What To Expect Driving In Ireland (& Why You Might Not Want To!)

Planning on driving in Ireland?

Let me stop your right there!

I’m going to tell you why driving in Ireland was one of the worst driving experiences I’ve had in any new country!

And if after that you still insist on going on an Ireland road trip, I have some tips that can hopefully make your experience better than mine!

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

Why You Shouldn’t Drive In Ireland…

There’s no question that driving in Ireland is hands down beautiful. But you can still experience the beauty of the Emerald Isle without having to drive it yourself.

There are just way too many reasons that make driving in Ireland terrifying and all around not worth the stress. So here’s why you should think twice before going on an Ireland road trip.

They Drive On The Left Side Of The Road

The first complication for a North American driving in Ireland is that they drive on the left side of the road in Ireland.

Switching sides on the road is easier said than done! Not to mention that as the driver, you’re also sitting on the opposite side of the car. Everything is the opposite of what you’re used to which adds a lot more stress to driving in a new country.

P.S. If you’re driving a manual car this adds yet another complication because you’ll be shifting gears with your right hand now. So even if you’re used to driving a manual car, you might want to pay more and rent an automatic in Ireland!

One Lane Two-Way Roads…

The scariest part about driving in Ireland is actually the lack of roads wide enough to accommodate two cars.

The country is filled with what I like to refer to as one lane two-way roads.

What that means is that the road is the width of a single lane, but it’s meant for two cars.

It’s totally fine driving on these roads until a car comes along in the opposite direction (or even worse, a truck), and you have nowhere to go.

We actually asked a local why their roads are so narrow, despite having so much land, and their response was simply:

“Oh you don’t have to worry, there’s more than enough room for both of ye”.

A kind Irishman in Dublin

So sure, there might be the exact amount of room for both cars, but that doesn’t leave a lot of room for error… or for a larger truck (and yes, they’re allowed to drive on these narrow roads too).

The Leaf Covered Stone Walls

The third obstacle when driving in Ireland are the stone walls lining the road though it’s hard to notice them at first because most of these walls are actually covered in leaves.

So although it looks like you’re just driving alongside a harmless bush, you’re actually driving next to a stone wall that will happily wreck your car if you get too close.

Now you understand why the two-way, one lane roads are even worse! You pretty much have the option to either hit a car or hit a stone wall! Fun stuff Ireland, fun stuff!

If It’s Not Stone Walls, It’s Parked Cars!

When you enter a city or town, you’ll be happy when you don’t see any of those leaf covered stone walls.

But! You’re not in the clear yet! Now they’ve added the obstacle of parked cars… which, surprisingly do not fit.

You’ll often see cars parked half on the sidewalk and half in the street. So even if the road can actually fit two cars for once, now it only fits one and a half!

Blind Corners Are Too Common For Comfort!

And to top off the terrifying experience of driving through the Irish countryside, they seem to love blind corners.

Blind corners are exactly what they sound like; they’re when you can’t see potential oncoming traffic around the corner. They are one of the scariest parts when driving in Ireland.

And now that you don’t really fit in the lane, and you want to avoid the stone walls on the other side, it’s only natural that most drivers hug the inside of the lane.

All this to say, it’s not a good recipe when driving…

There Are Alternatives To Driving In Ireland

Although an Ireland road trip is a very popular way to explore the country, there are alternatives that are smarter and safer.

Booking Organized Tours

In fact, my first time in Ireland I stayed in Dublin and went on daily organized tours out of the city. I visited the Giants Causeway, Belfast, Cork, and Blarney Castle this way.

If you’d rather explore more of the country, you can also opt for a multi-day organized tour around the Emerald Isle. This way, you can see everything, without the hassle of driving. See some multi-day trips in Ireland on Viator here.

It was a lot less stressful traveling through Ireland and without having to drive everyday.

Ireland Road Trip By Bus

If organized tours aren’t for you because you still want some freedom in your schedule, Ireland actually has an amazing bus system throughout the Isle.

For example, CityLink takes you to all the major cities and town on the Island. Check it out here.

You Especially Don’t Need A Car In Dublin

If your plan is to stay in Dublin Ireland, then you really don’t need a car in the city.

In fact, having a car in Dublin just complicates your trip more than anything.

During our few days in Dublin we kept our car in the parking lot most of the time. We only took it to get to Howth, and we could have also just taken the bus there (which may have been faster because there’s a bus lane to avoid the traffic!).

So it’s very silly to pay for a car you’re not using. And now you’ll also have to deal with (and pay for) parking in the city, especially if your hotel doesn’t offer any!

There’s A Lot Of Traffic In Dublin

We experienced tons of traffic getting in to the city. We were only a 5 minute drive from our hotel one day, but it took us 25 minutes!

To make matters worse, there was nowhere to stop in front of our hotel to drop off our bags. It’s clearly not a city designed with cars in mind, and to be fair, it was designed before cars existed.

Dublin is also such a small city that you can easily walk everywhere you want to go. Or if it’s too far, you won’t have an issue by jumping on a tram or bus.

Psst! Overnight Parking Hack In Dublin

If you decide to keep your car in Dublin, I may have an overnight parking hack to save you money!

Our hotel (Zanzibar Locke – see it on Booking.com) didn’t offer parking, but were affiliated with the Car Park Jervis Street | APCOA. So if you’re staying in this area, I recommend parking here.

As it turns out, the “lost ticket” option was less than paying for two days of overnight parking (only €22 at the time!). I guess they aren’t expecting too many people to leave their cars here overnight.

Roads Explained In Ireland

If you still insist on driving in Ireland, you should understand how the roads work.

Each road in Ireland will usually have a letter followed by a number (for example M6). There are four different types of roads in Ireland, M, N, R, and L roads.

You’ll want to always try to drive on either M or N roads, and completely avoid L roads.

Let me explain the differences…

Stay On M Or N Roads Whenever You Can

When driving in Ireland, your best bet for avoiding an accident is staying on either M or N roads.

You should be able to get to most destinations by staying on these types of roads, or at least they’ll be a majority of your drive.

M roads in Ireland stand for Motorways, this is your regular highway. They are usually multiple lanes and have a higher speed limit.

N roads, stand for National Roads, they are two lane two-way roads. That means it’s a two-way road, but there’s enough room to comfortably fit two cars… most of the time (it’s sad that I even have to say that!).

N roads can become a bit tight at times with oncoming traffic, but you’ll most likely have to take these at some point.

R Roads Are Risky But Not Always Bad

R roads stand for Regional Roads, and as you guessed, are a bit smaller than N Roads.

I would say they are the size of one and a half lanes, and of course, two-way.

R roads are most common near villages and towns, so you can’t always avoid driving on them. They’ll start off narrower, but I found they would widen a bit once you neared the town.

For example, the main street in Dublin is R148, but it’s a normal sized multi-lane road that fits one car per lane.

Avoid L Roads At All Costs!

L roads are Local Roads, and these should be avoided at all costs.

We were able to get everywhere we wanted without taking a single L road. Sometimes it took an extra few minutes, but the time lost was always worth not getting into an accident.

L Roads are one lane two-way roads. So, it feels too small to fit more than one car, but for some reason they’re actually two-ways.

And to make matters worse, these small roads don’t have lower speed limits. They’re still about 80 km/ hour… so you’re driving full speed ahead into oncoming traffic.

L roads are not without their share of blind corners, trucks, and of course, stone walls on the side of the road.

Let’s just say, our first experience driving down an L road in Ireland was also our last. On our drive to the Cliffs of Moher, Google decided it was a good idea to take us on to an L Road. Oncoming traffic (a truck!) forced us off the road right as we were passing a driveway. We immediately pulled in right on time. Otherwise there was no way we were both fitting.

After that experience, we turned around and took the longer route to the Cliffs, making sure to only stay on M and N roads.

There Are Toll Roads In Ireland

I was also surprised to find out that there are actually toll roads in Ireland.

Most toll roads in Ireland can be paid on the spot with cash or card.

If you’re renting a car in Ireland though, they might try to get you to pay for a daily toll pass… but this really only saves you from dealing with one toll road, the M50…

The M50 Toll Road

The M50 toll road goes around Dublin and is the only toll road you can’t pay on the spot with cash or card. They make this very obvious though, before you pass through.

You will have to pay it online by 8:00 P.M. the following day. You can pay it at www.eflow.ie, or you can also pay it at any gas station.

If you know you’ll be taking the M50 a lot, then the toll pass from the rental car company might be worth it for you.

To put it into perspective however, we drove outside of Dublin several times and NEVER encountered this toll road…

ATTENTION Any North American Driving In Ireland: Do NOT Turn Right On Red

I’m always excited when I leave Montreal to turn right on red. But I guess in Ireland it would be left on red because you’re on the opposite side… anyway, there’s no point in this debate!

There are no turns on red lights when driving in Ireland.

Renting A Car In Ireland

We rented our car from Enterprise at the Airport. Our go-to is Enterprise, and as always, we had no issues with our rental car with them.

They have a loyalty program and never give us any issues when we drop off the car. See their rates here.

You can also rent a car in Dublin’s city centre. This way you can explore the city car free, and pick up your car when you’re ready to go on your Ireland road trip!

P.S. It’s also very easy to get from the airport to Dublin city centre by bus or taxi. See the bus schedule here.

What Car To Rent In Ireland – Big Or Small?

I think if you can, rent the smallest car possible to drive in Ireland.

As I said, the roads are small and narrow. I think you’ll have a much easier time driving on the narrow roads in Ireland.

But, there are of course drawbacks to renting a small car. You lose ground clearance, which is good for driving on gravel roads. And you lose trunk space for your luggage.

At the end of the day, the size of the car you rent will ultimately depend on how much luggage you have (you might want to consider bringing less and packing in a carry-on, see my tips here!).

Do You Need Extra Insurance? Declining The CDW

If you have insurance with your credit card company from North America, I cannot stress reading their policy enough!

We always have to decline the CDW on our car rentals otherwise it voids our insurance.

Once we were in Ireland we also decided to pay for extra damage insurance with Enterprise. This was the first time we’ve ever done this, but that’s how bad driving in Ireland is. And we did end up with a few scratches.

Tips For Driving In Ireland

Whenever I rent a car and drive in any foreign country, I follow these tips!

Always Carry Your Passport With You

When driving in a foreign country, you should always have your passport with you on top of your local drivers license.

Hopefully, you’ll never actually need it, but this can come in handy if you happen to be pulled over.

Download Maps Offline

I always download the maps offline from Google before any trip.

Even if you have data while you’re traveling, you never know when you could lose it, especially if you’re driving in a remote location (like Ireland).

Plus, it also saves you from running out of data too quickly.

P.S. If you’re looking to get a data plan while you’re in Ireland, I download an e-sim Airalo. Use my code MEGHAN4678 or click here for a discount on your first plan.

Bring An Extra Charging Cable For The Car (With Adapters)

I always bring an extra charging cable with me to leave in the rental car. Whether there’s Android Auto (or Apple CarPlay) to display my map on a screen, or just keep my phone charging while driving.

Along with an extra charging cable, I bring a USB C or USB adapter, depending on your cable connection. You don’t know what kind of connection the rental car will have until you’re in it, so better to be safe than sorry!

P.S. Dublin Hotel Recommendations

I’ve stayed in Dublin twice, at very different places, and would honestly recommend both depending on your budget and type stay!

For a budget friendly option, stay at a hostel, I really enjoyed staying at The Abbey Court Hostel (see it on Booking.com). We couldn’t beat the location, on the River Liffey, included breakfast, and loved the interior design with all the graffiti! See updated rates and availability here.

When I came back to Dublin with my partner, we stayed at the Zanzibar Locke Hotel (see it on Booking.com). This was perfect for the stay we needed, with more apartment vibes equipped with a washing machine and kitchenette. See updated rates and availability here.

Click here for more hotel options in Dublin, Ireland

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Last update on 2024-05-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API