AROUND IRELAND BY B&B
Part 2
(Part 1 is here)

by Kelly Monaghan

Driving Tips In Ireland

For most American visitors, the drive part of their fly/drive visit to Ireland will be the most exciting -- and not necessarily in the best sense of the term.

Let's face it, driving on the left-hand side of the road can be daunting. And if you've chosen a manual transmission to save some money, the challenge is just that much greater. Not only do you have to remember your stick shift skills (assuming you ever acquired them!), but you have to do it using the "wrong" hand.

Of course, automatic transmissions are common and available in Ireland, but perversely, I prefer the old stick shift. It takes me back to a time when driving a car meant you actually felt like you were driving.

Then there's the whole "wrong side of the road" thing. Surprisingly perhaps, the two drivers on my trip did pretty well, although we both turned into the "wrong" lane at least once. It really helps to have a co-pilot to keep you honest.

Then there are those Irish roads. Our running gag was "You know you're in Ireland when you're driving on a road just barely wider than your car and you see a sign that says 'Road Narrows.'"

In the scenic West of Ireland, where we spent most of our time, the roads vary from narrow to unbelievably narrow. Most daunting of all are the "gaps" (as the Irish call mountain passes), where roads become one twisting lane sandwiched between a rocky wall and a two-hundred foot drop. Expect to put your backing up skills to the test!

On most country roads, there are wee spaces where you can pull off the road a bit to give an oncoming vehicle room to squeeze past. For the American driver, the best strategy is to always cede right of way to the other guy. Chances are, he's a lot more comfortable navigating the narrow roads than you are.

If there's no pull off spot, you can often guide your car gently into the shrubbery that grows up to the very edge of the road. In fact, some roads look as though they have been tunneled through Ireland's lush greenery.

Our observation was that we tended to pull farther to the left than we needed to, often brushing the hedges at the edge of the road. Try this: Use the side mirror on the driver's side (the right) to get a sense of how close you are coming to the center line as it rolls out behind you. Then note the spot on the dashboard where that center line "disappears" as it whips past your car. After a while, you'll realize that there is more space separating you from oncoming traffic than seems possible at times.

On narrow country roads, when the road is clear ahead of you, do not hesitate to straddle the center line. When you spot another car, you can move over. You should also move left as you approach blind curves (and in Ireland nearly ever curve is a blind curve!).

Be especially careful the first day. You've probably arrived on an overnight flight and have slept fitfully, if at all. Plan your first stop near the airport and check in early. First day accidents by jet lagged tourists are all too common.

When you're not driving, try not to get too hysterical when it looks like the passenger's side of the car will smash into that picturesque stone wall that's coming up fast. This will tend to rattle the driver. This is a hard rule to follow, as your involuntary fliches will invariably communciate themselevs to your sharp-eyed driver.

If there will be more than one driver, try to agree ahead of time that you will try to be mutually supportive and give "constructive" criticism only when needed. This seemed to work for us. Also, I think that if you follow the advice above about staying closer to the center of the road and straddling the center line when you can, you'll avoid a lot of problems.

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