So much misinformation. The car insurance thing is true, but not because Ireland is uniquely difficult to drive in vis a vis other countries (why, say, would Israel be on the commonly excluded coverage list but Jordan isn't? Turkey is fine but New Zealand no? India, sure! But Jamaica, no). The coverage isn't because of the country's difficulty, it's because of the country's insurance rules). It's an Irish rule, passed onto consumers because the credit card companies don't pick up the cost themselves.

That being said, there are some difficulties in Ireland but as a tourist you're unlikely to encounter anything that you can't manage. The main carriageways are fine. In most cities, they don't really let you street park, you'd need to find a parking lot. Those parking lots can be TIGHT but I generally get at least a midsized car in Europe and we have been fine. In rural England, which has the narrowest roads I've ever encountered (like, it's a path that someone decided is a road?), we've been fine with a Toyota Rav 4 style car. Yeah, it feels weird sometimes. But garbage trucks can do it, Amazon deliveries, etc.

On the two way roads that are practically one way roads, which you might need to use the little pull offs or drive backwards to let folks pass, but again, it's' really not that big of a deal and the size of the car doesn't matter in that case.

Sounds like you need 3 cars.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’ve gone to Ireland on golf trips a few times with DHs family (usually 6-8 of us). We rent a van with a driver. It’s so much easier to travel with a large group and none of the worries of directions, parking, etc. luggage will absolutely be an issue with cars. Fitting 8 people’s luggage in 2 cars will be challenging to say the least.

How will a large van/minibus get through the roads if previous posters are saying even tiny SUVs are too big?

Was this sarcasm? TOUR BUSES drive those small roads. Plus, they do actually have SUVs and Minivans in Ireland.

Yes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’ve gone to Ireland on golf trips a few times with DHs family (usually 6-8 of us). We rent a van with a driver. It’s so much easier to travel with a large group and none of the worries of directions, parking, etc. luggage will absolutely be an issue with cars. Fitting 8 people’s luggage in 2 cars will be challenging to say the least.

How will a large van/minibus get through the roads if previous posters are saying even tiny SUVs are too big?

Was this sarcasm? TOUR BUSES drive those small roads. Plus, they do actually have SUVs and Minivans in Ireland.

Anonymous wrote:Unless you're accustomed to driving stick, rent an automatic car so you're not doing too much task loading. You'll have enough to worry about with (1) driving on the left, and (2) hedgerows/narrow roads to be able to shift.

Triple and quadruple check your credit card's vehicle insurance. Nearly all companies will not insure drivers in Ireland.

"Nearly all" is too strong. "Most" is accurate, but a number of popular cards do cover rental car CDW in Ireland, including Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve, Chase United Explorer, Citi Costco card. There are some others, and yes you should check your terms and conditions, and get the letter from them confirming coverage 2 weeks before your trip, and print it out to bring with you.

Just hire a driver. So much easier. https://www.butlerstours.com/fleet.php. So many companies do this. This is just one of many.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even if your credit card covers insurance, be sure to get the full coverage. It might cost extra, but those stone walls just sometimes pop out of nowhere!

I think most credit card insurance only covers the rental car. It does not cover damage to other cars or property or bodily injury. Best to check.

Liability coverage is automatically included in rentals in Europe.

I rented a Peugeot station wagon in Ireland (because we had 5 people to transport) last May & it worked fine on the roads. Definitely get an automatic. It was smaller than an American car but worked out fine, although we all had roller bags (didn't check luggage). One note about drivers in Ireland: they are all pretty patient and also don't drive terribly fast so it all works out. I was nervous about it before going and it was just fine. You will pull over when necessary and will come home with deep respect for the space between the side of the road and any stone walls/trees/ravines, but it will be fine!

Anonymous wrote:
I find it very stressful to drive in Ireland.
- Trying to get on the roundabout at full speed on the left side of the road then looking and taking the correct exit...
- Trying to squeeze through a tiny road when there are bus/cars heading towards me at full speed, and 10 cars behind me wondering why I am so slow...

But the hardest is trying to back up a country one lane road to let a tractor pass - while staying on the left side of the road. DH grew up in UK and still finds it hard.

This. Kudos to those of you who find driving in a foreign country fun and relaxing, but for the driver with no prior experience driving in Ireland where the car, roads, signage, and orientation are different and being responsible for the safety of your family, it's very stressful. Nor is Ireland like Switzerland with amazing public transportation. There are trains and buses but they are not ubiquitous, and with an 80-year old in your party, you probably should consider a driver. You might be able to get one vehicle for all of you. Just be sure the company and driver are licensed properly and experienced.

Anonymous wrote:We’ve gone to Ireland on golf trips a few times with DHs family (usually 6-8 of us). We rent a van with a driver. It’s so much easier to travel with a large group and none of the worries of directions, parking, etc. luggage will absolutely be an issue with cars. Fitting 8 people’s luggage in 2 cars will be challenging to say the least.

How will a large van/minibus get through the roads if previous posters are saying even tiny SUVs are too big?

Unless you're accustomed to driving stick, rent an automatic car so you're not doing too much task loading. You'll have enough to worry about with (1) driving on the left, and (2) hedgerows/narrow roads to be able to shift.

Triple and quadruple check your credit card's vehicle insurance. Nearly all companies will not insure drivers in Ireland.

I find it very stressful to drive in Ireland.
- Trying to get on the roundabout at full speed on the left side of the road then looking and taking the correct exit...
- Trying to squeeze through a tiny road when there are bus/cars heading towards me at full speed, and 10 cars behind me wondering why I am so slow...

But the hardest is trying to back up a country one lane road to let a tractor pass - while staying on the left side of the road. DH grew up in UK and still finds it hard.

Anonymous wrote:Even if your credit card covers insurance, be sure to get the full coverage. It might cost extra, but those stone walls just sometimes pop out of nowhere!

I think most credit card insurance only covers the rental car. It does not cover damage to other cars or property or bodily injury. Best to check.

We’ve gone to Ireland on golf trips a few times with DHs family (usually 6-8 of us). We rent a van with a driver. It’s so much easier to travel with a large group and none of the worries of directions, parking, etc. luggage will absolutely be an issue with cars. Fitting 8 people’s luggage in 2 cars will be challenging to say the least.