

Whether to book or not to book is a very personal decision. People have strong feelings both way. If you book ahead you lose the ability to be "spontaneous" and spend and extra day or two in an area you feel is worth more time. On the plus side you know where you are going to spend the next night when you wake up. If you don't book ahead, you'll need to start looking for a place to stay by watching for signs and calling around although Ireland has massive numbers of B&Bs. That will still consume valuable vacation time. You may not stay in the most desireable spots or have the type of room you would have picked by booking ahead. You definitely need to be able to go with the flow. Personally, I'm a planner and pre-booker. I've been stuck with a few cancellation fees for cancelled trips but not many. When my father-in-law passed away, only one B&B didn't waive the fee.