Driving in Ireland
I’m 5’ 4” and this is a two-lane road in Northern Ireland
Needless to say, driving in Ireland in an interesting feat. There are many differences between driving in the United States and Ireland and I'm going to tell you about a few of them and hopefully give you some pointers.
1. Driving on the Other Side of the Road
This one is obvious, I know, but it is the first thing you have to get used to. There are a couple of things that you have to get used to here. Not only are you on the wrong side of the road, but you must keep to the wrong side of the road, and your reset point is different now. What I mean by "reset point" is that default point that you subconsciously use to keep yourself aligned on the road while you are distracted. This was the hardest part both of driving in Ireland coming home. I cannot stress that enough. Mind your reset point.
I felt like I could consciously feel my brain re-writing how it drives while on the wrong side of the road. It was interesting, to say the least. You might feel it too, so brace yourself.
2. Driving on the Wrong Side of the Car
Again, obvious. A righty-drive vehicle takes more getting used to than you might think, but not so much that you shouldn't ever try it. This one is less tricky than the brain thing, it's just physical. I would recommend you try driving with your right hand more in the States prior to driving in Ireland. You will make it easier on yourself if you have to have a stick shift in Ireland.
3. Roundabouts
Of you don't know what a roundabout is, count yourself lucky. If you do know what a roundabout is in America, forget what you know. Ireland's roundabouts are more like the loops on the interstate in big cities than they are our roundabouts.
A roundabout is a one way circular road that will let you merge into the circle and merge out of it onto the road that you are aiming for. You will always enter with a left turn and you will always exit with a left turn. So, when your GPS (if you have one) says "turn right at the roundabout" what it means is turn left into the roundabout and then merge left onto the third road (usually). SOme roundabouts are only 4 way, but many of them are 3 way only or even 5 or 6 ways.
My last note on roundabouts is that if you miss your merge off of the roundabout, just keep going and make the loop again. You might catch some crap from other drivers, but who cares! It's your vacation and you're the one driving. Just don't hit anyone, make the correct turn, and forget about everyone else.
4. Tiny Roads
The roads are small and somewhat hectic. You should know going into that many of the roads on the country side of Ireland are very narrow with small pull offs every so often for you to get out of the way for someone heading the opposite direction as you. The rule of thumb I used was: If it's bigger than you-you move, If you're bigger-they move and if you are the same size, whomever is closer to a pull off spot, pulls off.
4. GPS
I strongly recommend springing for the GPS if you're planning on driving anywhere in Ireland. The roads are tiny and confusing and the roundabouts are all over the place. The roundabouts alone will age you twenty years. I'm not sure how much extra it costs with each company, but look into it before your trip and know that it's worth it unless you're with a local.
