Please enjoy your hire
car in Ireland. Your hire car can be collected from Cork Airport,
Dublin Airport, Galway Airport and Knock Airport as well as
alternative sites in Dublin and Cork.
Are you going on holiday to Ireland? To see
as much as possible and to get the most out of Ireland, the
best way of transport is certainly by car. But of course you
will have to abide by Ireland's law of driving. Below you
will find some useful information about driving in Ireland.
Documents you need when driving
in Ireland:
To drive a foreign registered car legally in Ireland you must
have the following documents with you, which are your full
driving licence, vehicle registration document and certificate
of motor insurance minim Third-party cover, which is valid
for the Republic. Also a nationality coding stickers is needed.
All European and US licences are valid in Ireland. Visitors
from other countries should check with their local motoring
organisation.
Special rules you must follow:
When driving in Ireland it is compulsory for all vehicles
to have a Warning Triangle and a First Aid kit. For all passengers
it is compulsory to wear front seatbelts and rear seatbelts
if fitted. The police are able to issue and collect 'on the
spot fines' for not obeying these rules.
Minimum age:
The minimum age of a driver in Ireland is 17 years. Children
under 12 years not allowed in front unless they are secured
by either safety belts or with a safety approved car seat.
Parking:
Parking in Ireland is similar to Britain with car parks and
parking meters. Parking meters are in use with a maximum time
of 2 hours. . Disk parking operates outside the central zone,
in some suburbs and many cities outside Dublin. Multi-story
car parks are signposted along the parking routes with advance
spaces available with indicators showing how many spaces are
left in each park.
A few basic rules:
In Ireland, like England they drive on the left hand side
and overtake on the right, pay full attention especially at
roundabouts. Your driving licence and vehicle documents should
be carried at all times. Always observe speed limit signs.
Be aware for farm animals grazing by the roadside and straying
into or crossing the road. Remember that horns are not to
be used between 23:30 hrs and 07:00 hrs.
Speed limits:
Built-up areas: 30 mph (48 kph)
Major roads outside towns: 40 mph (64 kph)
Major roads outside towns: 50 mph (80 kph)
Major roads outside towns: 60 mph (96 kph)
Motorways: 70 mph (112 kph)
Bus:
There is an internal bus service which are run by Bus Eireann
(Irish Bus), they have a nationwide network of buses which
serves all the major cities, most towns and villages outside
the Dublin area. The bus services in remote areas are infrequent
but not to worry as there is a 'Expressway' coach network
which complements the rail services. There is a variety of
special travel passes available, which include the Irish Rambler,
this offers you unlimited travel for 3, 8 or 15 days. There
are also several independent bus companies, which are sometimes
cheaper, faster and more frequent than Bus Eireann.
Coach tours:
There are many companies, which offer coach tours, varying
in length and itinerary. A full day and half-day guided tour
are organised from the larger towns and cities. These tours
run from May to October. There are full details, which available
from CIE Tours International.
Taxi:
Taxi services are available in major cities. There are many
places to get taxis, which are at hotels, rail and bus stations
or taxi stands.
Urban:
There are extensive bus services, which operate in Dublin.
There is a new and fast suburban rail service (DART) that
connects Howth and Bray, which also includes a link to Dun
Laoghaire (the ferry port). A Dublin Explorer ticket is valid
for 4 days on all Dublin buses and DART suburban trains. Be
aware as these tickets are not be used before 0945, but there
are no evening restrictions.
Travel times:
The following below chart gives approximate travel times (in
hours and minutes) from Dublin to other major cities/towns
in Ireland.
Road
Cork 3.00
Galway 2.45
Limerick 3.30
Shannon Airport 3.00
Waterford 2.30
Kilkenny 2.00
Killarney 3.00
Driving in Ireland will be a pleasurable
experience as long as you remember you are in their country
and abide by their laws. Please remember it is not a good
enough excuse to plead ignorance, as you are a foreigner,
you are the driver and it's your responsibility to know the
law.