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Early Payment Discount !
Early Payment Discount on Daily Rental Rates on all products!
If you book and pay in full by 10th September 2010
Only Available for bookings valued over $1,000
(Offer only applies if you pay by Bank Transfer, Cheque or Cash)
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* Terms & Conditions apply, please contact us for details.
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Ireland Information
The Republic of Ireland, is a nation state of Western Europe. It constitutes the main portion of the island of Ireland and is bounded to the northeast by Northern Ireland which is part of the United Kingdom.
Regions of Ireland
East Coast and Midlands (County Dublin, County Kildare, County Laois, County Longford, County Louth, County Meath, County Offaly, County Westmeath, County Wicklow)
The Irish heartland, home to the capital and vibrant metropolis of Dublin.
Northern Ireland
A home nation of the United Kingdom.
Shannon Region (County Clare, County Limerick, County Tipperary)
A region often visited for its castles and the awe-inspiring Cliffs of Moher.
Southwest Ireland (County Cork, County Kerry)
A scenic and rainy section of Ireland with a beautiful coast and popular Ring of Kerry and Blarney Castle.
West Ireland (County Galway, County Mayo, County Roscommon)
Ireland's least populous region, home to the Irish "Cultural Capital" of Galway and the beautiful Aran Islands.
Northwest Ireland and Lakelands (County Cavan, County Donegal, County Leitrim, County Monaghan, County Sligo)
A region with relatively little tourist activity, but a lot to offer by way of natural beauty.
Southeast Ireland (County Carlow, County Kilkenny, County Waterford, County Wexford)
A rather cosmopolitan section of Ireland, famous for its Waterford crystal
Cities
* Dublin - the capital and the country's largest city. With excellent pubs, fine architecture and good shopping, Dublin is a very popular tourist destination and is the fourth most visited European capital.
* Cork - second largest city in the Republic of Ireland - located on the banks of the River Lee. Founded c.600 by St. Finbarre and known for good food, pubs, shopping and festivals.
* Galway - a city on the river Corrib on the west coast of Ireland. Famous for its festivals and its location on Galway Bay. Known as the City of Tribes, Galway's summer is filled with festivals of music, food, Gaelic language and culture. Galway hosts over fifty festivals a year, including the Galway Oyster Festival. The locals seem to give off a positive Bohemian vibe. Galway is split between two types of beautiful landscape: the gorgeous mountains to the west, and the east's farming valleys.
* Kilkenny - attractive medieval town, known as the Marble City - home to the Cat Laughs Comedy Festival, held annually in early June.
* Letterkenny - Main town in County Donegal, designated gateway status and reputed to be the fastest growing town in Europe. Good base for traveling in Donegal.
* Limerick - a city on the river Shannon in the south-west of the country.
* Sligo - Home to W.B. Yeats, internationally renowned poet. Mountains and beaches, scenery in general are the best points of Sligo.
* Waterford - Ireland's oldest city. In the south-east and close to the ferry port at Rosslare. Waterford is a popular visit for those who want to learn more about the most ancient history of Ireland. It is quite possibly one of the best cities in the country as it is not too large and is full of history. Many festivals take place throughout the year including ((Spraoi)). The food is good and the Granary Museum is the best for ancient Irish history in the country. Don't forget to try a blaa before you leave. (A floury bread bun peculiar to this area of Ireland).
* Wexford - Town and county in the "Sunny South-East"
Other destinations
* The Aran Islands (Na hOileáin Árann), Co. Galway - located in Galway Bay
* The Burren and the Cliffs of Moher, both located in County Clare
* Brú Na Bóinne some of the finest neolithic monuments in the world, situated in Co. Meath
* Connemara (Conamara), in Western County Galway
* West Cork - Mountains, coves, islands and beaches at the very south of the country
* Kinsale in County Cork - Gastronomic excellence in Ireland's oldest town
* The Ring of Kerry and Skellig Michael in County Kerry
* Glendalough fine ruins and hiking trails in Co Wicklow
* The Dingle Peninsula (Corca Dhuibhne), Co. Kerry - a Gaeltecht region (Irish-speaking district) in the very SW corner of the country.
* Blarney Castle- Located in Country Cork, this historic castle is known for its "Blarney Stone." Tradition is that if the Blarney Stone is kissed, one will have good luck. One kisses the stone by laying back and being held by an employee of the castle. Photographers are there to capture the moment!
* Cliffs of Moher loacated in County Clare - One of Ireland's Biggest and Most Visited Tourist Attraction. The Cliffs are 230 meters in height and tower over the Atlantic Ocean. There is a souvenir shop. Safety is at visitor's discretion, there are no safety barriers, because it would ruin the natural tourist attraction. The Cliffs are an absoulte site to see
Driving in Ireland
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 routes of high quality dual carriageway, 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.
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