Hinchee's Irish Stuff Hinchee's Irish StuffThis page contains Irish travel information and links to interesting sites in or about Ireland. This small collection of links and information was inspired by the difficulty that my wife and I found in locating such information on the net prior to our first visit to Ireland.
There are regular flights from Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and the U. S. east coast to
both Shannon (west coast) and Dublin (east coast). There are also connections
available thru London and other points in Europe.
Aer Lingus has regular flights from
Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, Washington/Baltimore, New York, and Newark. Delta
provides service from Atlanta. Continental provides service from Newark.
American Trans Air provides charter service.
We made all our own travel arrangements, bought tickets thru a consolidator, and saved a bunch of money.
We rented a car in advance and prepaid in U. S. dollars. There are a number of rental companies to choose from. I recommend calling around and comparing prices. Check your credit card's features. It may cover collision damage. If your card does not or if you are not sure then you should purchase the collision damage waiver.
The
Irish drive on the LEFT - the most important thing to remember and constantly
concentrate on. The roads are in good physical condition but are very NARROW.
The island is small and distances are short but you should allow plenty of time
to travel from place to place. Besides there is so much to STOP and SEE. The
rental company will probably furnish a map. I recommend purchasing a Michelin
map as well.
The Irish are good drivers but impatient and do not follow the speed limits well. It is common practice that, when you are overtaken on a two lane highway where there is a paved shoulder, you are to pull over on the shoulder and let the car following you pass. Thus it occasionally happens that you will see three cars approaching you, one on the shoulder, one in the regular lane, and another passing in the other lane!
Traffic circles serve the same purpose as four-way (or n-way) stops do in North America. These are intimidating to many Americans but we had no problem. Simply yield on entry and move all the way inside when you do enter. You can go around more than once to decide which direction you want to exit (the multitude of small road signs can make it slow to determine where to turn).
There are Bed and Breakfast's almost everywhere. Those approved by the Irish Tourist Board will have a small shamrock sign. We stayed exclusively at B&B's that were members of the Town and Country Home Association and listed in their guest accommodation guide. This small book lists the B&B's by location and provides a small photo, description of amenities, and rates. The rates range around 16 irish pounds per person per night for a a room en suite (private shower or bath). We didn't stay in a bad one but some were better than others. Be sure and ask to see the room - you may have a choice - and watch the parking situation. This is an excellent way to meet people - we spent hours chatting with the hosts. The Irish breakfasts are fantastic! Except for our first night (we called a couple of weeks in advance to get a room near the airport) we did not call ahead to reserve a room. It would also be a good idea to either arrive early or call ahead for your last night's reservation for a location near the airport.
Check the travel section of your local book store for a guide. Information is also available from the Irish Tourist Board. If you would like to know more about our travels in Co. Cork, Co. Kerry, and Co. Clare then write me.
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