As some of you are planning on driving in Ireland for the first time, there are some rules of the road that you should know about.

Main driving points:

- We drive on the left hand side in Ireland.

- Speed limits are in Kilometres per hour – km/h.

- Passing lanes are on the right hand side, for example, on the M1 motorway.

- Roundabouts are alot more frequent.

- When at a red light, there is no 'turn right/left on red' rule. Stay until the light goes green!

- When turning onto a busier/wider road, remember that the cars on those have the right of way.

- Road Signs will have both English and Irish spellings.

- Zero Tolerance of drink driving in Ireland! Gardai/Police checkpoints are common on Irish roads. Be careful even when driving the next morning!

- When driving on small country roads, find a space on the side of the road to pull in to let oncoming traffic pass, unless they yield for you.

- If you come across livestock on a country road, pull in where there is space on the left, and wave to the sheep/cows as they pass for good luck.

- Last but not least… It’s a piece of cake so enjoy the drive!

The above map shows the quickest route from Dublin Airport to The Waterfront Hotel.

The red part is the M1 motorway, which has 2 lanes of traffic going either way. The lane on your right is the passing lane. You will be on the M1 for approximately 35 minutes which includes a toll (Approximately €2.10). After that, you will be driving on main roads once you turn off at exit 14.

The yellow part is when you will travel through Northern Ireland before you get to Donegal. You may notice a change in your mobile/cell provider at this point but should change back once you cross into Donegal.

When approaching a roundabout, you must ensure you are in the correct lane. You must also yield to the traffic coming from the right on the roundabout.

1st Exit: If you need to take the first exit on the left, make sure you are in the left lane. See the blue car in the diagram above

2nd Exit: Stay in the left lane when taking the second exit, or driving straight through the roundabout.

3rd & 4th Exit: Make sure you are in the right lane, the closest lane to the inside of the roundabout. See the red car in the above diagram. 4th exit will generally lead you back on the road you came from, unless there is a 5th exit.

For extra visual information, check out this Roundabout Tutorial.

Make sure you check out these tips from this American visitor when Driving in Ireland!



For information on Irish road signs & signals, check out the following Extra Information.