I am flying into Dublin next month for the Solheim Cup. After the tournament my wife and I will be renting a car and exploring Counties Kerry and Clare, then flying out of Shannon. My question is regarding where to rent a car. I have read good things about Dan Dooley, so I want to rent from them.
Option A: to take a train from Dublin to Limerick Colbert, then taking a taxi to the Shannon airport to rent a car for a week. How easy would it be to get from the Limerick train station to the Shannon airport and how much would I expect to pay?
Option B: Rent the car at the Dublin Airport and drive to Shannon area. I have been advised to not drive in Dublin, but how would it be to take the M50 to the N7? Is the Drive from Dublin to Shannon a difficult drive?
I appreciate any advice you can give me. Thank you
Vince
Train vs Car
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Trains in Ireland are a PIA. They are slow (even slower than driving on the local roads). Don't know why not to drive in Dublin - it's perfectly simple. But if you staying there for a couple of days there is no reason for a car - just pick it up when you leave the city.
The route from Dublin to Limerick is mostly the M7, not the N7. Getting a cab from central Dublin to the airport is shorter, quicker and cheaper than trekking out to Shannon from Limerick station. Hiring your car in Dublin gives you the freedom to decide whether to aim initially for Limerick or for Galway (M4/M6), and then southwards through Clare. I doubt you've any particular interest in Limerick - so why go there?
The only complication about the drive is ensuring that the car hire company at Dublin explains, in words you fully understand, how you pay the various motorway tolls. Do not leave the hire place without getting a full, idiot-proof account.
The myth of slow Irish roads died when they started building a proper motorway network. Though not fully complete, the system now means you can zoom relatively effortlessly longish distances, then turn off for old fashioned pottering when you get where you want to be.
Dan Dooley now have a "Virtual" city office where they will drop the car at your hotel and you can leave from there. Dublin is a pain to drive round but once you hit the main road out of town heading for the M7 there are no problems and its a straight drive down.
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Thank you all for your responses. This has been a big help. My gut told me not to deal with Limerick and getting to the Shannon airport. One of my maps has a mix of N7 and M7, but my official Ireland atlas does have the M7 going all the way from Dublin to Limerick. My destination will actually be Ennis, so I will need to find the best way to avoid Limerick.
You can get off at Birdhill and cross the bottom of Loughderg over the Ballina Killaloe bridge then across to Ennis from there. Adds some time but is a scenic option. The alternative is the M6 towards Galway and cutting over above Loughderg and down, either Portumna and the Loughderg drive or Loughrea to Gort and down the M18.