By Car in The Southwest

The main driving route from Dublin is N7, which goes 192 km (120 mi) directly to Limerick City; from Dublin, you can also pick up N8 in Portlaoise and drive the 257 km (160 mi) to Cork City. The journey time between Dublin and Limerick runs just under three hours; between Dublin and Cork it takes about three hours. From Rosslare Harbour by car, take N25 208 km (129 mi) to Cork; allow 3½ hours for the journey. You can pick up N24 in Waterford for the 211-km (131-mi) drive to Limerick City, which also takes about 3½ hours.

A car is the ideal way to explore this region, packed as it is with scenic routes, attractive but remote towns, and a host of out-of-the-way restaurants and hotels that deserve a detour. That said, the Celtic Tiger is not all gain; increased prosperity has led to an enormous growth in car ownership. Road upgrading has not kept up with the increased usage, and the result is our old friend, the peak-hour traffic jam. This is especially bad in the mornings between 8 AM and 9 AM on all major roads around Cork City, Limerick, and even Killarney. The evening rush hour has a wider spread, and can build up anytime between 4 PM and 6 PM.

Cork, Kinsale, Killarney, Tralee, and Limerick all have strict parking bylaws. Kinsale, Killarney, and Tralee are all amply provided with ground-level parking lots: follow the blue "P" signs. In Cork and Limerick it's advisable to use a multistory parking garage, as on-street parking can be hard to find. If you do get lucky, you'll have to become familiar with "disk" parking regulations, which involve buying a ticket (or disk) for around EUR 2 an hour from a machine or a shop and displaying it. In Cork and Limerick car clampers are active, especially during peak traffic times.

Rental Agencies

Avis (Cork Airport. 1890/405-060. www.avis.com). Budget (Cork Airport. 021/431-4000. www.budget.ie). Dan Dooley (Cork Airport. 021/432-1099. www.dan-dooley.ie). Enterprise (Cork Airport. 021/497-7031. www.enterprise.com). Europcar (Cork Airport. 1850/403-803. www.europcar.ie). Hertz (Cork Airport. 021/496-5849. www.hertz.ie). Irish Car Rentals (Shannon Airport. 061/328-328; 021/431-8644 Cork. www.irishcarrentals.ie). National Car Rental (Cork Airport. 021/431-8623. www.carhire.ie).