Wimping out about driving in Ireland
 

My wife and I have traveled to Europe dozens of times, rented cars and motorcycles, but driving (and parking!) have become more and more stressful (we are 67 and 68 now). People tell us driving in Ireland isn't that bad, we'll get used to it in a day. Maybe, but I'm wondering if taking public transportation (mostly trains) when available or hiring a private driver will make more sense for us. Our early September trip will be Dublin-Kilkenny-Kinsdale-Dingle-Galway with stops in between (Rock of Cashel, Cliff of Moher, etc). Does anyone know of a private driver to get from Kilkenny to Kinsdale with a stop at the Rock of Cashel? They say there isn't good public transportation for this particular route. And Kinsdale to Dingle (100 miles the fast way) and Dingle to Cliffs to Galway (200 miles, about 5 hours) is a hike. I asked my hotel (Zuni Boutique in Kilkenny) but they came up empty.

Mike

You are completely on my wavelength. We are 73 and in great shape but our appetite for driving is zip. Why bother? Trains etc. are great, taxis a wonderful option and better yet, a car and driver. We used to be so cheap, wore it as a badge of honor. How cheap can we go? Get off the plane, catch a train to the city, transfer to Metro, walk from station to hotel, dragging bags....no!! A cab or private driver, please....worth every penny! I also totalled a rental car on a roundabout in Grenoble many years ago .. me bad, mostly my fault ..so I am even more car averse. My kids make more $$ than I ever dreamed of, I'm spending their inheritance....a car and driver is a benefit we have earned. For the cost $$ and hassle of a rental, check out the private driver. I have no suggestions, but fully support your plans.

i've been travelling like this for years, bus to Dublin from airport

I use rome2rio to help me plan

In 2023, we extensively used drivers for what we thought might be our last trip* to Ireland because we had assigned ourselves a rather impossible itinerary to fill in our Ireland experience "gaps". We' been there a lot but before that, we cycled, used buses, and hailed cabs in Ireland, so booking drivers was at first daunting. I scoured the internet for months, made lists, sent out inquiries, and somehow, it worked. Start my 2023 Ireland trip report at around post # 40 and you can see the details. Often, you have a choice of just transport or some sightseeing added in.

For our Galway to Dingle stretch on one day and then to get us over to Killarney with stops in between a few days later, we used a Dingle-based firm, Begley's Dingle Shuttle Bus. Diarmuid and his ex-wife Dolores and one of their sons, Sean, run the firm. Diarmuid drove us for the Galway-Dingle stretch; one of their drivers, Michelle, whom we adored, did the Dingle to Killarney stretch.

In addition, we used another highly regarded firm, Dingle Slea Head Tours in between for a 1/2-day outing in Dingle. Our guide with them was Colm. Rory Brosnan is probably still running the show there, and he was an awfully nice guy to deal with.

We also found two other people online to a) take us around the Ring of Kerry and b) revisit the Beara Peninsula, but then we changed plans. I don't think I have those names in my notes.

Anyway, we ended up engaging Mary G to do the Ring of Kerry. Because we had fallen ill and could not do our planned bus from Killarney to Cork, she found us taxi driver Dave (I have no contact info), an old school chum, to cart us from Killarney to Cork. From Cork, we just took a train back to Dublin.

Hope this helps.
*FYI, because we are still alive, much to our surprise, we're returning to Ireland this June to run up our bar tab again.

My husband found driving in Ireland difficult and we've driven all over Europe.

I did not find driving in Ireland to be difficult. It’s mostly country although the roads are narrow and one tends to overcompensate with oncoming traffic.

Driving
 

Hi Mike! Driving from city to city is really not that bad. I'm 71 and do it every year. Where you might like a driver is when you actually get to the City where you are going. You can easily find a private tour guide who will drive you to great spots that you would not want to drive to yourself. Well worth the extra $. You will have much more flexibility if you do this! Enjoy!