Last Updated on March 24, 2023 by PowersToTravel
For the non-diabetics among us, or should I say, “Things I wished I’d known before I traveled to Ireland.”
I’ve visited Ireland several times over the past twenty-six years. Oh, that makes me sound so very old. Time just has a way of slipping by, and it’s such a good thing that the memories don’t slide by as easily!
I first visited Ireland in July 1997, on a pop-over to Northern Island from Scotland to visit a genealogy friend of my mother’s. This was during the cease-fire at the height of the most recent “Troubles” and is a trip seared into my memory. We loved Northern Ireland, and in 2005 I planned another trip around most of the island, except Antrim and the southeast coast. On this trip we fell in love with County Kerry, and planned the next trip in 2007 as a stay-in-place trip, renting a country farmhouse in Portmagee. A long gap then ensued (in which I met my husband Greg and he took me to all kinds of exotic and tropic locations.)
The COVID pandemic led my husband and I back to Ireland in June 2022, as I searched for an “out-of-doorsy” but interesting and medically-advanced location.
I’ve listed these trips to Ireland to inform you that while I am not an every year migrant bird to Ireland, I’ve seen it change over the years and experienced many different types of vacations.
I’ve accumulated some interesting Ireland Travel Advice and Tips!
- Check out the latest border crossing laws
- Bring a Fan
- Bring Lawn-style Hefty Bags
- Plan ahead to use credit card car rental benefits
- Buy Bru Na Boinne (New Grange) tickets a month in advance
- Plan ahead for many tourist sights
- Consider the Heritage Ireland card
- Visit Co Antrim for Game of Thrones sights
- Check out the pubs – if you want to sleep!
- Check out the Holiday Inn Express, Upper Connell St, Dublin
- Remember your raincoat
Ireland Travel Tip #1 – Northern Ireland Border Crossing
Ireland Travel Tip #1 – Northern Ireland is not in the Republic of Ireland; check out border crossing laws
Times have changed since my first visit to Northern Ireland in 1997. Barbed concertina wire strung along the side streets of Armagh, convoys of British soldiers with machine guns, tales of pain and voilence from our hosts, these all made our first trip, during the cease fire the summer of 1997, a trip to remember.
Crossing the border between Co. Armagh and Co Monaghan my parents and I passed through gauntlets of soldiers with machine guns. “They will know you are Americans. They don’t shoot Americans.” was the advice given to us by our hosts. Indeed, all my father had to say was, “We’re going to Castleblaney for genealogy” and they quickly waved us through!
Subsequent trips to Northern Ireland, in 2005 and then again in 2022, showed dramatic differences.
In 2005 as we passed from Co Donegal to Co Tyrone, my mother asked, “When are we going to cross the border?” My father responded, “Oh, we crossed 30 minutes ago!” There was no border patrol, no guards, no indicators we had crossed. It was as if the two regions were one, as far as we as tourists could see.
In 2022, the same occurred. I did inform our car rental agency that we would be taking the car into Northern Ireland, and we did pay a small premium for that privilege, however the actual crossing was again unremarkable.
However, I recently noticed a new British law has just been passed in March 2023 which requires foreigners entering the island through the Republic who intend to drive to Northern Ireland to fill out an online immigration form prior to crossing the border. Here’s a link to the BBC article about it. I wonder what’s ahead?
Ireland Travel Tip #2 – Bring a Fan
Ireland Travel Tip #2 – Bring a fan for those stuffy, warm, humid nights
On the trip to County Galway in 2005 in September we encountered some rather hot and humid weather. Heat and humidity in Ireland? We were experienced Scotland travelers and thought the same travel tips for Scotland applied to Ireland. Oh not so! What can be said is that like Scotland, the B&B’s in Ireland frequently do not have air-conditioning. Nor do they supply fans or screens in the windows. This is the case even in 2022. Imagine trying to sleep in a warm room in which you cannot open the windows because if you do, the mosquitos will eat you alive. You yearn for a fan but none is supplied.
For the trip with Greg, my husband, in 2022, I actually bought and brought a portable fan. I knew that B&Bs were the preferred accommodation in some locations, and knew we needed ventilation. We were, after all, traveling in June. With climate change, and well, with the variability of the Irish weather, you just never know what to expect.
Here’s the link to our fan, the 10 inch SONBION Box Fan. I packed it in our suitcases between two acrylic cutting boards, so as not to let it get broken in transit. Since we had rented a car, I knew that weight was not a consideration. Of course, I had to make sure I had an extra Irish plug adapter. I wouldn’t want to chose between comfort and charging our cell phones!
Ireland Travel Tip#3 – Bring Hefty Bags
Ireland Travel Tip #3 – Bring Lawn-style Hefty Bags to cover windows so you can sleep in spite of the light at night
I recommend you check out my article How to Sleep in the Midnight Sun in Iceland and Norway. Even though the midnight sun might not be shining in Ireland, there is a lot of light in the sky awfully late. If you are anything like me, you’ll be pooped from hiking and sightseeing and so desperate for sleep. So many accommodations don’t have adequate room-darkening curtains.
People tell me to wear a sleep mask. If you are like me, a sleep mask can be a life-saver on an airplane, for example, however for a full night’s sleep, it becomes an irritant and it wanders around the bed. You’ll be glad you brought several Lawn-weight Hefty Bags for the windows! Don’t forget the first-aid adhesive tape – it sticks well and doesn’t hurt your hosts’ woodwork or walls.
Ireland Travel Tip #4 – Car Rental gotcha
Ireland Travel Tip #4 – Plan ahead if you want to use your credit card rental car insurance benefits
Do not assume that you can use your Visa or Mastercard rental car insurance benefits in Ireland. Things are just different there.
Your credit card insurance may not cover you in Ireland. Be sure to check the fine print for your credit card to verify Ireland is covered.
The Irish car rental company may not accept your non-Irish insurance. For example, this was in the small print in our Terms and Conditions for Sixt Rent a Car: “Sixt rent a car recognize protections/waivers supplied by Sixt rent a car or by an Irish based Protection Company. Protections and covers issued by others will also be recognized if renter provides a letter from protection/cover provider specifically stating that cover is in place in Ireland for the booked vehicle. This letter must be from the providing protection agency or credit card company.”
If we had not read the small print, and obtained the letter from our credit card company prior to our trip we would have had to pay the high insurance costs levied by car rental companies in Ireland. I wonder why the rates are so high? Is it because the roads can be windy and narrow, and so many Americans are trying to drive their manual transmission rental cars? (We always book early and get an automatic. We want to pay attention to the scenery and not the mechanics!)
My notes say, “Called 1 (800) 307-7309 Mastercard – chose option for “Benefits”. He transferred us to someone else. Master rental benefit – No liability. Covers physical damage to vehicle. We must decline CDW or LDW. when renting the car. 31 days or less. They will email us a Letter of coverage. It will be good for 60 days. Very helpful. 800-627-8372 (which is 1800MASTERCARD) when we need to do this again.”
If you do decide to use your credit card’s insurance, be sure to book the rental car without the insurance offered by the rental car agency. I found that on some of the common car rental sites it was impossible to do so. Also, I accidently booked our Sixt rental with their insurance. I had to cancel the reservation and re-book without their insurance. At least their website gave me that opportunity, and I realized this problem the same day, so I didn’t suffer any cost increases due to later booking. If you don’t book the car without the insurance you may find that you don’t benefit from the great rate you found in advance without the insurance, that for them to “rebook” it at the airport they won’t give you the wonderful advance rate.
Car rental costs in Ireland are very high. It pays to plan ahead.
Ireland Travel Tip #5 – Buy tickets for Bru Na Boinne early
Ireland Travel Tip #5 – Plan more than a month ahead if you want to visit Bru Na Boinne, aka Newgrange
Bru Na Boinne is a UNESCO World Heritage Sight located north of Dublin, well within day trip range. It is a wonderful stone-aged archaeological site consisting of two large stone mounds, one of which you can enter. It is one of those druid-type, on-the-winter-solstice-the-sun-shines-directly-in places found in the British Isles. Well maintained, you must take the guided tour which also gives you plenty of time to wander around and get the best pictures. There is a lot of good information on their official web site. It is extremely popular.
The booking site allows you to book one month ahead of the current day. If you are on a specific schedule, as we were, you’ll want to watch that calendar and on that day one month prior, try to make your booking just after midnight Ireland time, which is 5am Eastern Time. During the high season, the calendar fills up very, very rapidly. It’s kind of like trying to get Zion National Park tickets, except they don’t have any “same-day tickets” available.
Ireland Travel Tip #6 – Plan ahead for many sights
Ireland Travel Tip #6 – Plan ahead for many tourist sights
Bru Na Boinne isn’t the only popular site in Ireland. The Book of Kells, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Christchurch, the Guinness Brewery, Dublinia, the Cliffs of Moher, Isle of Arran Ferry, the Spike Island Ferry and the Skellig Michael boat tour are very popular and with good reason. Keep an eye open for the ticket availability and if you see them booking up, don’t hesitate to buy. If it’s important to you, be sure to buy ahead.
Ireland Travel Tip #7 – Heritage Ireland card
Ireland Travel Tip #7 – Consider the Heritage Ireland card
Review the sites you want to visit, and compare that list with those hosted by Heritage Ireland. You may find the Heritage Ireland card to be a cost savings. You may also find interesting places to visit you hadn’t hear about!
We bought our cards at the first Heritage Ireland site we visited, instead of having the card physically mailed to us.
Ireland Travel Tip #8 – Antrim for the Game of Thrones
Ireland Travel Tip #8 – Visit Co Antrim for Game of Throne sites
In all of my trips prior to 2022 I didn’t make it as far north as County Antrim. However, for 2022 I was determined to visit The Giants Causeway, another UNESCO World Heritage Site and quite a scenic location. What else could we do nearby?
Turns out many Game of Thrones sights are along the coast of Antrim. Tour companies have sprouted up in Belfast, even Dublin, with their mini-buses of avid GOT enthusiasts. I designed our own day along the coast in Antrim in our own rental car and we were able to keep ahead of the tour buses the entire time! I’ll write a post about it soon. The Dark Hedges, Cushenden Village and Caves, Murlough Bay and Ballintoy Harbor – now if had only been a blue-sky day instead of a wind-swept, rain-drop kind of day!
Ireland Travel Tip #9 – Check out the pubs – if you want to sleep!
Ireland Travel Tip #9 – Check out the pubs – if you want to sleep!
This travel tip belongs to Ireland and the British Isles. The “local” is where, well, the locals go until all hours of the night, especially weekend nights. Once in Cornwall I decided, to stay in a local historic pub. We found that the walls to be thin and our room located over the pub. Even at 5pm the music and the noise was so intense in our room we had to check out (losing our money) and find a hotel. The other hotel didn’t have good reviews, but it didn’t contain a pub which was a relief!
Pubs can be boisterous and loud, and that is probably what you came to Ireland for, to get some of that local color. But do you want to try to sleep in it? We certainly didn’t.
When I search for accommodations I make sure that hotel or inn does not have a pub, or it’s located far from the guest rooms, and that the guest house or B&B is not in close proximity to a pub. I’ll Google-walk the street in front and on the sides of the guest house or B&B. I’ll read the reviews, and check out “restaurants” on Google maps to be sure nothing nearby is open late at night.
You may value different facets of your Ireland vacation, but you should be aware of this, if you want to sleep!
Ireland Travel Tip #9 – The Holiday Inn Express in Dublin
Ireland Travel Tip #10 – The Holiday Inn Express on Upper O’Connell Street in Dublin is a surprising good value
We booked into the Holiday Inn Express on Upper O’Connell Street for two reasons. One was that it was around the corner from the Sixt Rental Car in-town location. I didn’t want to pay for car rental while sightseeing in Dublin, nor did I want the problems of trying to park a car. We arrived in Dublin, spent two nights at the hotel, did sightseeing, then rented the car just around the corner. We drove out of the city (not an easy task I’ll tell you – be sure your Google Maps app is set to Driving Mode and not Walking Mode before driving!) At the end of our trip we returned our car to the same location, walked our luggage around the corner and once again stayed at the Holiday Inn Express for several more days sightseeing.
The other reason to stay at the Holiday Inn Express is its proximity to public transportation. It’s not far from the LUAS tram, as well as buses. Who knows, by the time you visit they may be running the airport buses again. The bus stop is nearby on Upper O’Connell Street. We visited at the end of COVID and the airport buses weren’t running.
The hotel is an adequate hotel, and so convenient, with free breakfast. What more can I say?
Ireland Travel Tip #10 – Don’t forget your raincoat
Ireland Travel Tip #11 – Don’t forget your raincoat
Do not, I repeat, do not forget your raincoat and waterproof shoes or leather sneakers. It will rain on you. There is no doubt of that. It will probably occur when you are farthest from your car!
