IE Ireland: how to get around

Motorhomes can also be rented at Dublin airport, Cork and Limerick, though most tourers bring their own. You need to factor in extra ferry charges, narrow twisty roads, and availability of sites, which are often closed Oct-March. Many inland places are short on sites because their population heads to the coast, while those on the coast may be for long-term leases or static units with nothing for short-stay tourers and campers. See Camping Ireland and individual city pages for sites. Overnight wayside parking is generally prohibited, and you'll be fined and moved on by the police.

For taxis see individual cities, but there's a national rate. They're required to use the meter and issue a receipt, but are genetically hard-wired to be forgetful about this. Uber is only slowly gaining ground and outside the cities there's multiple small operators. As everywhere else, you do best when your accommodation books for you. Taxis are distinctively marked, and an unmarked car that stops for you on the street is up to no good.

Roads are classed as M motorway, N national, R regional and L local.

The principal routes radiate from Dublin:

• M50 from Dublin dockland via tunnel (toll) north to airport then a semi-circle west of the city (toll) linking all other routes.
• M1 from M50 at airport to Drogheda (toll), Dundalk, Newry and Belfast.
• M2 / N2 from M50 to Ashbourne. Historically this was the road to Monaghan, Donegal and Derry, but other routes are now faster.
• M3 / N3 from M50 to Navan (tolls), Kells and Cavan.
• M4 from M50 to Maynooth (toll), Kinnegad (for M6), Mullingar, Longford (for N5), Boyle and Sligo.
• N5 from N4 at Longford to Strokestown, Castlebar and Westport.
• M6 from M4 at Kinnegad to Athlone (toll), Athenry (for M17/18) and Galway.
• M7 / N7 from M50 to Naas (for M9), Portlaoise (for M8) (toll), Roscrea, Nenagh and Limerick.
• M8 from M7 near Portlaoise to Thurles, Cashel, Cahir, Fermoy (toll) and Cork.
• M9 from M7 at Naas to Carlow, Kilkenny and Waterford.
• M11 / N11 from M50 to Wicklow, Arklow, Gorey, Enniscorthy and Wexford.

Tolls for private cars range from €1.70 to €3.70. The Dublin Port tunnel is €3.50 off-peak and €12 in rush-hour (06:00 to 10:00 southbound, and 16:00 to 19:00 northbound). There are no cash kiosks on some routes, you must pay online either in advance or before 20:00 next day, after which there are penalty charges. Check with car rental companies whether an e-tag is included.

Some major cross-country routes include:

• M18 / 17 from Limerick to Athenry (for M6), Tuam and Sligo.
• N24 from Waterford to Clonmel, Cahir (for M8), Tipperary and Limerick.
• N25 along the south coast from Rosslare to Wexford, Waterford and Cork.
• N52 from Nenagh (for M7) to Birr, Tullamore, Mullingar, Kells and Dundalk.

Drive on the left, and yield to the right at roundabouts, same as in the United Kingdom; above all relax and take your time.

Road signage follows the pattern found in most European countries apart from certain warning signs, which use a yellow diamond, similar to warning signs in the United States. Speed limits are in kilometres per hour or, if you prefer, ciliméadar san uair (the symbol is "km/h" regardless of language). In the northern counties, a sign announcing limits in miles per hour may be the only indication that you've crossed the border into Northern Ireland.

Placenames are in both English and Irish, except in the Gaeltacht areas (mostly in the west), where they're only in Irish, so you need to know those versions. Information in English generally uses upper-case upright text while information in Gaelic generally in italic mixed-case text.

The M and N roads are like main highways anywhere. R or regional roads may be broad and fast, especially where they were the main road until bypassed. Others are narrow and twisty, and demand all your attention. L roads might be "life in your hands" – they're very narrow, often with no room for vehicles to pass, poorly signposted and in poor repair. Always keep a mental note of the previous passing place: they're none too common. And always assume that around the next corner will be an oncoming tractor, and you'll have to reverse most of the way to Killarney. A cheery wave or blip of headlights acknowledges courtesy.

Rail travel in Ireland is quick, comfortable and inexpensive, but the network is limited. Trains radiate from Dublin Heuston to Kilkenny and Waterford, to Cork with a branch for Kerry, to Tipperary and Limerick, to Athlone and Galway, and to Westport and Ballina. Branch lines link Tipperary, Clonmel and Waterford, Limerick and Nenagh, and Limerick with Galway. Trains from Dublin Connolly run to Wicklow, Wexford and Rosslare ferry port, to Longford, Carrick-on-Shannon and Sligo, and to Drogheda, Dundalk and Belfast. There are suburban networks sharing the same track around Dublin, Cork and Belfast, which has mainline trains to Derry. Travel times seldom exceed 2-3 hours and there are no night trains. There are no separate metro systems, but Dublin has trams.

All trains are run by the state-owned Irish Rail or Iarnród Éireann, with the Dublin-Belfast "Enterprise train" shared with Northern Ireland Railways. Fares are inexpensive: in 2021 a walk-up single fare from Dublin to Kilkenny was €15, so there's limited scope for discounts. If your travel plans are definite, then booking ahead saves you a few euro, ensures your seat, and saves queuing at the station as you can collect your ticket from the machines. Booking is important around big events such as rugby internationals, when transport to the capital is mobbed.

Bus is the predominant form of public transport across Ireland. Long distance routes radiate from Dublin, and crucially they run via Dublin airport, so it's easier to take a bus to, say, Galway, than to drag into the city for the train. Bus Éireann are the principal inter-city operator, branded as Expressway, but their competitors include Dublin Coach, Aircoach, GoBus, Citylink, JJ Kavanagh and Wexford Bus. Bus Éireann are also a leading operator of bus tours.

See individual city pages for details, but the main intercity routes from Dublin (working anti-clockwise) are:

• Dublin - Belfast; a few stop at Newry. A separate service links Dublin, Drogheda and Dundalk.
• Dublin - Derry, either via Monaghan and Omagh or via Armagh, Dungannon and Cookstown.
• Dublin - Cavan - Enniskillen - Donegal, with others to Letterkenny.
• Dublin - Mullingar - Longford, where they branch either for Carrick-on-Shannon and Sligo, or for Ballina.
• Dublin - Athlone - Galway.
• Dublin - Nenagh - Limerick: some stop at Kildare, and some continue to Tralee or Killarney.
• Dublin - Cork.
• Dublin - Waterford via Kilkenny or Carlow.
• Dublin - Wexford: these bypass Wicklow and don't continue to Rosslare.

The main cross-country routes are:

• Derry - Letterkenny - Donegal - Sligo - Knock - Tuam - Galway.
• Ballina - Castlebar - Tuam - Galway.
• Galway - Ennis - Shannon Airport - Limerick - Mallow - Cork.
• Rosslare port - Wexford - New Ross - Waterford - Dungarvan - Youghal - Cork - Killarney - Tralee.
• Waterford - Thomastown - Kilkenny - Carlow - Portlaoise - Tullamore - Athlone.

The main towns all have local services, with an extensive network around Dublin including some night buses.

Transport for Ireland has comprehensive timetables, journey planners, train-to-bus connections, and the Local Link buses to smaller places along the back roads. They quote fares but don't themselves issue tickets, pointing you to the relevant operator website.

• Ferries ply to the inhabited islands: they carry islanders' vehicles but visitors should avoid bringing one. Boat trips visit many other islands at sea or in the lakes – some even venture out as far as Fastnet.
• Car ferries cross several large estuaries: the Shannon, Cork Harbour, Waterford Harbour, and the Liffey between Howth and Dún Laoghaire. Two ferries are international: across Carlingford Lough between Dundalk and the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland, and across Lough Foyle between Greencastle in County Donegal and MacGilligan Point north of Derry. Both carry vehicles but only sail in summer.
• Inland waterways: Ireland has an extensive navigable network, rehabilitated since its 19th / 20th century decline. The principal routes are from Dublin to the Shannon by either the Grand Canal or (further north) the Royal Canal, up the length of the Shannon from the Atlantic at Limerick to Leitrim, its principal tributaries such as the Boyle, and along the Shannon-Erne Canal to Enniskillen in Northern Ireland. Another branch connects Grand Canal to Athy, Carlow and Waterford. There are no ferries on these routes, so you either hire a boat or bring your own: hire companies place limits on how far you can go. For an extended Shannon cruise, you might start from Dromineer near Nenagh, Athlone or Carrick-on-Shannon. See Waterways Ireland for current navigation and lock status, moorings and so on

Taxis are nationally regulated and you pay the same fare stuck in Dublin traffic trying to reach the airport as you do up a back lane in Connemara. Rates were last hiked in Dec 2024, see TFI for these. However you may be able to negotiate a flat rate for an excursion to some outlying sight.

Ireland is beautiful for biking, but use a good touring bike with solid tyres as road conditions are not always excellent. Biking along the south and west coasts you should be prepared for variable terrain, lots of hills and frequent strong headwinds. There are plenty of camp grounds along the way for long distance cyclists.

The planned Eurovelo cycle route in Ireland will connect Belfast to Dublin via Galway, and Dublin to Rosslare via Galway and Cork. Visit their website for updates on the status of the path.

Dublin has some marked bicycle lanes and a few non-road cycle tracks. Traffic is fairly busy, but a cyclist confident with road cycling in other countries should have no special difficulties (except maybe for getting used to riding on the left). Cyclists have no special right of way over cars, particularly when using shared use paths by the side of a road, but share and get equal priority when in traffic lanes. Helmets are not legally required, but widely available for those who wish to use them. Dublin Bikes has 400 bikes available to the public in around 40 stations across the city centre. The bikes are free to take for the first half hour, although a payment of €150 is required in case of the bike being stolen or damaged. When finished, return the bike back to any station and get your payment refunded.

Ireland is small enough to be traversed by road and rail in a few hours, so there are few flights within the Republic, and none to Northern Ireland.

Aer Lingus fly from Dublin (DUB) to Donegal (CFN) near Carrickfinn in northwest County Donegal, twice a day taking an hour. Fares start at €24 each way (2024).

Ryanair fly from Dublin (DUB) to Kerry (KIR) near Farranfore, midway between Tralee and Killarney, once a day taking an hour. Fares start at €20 each way (2024).

Aer Arann Islands fly from Connemara Airport (NNR) near Galway to the three Arann Islands of Inis Mór (IOR), Inis Meain (IIA) and Inis Oírr (INQ). There are at least three flights to each island year-round M-F and two at weekends; more in summer. The flights use rinky-dinky BNF Islanders and are ten minute there-and-back turnarounds with no inter-island flights. Adult fares are €35 one way or €63 return, with discounts for seniors, students and children. Connemara has no other flights so it's disconnected from the global network.

• Cable-car is how you reach Dursey Island in County Cork, a ten minute ride over the restless Atlantic. Ireland's low mountains and mild winters aren't conducive to winter sports, so if they had to install a ski lift anywhere, it pretty much had to be here.
• Walk on water at Acres Lake near Drumshanbo in County Leitrim. Ireland has many long-distance hiking trails, mostly described on the relevant County pages. Shannon Blueway near the head of the navigable river starts with a floating boardwalk, before continuing with conventional trails. It's the spiritual descendant of Ireland's baffling Bog Trackways, floating Neolithic or Iron Age walkways across bogs: their purpose seems not to be transport, but to enter the bog for some ceremonial purpose.
• Horse-drawn caravans: the traditional Romany kind. You'll be among the last of the breed, because the Republic nowadays discourages "travelling folk", and those still around use modern vehicles and caravans. Extended horse-drawn trips are best suited to areas where the gradients are mild, the road traffic isn't too frenetic, and the distance between sights and amenities is minor. See County Mayo and County Wicklow for examples. They were formerly common around the Ring of Kerry.
• Jaunting cars are four seater open carts with a single horse and a driver known as a "jarvey". Once common, they're nowadays only found in Killarney in County Kerry.
• Irish railway gauge of 1600 mm is almost unique to this country but coincides with the Diolkos (Δίολκος) of 600 BC, the haulway by which ancient Greeks dragged ships across the Corinth isthmus.