jhg,

Glad you have decided to drive. Don't worry about your sister screaming at you...it's part of the fun. I screamed at myself (I was alone) when I did the drive.

While it was nervewracking at first (I drove down the wrong way on a one way street in Galway), I actually found driving in Ireland pretty easy. Driving in Sydney, Australia was way worse. I will admit though, driving conors pass was a bit hair raising. I didn't even bother to scream at myself...I was concentrating pretty hard.

I would bet that you havea great time. My Ireland trip still ranks as one of my all time favorite trips. I still marvel at how wonderfully I was treated.

BTW, I'd just get the insurance on the car. I lost a mirror, and I think I was pretty lucky. I believe at the time Dan Dooley's insurance covered flat tires as well, but you'd have to check on that. Lots of potholes, I remember.

Enjoy your trip!

Understand your thoughts. 2 years ago, I drove on the left for the first time, with the encouragement from this site. It will be ok. I am 64 years old and had no problems. You won't either. I did get an automatic for this trip, even though I probably could have handled the shift.

jhg

You fill up your own tank then pay for it inside. I live in Dublin, and thats how every garage is, but maybe in more rural area's you might be able to ask someone to fill ur tank, but I doubt it. Petrol has just risen again! its now broken the Euro per litre mark, and its €1.14 and upwards.

oh, i fill up my own tank here, i have no problem with that. i was just curious. thanks!

In some smaller rural garages someone may come over and tell you to get back in and they do it for you! Especially if its raining hard you really appreciate this luxury! Don't worry too much bout driving- you will be fine. We were the same going to the US and France and it actually was much easier than we thought and wished we hadn't worried so much beforehand.

Oh the memories of those bright yellow signs everywhere...

ATTENTION/ ACHTUNG
Drive on the Left
Links fahren

good thing I speak a little German to reinforce the English!

I remember coming home and realizing that our arms and sides ached because the whole trip we kept squeezing in...like it would really help us get between those busses and the stone walls.

It really wasn't too bad, but do pull in those side mirrors.

but then again, looking forward to having a driver this time...

53 days 5 hours and 50 mi. until we leave for Ireland!

Be careful of the sheep on the road. We kept seeing sheep with blood red on their backs or necks so I thought they had been hurt. I was telling my spouse that we should tell the local farmer that his sheep were injured and walking around bleeding. Then we figured out that it was their markings in red, like a brand!

But they do take over a lot of the roads and then just stare at you in disgust.

Have fun! I love Ireland!

PS: the cliffs aren't that bad except on Moher, we saw some teens walking right up to the edge across the way! eeek

Hi jhg

You and your sister will be fine, and if you are anything like me and my sister, you will have some good laugh also. I was 48 and my sister was 46 the first time we went to Ireland in 2003. We loved it so much we went back in 2004. Both times we rented a small automatic car.

I had driven on the left side of the road 20 years previously in England, but it was still a new adventure to me. Our system was that the one who was in the passenger seat was responsible for watching the left side of the road and yelling out when the other one came to close to many rock walls and hedgerows. There were times when we had to pull over to the side of the road because we were laughing too hard.

I drove both the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula and did not find either particularly difficult. I agree with another poster who said you are much more likely to scrape against a stone wall than go off a cliff. Drive slowly and pull over often so that the driver can see the beauty.

The scariest driving story of both trips was a hilarious nighttime drive from Killarney to Kenmare. We were staying in Kenmare and had driven the same road from Kenmare to Killarney early in the morning. I was a beautiful drive with very little traffic. We were aware that the road ran along the side of a steep hill but it was not scary. We stayed too late in the Killarney area and when we started out on the road back to Kenmare it was dark. My sister was driving and there was no moon so it was pitch black outside. The road had no lights or houses and she was a little nervous but was going ok until we got to the sheep. It had been warm that day in late May and so the hundreds of sheep in the area were sleeping on the road to keep warm. We literally could not go 500 feet without coming upon some sheep. At first they responded to the car horn, but that didn’t always work. I had to stick my head out of the road and yell at them to get out of the way. Sometimes I had to get out of the car to encourage them to move. The distance between these 2 cities is only 30 miles, but it took us about two hours to make the drive. My sister was getting a little tired of the curving dark road and the sheep, so she said out loud “this is great, what else could go wrong?” Within 15 seconds it began pouring down rain. We laughed until we cried.

Joanna-
You expressed my exact feelings in your post about about my upcoming trip in August to Ireland! You totally made me laugh! So I'm wondering if you went already to Ireland and if it was as bad as you thought/ how you made out?
Been hearing that Connor Pass, the drive from Doolin to Clifden and ROK are pretty scary and wondered how you found them? I've done the drive on the California Coast (my friend was driving and I was panicking..) but I've heard Ireland has better barriers between your car and the cliffs edges than California where the only thing between your car and the ocean is a dainty flower if you're lucky!!!