Rental Car

AutoEurope lists three pickup points in the Dublin area: the airport, downtown, and on Old Kilmainham Road. That location is on the southwest side just south of Phoenix Park and close to regional highways, a national highway, and the M50 motorway. I imagine that location is not in a heavy traffic area. See www.autoeurope.com. Call their toll-free number for more information.

Cindy, I do not know how their rates compare with other rental companies but Enterprise has a location in Bray which is several miles south of Dublin and would eliminate driving in Dublin. The DART line runs there.

Thanks, I appreciate the information. We're a little nervous about driving in Ireland, but we're going to try!

Actually, the Irish Car Rental offsite office outside of the Dublin airport (www.eirecar.com) isn't terribly hard to navigate. There is a back road that kind of runs along the airport fence to a roundabout taking you to the motorway. I wasn't staying in Dublin on that trip, but if you are planning to do so I wouldn't rent a car until you were ready to leave, either. And in that case I'd try to find an agency with an outlying office. If you know what rental company you are using check their website for information about their locations.

We rented from Avis on Old Kilmainham Road. We had to ask them for a map to find our way to the M50. They highlighted the map and we found the M50 easily, but I've driven on the left before.

What I would suggest is getting a good detailed map of Ireland when you're in Dublin (or even before you go over), and when you pick up the rental car, just concentrate on driving on the left and not on where you're going. This area is a nice residential area and a good place to practice, as long as you aren't trying to follow a map also. Just drive till you feel somewhat comfortable, then stop at a pub or a restaurant to ask directions. (Not a gas station - the employees are usually not locals.)

Roads with lines in them are actually the easiest. Just remember, the driver is next to the middle line.

Best of Luck!
Kathie

We rented at the Dublin Airport. The guys went to pick it up the morning we were leaving. It wasn't big enough and had to move up. It cost lots to do that. Don't make that mistake. Make sure you try all equipment out before leaving the agency. Both guys shifted and when they went from 1st to 2nd the windshield wipers went on. I can't stop laughing when I think about it. Also, the key only worked on the passenger side. So the guys had to call across. When they took it back 2 weeks later, the agent showed them the button to click on to opend the driver's door. They would not get a shift car over there again. Too hard to shift "on the other side." LOL We had so much fun.

We rented at the Airport.However I think Pat has the right answer.Rent south of Dublin if you are driving south.The Dart is easy to use.