Driving in Ireland

In our second article on driving in Ireland, we give you more tips on driving, renting, road safety and potential hazards.

Perhaps the most important thing is to take your time for the first couple of days and get used to the new driving environment. If you are renting on arrival at the airport, drive the car around the airport car park to get used to the controls and to driving on the left.

If you are used to driving an automatic then your visit to Ireland is probably not the best time to learn how to drive a manual car. You can find an excellent choice of automatic car rentals at Thrifty Irish Car Rentals which as offices at Dublin, Cork and Shannon Airports and Dublin and Cork city centres.

Once you have arranged a car to suit you, invest in a quality road map and try to plan your route well. It is also a good idea to stick to the main roads for the first day and avoid any traffic-heavy city centre driving.
If you are used to driving on the right, take extra care when taking off from a parked position or a petrol station. This is when most people forget to drive on the left and when most accidents happen.

While most roads in Ireland are free, the number of tolled roads is increasing as the motorway network develops. Costs are generally around the €1.50-€2.00 mark, so be sure to have some spare change in the car.

Also keep some change for parking, which you have to pay for in cities and most towns. Be especially wary in Dublin City, where clampers and towing operations are out in force. Parking generally costs €1.50-€2.00 per hour on the street, and there are also many private indoor car parks in the cities.