Getting around Ireland

By car

There are many car hire companies in Ireland and you can pick up in the cities or at the airports, though it may cost more to pick up at an airport. Note that most Irish car hire agencies will not accept third party collision damage insurance coverage (for example with credit card) when you rent a car. Taxis It is highly recommended that you call ahead to book a taxi. The hotel, hostel, or bed and breakfast you are staying in will usually call the cab company they work closely with for your convenience. Taxis should be reasonably easy to pick up on the streets in Dublin, Belfast and Cork but may be harder to find crusing the streets in smaller cities and towns so it is often best to telephone for one. It is recommended to call the cab company in advance if possible and give them a time to be picked up, no matter if it's 4 hours in advance or 30 minutes in advance. Work with the same cab company your hotel does and let them know your final destination if there is more than one stop. You will also need to give them a contact phone number over the phone, so if calling from a pay phone, be prepared for them to deny your claim for a taxi cab. The average waiting time may be anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes depending on demand and time of day. All Taxis in Republic of Ireland operate on a National Fare basis, so the price should be relatively easy to calculate. For more information, see the Commission of Taxi Regulation website. Always ensure that the taxi you use has a meter, and that it is used for the duration of your journey. Rules of the Road/Road User Etiquette Driving and road rules in Ireland are similar to those of the United Kingdom - e.g. drive on the left and yield to the right on roundabout. The most noticeable difference is the fact that distances are (almost always) displayed in kilometres and speed limits in kilometres per hour (km/h) in the Republic of Ireland. This can be confusing to anyone travelling across the border from Northern Ireland, which, like Britain, uses miles and miles per hour. The legal blood-alcohol limit is low so it may be best to abstain. Drivers often 'thank' each other by flashing their hazard lights or waving - this is purely a convention. Road signs in the Republic are nominally bilingual, with place names displayed in Irish in italic font, with the corresponding English name in capitals immediately below. In the "Gaeltacht" areas (Irish-Speaking districts in the far west), road signs are written in Irish only. In Northern Ireland road signs are in English only and all distances are given in miles. There are five types of road classification:

• M-roads (Motorways, indicated by white on blue signs)
• N-roads N1 - N50 (National Primary routes, main arterial routes indicated by white/yellow on green signs)
• N-Roads N51+ (National Secondary routes - green signs)
• R-roads (Regional roads, indicated by black on white signs)
• L-roads (Local roads, white signs - rarely marked)

Ireland has a small but steadily growing motorway network which centers around Dublin. The main motorways are:

• M50 The ring road around Dublin
• The M1 (from Dublin to Newry) goes towards Belfast.
• The M4 (from Dublin to Mullingar) heads towards Sligo and Galway.
• The M7 (from Dublin to Port Laoise) goes in the direction of Cork and Limerick.
• The M8 (from Cork to Fermoy) heading towards Dublin and Belfast.

Note that most motorways in the Republic have some tolled sections. Tolls are low by French or Italian standards, and vary from €1.70 upwards, depending on which motorway you are traveling on. Tariffs are displayed a few kilometers from the plaza. For the visitor, it's important to note that the only tolled road that accepts credit cards is the M4 between Kilcock and Kinnegad. All others are Euro cash only, so take care if you're arriving from the North via the M1. For 2007, the tolled sections and their charges (for private cars) are as follows:

• M1, Drogheda bypass section, €1.70
• M4, Kilcock to Kinnegad section, €2.60
• M8, Fermoy bypass section, €1.70
• M50, between exits 6 & 7, €1.90
• M50, Dublin Port Tunnel, €3 to €12 (depending on time of day)

There are numerous route of high quality dual carruageway, which are very near motorway standard; Dublin-Ashbourne (Derry), Dublin-Wicklow, Sligo-Collooney (Dublin), Mullingar-Athlone, Limerick-Ennis (Galway), and Cork-Middleton (Waterford). Until relatively recently, the road network in Ireland was very poorly maintained and road signage sparse. Things have changed markedly on the major arterial N-roads which have seen major renovation work with help from EU funding. Lesser roads, however, are still, in many parts, poorly signposted, the only indication of what route to take often being a finger-sign at the junction itself. The road surfaces can be very poor on the lesser used N-, R- & L- numbered routes. Driving in Ireland requires etiquette, courtesy and nerves of steel. Roads are generally narrow with little to no shoulder or room for error. Sight lines can be limited or non-existent until you are partway into the road. Caution should be taken when entering onto the roadway as well as when driving along it, with the understanding that around the next turn may be another motorist partway into the road. This is especially true in rural areas. Parking along the road, farm animals, as well as large lorries or machinery may also appear around the bend and be the cause for quick thinking or braking. It is not unusual for oncoming cars to navigate to a wide spot in the road to pass each other. On the other hand, when driving slower than following cars, it is common for drivers to allow others to pass or signal if the way is clear. Calculating driving time can be slower than expectations, due to the large increase in motorists and road conditions/hazards. Speed Limits As mentioned above, speed limits in the Republic of Ireland (but not in Northern Ireland) are in kilometres per hour. The general maximum speed limits are as follows:

• Built-up area (e.g., in a residential or shopping district) - 50 km/h and sometimes 30 km/h
• Regional or Local Road (e.g., R292, R134, L12345, etc.) - 80 km/h
• National Road (e.g., N7, N17, N56, etc.) - 100 km/h
• Motorway (e.g., M1, M4, M50, etc.) - 120 km/h

Local Councils may apply other limits in specific areas as required. Also when roads are being maintained or worked upon in some way, the limit may be temporarily changed. Car rental companies There is no shortage of car rental companies in Ireland with all of the major airports and cities throughout Ireland being well catered for, while the ports of Rosslare and Dún Laoghaire are served by Hertz and Dan Dooley respectively. Renting a car in Ireland is very similar to the processes elsewhere in that you need a credit card in your own name and a full driver's license for a minimum of two years without endorsement. Most car rental companies in Ireland apply an age range of 25 - 72 in order to rent a car, but in many cases you will need to be 28 in order to rent a full-size car. There are some exceptions to this rule, but they are not advertised. Car rental companyLocationsComments/Further Info Thrifty Car Rental Ireland (AKA Malone Car Rental and Dollar Car Hire) Cork Airport, Dublin Airport, Dublin City Center and Shannon Airport €68 one-way fee, €22 airport fee Budget Cork Airport, Dublin Airport, Dublin City Center, Galway Airport, Galway City Center, Ireland West Airport (AKA Knock Airport), Kerry Airport, Killarney and Shannon Airport €25 "city center location surcharge" (Galway or Dublin center) or "standard airport surcharge" paid at pickup. One way fee of €25 to/from Galway Airport, Galway City, Kerry Airport, Killarney and Knock Airport Avis Cork Airport, Donegal Airport, Dublin Airport, Dublin City Center, Galway Airport, Kerry Airport, Knock Airport, Mullingar and Sligo Airport €26 airport surcharge, €25 Dublin city surcharge. Apparently no one-way fee Europcar Cork Airport, Dublin Airport, Dublin City Center, Galway Airport, Kerry Airport, Knock Airport and Shannon Airport €23 "tax" fee, apparently no one-way fee except for premium model cars Carhire (AKA Alamo and National Car) Cork Airport, Dublin Airport, Dublin City Center, Galway Airport, Kerry Airport, Knock Airport and Shannon Airport €25 "location fee" plus €4 "credit card transaction fee" not included in quotes, €50 one-way fee ("optional extras") Hertz Cork Airport, Donegal Airport, Dublin Airport, Dublin City center, Galway Airport, Kerry Airport, Knock Airport, Rosslare Harbour Office, Shannon Airport, Sligo Airport, Waterford Airport and Ferrybank, County Wexford €25 one-way fee Irish Car Rentals (also agents for Sixt and Argus) Cork Airport, Dublin Airport, Dublin City Center, Kerry Airport, Knock Airport, Limerick City Center and Shannon Airport €22 airport collection fee (if collecting from city, they add a €20 "collection charge" instead!) and €1.32 per day "road fund tax" not included in quotes. €6 personal insurance added to initial quote. No one-way fee for 3 day rentals, or certain times of the year (especially mid-week) Dan Dooley Cork Airport, Cork Ferryport, Dublin Airport, Dublin City Center (3 locations), Dún Laoghaire, Kerry Airport and Shannon Airport wide range of locations, but expensive Atlas Car Hire Cork Airport, Cork City Center, Dublin Airport, Dublin City Center and Shannon Airport €50 one-way fee applies Chauffer driven travel

• Ireland Chauffeur Travel with Driver Guides –Private Chauffeur and Driver Guided Transportation all over Ireland.

Campervan hire

• Campervan Hire from Bunk Campers- Budget Campervan Hire in Ireland available from Belfast & Dublin. Online Booking.
• Campervan Hire Ireland - Campervan and Motorhome Hire in Ireland. Located near Shannon Airport.

Bicycle rental

• Bicycle hire - in the Phoenix Park in Dublin, the biggst, enclosed, urban park in Europe.

By plane

Aer Arann operates an extensive domestic, and international air network from Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Kerry, Galway, Knock, Sligo and Donegal. British Airways operates a route from Dublin to Derry. Ryanair also operates flights from Dublin to Cork and Shannon rivaling Irish Rail and bus providers.

By train

Most trains in Ireland (all operated by the state-run Irish Rail also known by their Irish name, Iarnród Éireann) operate to and from Dublin. Enormous expenditure on modernising the state-owned Irish Rail system is ongoing, including the introduction of many new trains. The frequency and speed of services is being considerably increased, especially on the Dublin-Cork line. If you book on-line for Intercity travel, be aware that there may be a cheaper fare option available to you at the office in the station itself. Not all special rates, e.g., for families, are available on line. Note that there are two main stations in Dublin - Connolly Station (for trains to Belfast, Sligo and Rosslare) and Heuston Station (for trains to Cork, Limerick, Tralee, Kilarney, Galway, Westport, Kilkenny and Waterford.) In the North, almost all services are operated by NIR (Northern Ireland Railways). In the Dublin city area the electrified DART (acronym for Dublin Area Rapid transit) coastal railway travels from Malahide and the Howth peninsula in the North to Bray and Greystones in Co. Wicklow via Dún Laoghaire and Dublin city center. An interchange with main line services and the Luas Red line is available at Dublin Connolly.

By tram

Dublin has a tram system, known as Luas (the Irish word for 'speed'). There are two lines. One (the red-line) operates from Dublin city centre (Connolly Station) to a large suburb south-west of the City (Tallaght) and the other (the green line) runs south-east (to Sandyford) from St Stephen's Green. Tickets must be puchased from machines before boarding the tram. Tickets are checked in the Luas at random by guards but generally ticketing works on a trust system. Thus free rides are possible, although not advisable, as the fines for fare-dodging can be quite high. The Luas tram provides a very useful link between Dublin's Connolly and Heuston railway stations.

By bus

• Dublin has an extensive, city-wide bus service operated by Dublin Bus (or, in Irish, Bus Átha Cliath). Season tickets and all day tickets are also available.
• JJ Kavanagh & Sons operate an extensive intercity network directly from Dublin Airport and Shannon Airport to Limerick , Carlow , Waterford , Clonmel ,Kilkenny and Dublin city Center plus local services in major towns.
• Bus Éireann (or Irish Bus) operates an extensive intercity network plus local services in major towns. Bus Eireann's website provides various options for buying online bus tickets which offer a good discount compared to buying them at the station or on the bus.
• Ulsterbus opperate bus services throughout the North.
• Citylink provides frequent service from Galway to Shannon, Dublin, and Dublin Airport.
• Busnestor runs the Galway to Dublin and Athlone to Dublin routes.
• Aircoach connects Dublin with Cork and Belfast.

By boat

• Shannon cruises are a leisurely way of traveling from one town to another. Dromineer and Carrick on Shannon are good bases.
• There are many canals in Ireland, and it is possible to travel by barge on some of them.

By bicycle

Ireland is beautiful for biking, but have a good touring bike with solid tires as road conditions are not always excellent. Biking along the south and west coasts you can be prepared for variable terrain, lots of hills and often into the wind. There are plenty of campgrounds along the way for long distance cyclists. The planned Eurovelo cycle route in Ireland will connect Belfast to Dublin via Galway, and Dublin to Rosslare via Galway and Cork. Visit their website for updates on the status of the path. Dublin has some marked bicycle lanes and a few non-road cycle tracks. Traffic is fairly busy, but a cyclist confident with road cycling in other countries should have no special difficulties (except maybe for getting used to riding on the left). Note that, in Ireland, left turning cars have right of way over cyclists to their left. Cyclists have no special right of way over cars, particularly when using shared use paths by the side of a road, but share and get equal priority when in the traffic lane. Helmets are not legally required, but widely available for those who wish to use them.