Hi! I'm going to ireland in mid April. We'll be flying into Dublin and renting a car. I'm afraid that I'm a bit scared to drive in Dublin, and really want to get out of town quickly. We will be staying one night at the airport Holiday Inn (need to use up free rooms) and leaving early a.m. - if I can find the way out of town1<BR><BR>Plan to spend the day driving to Portmagee, stopping at Cashel to see the sights. Does anyone have any suggestions for getting out of Dublin the easiest way? Maybe I'm just a chicken, but I hear the drivers there are crazy! Also, I'm hoping someone could offer suggestion as to best way to drive down to Portmagee? After 10 days,we'll be going back to Dublin ( yikes!) for the flight out. I was hoping to drive the east coast and stop at Glendalough. Is that too much drive time - we'll have about 7 hours? Thanks for any help.

It shouldn't be too bad leaving out from the airport as you'll be north of the city and can use the motorways, but get a map as seeing your route is better than reading it. I would think that driving straight to Portmagee(Ring of Kerry) would be enough driving. This is a long trip with no short cuts so be prepared. Maybe you could take a train over to either Tralee, Limerick or Killarney and rent a car from there which could be a bit more manageable for you. You would have been much better off flying into Shannon but I did the same thing in November past as the good rate restricted me. Good luck and get a map to draw your route listing the road numbers.

Hi lotty:<BR><BR>Don't get too worried about driving in Dublin. I'm not sure what it takes to get to the Airport Holiday Inn, but it should be somewhere near the Motorway. I found the motorways to be very easy to drive on and that should be the bulk of your Dublin driving.<BR><BR>Your drive to Portmagee will be a VERY long one especially going through Cashel. Michelin suggests that it will be a 6:09. They tend to undersetimate the times by a pretty good margin, especially if the driver is unaccustomed to Irish driving. I would plan on 7-8 hours of driving(at least), plus a stop at Cashel. I actually recommend that you spend the second night in Cashel. There is a lot to see in the area. Your stop in Cashel will be at least two hours. Don't foget other stops also.<BR><BR>As far as getting there, You'll probably be near the M1 which you will take to the M50. There is a toll booth on M50, but it is not particularly terrifying. Take the exit for the N7 and follow that all the way to the N8 to go to Cashel. The N7 will start out as city traffic, but will thin fairly quickly. It is at least a four lane road for a while, so stay left and let the faster traffic get around you.<BR><BR>If you are planning to drive back from Portmagee to Dublin in one day and see Glendalough, it just won't happen. Are you staying in Dublin for the flight out the next day, or are you trying to catch a flight the same day. If you are trying to catch a flight the same day, you MUST stay closer to Dublin ... much closer. The going advice for International travel out of Ireland is to arrive at the airport with about 3 hours to spare. That will give you time to return the rental car, get checked in, deal with the two different VAT back schemes, and go through US customs. Last time I was there, your paperwork was done before boarding, not at arrival in the US. <BR><BR>Taking the shortest route back, you would probably be figuring 7 hours of driving with no stops from Portmagee. Just for reference, Michelin puts the driving time at 7:15 which once again doesn't include stopping and visiting Glendalough. Your travel time would probably be longer.<BR><BR>I don't want to be a killjoy, but you may want to slightly re-think your plans. Hope this helps.<BR><BR>Bill

Thanks guys, I really am not usually a skittish driver, but left side, narrow roads do worry me some. Even after planning this trip for 6 months, I guess I still have trouble realizing how slow the driving is! We do need to make it Dublin on the way back for a flight out at around 5:00pm. Guess maybe I'll have to re-think the plan. Is it really 7 hours drive time from dublin to Portmagee?? Some have told me only five hours - perhaps it depends on traffic, weather, ...<BR>Anyway - I appreciate your help. Thanks.

Hi lotty:<BR><BR>Again, Michelin puts the drive at almost 6 hours by the shortest route. I used their time for Dublin to Belfast and I'm pretty used to driving over there. It suggested a little over 2 hours. It took me 3-4 and I started well north of the city. Yes, I did deal with nightmarish traffic in Drogheda and that had to be factored in. In other words, Michelin tends to underestimate, sometimes drastically. Figure at least 7 hours. You'll have stops to and you may get lost.<BR><BR>Even with a 5:00 departure, I wouldn't take the cahnce with a drive that long. Drive somewhere much closer and stay the night before you fly out. Kilkenny would be a possibility, and would put you within a couple of hours of Dublin. You could easily catch Glendalough the next morning.<BR><BR>BTW, five hours is not a very reasonable guess. I hope this helps.<BR><BR>Bill

Thanks Bill, I really must believe the slow travel time in Ireland. I just wish I had another week or two to spend there! Thanks for your help. Lotty.