Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Ireland is the epitome of everything that is wrong about America
Quote:
Originally Posted by Roscoe Conkling
This I've got to hear more about ...
Given some of his other posts/comments, I don't think anything he has to say would be either illuminating or enlightening. For example, here is his "interesting" opinion of London (and Great Britain in general) after he spent a grand total of twelve - - count 'em, twelve - - hours there:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chinese French Italian
...London is simply not an attractive town or an attractive culture. People from London, in my experience, are really arrogant and annoying who think they own America because of a squabble they had four hundred years ago.
No Brits don't own America or the entire world. All they did was invade the entire world but all they own at the end of the day is their own dreary sad island in the corner of the planet. The world belongs to the world. Not some island of White Anglo-Saxon Protestants.
So good day to you silly Brits and stop pretending your silly island is more important than it is.
For many years (mid 80's to 2004) my wife and I spent a goodly part of September in Ireland. We would fly into Shannon and rent a car. The only part of our trip planned was the first two nights hotel and within a few hours of Shannon like Killarney or Galway. For us it was Lahinch as we were golfers. The reason being is the overnight flight can be rough. The first 1/2 day in Ireland you are running on adrenaline and then that afternoon you want to crash. The second day you feel better and by the 3rd day you are use to everything. We were golfers so we based our trip more on playing golf but another story.
I had no issues driving on the left but for the first few days my wife had to keep reminding me to stay left. If your first experience driving on the left, then I suggest pay extra for an automatic shift car. If only two, there smaller size car will be fine and easy to navigate the roads. Major cities are primarily connected via large, two lane highways. The inner city is another issue.
One word of caution on rent-a-cars. The Irish passed some laws about rent-a-car insurance and credit cards. Not all credit cards that have auto insurance included will have the insurance included in Ireland. It was a move by the rental companies to make more money. Check closely with the company you will be renting a car from to find out which credit cards cover the insurance.
One little trick I use to use was rent the cheapest car, then the next day return it to the rental check in area and tell them I had to get it jump started that morning. Usually they tripped all over themselves to be nice and gave me a bigger car for my "trouble". My bad.
I would never go on an escorted tour as I want to come and go as I please. I did glance at the link for the train trip and found that interesting. A few days in a city then a train trip to the next city. That seems like a great way to be free to do as you wish and still get from city to city. I would explore the train trip closer with attention to the hotels and their location but as they are major cities, one could get a cab if the hotel is not that close.
A great time to visit Ireland is in June before tourist season and in September after tourist season.
Bring wash and wear clothes. There are laundromats in major cities thus easy to do laundry versus over pack. Also as you will be spending 2 nights in some cities, doing laundry in room is not out of the question as in give it time to dry. Someone once said lay out all the clothing you think you will need then remove 1/2 of it. You could easily get by with a backpack and
a small pull along suitcase.
The Irish are very friendly people. They will welcome you with open arms. Most have relatives living in the US. You will be quite surprised how much they know about the US political scene.
Driving in English-style driving countries is a hoot for Americans, especially if you get a manual transmission car. It takes a bit of getting used to driving on the left side of the road, and shifting with your left hand. The turn signal lever is on the wrong side too - even after 3 weeks I would still flip the wipers on instead of the turn signal.
The biggest dangers in being in English-style driving countries is being a pedestrian and crossing a street. In the U.S. when crossing a street you look to the left for traffic, and you reverse it over there, looking to the right for ongoing traffic.
I did 2 separate driving trips, one in England/Wales/Scotland and one in Ireland. My biggest disappointment was the lack of roads along the ocean in eastern Ireland. We're spoiled here with the coast road in California, but over there, there was only one stretch along the coast, way up in Northern Ireland. Otherwise, you must drive out to the beach, reverse it and go back to the main road.
I was there in September and it was berry season. Berries every where! I was forever stopping in those rural areas to pick a hand full of berries to eat.
One word of caution on rent-a-cars. The Irish passed some laws about rent-a-car insurance and credit cards. Not all credit cards that have auto insurance included will have the insurance included in Ireland. It was a move by the rental companies to make more money. Check closely with the company you will be renting a car from to find out which credit cards cover the insurance.
Nope, it was the credit card companies that changed the rules to exclude insurance coverage in a handful of countries because that insurance was abused. I remember stories of Irish guys in the 80s/90s returning from the US at Christmas and smashing up cars, driving drunk etc. It wasn't long after this that Ireland was added to the list of countries where CC insurance on rental cars doesn't work.
I was mistaken. What was done by the Irish government is that CDW (Collision Damage Waiver) insurance is mandatory in Ireland.
I am of the belief that certain MasterCards still offer CDW in Ireland. Not all so check with MasterCard.
From an online chat:
CDW – is an extra daily insurance charge that can add between $25-$50/ day on your rental. If you have a US credit card that covers CDW, you DEFINITELY need to call the CC company and see if they cover the Republic of Ireland as several (most) of them do not.
If they do cover Ireland, you will need to ask them to email you a letter saying that they cover Ireland as Irish rental companies will not accept credit card CDW coverage without a written statement from the credit card company. This may sound like a hassle, but we do it all the time, it takes about 10 mins on the phone with the credit card company
If your credit card does cover Ireland, and you have a letter from them….be prepared to get some sales tactics from the rental company on the day you are picking up the rental…..it’s the typical scare tactics…”the credit card might not cover everything, or if there is a problem you may have to pay up front for any damages, and then get reimbursed by your credit card company (possibly true)”
Dan Dooley Rent a Car (now owned by Enterprise) is one of the biggest in Ireland. While I have never found their rates to be the best, they do have a direct 1-800 number that you could talk to and they will clarify everything so there will be no hassle when you arrive.
There is also a company called Auto Europe that is an agent for several rent a car companies in Ireland. They are worth a look see.
On vacation we relax and have others do the driving. It makes for a better and less stressful vacation. There is really no need to drive over there because the public transportation is so good. Also, you will save money by not driving, and you won't miss anything.
I suggest you fly into and out of Dublin on your own, stay at a hotel, and use it as a base to explore Ireland. Go to one of their tourist offices in Dublin and see what tours are offered to different parts of the island. Take a few tours, or maybe one big tour, and with Dublin as your base there will always be plenty to do in the city. Dublin looks a lot like London, but with an Irish flavor.
If you are coming back into Dublin and the center city hotels are full, check into hotels/motels in the suburbs and the airport area.
On vacation we relax and have others do the driving. It makes for a better and less stressful vacation. There is really no need to drive over there because the public transportation is so good. Also, you will save money by not driving, and you won't miss anything.
I suggest you fly into and out of Dublin on your own, stay at a hotel, and use it as a base to explore Ireland. Go to one of their tourist offices in Dublin and see what tours are offered to different parts of the island. Take a few tours, or maybe one big tour, and with Dublin as your base there will always be plenty to do in the city. Dublin looks a lot like London, but with an Irish flavor.
If you are coming back into Dublin and the center city hotels are full, check into hotels/motels in the suburbs and the airport area.
Dublin is so far from some of the best parts of the country. It would be hard to use as a base.
The biggest dangers in being in English-style driving countries is being a pedestrian and crossing a street. In the U.S. when crossing a street you look to the left for traffic, and you reverse it over there, looking to the right for ongoing traffic.
I did 2 separate driving trips, one in England/Wales/Scotland and one in Ireland. My biggest disappointment was the lack of roads along the ocean in eastern Ireland. We're spoiled here with the coast road in California, but over there, there was only one stretch along the coast, way up in Northern Ireland. Otherwise, you must drive out to the beach, reverse it and go back to the main road.
I was there in September and it was berry season. Berries every where! I was forever stopping in those rural areas to pick a hand full of berries to eat.
Yes you have to be really careful when crossing the street. We have many accidents here involving tourists because they look the other way. We have many signs in the city to remind people but I do not know if they have the same in Ireland.
Agree about the coastal driving. We were there before Easter, though it was fifteen years ago. So much was closed, opening next week we were told. It was hard to park near the coast and the traffic was bad. You must allow plenty of time.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
