Leaving for Ireland end of April beginning of May for a week. Plan on lots of driving. I know temps are cool but is it so humid that you would advise we opt for air in our rental car?
Also, left earlier message about hotel or B&B near Dublin airport under $100. May have left it in wrong area...any suggestions?

I would assume cars come with AC - anything we've rented in the last 7 or 8 years had it. If not - don;t worry - just roll down windows and get a breeze (won;t be too srong since average speed is about 35).

Hi wendie,

We've traveled Ireland at exactly the time period you mention. I wouldn't consider driving there without AC.

If this is your first trip, perhaps I can provide a couple of further hints. When you pick the car up, REALLY inspect it for dings, dents, smashed hubcaps, flat spare tires, etc. The roads of Ireland are bad and the rental cars reflect their condition. If you don't like the first car they offer you, politely insist on another one. Make an excuse, if necessary, such as needing more trunk space.

Sorry, can't help re Dublin AP. We used Shannon.

Don't mean to scare you. Ireland is wonderful. You'll have a great trip.

Do not assume anything for Ireland. Many of the smaller manual cars will not have a/c. The larger more expensive ones may have it. Over the years I have used a/c infrequently in May. Of course there was also last years heat wave. What is the difference in price between a car with a/c and without?

I would opt to have the A/C if for no other reason then when it rains, you have your windows rolled up. It's great for defogging your windows, and you can control the temperature with the hot/cold knob when the A/C is on.

You don't need air-conditioning in Ireland, in cars or in buildings. Temperatures don't get very high, and humidity is not a problem.

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The roads of Ireland are bad and the rental cars reflect their condition.
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it's not the roads, its the drivers. on my last trip to ireland (in the autumn - after the tourist high season) my hire car was all banged up and scratched on the left side. the hire car man said that they are all like this at the end of the season due to the large numbers of tourists from countries that drive on the right and can't judge distances.

anyway, you don't need aircon and no, not all hire cars in ireland will have aircon. in fact, some people in britain try to save money by buying cars imported from ireland - assuming cars like mercedes and audis will have aircon as it's standard in the UK for these luxury cars. they are often horrified to learn that their new car is not so equipped. in april/may it would be very odd to need aircon in ireland (although 'need' is obviously a relative term).

I have had a/c in a few rental cars in Ireland and the UK and don't remember ever turning it on - not once.

Get one just in case, if the cost isn't much higher. A/C is not just for cooling. It also decreases humidity and helps with defrosting.

In fact, many people drive their car with A/C on year round. Especially those whose car have climate control and one just leave it on AUTO with a temperature setting. You may be one of those already.

Add me to the list who think that driving in the rain (not at all uncommon in Ireland) is incredibly uncomfortable without AC in even mildly warm weather.

Regarding scratches on the car. When two cars are on country lanes too narrow for two cars to pass, and we stopped to let the other car pass, yet it still couldn't, we edged over closer to the side. Finally to let him pass we were scratching the car on recently trimmed hedges. I'm really not sure what the option was. There was also a car behind us so we couldn't back up, and the clearly local family coming from the other direction were not about to back up either. If we hadn't pulled against those bushes, I suspect we'd still be sitting there today. We did not have a big car, but it wasn't the tiniest of cars either. The local car coming from the other direction was bigger. We also had to pull our mirror in to let them pass. I'm really not sure what this has to do with "judging distances"?

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I'm really not sure what this has to do with "judging distances"?
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I'm really not sure what the option was.
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i'm not sure why this requires further explanation...when people drive on the other side of the road from what they are used to, they often have trouble judging distances to the kerb and the result is banged up tyres, wheels and scratched up left sides of cars.

i was talking about accidentally scratching the car, not making a conscious decision to scratch it instead of passing properly one car at a time. but perhaps you're right that most of this damage occurs from people who can't be bothered to drive properly.

maybe a lot of tourists get nervous in these situations and are afraid to make people back up (either behind you are ahead of you). people will back up to accommodate so there really is a choice whether you scratch or not. i have no opinion whether one should just scratch a hire car or not and i'm certainly not making moral judgements, that's your choice to make. but it is a choice. i'm not sure why you feel that there is no choice...most people with their own new cars would not do this....so there is a choice.

i'm not sure what 'local' has to do with anything or even how you know passing cars are local or from the other side of ireland or the other side of the continent. strange thought process.

Hi, wendie,

A/C is not necessary in Ireland, IMO, unless you want to pay for extra fuel consumption just in case it rains.

Hi, neopatrick, we get the same situation in Cornwall. the ideal is for both parties to slow down before they get to the narrow bit and then allow each other to pass, but that does take two sensible people, as you've discovered. I did have my own fit of road rage, when for the second or third time along a very short stretch of road, the other driver just drove straight at me, expecting me to pullover at the narrowest point and risk scratching my car. After 5 minutes stand off, he reversed with bad grace. My DD was puce with embarrassment! But I felt better.

perhaps your guilty party had had some bad experiences already that day?

regards, ann

I just don't see what's the big deal this is. I've driven in Devon/Cornwall and Amalfi Coast with very narrow roads that requires backing up. You just work with the other parties to solve the problem.

Done this many times - no arguments, no issues, no damaged cars, no nothing.

If you have to pay extra for it then forget it. We were there in the south part during the end of July during "summer". Thank goodness I threw in a coat and long pants at the last minute. We were freezing!

Hey Pat - but did you have AC in that car that you intentionally scratched by ramming it into the hedge?

Just kidding. This discussion got very strange very quickly. I even forgot for a little bit that it was actually about air conditioning. That's why I love this board so much.

And for the record, you all were at a stale mate and SOMEONE had to give. And that someone was you because it seems you are more courteous than the others there on that road. The car got scratched. Not the end of the world.

I am a local where I live, which happens to be beside a narrow country road.

I know all the places where there is room for vehicles to pass one another. When I venture out in the car and encounter a vehicle coming towards me, meeting where we have no room to pass, I can judge whether it is easier for me or for the driver of the oncoming car to back up, and I act accordingly. Most drivers familiar with a road do the same so if somebody who is apparently a local waits for you to back up, it is probably right for you to do so.

Drivers who are used to narrow roads do some extra processing: they spot passing places, and will probably have a fair idea how far it is back to the last one that they passed by.

Smiling at this thread... padraig, we find that many of the locals charge round bends on narrow roads in the middle of the road... we had a Sister come over from Canada and it unnerved us both completely. We finally managed to acquire ( a gift ) a left hand drive Smart car .....we always drive defensively now, as it seems you do also. It takes the stress out of it all. Allowing for others errors and impatience...

Boy did we ever slam into a curb when we first picked the car up and set off. Luckily there was no damage, but it felt like the wheel might have come off! It certainly can get quite hot in a heatwave - we had the good fortune to land on a day of record breaking heat in August. I'd get the air conditioning but it probably won't be very, very hot.