Questions about travel / holiday in Ireland?

Ireland is in the Eurozone, so you use Euros in the Republic, but Northern Ireland is still officially part of the UK, so you use sterling there. Order some Euros from your bank before you go, and let your bank know you’re going and ask them about using your ATM card on the machines over here – it’s the safest way to access your money, rather than carrying around wads of cash, and certainly cheaper than going the traveller’s cheque route. You can also use Visa and Mastercard here, but many places don’t accept American Express or Diner’s Club anymore, as they are too slow process.

High season in Ireland tends to be July and August, it’s not usually very warm then (compared to mainland Europe) and you should be aware that the past two summers were cold and wet, so bring layers, a good rain jacket, and waterproof shoes. There’s no guarantee that this year will be any different, but you never know.

Where to stay? Well, it’s all good. I personally prefer the west, but there are some great places in other areas too. If you are going to hire a car, I strongly recommend picking a region and staying there and taking day trips within that region, rather than haring around the country trying to see all the sights and getting the photos to show off back home – all you’d see in the inside of your car and traffic. If you live in a city, choose a small town or a village in Ireland, and instead of staying in one of the big impersonal hotels, try a family-run Bed & Breakfast (you’ll find loads through the Irish Tourist Board website or through http://www.familyhomes.ie). Local people are very helpful and can give good directions, and also point you in the direction of places that might be off the official tourist board radar.

Two more things about driving in Ireland: petrol (what you call gas) is now just over €1 per litre (multiply that by 7.5 and you get the price for a gallon) and you will need to factor this into your budget for getting around, but it is very convenient to have your own car in a country where the public transport facilities leave a lot to be desired. Diesel is slightly cheaper, just under a Euro per litre. Also, driving times in Ireland are not going to be the same as in the US. In Ireland, it is physically impossible to drive 100 miles in 100 minutes, the roads are simply not built for it. We do not have an infrastructure for large volumes of high-speed traffic. I live just south of Limerick city, and have to allow 2.5 hours at least to get to Dublin if I’m driving there, and it’s only 130 miles. Much much easier for me to take the train!

If this is your first visit, I would suggest that you join a coach tour, safer and easier for you, as here we drive on the left and the steering wheel is on the right-hand side of the car. Google ‘touring Ireland’ and see what you come up with, or contact the Irish Tourist Board, or try http://www.discoverireland.ie for more information. Have a great trip!