What is the tolerance drinking/driving

Well, I don't know the official rule, but I can tell you our tour bus driver would often have a pint on our lunch stops :)

Legal limit in Ireland is .08, same as in most U.S. states.

Whether a pint will put you over depends mostly on your body size.

You can also get a half.

Yea! I'm a big guy, so one pint along with a lunch leaves me safe and legal! In the Czeck Rep. it's .00 and thats a drag for a country that consumes more beer/person than Germany.

The law in the ROI just changed last month:

The Irish parliament passed the Road Traffic Bill two weeks ago, reducing the drink driving limit from 80 mg to 50 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood. Inexperienced and professional drivers, like taxi drivers and haulers, will be limited to 20 mg/100ml.

First-time offenders who break the new limit will get three penalty points and a 200 euro fine, second time offenders lose their drivers' license.

http://www.euranet.eu/eng/Today/News/English-News/Ireland-sobers-up-to-drink-driving

Just an FYI - the new law did pass, but it will not go into effect until September of 2011.

You can always have a "bitter chandy" which is half bitter and half bitter lemon and quite tasty.
when riding with customers in the Isles, this seemed to be the default pick-me-up.

Jerry -- just a nit-pick -- bitter shandy is normally bitter (beer) and lemonade.

Same down under. A shandy is beer and lemondade.
We also enjoy a 'Black & Tan' which is half stout (Guinness) and half lemonade.

Here in Chicago a "black and tan" is half Guinness, half Bass ale. Not going to accuse the Aussies of being sissies, but lemonade??

Tyson's news is especially helpful, re the recent change in ROI law, reducing BAC from 80 to 50mg. That's a significant change, depending on body weight and other factors. France and Italy have a reputation for wine drinking but have, as I understand it, lower tolerances than in the US. Not the kind of thing you want to have happen on your vacation.

BTW---while the Europeans and Aussies call what goes into a shandy "lemonade," it's really closer to 7-Up.

Actually, very refreshing on a hot day.