Ireland Rental Car Documentation (8 years??)

Have rented cars in Ireland numerous times and in many other European countries and never heard of that. I doubt if most states in the US have drivers licenses that are good for eight years or show when the original license was issued. Can you provide where you saw that ?? Perhaps this refers to very young drivers such as 21 years old?? It might also refer to a drivers license that was just renewed?? I have never used booking.com for a car rental and did this Information come from them? I wouldn't stress over this. Welcome to the forum!! It is a good place to come for travel help.

Booking.com is a 3rd party booking site.

Which car rental agency are you actually using?

I’m actually booking the car through Enterprise. I’ve looked all though their info and didn’t see anything about an 8 year requirement, and even tried contacting them but hadn’t heard anything back so I figured I’d try to double check here.

Where I’m actually seeing it at is on the booking.com confirmation page but couldn’t find anything else about it anywhere else on the internet. I’m thinking I should be fine too but just wanted to make sure that I wasn’t missing any obviously necessary documentation before flying all the way to Ireland.

It also seems like an international driving permit is not required for people who hold a US drivers license so long as the DL you hold is in English. Does that seem correct as well?

I suggest renting through a highly-recommended and reputable broker for the big car rental agencies ( including Enterprise) at www.AutoEurope.com. AutoEurope represents the big car rental agencies in Ireland and Europe, discounts their rates often below the rates offered by the rental agencies themselves—-and any requirements will be clearly explained on the AutoEurope website.

No IDP is required for driving in Ireland if your DL is in English.
Might suggest that you keep shopping around for your rental. Many here (ourselves included) rely on AutoEurope - which offers competitive pricing and a clear explanation of the various insurance options. I've always found their zero deductible package to be fairly priced and provides a lot of peace of mind.
Check out any memberships you may have as well (Costcvo travel, AAA, USAA, etc.) which can occasionally offer significant savings over other 3rd party booking sites.
I'd also suggest that you sort out (and completely understand) the matter of insurance. Most standard credit cards still specifically exclude coverage in Ireland, while many of the premium cards do include conditional coverage. It's worth doing a deep dive into the small print to ensure that you're covered and to know what the claims process will be should the need arise.

I don’t even think that most US DL are valid for more than 8 years,...

Not that it helps the OP, but in Virginia DL are good for 8 years.

But if this is a concern DMV transcripts show when one was originally licensed.

In Europe driving licences normally mention when you first obtained the licence (usually that is the date when you passed your test). In many countries driving licences also do not expire, (My mum, who is 78, still has the licence she got when she turned 18...) although that is becoming less common.

Do US licences mention when you passed your test? Maybe that is what is expected here.

Do US licences mention when you passed your test? Maybe that is what is expected here.

No. Here's an article with a photo of a Colorado DL - https://www.cpr.org/2022/03/01/colorados-new-driver-license-features-mount-sneffels-sprague-lake/

DLs will have photo, name, address, description, a DL number, and license class. They will include the date that license was issued and its expiration date. But not the date the licensee originally passed their book or road tests. Licenses are usually good 5-10 years and renewals may include vision exams and book exams.

I've rented in Ireland before and this issue never came up.

I recently was in Shetland, which is of course in the UK not Ireland, but at some point I vaguely recall seeing some similar language about drivers' license requirements. My reaction was similar to yours - that's crazy! My drivers license was issued, lets just say, in the last century. There were no issues at all. (I will add that this rental, through Bolts, was probably the loosest, most informal rental experience I've ever had - pretty much just wave the credit card, sign a couple places, toss me the keys, no questions, no ceremonies either picking up or dropping off).

From a practical standpoint, where exactly are you planning to rent that car? If it's at the airport or in a large city - where there are plenty of alternatives - I wouldn't worry about it. Worst case, you can walk to the next counter and rent a car on the spot (assuming cars are plentiful, which could vary based on seasonal demand). If you plan to rent at some isolated small town, where the next alternative might be hours away and inconvenient, then I'd pay at least a bit more attention and would make some effort to contact them. If they never answer your queries, that says something about how helpful they're going to be in general. I'd also shop around a bit.

Thank y’all very much for the info! I’ll look into the other rental agencies as well. I’m renting from downtown Dublin so should be able to find plenty of other options if any issues do arise.