Americans driving in Ireland for the First Time
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ก.ค. 2024
- In this week’s video we’ll cover the basics of required documentation for renting a car and driving in Ireland and Northern Ireland, cover the historic reason and offer tips for driving on the left, and discuss various methods of navigation.
Ride with us up Corkscrew Hill in County Clare, and get up close and personal with tour buses on narrow Irish country roads. Get schooled in Roundabouts 101, and we’ll give you a glimpse at a hilarious music video about it (link to the whole video below)! Also find out why drinking and driving on the Emerald Isle is a BAD idea.
Lastly, get our BEST piece of advice on driving in Ireland.
Link to The Roundabout Song by Noel Sweeney
• The Roundabout Song
Click below to take a look at our video on Tripiamo, a system to help you with driving on the left in Ireland!
• Driving on the Left Ma...
We are in their affiliate program, and should you decide to purchase a program, we'll receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Tripiamo's main website
www.tripiamo.com/a/2147528353...
Tripiamo's Driving in Ireland program
www.tripiamo.com/a/2147831907...
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Hope you enjoyed our damp little emerald Isle,greetings from Ireland.
We loved it! And the weather was surprisingly good during our visit! Thanks so much for watching!😊🇮🇪🇺🇸♥️
I'm Irish. I live in the countryside. I drive our small, twisty, country roads every day. Here is the best (and simplest) tip I can give you for driving these roads...
Use your spatial awareness to familiarise yourself as to the position of the front, passenger wheel of the car (right hand drives obviously) relative to your seat in the car, behind the steering wheel.
When meeting on-coming traffic or negotiating twists and bends, keep this wheel as close to the inside verge of the road as is safe to do so. That's all you have to worry about because the rest of the car will follow its line.
@heffo67. Thank you for sharing your experienced tips! You’re right, the “spatial awareness “ is key to getting comfortable behind the wheel for Americans. I actually used a line on the left front fender to decide how far I could move over before scraping a stone wall😀.
We love getting comments like yours! It helps us and helps anyone preparing to drive in Ireland. Hope you keep watching @heffo67! 👍😀🇺🇸🇮🇪
Loved it. Great driving skills.🤣👍😊💙🇮🇪🇺🇲
Thanks! We had great fun and survived the white knuckles from driving a large vehicle on narrow roads on the opposite side!😂♥️🇺🇸🇮🇹
We travel to Ireland two three times a year [I have dual citizenship]. I am quite used to the unique Irish driving environment. BUT - Big Surprise! On our latest visit a few weeks ago, I was denied a car by the rental car vendor (Budget) as I am "over 75" (I am now 77). This, in spite of having been successful in obtaining a rental in April (obviously, I was over 75 then also) and no warning when signing up for the rental l on-line. This does not appear to be a universal policy as I was able to obtain a rental car from another vendor. So - good to ask the vendor's policy on older drivers before assuming anything. Be well.
Thanks for clueing us in on this- it will be helpful for some of our viewers to know. Always good to ask questions and read the fine print. Thanks so much for watching. It would be a big help to us if you’d subscribe, if you’re so inclined😊🇮🇪🇺🇸♥️
Great help - thanks. We are so nervous
As were we! Just try to start out slow at a time and place that’s not crowded. Irish drivers are very forgiving. If you get a line or someone behind you in a hurry, just find a layby(pullover) at the side of the road and let them pass. Let us know if there’s anything else we can tell you- we’re sure you’ll be fine and have a wonderful time! 🇮🇪🇺🇸😊♥️
You missed the good food in the south of Ireland. 🇮🇪 Glad you enjoyed your time in Ireland. 😊
Thanks deadpanbarry for the comment and for watching! A big YES for enjoying our time in Ireland! Hoping to return to the island next year to see the south. Might have to ask viewers to suggest what to eat and where to find it.
Helpful information for the logistics of travel!
Glad you think so! Thanks for watching!
BTW, hope you enjoyed our nod to you with the Yes Roundabout clip!
@@thissecondhalfadventure I'll be the roundabout
The words will make you out and out
You spent the day your way
Call it morning driving through the sound
And in and out the valley
My wife and I are thinking of a trip to Ireland so just starting to research now. LOVED your video and how it was straight to the point, easy to follow and entertaining as well! I wish more videos on youtube were as well done as yours. I appreciate the driving tips! You've got a new subscriber!
Thank you so much for the kind words @mfolson81! We loved Ireland, and are now planning to head back this fall for a loop around the southern half of the island. Take a look at some of our other videos as well, and thanks so much for watching and subscribing! Just for fun, hope you watched the Roundabout Song video by Noel Sweeney that we linked in the comments! 🤣
Perhaps u mention this in one of your vids but how many days do u recommend for a first trip to Ireland? Thanks!@@thissecondhalfadventure
@@mfolson81 Thanks for your question. We decided on 11 days, including flights. So, 9 days on the ground in Ireland. We based our trip on our budget and how much time we could get away. By design we only saw the north half of the island. We were able to see and do a lot and we weren’t rushed. Wished we had one more day, but then we probably would’ve said “I wish we had one more day”
The two “Planning “ videos may answer a couple of questions but feel free to ask questions! 👍😀
Most of Irelnd and the UK is zero tolerance on drinking and driving
@BeckyPoleninja. Thanks for watching and updating our information. We try to be as accurate as we can with the info we have at the time.👍😁
Hope you get a chance to subscribe and watch more of our videos! 👍😁🇺🇸🇮🇪
Most people my age circa 50 wouldn’t even have one drink and drive. There are plenty of non alcoholic beers including 0.0 Guinness. People in their 80s might chance it especially in rural areas as they used to be allowed 3 pints and had no seatbelts!many years ago. I’m glad it’s changed as too many fatalities due to drink driving have occurred over the years.
@@tiddlywinks456 I gave Guinness 0.0 a taste when we were at the Storehouse in Dublin- not bad! We didn’t drive at all in Dublin, but I’d had my share of regular Guinness by that time. Not a fan of hangovers, especially on vacation! Thanks for watching & commenting!😊
Thanks for sharing!!! Check out Celtic Thunder, a really good Irish music.
@outdoorstudios2022. 👍👍 We’ve seen Celtic Thunder on PBS (public broadcasting). I agree 👍
Oooh. Driving. Well done. And you managed to catch a British registration/ London Cab at 3:23…
😀👍 Thanks for watching! We were surprised to see the cab. That was just a few miles away from Cushendall. I assumed someone had purchased it as a personal car but I could be wrong. Hope you continue to watch our channel!
In Ireland, we only use honk to say hello (in addition to finger flick) ! 😉
😁 Love the comment. I would venture to say the Irish drivers were more polite than most American drivers! Thanks for watching and commenting!! 👍🇮🇪🇺🇸
Hi. Had to pause the video at 'Roundabouts'. Yes, I am American and I am going to explore my Irish roots ("Duggan"). As airline crew (pilot, retired) I have been to the cities of Dublin and Shannon, but only for normal crew rest overnights.
Back to roundabouts? I live in Los Angeles and a nearby city, Long Beach, has a version. It's actually located along the Pacific Coast Highway...it is unusual for LA. So, combined with trying to remember driving left side? Should be a challenge.
Some years ago I rented a car in southern France, near Cannes....manual shift, of course, and mountainous and curvy. Fortunately, I know how to drive a manual transmission. Great fun!!
Thanks for watching @timduggan1461! Loved the cities and really enjoyed everywhere in between. I’m sure you’ll have a great trip!
I was amazed to find Indiana (home) was top 5 in the states for roundabouts. Great practice but, move over to the right side of the car and the left side of the road and it looks totally different! It took me a couple of days to get old driving habits out of my head. I would definitely drive around Ireland again. I’m not sure about France, but remember the manual transmission will be on your left.
😀👍
Finally, not related to car hire (rentals) but? Last year I bought a (used) Lexus and within 3weeks walked out to see the right rear quarter panel dented...obviously happened in a parking lot, damage showed I had been hit whilst parked. Sigh. No note, of course......So, when renting, take photos BEFORE you leave the car rental (hire) location...and buy the insurance! Especially in a foreign country.
Hello again! I feel your frustration! No one (maybe some exceptions) will leave a note anymore. Just came up with an idea! We could put our texting number in the window. 😀
We did take pictures of all angles of the car. Great practice when renting. In the “Driving “ video we implore people to get full coverage. Also remembered to tell you to watch Noel Sweeney’s “ Roundabout Song” There’s a link to it on the driving video. It’s a musical tutorial on roundabouts. I think it funny. Let us know where you’re visiting in Ireland.
It looks like your satnav found great motorcycling routes. Narrow road with curves, just interupted occasionally by sheep on the road. I did a tour of Ireland in 2022 on my Zero (an electric motorbike made in California).
@DavidNewmanDr. 😀👍Your 2022 trip sounds like it should be a TH-cam video ! Maybe you have one. I haven’t looked into it yet. I’m sure you found some great roads to explore!
Ah, the sheep. One viewer commented that the sheep lay next to the roads so they can count cars to fall asleep 😂.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
Did you try the M50 Beltway around Dublin?
You should see the traffic on that road, even midday!
@RedKnight-fn6jr. Thanks for the question! We took a bus from airport to Heuston Station around 5:00 a.m. It was raining and traffic was stop and go. We didn’t have the pleasure of actually driving it.😁 Thanks for watching.
I guess a Siverado 2500HD would not do well over there 😅😂
@ddunn3489 😂🤣Thanks for watching and we loved the comment! Yea, things could get a little tight on some the local roads. But, what I noticed was the larger vehicles usually got the right away!!😀 Hope you keep watching!
Great video I’m looking forward to driving in Ireland, but the music in the background was a bit loud. Thank you for posting.
@kimraynor3639. Thank you!! Will this be your first time driving in Ireland?
Thanks for mentioning the music. Once we posted we can’t lower the volume on the video though.
Safe travels on your trip!!
I watched this TH-cam video expecting to see the usual hackneyed contents that I have seen elsewhere. Comments like we drive on the 'wrong' side of the road, the roads are insanely narrow, stick shift only, etc. I was pleasantly surprised that this video was different. It gave practical information without theatrics, and above all else recommended renting a car in order to set your own schedule and itinerary.
As an Irish person it may seem strange that I would say driving in Ireland isn't that difficult, but I have driven in many other countries and haven't had a problem, and therefore presume the reverse is also true.
@barrylenihan8032. Thank you for watching the video and thank you for your comment! We are taking that as a compliment! 😀
We had only driven in US , so driving in Ireland was awkward at first. It all made sense after getting used to the steering wheel location!😀
We’re going to drive around the south half of Ireland next summer. Highly recommended visitors drive themselves if able.
Thanks again and have a happy new year!
Wow you people made a video of driving, congratulations
Andrew Carroll. Thanks for watching and commenting on our video. We always enjoy hearing congratulatory remarks!
Next year we hope to return to Ireland and take trains only. It will probably be called “Americans Riding A TraIn In Ireland For The First Time”. 😁
Consider the speed limit a challenge~ Good luck!
@johnokeefe3841. 😀👍 In general, I think we all consider ourselves “great drivers “. KPH vs MPH took some adjustment. Tried not to lose a side mirror, get a ticket or hit somebody’s sheep!
Thanks for commenting and watching!
Hope you watch more.
That one lane road at 5:30 was more than likely a two way road
@jaysus.bulletts. 😂👍 I think we’re going to see more of those roads on this trip! 😀
Thanks for sharing and watching. 😀✌️
2:10 YOU PASSED THOUGH MY T-JUNCTION ROAD BRO
@JamieTheLegendXD. 😀Loved your comment!
Such a beautiful part of Ireland!
Thanks for watching and commenting! Cool that you saw that in the video!
For google maps it is now best to use the eir code ( post code) will bring you to the exact spot they are unique per address and very accurate in google maps.
Thank you retyped retyped. Great info! We will use that when we return. Appreciate the participation on your part. 😁
Ireland does not use post codes bar a couple of the cities.
@@georgebarnes8163 Thank you for the clarification. Any new information is always welcomed! Keep watching and commenting! 😁
@@georgebarnes8163Every address in Ireland now has a unique eircode
that roundabout @8.07 was certainly not in Ireland LOL
You're right, it's in Bushmills (NI).
Most times we were too busy trying not to cause an accident at roundabouts. Actual photos are few, so we used a stock photo to illustrate our point. Good catch georgebarnes8163! 😁
Yes-it was indeed in Bushmills- that was live video we shot while staying at Palmer’s Mill. Good eye @michelbonnet3787! Thanks for watching!
Regarding roundabouts the main rule is give way to the right. The vehicle coming from your right side has the right of way. Let them go first. Also just go slow, and watch out for potholes, the country roads are notorious for a lack of maintenance crews.
The main roads are perfectly fine, it's the "b" roads to be careful on. Regarding drinking and driving, be very careful there is pretty much a zero tolerance for this, and the police (Garda) will arrest you if your caught over the limit.
Otherwise enjoy your trip, also if you get lost you can ask for directions the locals are usually very friendly and willing to help.
@grahambamford9073. Thanks for adding your local knowledge to the conversation! We drove on most of the road types except for dirt/mud .
We met a man at the airport for our return flight who had just gotten released by the Garda for over the drink limit.
We counted on the good natured people several times times!
Fun fact? As a pair of New Yorkers who moved to northwestern ireland 8 years ago -:it was quite a shock to find out that ireland does not accept American licenses as exchange for one here.
You must pass a written test.
You must take 12 driving lessons with a professional instructor. Make an appointment to take your final driving test (when I applied there were 47,000 people ahead of me on line) - if you fail it, you go back to the end of line to wait your turn again….
I’ve been driving for 52 years in New York. Never had an accident, never had a ticket…
But
It only took two years, about $4000 between the two of us - and yeah…the guy failed me on my first driving test.
And yet…
Ireland has some of the worst drivers on earth,
It’s a weird place to live.
Jane Chambless Wright thank you for watching and for sharing your informative and highly entertaining story of Americans Driving in Ireland! We believe Noel Sweeney, who sings “The Roundabout Song” is or was an actual driving instructor in Letterkenny 😆 Did you have your license plated in gold, framed and hung on the wall?! We would have!🇺🇸🇮🇪🚘☘️😊👍🏻
Yes, if you intend becoming resident in Ireland you must have an Irish driver's license. It's the same the other way around. An Irish license is not acceptable in the US. However, if you hold a license from another EU country, it can be exchanged for an Irish one without undergoing a test. To my knowledge, the same applies in the US whereby out of state licenses are accepted.
@@barrylenihan8032 Thanks for watching and contributing to the conversation. I became curious about foreign visitors driving in the US. Here’s what I found.
The majority of foreign licenses, if issued in English, are valid up to 3 months. If you’re staying longer it’s recommended visitors also bring an International Driving Permit. It’s better recognized across the states. It also allows the visitors to drive in the states up to 12 months. After that,one must be tested to receive a valid license in the state you reside.😀👍
@@thissecondhalfadventure That was my experience, but that was 40-50 years ago. My proud boast is that I did 3 driving tests and passed all 3. One in Ireland, one in Ontario, Canada, and one in California, USA. The reason was because I was a long-term resident in each location, and it was a requirement to have a local license, presumably so that they could hit you with penalty points if you infringed the rules.
As per your experience, the Irish test was by far the most exacting. And another little wrinkle in Ireland was that if you took the test in an automatic car, your license was restricted to automatics only. I'm not sure if this is still the case as automatics become more common.
@@barrylenihan8032 👍👍
despite being 6'1", I tend to prefer cars on the smaller side. How did you find using such a big vehicle in Ireland?
@ericb9881. Thanks for watching and commenting!!! Your preference for smaller cars should serve you well.
The bigger car was really comfortable for me to drive but!! Some ‘R’ and ‘L’ roads got very narrow and oncoming traffic would require that we pull to side as much as possible 😂
We plan to rent a smaller vehicle this time. I’m going to go to a local car lot and sit in a similar size car to see how I fit in😂
Another consideration is the amount of luggage/gear you’re traveling with.
Hope this helps a little. I’m told driving around West Cork and Kerry we’re better off with a smaller car.
If you have any other questions I’ll answer them the best I can 😀👍✌
Do they still have tax discs on the windscreen in Ireland ?
@johngaskell1467. Thanks for that question! I honestly didn’t know about the tax disc. I looked at pictures of our rental car and sure enough I saw the disc on the passenger side of the windscreen. It seems to be similar to the registration sticker we add to our license plates in our state. Thanks for watching. Hope you get a chance to watch more of our videos.👍😀
Did you need a special adapter to plug phone into car?
@9socc. Thanks for asking! The short answer is cars in Ireland are equipped with a standard USB port. I needed to do a little research on this because we carried a small (phone size) power source and never paid attention to the port in our car. I looked at five different sources which all said the rental cars don’t require special plugs or adapters.
Can’t guarantee anything for certain but I didn’t see any information to the contrary. 😀👍✌
follow the flow of traffic and listen to your navigator........hilarious!! wise words from an American driving in I er Land 😂😂😂
Thanks for watching @neilrush659 and thank you for the comment!!
Kind of a metaphor for a happy marriage.😁😁, don’t you think?
I blame my pronunciation of Ireland on my midwestern upbringing. You should hear me speak French!! 😂😂🇺🇸🇮🇪
Do the native thing drive it like u stole it hahaha only joking u guys did well on our lovely highways n byways it takes a bit of getting used to hoped u enjoyed ur trip.
@patwheeler4940. 😂 Loved it!!
Thanks for watching and commenting! We’ll be more comfortable this time but it takes a little more concentration than I’m used to! 😂
First trip to Ireland convinced us to return 👍👍.
Enjoyed the video but the sound quality was not very good. Sounded muffled much of the time.
Apologies for the sound quality- it was one of our earlier ones, before we had better equipment… Try one of the newer ones and see what you think- we’ve only been at this about 4 months and the learning curve is steep😊 Thanks for your feedback and watching!
Moher is pronounced like more
Thanks so much for the tip! We try our best to get place name pronunciation right, but sometimes we miss the mark a bit! Thanks for setting us straight!😊
@@thissecondhalfadventure This is incorrect. Moher has two syllables. It is pronounced mow-her, as in mow the lawn. I was born and grew up about 20 miles from the cliffs so I know the local dialect.
@@damienfenton3880 thanks so much for your feedback! I’ve heard it both ways, by native-born Irish, and I’ll defer to the person who grew up closest to there😊👍🏻🇺🇸🇮🇪
@damienfenton3880 are you a lahinch man
There's now way that the damage was done by another car. Looks like kerb did that. Unless, of course, it was there when ye picked it up. ...
@mokolbokeoko5026. Thanks for the comment and for watching. That’s a good theory. We actually thought the same thing but we couldn’t think of anyplace that we had a tight spot to get in or out of.
We took pictures of the car when we picked it up so we knew it happened during our trip.
Just glad we had insurance. 😀
Look kids Big Ben parliament
@brunsonpowner8925. 😂 I love a good sense of humor!! Great “European Vacation “ reference 😀👍
Thanks for watching and giving me a good laugh!
Satnav and google etc. guaranteed to get you lost in Ireland. Buy the damned book. They ain’t dear. Like the lady said!
@gearoiddom. 👍😂 We loved using the Collins Ireland atlas! Satnav led us on a couple of interesting local side roads which left me grumbling a bit. At the end of the day it gave us a good laugh! Thanks for watching and commenting!
Why do they make such a drama about it????
Thank you for watching and commenting @bull010163! We love hearing comments and questions from viewers. I considered driving in Ireland “teaching an old dog new tricks”. I had never driven outside the U.S. before. When we return, driving won’t be so dramatic😁.
Real drama is driving on the Dan Ryan Expressway on a weekend in Chicago. 🇮🇪🇺🇸👍😁
the best and only way to convince themselves that Ireland is worth the effort (it isn't)
@@beeryweery Thank you @beeryweery for watching and communicating your thoughts.
We thought Ireland was TOTALLY worth all the effort we put in. We can’t wait to come back! 👍😀
@@beeryweery Spoken like a jealous neighbor...
Sat nav disaster.🇮🇪🇮🇪
@verajamieson8020. 😀We depended on it too much! But, we had our Collins road atlas to refer to.
🇺🇸🇮🇪