Tips for Driving in Ireland
Visiting Ireland is on most people’s bucket lists and fair play because it is a beautiful island filled with history and culture. Many who visit spend time in the capital city of Dublin, which they should because there is an abundance of things to do [you can read my Visitor’s Guide To Dublin here], but no trip to Ireland is complete without getting into the countryside. Whether it’s the Cliffs of Moher, Dingle Peninsula, or the Blarney Castle, just to name a few highlights, it is worth journeying outside of Dublin to see how the rest of the country gets on.
So how do you get out into the country? If your time is limited, there are plenty of tour companies that have day trips to some of the more popular sites. However, if you have the time, I highly recommend renting a car and road tripping around the island. Ireland is relatively small, so it usually never takes more than a few hours to get somewhere and you can have different bases along the way and see so much.
Ireland is one of about 50 countries / territories in the world that drives on the left-side of the road and the steering wheels are on the right side of the car. For those of us who are from countries where we drive on the right-side of the road and the steering wheel is on the left side of the car, driving in Ireland can be an intimidating task, but please, please, please do not let that stop you from driving over here. It is not as hard as it might seem and hopefully with these tips, you’ll have the confidence to get in the car and go see all that Ireland has to offer!
The Republic of Ireland measures speed in kilometres per hour, so you will see speed limit signs up to 120 kmh.
The speed limits in Ireland can definitely be puzzling, especially out in the country. Don’t be surprised to see a speed limit of 80 kmh [50 mph] or 100 kmh [60 mph] on the narrowest, windiest, back-country road, which can be wildly too fast. That being said, do not feel obligated to go 100 kmh if the road is not made for it. The Irish joke about how inappropriate some of the speed limits are.
The locals who grew up here and drive these roads every day are whizzes. Don’t feel pressure going too fast if you have someone behind you. It is customary over here to signal and pull over to let cars pass. This happens all the time, so there’s no shame in doing it. Plus, you’ll feel more at ease and enjoy your drive so much more.
If you’re not used to driving over here, I highly suggest doing your driving in the daylight. Not only will you be able to enjoy the scenery around you, but you’ll be able to see a whole lot better.
If possible, have a GPS with you in the car. Most car rental places offer them. The roads over here don’t follow a neat grid system, so it helps to have an idea where your next turn is coming up.
Tolls: there are tolls on the motorways in Ireland. We do not leave for a road trip without packing our coin purse! You might hit 1 toll, you might hit 3. Either way, it’s easiest if you have your coins on hand and can throw the exact change into the bucket and be on your way. Most tolls will have a cashier in case you don’t; it’ll just slow down your journey by a few minutes. Most tolls for a car are going to be either €1,90 or €2,90.
Remember to go left through the roundabouts. 😊 For those who aren’t maybe familiar with roundabouts, be sure to yield to the cars in the roundabout and single left when you are exiting the roundabout.
The further into the countryside you go, the roads will get narrower and narrower. Honestly, the roads look like one-lane only, but sure enough, they are two-way streets. It can sometimes be scary as another car approaches, but just slow down, hold your breath, move over as much as you can, and let out a big sigh as you safely get past each other. Careful that you don’t get over too far — you don’t want to scratch the car on the hedges, or worse scrape into the stone walls hiding underneath those hedges.
Follow fellow IGer @djdubewe’s mantra: “Keep my passenger on the same side of the ditch but never in the ditch.”
Personally, the hardest thing I found about steering from the right side of the car is having spacial awareness for the left side of the car. It is very easy to curb-check and scrape the car, which we don’t want. Thanks for that tip @roadtrip_ireland!
Make sure to look both ways, maybe even a couple times, before pulling out onto a new road because you have to continuously remember that traffic drives on the left and it’s best to avoid getting t-boned.
If you’re a passenger, feel free to remind your driver how great they are doing and how appreciative you are of them. This one is great for married couples. 😊
Car rental tips:
If you can drive manual, they are much cheaper than renting an automatic [no hate if you can’t drive manual because I can’t 😉].
Get diesel if possible — you’ll get way more mileage out of the tank and spend less money.
There you have it! If you have any other tips, I’d love to hear them, so drop them in the comments! Happy driving!
Sláinte! xo,
