My daughter and I will be traveling to Ireland this summer and the driving responsibilities will be mine. I've driven on the left before but it's been many years; that is not my main concern. I've read a lot about the insurance, what is required, what may or may not be covered by your credit card, and what is recommended to cover scratches etc. I am concerned that a large sum will be held on my credit card to cover possible damages--which would crush my vacation budget. Any past experiences?

>>what may or may not be covered by your credit card<<

cc coverage is great for most countries. But Ireland is one of the few exceptions. Almost no cc's provide coverage in Ireland. There are a few rare exceptions so you need to read the fine print from your cc provider.

Most likely you will need to buy the coverage from the rental agency.

Used to be that the World MasterCard covered you in Ireland. It did in 2009 when I used it there. As stated above you really need to read the terms of the agreement.

http://www.infiniteireland.com/credi...tal-insurance/

Call your cc and find out. I had coverage from MC a few years back but it was limited to 15 days. I rented a car last summer through AutoEurope and had no problems. Paid for the full coverage option. It wasn't that bad considering what your paying to go there anyway. Ireland is just a pricier country for car rentals.