# Any tips for first time trip to Ireland? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 1, 2011, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tips-for-first-time-trip-to-ireland/580410 "2011-05-01T21:04:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FE3O4ENAIL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ba9def/32.png) [@FE3O4ENAIL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FE3O4ENAIL)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tips-for-first-time-trip-to-ireland/580410/21 "2011-05-03T00:56:11Z")
Can you pay at the pump for gas by scanning a credit card? What’s a good vodka to pick up for a nightcap at the hotel? We like Sky here in Wi. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tips-for-first-time-trip-to-ireland/580410/22 "2011-05-03T01:02:09Z")
> [@FE3O4ENAIL](#): > > Can you pay at the pump for gas by scanning a credit card? > What’s a good vodka to pick up for a nightcap at the hotel? We like Sky here in Wi. It depends on the pump. At plenty you can but it’s not universal. Well if you want a local vodka, you could try [Boru](http://www.boru.com/). You can get plenty of other brands, Smirnoff, Stolichnaya, Huzzar, Finlandia etc. too. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tips-for-first-time-trip-to-ireland/580410/23 "2011-05-03T01:56:46Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Re. driving - it will be a lot cheaper if you can drive a stick, as automatics are quite rare. Shifting a stick with your left hand is…interesting. What we found when we drove stick in Ireland was that one tends to think about shifting spatially – that is, “2nd gear” didn’'t mean “down and to the left” in our American brains, but “down and towards you.” Which meant that, any number of times, we put the car into 2nd gear, when we thought we were putting it into 4th. We figured we seriously degraded the life-spans of the transmissions of our rental cars. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tips-for-first-time-trip-to-ireland/580410/24 "2011-05-03T02:10:10Z")
Also, with cars, you’ll find that you may get a diesel. Not a big issue if you are used to them, but if they are a bit unusual (as here) they can take a bit of getting used to. With tipping, although I didn’t do a tour (outside the open air bus in Dublin) on a previous trip I found that the tour guides can be pretty direct about tipping. Things such as “we don’t get paid well and there is a bucket at the front entrance”. On the Dublin tour it was not expected but it was appreciated. However, if you are jumping on and off the bus all the time it can get expensive. In pubs it wasn’t an issue. The guy in the hotel who turned down the bed every night got embarrassed when I tipped him. There are plenty of beggars in Dublin to waste money on if you are inclined. ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tips-for-first-time-trip-to-ireland/580410/25 "2011-05-03T11:04:59Z")
I’ve got to get ready for work and you’ve gotten some wonderful advice, but in Ireland, I have enjoyed staying in the B&Bs. It’s like staying in someone’s home, and the full Irish breakfast is filling enough that you won’t need to eat lunch. B&Bs are cheaper than most hotels (or at least they were last time I visited), so it really is a money saver when you figure in the breakfast, too. Have fun! ---
**Author:** ![Laudenum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Laudenum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laudenum)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tips-for-first-time-trip-to-ireland/580410/26 "2011-05-03T15:36:41Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Re. driving - it will be a lot cheaper if you can drive a stick, as automatics are quite rare. While it only takes about 20-30 minutes to get used to driving on the left, there is a danger if you get distracted - e.g. by missing a turning and turning round in the street - that you will set off on the wrong side of the road. I’ve done it a few times in the US, and my dad wrecked my old car doing this too. Some American friends of mine did this in Connemara and ended up in hospital for a week after having had a head-on collision on a tiny country road. One helpful idea is to bring a big arrow label and stick it on the dashboard. Or just have a ritual where your passenger says “LEFT” every time you start the car. > . Wear your watch on the wrong hand - the weird feeling is a constant reminder. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tips-for-first-time-trip-to-ireland/580410/27 "2011-05-03T19:02:27Z")
Are roundabouts going to be a challenge for you? I’m not sure if they have them in Wisconsin. Just remember to give way to your right, and go in the left lane for first and second exit and right lane for third exit. You don’t need to tip bar staff unless you order cocktails. It’s nice to round up a taxi fare to the nearest euro, but you don’t have to tip taxi drivers. I’d probably tip 10-15% in a nice restaurant, and put a euro or two on the table in a cafe. We don’t really do doggie bags here- so don’t depend on getting next day’s lunch out of a meal in a restaurant. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tips-for-first-time-trip-to-ireland/580410/28 "2011-05-03T19:33:59Z")
> [@irishgirl](#): > > Are roundabouts going to be a challenge for you? I’m not sure if they have them in Wisconsin. I grew up in Wisconsin (Green Bay), and still go up there frequently to visit my parents. In the past few years, they’ve installed a number of roundabouts in the GB area (it seems that American traffic engineers have suddenly fallen in love with roundabouts), and my experience has been that they continue to flummox the hell out of the local drivers. People still don’t understand that, at a roundabout, you have to stop (or yield) until there isn’t any traffic coming from your left, **no matter how long that takes**. ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tips-for-first-time-trip-to-ireland/580410/29 "2011-05-03T19:39:02Z")
I really dont have any tips on your trip as I havent been there in sixteen years, and apparently it has changed a bit (15 euros for a pub lunch **Irishgirl**? Wow, the prices have really gone up) but Ireland is the most welcoming country I have ever visited. If I had to pick a country to emigrate to, i’d choose Ireland. Awesome people. Try to visit Donegal if you can, it is beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tips-for-first-time-trip-to-ireland/580410/30 "2011-05-03T19:43:56Z")
> [@Hanna](#): > > I’ve got to get ready for work and you’ve gotten some wonderful advice, but in Ireland, I have enjoyed staying in the B&Bs. It’s like staying in someone’s home, and the full Irish breakfast is filling enough that you won’t need to eat lunch. B&Bs are cheaper than most hotels (or at least they were last time I visited), so it really is a money saver when you figure in the breakfast, too. I absolutely agree. The folks who ran the B&Bs at which we stayed were wonderful. We had one hiccup with B&Bs – one proprietor, with whom we had made a reservation months in advance, told us, when we called her to confirm on the day we would be arriving, that she had never heard of us, and hung up on us. (This was in Dublin, in late July, with a hurling tournament in town.) We started calling other B&Bs, but we were afraid everyone would be booked up. Within minutes, the B&B owners started networking with one another on our behalf, and, within a half-hour, we had a place to stay. It went from being a possible nightmare to a demonstration of Irish hospitality. (Several of the B&B owners who helped us indicated that the woman with whom we had the original reservation was generally disliked by the other B&B owners, and that she really disliked Americans.) The only “downside” we had to staying in B&Bs is that, after a week or so, you might get a bit tired of Irish farm breakfasts. 😉 By that point, we started really craving pancakes. ---
**Author:** ![Lare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tips-for-first-time-trip-to-ireland/580410/31 "2011-05-03T20:27:52Z")
Must be the season for it. I was just told to fly to Dublin on Saturday for a few days. And to hire a car, so I have a question something irishgirl said: > [@](#): > > The M50 is barrier-less- you have to pay online or at a registered outlet by 8pm of the day after using the road. I have to drive from the airport (Dublin) to Tallaght. It looks fairly straightforward if I can survive getting onto the M50. But how do I pay the tolls online? Or can I pay with pocket change? I have a few dozen Euros to take with me. ---
**Author:** ![Laudenum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Laudenum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laudenum)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tips-for-first-time-trip-to-ireland/580410/32 "2011-05-03T20:38:18Z")
> [@Capitaine\_Zombie](#): > > I really dont have any tips on your trip as I havent been there in sixteen years, and apparently it has changed a bit (15 euros for a pub lunch **Irishgirl**? Wow, the prices have really gone up) but Ireland is the most welcoming country I have ever visited. If I had to pick a country to emigrate to, i’d choose Ireland. Awesome people. > > Try to visit Donegal if you can, it is beautiful. €15 is probably an upper limit - you can get a decent meal for less, about €12, maybe less ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tips-for-first-time-trip-to-ireland/580410/33 "2011-05-03T21:32:04Z")
For the love of Mike get a GPS for that rental car! It’s worth an extra $10 per day. The signage there is not at all what you’re used to, and the maps very seldom really match. The few roads big enough to show on the map change names every few blocks, until even the locals can’t tell you what they’re called. If you have a Tom Tom you can just download the Ireland maps to an SD card - not sure if Garmin does that. Also, bring extra shoes. For any other trip you’d be keeping it to one or two pair to pack efficiently; but in Ireland they’ll be wet, and they’ll need time to dry out properly. You’ll want 2-3 pair of good walking shoes with you. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tips-for-first-time-trip-to-ireland/580410/34 "2011-05-03T21:39:04Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Shifting a stick with your left hand is…interesting. What we found when we drove stick in Ireland was that one tends to think about shifting spatially – that is, “2nd gear” didn’'t mean “down and to the left” in our American brains, but “down and towards you.” I don’t think you can claim that to be a universal problem. Remember, we left-hand-drivers have to switch to changing gear with our right (“wrong”) hands quite frequently when going to the US, continental Europe, etc. Most people get it fairly quickly. Unless you’re talking about people who aren’t used to stick shift, in which case the sky’s the limit for problems… ETA: seconded on the SatNav. Rural Ireland is notorious for shit signage. And when there are signs, it’s quite the sport for bored teenagers to point them the wrong way. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tips-for-first-time-trip-to-ireland/580410/35 "2011-05-03T21:42:13Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > I don’t think you can claim that to be a universal problem. Remember, we left-hand-drivers have to switch to changing gear with our right (“wrong”) hands quite frequently when going to the US, continental Europe, etc. Most people get it fairly quickly. Unless you’re talking about people who aren’t used to stick shift, in which case the sky’s the limit for problems… Fair enough. Sample size of six in our traveling group. 🙂 We did eventually adapt, but it actually wound up being one of the hardest adjustments we had to make to left-hand driving; we had lots of “bad shifts” in the first few days there. (And, for the record, all of us were experienced manual drivers.) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tips-for-first-time-trip-to-ireland/580410/36 "2011-05-03T21:44:14Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > The signage there is not at all what you’re used to, and the maps very seldom really match. We had an “Ordnance Survey” road atlas when we went in '95, which wasn’t inexpensive, but it was very thorough and very accurate. Even so, we managed to get turned around and lost more than a few times. I do agree that a GPS would be a distinct improvement. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tips-for-first-time-trip-to-ireland/580410/37 "2011-05-03T22:45:15Z")
Perhaps not your cup of tea, but in a few weeks the GAA championship season will be in full swing, with a high likelihood of a high profile match in whichever county you find yourself. You may not be a sports fan at all, but the atmosphere at a good championship game can be worth seeing, especially if you are in the area anyway. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tips-for-first-time-trip-to-ireland/580410/38 "2011-05-03T23:30:34Z")
[QUOTE=Lare;13758871 I have to drive from the airport (Dublin) to Tallaght. It looks fairly straightforward if I can survive getting onto the M50. But how do I pay the tolls online? Or can I pay with pocket change? I have a few dozen Euros to take with me.[/QUOTE] Enquire with the rental company, they might cover it, or include it in your final bill. Otherwise you pay here [https://csc.eflow.ie/myaccount/payUTT.aspx](https://csc.eflow.ie/myaccount/payUTT.aspx) with a Credit Card after youv’e made your journey or in a petrol station that has an e-flow sign. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tips-for-first-time-trip-to-ireland/580410/39 "2011-05-03T23:32:49Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Also, bring extra shoes. For any other trip you’d be keeping it to one or two pair to pack efficiently; but in Ireland they’ll be wet, and they’ll need time to dry out properly. You’ll want 2-3 pair of good walking shoes with you. Pity they’re not here now, the last couple of weeks the weather has been glorious. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tips-for-first-time-trip-to-ireland/580410/40 "2011-05-04T00:31:23Z")
I hired our car through Hertz. You could go on the toll roads and through the gates without stopping. It was later billed to your credit card. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tips-for-first-time-trip-to-ireland/580410.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tips-for-first-time-trip-to-ireland/580410.md?page=3)