Quick “Oberview”-

Airline Tickets – We found unbelievable ticket prices by using a Google Search and booked through Booking.com. We had a bit of an issue with Alaska Airlines cancelling our tickets for some reason. They were great about it, and got the problem resolved, but there was a day of uncertainty. Aer Lingus was the other airline. Other than changing our seat assignment, they were great. We purchased 3 round trip tickets from Portland, Oregon PDX to Dublin, Ireland all taxes and fees included for just over $1,162.  We traveled the second week in March. That’s not each ticket. That is the total price for three tickets.

Campervan Rental – Causeway Campers. Again, a Google search found them. They met us in the parking lot of the Dublin airport for delivery and return of the van.

Car Rental - Several have highly recommended renting from My Irish Cousin stating that it covers 100% and doesn’t charge for add ons. We’ve not rented from them, but will look into it for our next trip.

Camp Grounds – We used the app Park4Night to find places to park the campervan. It was very useful.

4 types of roads:

M -  Motorways comparable to the Interstate in the US. They seem to all be toll roads that need to be paid through an app. Definitely research this.

N – National comparable to highways in the US. Some of these roads I think might be toll roads. More research is needed. I think these have toll booths which are very easy to use with a credit card.

R – Regional roads at times these roads are very narrow two lane roads. Other times they aren’t so bad. These were our least favorite roads. I noticed that the locals drove over the center line only moving over to their lane when meeting on-coming traffic. Not only are there not shoulders on the roads, but there are hazards in place of the shoulders. There are drainage ditches, holes, poles, and trees, bushes, and shrubs.

L - Local roads comparable to a long drive-way. They may or may not be paved. They are mostly one lane roads with some areas to pull off (what we’d call a bit of a shoulder). These were actually our favorite roads to drive. We knew we were going to pull over. We were on holiday so if we saw a car approaching or cars behind us, we pulled over and let all the cars go around us. Most of the time, we were alone on the road. The views were so pretty too.

My job was to remind Dave to stay in the left lane. I also warned him about obstacles on the left side of the road so he didn’t just pull over and hit something. I was constantly saying stay left or CENTER! When going through a round about say “Look right and stay left.”

Especially when you are driving through a town and are needing to avoid the parked cars, be ready to just stop driving even if you can’t pull over. Just stop in the road. Let the locals drive past you then you can have the extra space to safely navigate around the parked cars. And while on the topic of parked cars, they park both directions on both sides of the street. You can’t look at the parked cars to determine if you are on a one-way road.

Navigation - We used Google Maps to navigate. My only issue is that it would change courses without me noticing because I was busy watching the left side of the road. I heard a local say that they WAZE does better there. I use WAZE at home, but couldn’t get it to load while in Ireland.

I hear there are rental car companies that will pay the tolls for you using the credit card you leave on file. I’d highly recommend doing that. You can also ask Google to avoid the toll roads.

Money – You will need cash. This is the only country we’ve traveled where we actually needed cash. We used an Amazon Credit Card and a Costco Citi-bank card. Neither charged an exchange fee. Both used the daily exchange rate for our transactions. You want to choose Euros and not dollars. Otherwise you will get charged a foreign exchange rate.

You can easily pull cash from a Bank ATM. These are all over. Just ask a local. They are very friendly and helpful. I say to use an ATM attached to a bank (doesn’t literally have to be part of a bank building) and not an ATM that might be located inside a store because they charge a lot higher fees. Again, choose Euros and not dollars to avoid the additional transaction fee.

We used cash for honesty boxes that are located at many of the places. For the most part, that’s the only time we needed cash. I hear that the karts (with horses) require cash, and a lot of it. While on this topic, I read that several of the kart operators try to scam tourists. Take photos of their pricing before you agree to a ride. The scam came at the end of the ride when a sign with higher prices was displayed. Also know that they are supposed to be licensed to operate. If they aren’t, they might not have the needed insurance and/or experience. I’ve heard about tourists being really hurt and even killed.

Food – Many of the little towns do not have places to eat, especially in the evening. When planning your trip, take the time to scout our places to eat. I had a list of food that I really wanted to try while in Ireland. Some Irish foods to try: Fish & Chips, Bangers & Mash, Guiness Stew, Cottage Pie or Shepherds Pie, Spice bag, and Sticky Toffee Pudding. (I know there’s another potato dish, but I can’t remember the name. I’m putting this here as a reminder to look for it)

I hear that Leo Burdock in Dublin was voted the best place for fish and chips.

We loved getting fresh bread and butter from the grocery stores. The bakeries in the stores had wonderful freshly baked bread. They have a machine that they allow the customers to use that will slice the bread for you. We also loaded up on drinks, jam, and cookies.

Castles serving High Tea – I’m sure there are more, but in my research this is what I found.

Waterford Castle Hotel

Adare Manor

Dromoland Castle

Ballyseede Castle

Castlemartyr Resort

Ardgillian Castle

Bunratty Castle

Kinnitty Castle

Water Falls – I’m sure there are more, but these were some we looked at when planning our trip.

Powerscourt Waterfall (Wicklow near Dublin)

Glendalough – near Powerscourt

Aillwee Cave Waterfall – near Cliffs of Moher

Torc Waterfall – near Killarny on the Ring of Kerry

Mohon Falls – near Waterford

Aasleagh Falls – Letterass Co. Mayo near Westport

Tourmakeady Falls – near Westport

What you cannot bring to Ireland.

You can bring food onto the airplane, but if it is not allowed in country, it has to be thrown away or consumed before exiting the airplane. I didn’t realize that cheese wasn’t allowed in country.

Prohibited or restricted goods in baggage

Some goods are prohibited, while others are subject to restrictions. If you have any of the following goods, you must declare them to a customs officer: 

  • domestic cats or dogs

  • illegal or dangerous drugs

  • indecent or obscene goods

  • certain foodstuffs (mainly meat, milk, fish or products thereof)

  • products of endangered species

  • protected items of international heritage

  • medicines

  • firearms, weapons, fireworks or explosives

  • live or dead animals, fish, birds or plants.

For further information, please see Revenue's full list of prohibitions and restrictions, or contact a Customs officer at any port or airport.

In Ireland, you are generally not allowed to take seashells, sand, or seaweed from the beach. This is because these natural items are considered part of the natural environment and need to be preserved. If you want to harvest seaweed, you need a foreshore license.

What you can bring into Ireland?

Many people ask about prescription medicines. I put my medicine in a daily dose weekly container. I didn’t bring the prescription bottles. I don’t take any medicines that have cbd anything in it. I hear that you cannot travel with marijuana anything. I don’t take it and I wouldn’t risk it. In any case, I had no problem bringing my medicines and supplements with me.

I did also bring foil packs of flu/cold medicines. I also travel with active charcoal. I brought bandaids and antibiotic cream.