Don't drive in Dublin, don't bring cash, and other tips for your trip to Ireland

Boston Globe

14-03-2025

Go west.
The best of Ireland's natural beauty is on the west coast — the Dingle Peninsula, the Ring of Kerry, Connemara National Park, the Aran Islands. Geographically, Ireland is slightly smaller than Maine, so going from the east coast to the west coast is no big deal — it's less than three hours from Dublin to Galway.
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Do not drive in Dublin.
It's a highly walkable city. You do not need a car here. The streets are congested, and parking is expensive, when you can find it. If you do need a ride, hop on a bus or hail a taxi — there is no Uber or Lyft here. Wait until you're leaving Dublin to pick up your rental.
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Drive everywhere else.
You might be intimidated by the prospect of driving in Ireland, but don't be. It's a lot of fun. It's also a necessity. Public transportation is virtually nonexistent outside of Dublin, and you're going to need a car to get to many of the sites you'll want to see. It takes little time to get used to driving on the left and steering on the right. Outside of Dublin, you'll encounter few traffic lights. It's all rotaries, and they're much more efficient at moving traffic. Most cars here have manual transmissions, though, so if you want an automatic you'll have to request one in advance. You will also need to spring for the insurance. This isn't like renting in the United States; your American auto insurance is almost certainly no good here.
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Get a small car.
Away from the highways, the roads are narrow and winding, and there's often a stone wall running alongside the road. You will have trouble navigating a large sedan or SUV in many places. Choose the smallest car you can find, but make sure you can fit your luggage in the back. Be prepared to pull over into a driveway — you may even have to back up — when a truck or bus is heading toward you. If someone is tailgating you, pull over — that's a local who needs to be somewhere, and you're a tourist who's in the way.
Don't bring a lot of cash.
Ireland is more advanced than the United States when it comes to contactless payment. Every restaurant, bar, and taxi has a handheld point-of-sale device, and even highway tolls are paid with the tap of your credit card. We needed cash in exactly one place, a small B&B whose owners warned us ahead of time that they don't take credit.
Make reservations, especially in Dublin.
If you don't reserve a spot on a popular walking tour like the 1916 Rebellion Walking Tour or at a museum such as Kilmainham Gaol or the Book of Kells, you may not get in. They sell out weeks in advance.
Talk to the locals.
You'll get great advice on places to visit or ways to visit them. The best advice I got was to avoid seeing the Cliffs of Moher the way most tourists do, which is by driving straight to the visitors center. Instead, I was told to
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Tip differently.
Tipping isn't expected or considered mandatory everywhere. A tip of 10 to 15 percent is appreciated in restaurants, but no one is going to give you the evil eye if you don't tip. A tip of 20 percent is almost unheard of. Bartenders do not expect tips at all. They told us this, in fact. We visited one pub that had hundreds of US dollar bills stapled to the ceiling. 'Americans love to give us their money,' the bartender told us.
Choose wisely.
There are so many castles, cathedrals, and monastery ruins that you may start tiring of them. You will definitely not want to enter every one you drive by, so do some research ahead of time to figure out which ones you really want to see.
Avoid tourist traps.
We were warned away from Blarney Castle and its underwhelming rock, and have no regrets. We were also told to steer clear of the Guinness Storehouse — a crowded, loud, pricey museum and tasting room. If you want to tour a brewery, there are plenty around Boston where you can ogle the mash tuns and fermenters.
Ignore the food stereotypes.
The days of bland, boring food are over. Yes, fish and chips are everywhere, but you can also find affordable gourmet restaurants and world cuisine all over the isle, from the crispy chili monkfish at the Fish Box in Dingle to the banh mi pizza at Dough Bros. in Galway.
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Adjust your coffee clock.
Cafes open later outside of Dublin. You cannot get a coffee before 8 or even 9 a.m. in many places. And don't go looking for drip coffee. That's not a thing. If you're used to grabbing a drip coffee to go, order a cafe Americano — a shot of espresso in hot water, it's the closest approximation but better.
Don't expect craft beer.
Ireland has very little, and what it does have is not up to New England standards. Instead, drink like a local and enjoy a pint of Beamish, Murphy's or Guinness stout, which is not just the genuine article in Ireland but lower in alcohol content than most American craft beer, so you can have a few.
Seek out local music.
One of the top reasons to visit Ireland is to take in the local talent. It's not just in Dublin. Small locales like Doolin and Dingle have amazing music scenes. Even the street musicians in Ireland are stellar. We stopped in for a quick beer at the Quays in Galway and ended up staying for four hours because the two bands were so brilliant.
Steve Greenlee is a journalism professor at Boston University.