Hi Everyone-
So, I have made myself ok with driving in Ireland.
I plan on being able to get used to the driving on the left side of the road on the left side of the car thing.
I plan on having my sister scream "keep left" at me every three seconds
I plan on getting a blue L thing from the gas station to put in the window
I plan on letting local drivers pass me and not to drive fast.
I plan on all of these things, and yet I am finding myself constantly thinking about driving over the edge of a cliff!!!!
I'm looking at pictures and at maps and I'm wondering if the road is actually really as dangerously close to the side of a cliff as it looks. Can the slightest swerve left kill me? The Ring of Kerry in particular is keeping me up at night!!!
Please put my mind at ease or give me other options!!!!! Am I crazy?
Thanks,
Joanna

You are too funny. I don't remember your final itinerary, but as long as you have a couple of days to practice on the left side before you drive ROK, you should be fine. I think most of the ring is not too bad, there is one section that I found a little hairy, and I was the passenger. You can go counterclockwise and you will be on the inside of the worst area. (Someone will correct me if I am wrong!) I forget which way the buses go. I would rather follow a bus if I was inexperienced than have to try to get by one.

(The L signs are red!)

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34373959

This is my All-Time-Favorite Ireland Trip Report complete with Driving !
Enjoy

first - jhg - i also had nightmares before my trip about the driving. but it wasnt all that bad. its amazing how quickly you can get used to it. the thing is to never forget the mantra.. stay left. and have your navigator remind you to look right/left/right before pulling out onto a street. (ya know how we were taught left/right/left). we ended up driving Conor Pass in pea soup.. crazy having to back up backwards, blind, and on the wrong side of the road. . . walking was more scarey, as i always looked the wrong way when crossing streets.. almost ate it more than a few times. Have a wonderful time!
second - Scarlett - thanks for turning us on to Mina's thread... that def will remain one of my faves as well!

The red L plates are for Learners. I don't know about the Republic of Ireland, but in the UK there are restrictions like you cannot drive on motorways. I am under the impression that I should remove my daughter's L plates before I drive the car myself.

To be on the safe side (no pun intended) what you need are the green 'P' plates. These are sported by drivers who have just Passed their test but are still novices on the road. Other drivers should therefore be Patient with them...

Good luck, and remember that the anticipation and worry about driving on the other side of the road is worse than the reality of it. You will be fine! Have a great trip.

thanks everyone!
driving on the "inside" of the ring of kerry (counter clockwise) sounds much less stressful, but everything i've read suggests to drive "outside" (clockwise) to avoid the tour buses. any thoughts?
thanks!

As Allison said, by the time you get to the Ring of Kerry, you'll forget you ever drove on the right side of the road. And if you are still nervous, go counter-clockwise, and you will be on the 'inside curve' for the drive, rather than the outside.

For me, it was rather natural, for some reason. It took a little readjustment to get back on the right side when I came back

Actually, the busses travel counter clockwise. If you take the Ring clockwise and leave early enough, you will be down by the areas where the busses can't travel (Ballinskelligs, Portmagee, and Valentia Island), before the busses arrive.

Driving the Ring of Kerry is a "piece of cake."

Not Ireland, but in Japan I drove on some fairly narrow, curvey roads and was fine once I got on the road. As others have said, the tricky part is turning from one road to another and remembering to stay to the left. Once you are ON the road, it is just a matter of staying between the lines

ok, i think we are going to start in killarney and do the counter clockwise thing. but maybe we will get an early start and try to avoid the tour buses. is this a possibility do you think? if we left at 8? or something? are there any other areas i should be aware of where i will be driving on cliffs inches from death?
thanks!
:0) joanna

You are more apt to driving into a stone wall than driving off a cliff.

jhg, you should be fine. You may want to search to see what time most busses leave Killarney so you aren't stuck behind one Other than that, smooth sailing!

(PS you're worrying too much)

Please allow me to excerpt from my trip report. I'm posting it now, but must have forgotten something, because it never comes up when I search for "Ireland". Oh well:

"Slieve League deserves its own paragraph, if not for its beauty, which is remarkable, then for the utter terror it created driving up to see it. They tell you that you can walk the last two miles up, or drive up to the top. We chose to drive, and that was fine up to a point. We were feeling very superior to the folks we passed, huffing and puffing, on the way up. However, a couple hundred yards from the top, we met several cars making their way up. Now, here’s the thing. I’m not too crazy about heights, we’re driving on the left (sea) side of the road, with no rail, and a road that’s about wide enough for 1 ½ cars. We all came to a standstill. Sue is on the passenger (left) side of the car, afraid to look out the window, but afraid not to, in case I get too close to the edge. Remember, I’m driving a stick shift, with the gearshift on my left. I’m looking at the car coming down, and trying to get him to back up. I’m trying also, to keep my legs, which are working the pedals, from going to rubber. Finally, the car coming down will not go back, and I must edge closer to the abyss on our left. Eventually, painstakingly slowly, the cars from above negotiated their way around us on the uphill side. I had the handbrake pulled so tight, it’s a wonder the handle didn’t fall off. Finally, we got to continue our journey to the top of the hill, to see the wondrous view from there. Frankly, my nerves were so shot at that point, I didn’t even want to look out. At that point, clouds of black, obnoxious bugs discovered us, so even our attempts at a family photo were thwarted. Looking back down the road to see if the coast was clear, we got back into the car and slowly, but surely, made our way back down."

So, the answer is, yes, I still have those nightmares, although this was the only time they were nearly realized.

jhg, you will be fine if you stay away from Slieve League! It is many times scarier than ROK. If you go, walk up.

(When we finally reached the top of the drive to SL, we encountered a woman who sat on a rock as far away from the edge as she could get in the parking lot and refused to budge, she was so traumatized by the drive up.)

yeah, we wont be going anywhere near Slieve League.
and now that im going in the other direction around the ring of kerry, i think i'll be able to sleep tonight.
thanks everyone!

<font color ="#151b54"> Ooooh, please do take some pics of the beautiful scenery in Ireland.....I would love to visit there myself!! </font>

Ah come on jhg! you are stressing way too much, we're not that bad, the roads are at least 6ft wide!... only joking! Seriously dont worry too much, there are thousands of tourists driving those routes every summer and no one has ever gone over a cliff, everyone takes their time and slows down and just enjoys the scenery, besides you will probably get stuck behind a tractor and will only be able to do about 5mph! Dont fret you'll be grand, the roads are ok.

... probably a really dumb question I'm going to ask - but if one didn't want to drive the drive...could one jump on one of these buses y'all talk about? Just sort of park down the hill...and get driven up?

thanks so much everyone. i really appreciate it. and i am well aware that i am being too nervous and thinking about it too much, cant help it :0)
speaking of cars and ireland, how do gas stations there work? i know gas is crazy expensive, but do you pump your own gas or does someone do it for you? is it going to be confusing?
thanks!
the worrier.

I know exactly how you're feeling!!

But I've driven through mountains in the US and I'm still here! I've been 'scolded' for saying this before but REALLY try not to THINK too much!! The fear is far greater than the reality, once you're actualy doing it you'll find that it comes so naturally that you'll laugh that you were so worried. Yes, be cautious at junctions - but just remember that you, as the driver, need to be in the MIDDLE of the road!!!

I won't say 'good luck', you won't need it, but I will say have a marvellous time!