How To Drive in Ireland (for an American)

What to look for and expect when driving on the other side of the road!

I drove in Ireland on the left side of the road for the first time and made this video to help calm your nerves. It was easy to get the hang of. Good luck!

Also see:

[sambarsoum]

M= Motorway
N= National Road
R= Regional Road

[sineadhennessy]

You should be travelling on the inside lane on the motorway ie the left lane, the outside lane is for overtaking. On a roundabout left lane for turning left and straight, right lane for turning right and always yield to the right.

[paraicmcdonagh]

As an Irish person, I can say that this is all solid advice, and fair. Only thing is, traffic enforcement is often done by unmarked cars (looks like a civilian vehicle but has concealed blue lights). So you won't ever notice them unless they are pulling someone over. Also speeding is policed by automated camera systems in vans (usually concealed from view until it's too late) or mounted on bridges etc. If you are in a rental, the speeding ticket will be waiting for you when you drop off and you will still never have seen a police car (Police are called Gardaí). Parking varies from town to town. Many towns have wardens who are very quick to hunt down and ticket illegally parked cars. In more rural villages, you may get away with bad parking but in the larger cities, you have an extremely high chance of being clamped or towed away. Irish people generally drive carefully, always wear seatbelts and never under the influence because the penalties are severe (both monetary and via penalty points), and due to the effect of having penalty points on insurance costs. I think that you've made assumptions about policing because you didn't see marked cars anywhere, but if you are a visitor, don't ruin your stay by being fined because you thought there was a casual attitude.

[MrJoecool]

Very good video - I'm a former driving instructor and live on the West cost of Ireland....!
A few tips for you that will also help....!
Approaching roundabout - check the signs on approach for your exit - treat it as a clock face - if your exit is on the left or straight ahead you should approach in the left lane - if your exit is on the right of 12 o'clock approach on the right - check road for lane arrows to correspond with your exit - Signal right if your exit is on the right - left if it is on the left - no signal for straight ahead - but always signal left when you pass the last exit before yours - always give way to traffic from the right on approach - unless roundabout is controlled by lights....!
White lines - Double white do not cross or overtake - Single solid white mine also means it's not safe to overtake and found often on rural roads...! - Broken white lines - overtaking allowed - if it is safe to do so - longer gaps means less hazardous stretch for overtaking - shorter gaps mean more hazardous for overtaking....!
General driving - drive on the left unless you are overtaking or turning right - on roads with more than one lane - the right is for overtaking - once you have completed overtake return to the left lane....!

[swamy]

Awesome video, guys👍. I'm a Canadian just about to pick up my rental vehicle in Dublin to start our road trip across the republic and I've watched your video few times to alleviate my anxiety.

[henrikbjoerk]

Some friendly advice!
Like many American tourists, I see that you are driving in the overtaking lane on the motorway (what you call Highway) even when you are not overtaking. To avoid being the victim of some serious road rage, pull into the inside lane when not overtaking!! Also, it's illegal and you can be fined for this.

[sandrinelopez]

This was so helpful. I am going at the end of April and not going to lie, I am pretty nervous about driving there. You give great tips!

[gerry]

1:52 Keep to the left, unless you are passing another vehicle on their right. On motorways, with 3 lanes in each direction, there are no 'fast' or 'slow' lanes- keep to the left as much as possible.

[jackiem]

I'm from Northern Ireland and I drove through Dublin a long time ago and it scared the living daylights out of me. You are a brave man doing it as an American and having to drive on the left and change to a different side to drive the car. Bravo.

[darrenslatta]

Get out of fast lane when not overtaking

[jorgemonray]

God Bless Ireland and its people for ever

[huntgolf]

I just spent 2 weeks in nw Ireland. There are also L roads. These were usually more narrow and winding. Driving around Ireland for 2 weeks was one of the best adventure’s I’ve ever been on.

[RingoLombardi]

Pro tip: On a motorway you should always be in the left hand lane unless overtaking. It's not cool to cruise in the right hand lane even if you're driving the speed limit

[leslieezzard]

Thank You. Very helpful, practical info and tips. I'm traveling to Ireland next month and will my first time to drive on the left, so nervous!

[gerardmontgomery]

Psst, hogging the outside lane is frowned upon. You should aim to stay left most unless you're overtaking or the road is busy.

[keatontheloyalnarwhal]

Other countries besides Ireland and the UK also drive on the left. Like Japan, Australia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and even some parts of the Caribbean.

[sallywatts]

Just spent two months driving in Ireland and NI, and, believe me, they're enforcing the laws! I had a speed camera pick me up going 59 kph in a 50 kph zone (36 mph in a 30 mph zone). It cost me €80 plus the €30 that Avis charged me for giving the gardai my information. (Yes, Avis sucks and don't buy any supplementary insurance from Expedia, it is a scam). One advantage of getting the navigation unit is that it tells you when you're in a speed camera zone. Otherwise driving in Ireland is a blast! One last thing: yes, MNR roads as pinned below, also L roads (local), sometimes dirt or gravel, almost always narrow and twisty but they will get you where you need to go.

[JamesBrown-ijpx]

Thank you! This was very informative especially for safety. I have driven in Ireland before but it's been about 25 years - so this was a nice 'refresher' before I leave! ☘☘☘

[alanisntinecuador]

Probably one of the best videos to prepare for driving in Ireland. The tip at 3:21 was the most helpful one of all.

[davidrayner]

Australian here. I visited the UK back in 2018, never got to Ireland but I'm sure it's very similar. Had a car for three weeks and became very good at squeezing it through very tight spaces. Have also driven all over the US three times and on the last trip in 2015, almost had a head-on crash, for obvious reasons. Amazed that could happen after so much time on the RHS of the road. The lesson - NEVER let your guard down.