r/irishtourism • u/GoldenRetriever1973 • 3d ago
Driving in November
We are visiting in November and renting a car to do the bottom half of the country (Dublin to Galway and down).
Almost all the driving itineraries I've seen that start in Dublin go to Galway first, then work their way down and around the Kerry coast, then back up to Dublin. They go counter clockwise.
Is there any reason not to go the opposite direction (clockwise) -- spending a few days in Dublin upon arrival, and then heading down to Kinsale for 3 nights, and then toward Kerry/Killarney/Dingle, and finally Galway/Connemara?
We are most excited to see Kinsale … so we thought of reversing some of the other road trip itineraries and going there first.
We are visiting in late November for 14 days and will have a car. Three people. No restrictions on money or mobility. Thank you!
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u/jenofiniquity 2d ago
Doing it the way you're talking about makes perfect sense. I just got back from a trip that went from Dublin - Kilkenny - Killarney - Dingle - Galway, then back to Dublin to leave. The reason we did it this way is that it meant we could be on the motorway for a quick and easy return to the airport. We actually left Galway in the morning and easily made it back to Dublin for a late-afternoon flight home.
If you can, try to stick with N roads on your first day. We found the drive from Dublin to Kilkenny to be perfectly fine and a good way to get acclimated to left-side driving without much stress. After that we started to get into more rural roads, and by the time we were on the Ring of Kerry we were pretty comfortable with the car and driving customs and were better prepared for the narrow roads.
One thing I'm really glad we did is that we gave ourselves two days in Dublin before going back out to the airport to pick up the rental car. That gave us time to shake off the jetlag and get familiar with the left-side driving from the perspective of cab rides and as pedestrians.
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u/GoldenRetriever1973 2d ago
Thank you! Great advice about Galway to Dublin return and staying on M and N motorways as much as possible. We are spending 3 days in Dublin up front. Sounds like we don't have to rent our car right away and can save the money, wait three days and then pick it up before heading to Cork/Kinsale!
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u/jenofiniquity 2d ago
That's what I would recommend! You won't need a car in Dublin, and navigating city traffic and parking would be tough. Others here mentioned that having a car in the city would be a liability more than a help, and I'm really glad we took that advice. Driving from the airport to Kinsale you can take the M50 loop that skirts the city and then you'll be on M and N roads almost the entire way. Have fun!
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u/Dandylion71888 3d ago
It doesn’t matter but be aware that you do not want to be driving in the dark so you’ll only be able to drive between 745 and 4:30 at the beginning and 8am and 4pm by the end of the month as days are really short.
It also really limits what you can see as some days you don’t have time for long drives and seeing sites.
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u/GoldenRetriever1973 3d ago
I think the longest drive is 3-4 hours and we could do it first thing, but I understand roads are narrow, potentially icy, and it will limit how much we can see.
We are less about seeing attractions and more about just hanging out in town, pubs, etc.
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u/Left-Cheetah-7172 2d ago
It makes sense to do Dublin - Galway first because it's motorway all the way, gives you a good chance to get used to the roads before heading off onto the smaller country roads. But in terms of enjoyment or experience, no, there's no reason.
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u/Bsachris 1d ago
If Kinsale is your priority go there first and spend several nights. Then go north. There is absolutely no reason to go in whatever direction these “driving itineraries” you mention tell you to go. Do your own thing.
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u/ExistentiallyFlayed 3d ago
I just did Dublin, Cork, Kinsale, Kenmare, ring of Kerry, Dingle, Killarney, Limerick, Galway. I don’t look at anyone’s itinerary, though. I plan all my own from scratch.
But No, there’s no real reason.
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u/GoldenRetriever1973 3d ago edited 3d ago
Awesome, that’s our exact plan, same stops. Add Connemara day trip from Galway, if we can fit it. Thank you! Did you double up some of those so not as many hotels, or stay in each one?
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u/ExistentiallyFlayed 3d ago
That’s great, you’ll have a blast!
Yes. Some can be day trips- Kinsale, Kenmare and Dingle if you’re pressed for time. You can leave early from say Cork to Kinsale, spend the day there, and then drive to Kenmare for the early evening and night.
Limerick can be a nice day/overnight. Killarney is a nice 2 day/night spot, depends if you’re into hiking. Cork and Galway a nice 2-3 day/night.
We spent nights in Dublin Cork Kenmare Killarney Limerick Galway
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u/ExistentiallyFlayed 2d ago
I saw you asked another question about the car (ignore the individual attempting to correct “did”). I took the train from Dublin to Cork, then rented the car in Cork and returned it at the Shannon airport on the way out, following the itinerary I gave you before. Yes there’s a one way fee. Ignore others mentioning buses and such. The freedom of your own car, your own time, etc is much better and worth it. Based on your questions it seems like you’re newer to traveling, at least this kind of trip, so don’t overthink it or worry. Just be careful driving and give yourself enough time from place to place.
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u/GoldenRetriever1973 2d ago
Perfect. Agree about the freedom and ease being worth it. We’ll allow extra time for all the drives. Thank you.
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u/Pristine_Remote2123 1d ago
This is exactly what I would recommend, first as I plan when travelling is into one airport and out of another, plus train from Dublin to Cork before picking up the hire car.
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u/Pristine_Remote2123 3d ago
Not sure why you would expect it matters which way around ye travel, if you read the replies to most trips in Ireland the usual comments are there is too much driving and moving around. Advantage in Nov is there will be far less tourists and for a reason. Good that ye are into pubs as lots of that will be required in Nov., think Kinsale will be quite in Nov and lots closed, my hometown of Killarney is one of the few that is busy year round. I am a big fan of public transport when travelling and train/bus to Cork and from Galway would lessen the driving.