There are many car hire companies working out of Dublin and across Ireland, from small local firms to branches of the international car rental agencies. Budget Car Rental provides very competitive rates, along with Hertz, and Enterprise Rent-a-Car. Local and regional Irish companies abound in Dublin. County Car Rentals is the largest independent car hire company in the country with branches in every major city and airport. Dan Dooley Car Rentals specializes in providing the widest selection of makes and models for the individualized touch in rented automobiles.

Other fine Irish car hire companies that can be found operating in Dublin are Ambassador Chauffeur Drive in Blackrock County, Dollar Thrifty Car Rental, and Optimum Chauffeur Drive. Celtic Campervans provides motor home rentals to make you driving vacation of Ireland a comfortable adventure.

There are a few general rules pertaining to car hire in Ireland that the incoming traveller should be aware of. You must have a valid driver’s license from your home country which you have had for at least two years without charges, tickets, or fines. An age requirement for car hire is a minimum of 23 years of age and a maximum of 70 years. A few companies do have higher minimum age requirements so be sure to ask before contracting the rental.

If your car hire agreement does not include comprehensive insurance you must provide it separate from the car hire agreement. In the event of an accident the car hire company must be notified immediately. Be advised that if you travel the M50 motorway, it is at the discretion of the car hire company as to whether these tolls are included in the rental price or not.

It used to be that the preferred method of getting to Ireland was by ferry. It was the case for many holiday makers that they’d simply drive to Liverpool or one of the other ports on the west coast, drive onto the ferry and be in Ireland within the hour. Very little hassle and very little need to worry. However, ferries have become somewhat obsolete now that the age of the aeroplane has arrived. People no longer have a desire to take a ferry for 40 minutes when they can have a 15 minute flight and be in Ireland much faster. Obviously, people are very busy and, quite frankly, the less time that you spend on travelling, the more time that you can spend doing more important things in Ireland. Flight has the obvious advantage of speed, but also with cost; there are now many budget airliners that will fly you to Ireland for a few pounds; the ferries simply can’t hope to compete with this pricing.

However, the problem with this method is that you will arrive in Ireland without transport. This is fine if you want to be restricted to the major cities but if you want to see the real Ireland then you need to get off the beaten track; to places that train lines will not go. Once you arrive in Dublin the most important thing that you can do is hire a car. It is an incredibly cheap solution to the transport problem and means that there is nowhere that you can’t go; opening up so many avenues of possibilities for holidays.

Not many countries sound like the nature of the country; that is, when you say the name of the country out loud it is unlikely that the word will have any other relation to something else. Ireland is the exception; sounding almost exactly like the word ‘island’. Never has a country been more aptly named than this as Ireland is, undoubtedly, an island! This all seems like useless trivia yet it is incredibly important that this is remembered when you fly to Ireland; it isn’t like mainland Europe where everywhere is connected by trains (including the UK!). In Ireland it is completely disconnected not only with the rest of the world, but also with much of the rest of the country; particularly the rural areas. Because of this, it is essential that you hire a car at the airport.

The staff are always there to help facilitate your car rental. By booking online beforehand you are able to drastically reduce the time that you wait to get the keys as there is no need to check the database extensively to see if there is a free vehicle for you (obviously, this is a bit of a risk). It is a lot cheaper than you would expect with numerous discounts to be found. The most important thing is that you won’t be restricted by accessibility; literally the whole country is waiting to be explored if you have a car to drive there! If you fail to do this then you are really missing out!

It’s alright if you are trying to go to mainland Europe; you don’t have to fly! You can hop onto the Channel Tunnel and be over on the continent within the hour without any fuss and, most importantly, with your car. This is simply not possible with Ireland where there is no undersea railway system to transport you and your vehicle onto the island! You could, of course, opt to use a ferry which is perfectly fine and means that you have your car when you arrive. However, this isn’t ideal because of the inefficiency that is rife at ferry ports and also because so many people have fear of crossing the sea or become seasick. At the end of the day, if you are coming to Ireland then you want to ensure that you get off to the best possible start and that means arriving stress free. The best option is, therefore, to fly into Dublin.

Of course, this will mean that you are without a car when you arrive but do not despair as you are able to hire a car upon arrival in Dublin. The service is incredibly quick and simple; all you have to do is fill in a few forms and you’ll receive the keys to the car. You can book online beforehand which means that you won’t have to run the risk of a car not being available for you and can fly over safe in the knowledge that you will have a form of transport for the duration of your stay.

People just don’t have the money to spend like they used to. Since the recession kicked in, we simply do not have the cash to be able to buy a seat on the more luxurious planes, stay in the poshest hotels or hire a car for a high price. Particularly after the fiasco with the volcanic eruption and subsequent ash cloud, everything has increased in cost; hotels have pushed their prices up, insurance companies are now wanting a larger sum of money for holiday insurance that covers unforeseen events (formally, acts of God) and, quite frankly, we do not have the cash available to be able to afford it all. Cuts will have to be made somewhere and the first one that usually goes is the hire car.

However, in Dublin, this is simply not an option. Sure, you can try to get yourself around without a car but it is much more hassle than it is worth and, quite frankly, if you want to see the real Ireland and get a picture of the countryside, you will have to drive out of the city to do it. Yet, instead of making cuts elsewhere (as would usually be the option in order to ensure that you have enough to hire a car) you can opt for many of the cheaper car hire companies that are to be found throughout Dublin. Offering competitive rates for their cars, you will be able to have the comfort of a car without breaking the bank!

Let’s face it, the transport network in Ireland isn’t exactly on a par with that on continental Europe and no matter how much you try to dress it up, over reliance on the public transport system is only going to land you in trouble; especially if you are trying to enjoy a specific place. The majority of people who are visiting Dublin will not be staying in Dublin. The reason for this is simple; most of the hotels and bed and breakfasts that are in Dublin are more expensive than those surrounding the city so it is a much better idea to choose one outside the city centre; especially in this age of recession when you are wanting to save as much money as possible in the hope of having a cheap holiday.

Because of this, you will have to drive a car to Dublin. It makes no sense to use the bus (which is generally very irregular) or the train (which, in all honesty, isn’t exactly the best idea seeing as how the train system is fabled for being late or cancelled) which means that the only viable option is the car. Dublin has a very good system of car parks which makes it incredibly easy to drive into the city. You can park the car for a very reasonable price and be able to see all the sights that Dublin has to offer – being completely unrestricted by timetables you can wander round at your leisure and enjoy the city at your own pace.

Dublin is one of the most picturesque cities in Europe and attracts numerous visitors every year who go for the fantastic countryside that surround the city and the wonderful history that encapsulates all who enter the city boundary. The only problem with Dublin is the location. The reason why many are drawn to the city is for the countryside but it is this countryside that makes it increasingly difficult to travel to and from the city. With all the will in the world, if you are staying in one place for a week you are likely to want a change of scenery at some point; and for that you need transportation – particularly in an area where transport links are sparse to say the least! This is not to say that you will get bored of Dublin; far from it – the city has more than enough to keep you entertained. It is merely a suggestion that at some point you will want to do something different and, as such, will need a car to get there.

As an island nation, the majority of people who visit Dublin do so by plane and, as such, do not have a car. It is therefore essential that you hire a car as soon as you arrive at the airport. The service is incredibly quick and easy to use – you can book beforehand and have the security of knowing that a vehicle of your choice is waiting there ready for you to pick up the keys. It is sure to make you get the most out of your trip!

I recently flew to Dublin and took advantage of their car hire services. It is really easy to organise to pick up a hire car at the airport and it makes things so much easier. I was going there for a wedding and I was not staying for long as I could not get a lot of time off work. I managed to catch a Friday night flight after work and then get there at a fairly reasonable hour, pick up the car and then drive to my hotel which was not too far away. Then the next morning there was just time for a quick breakfast and a shower before I had to dress up smartly and get to the big occasion.

The wedding was a great event, very sophisticated and I was glad that my hire car was quite smart as it didn’t look too much out of place next to all of the really expensive cars that were parked at the venue. At least it was dark when I left and so no one really noticed which of the cars I was driving away in! It was nice and easy to return the car as well, just parking it at the airport before my flight and dropping off the keys before taking my luggage on a handily placed trolley through to the check in. It certainly made my trip a lot easier and I would be recommending that other people do the same thing if they visit Dublin.

The capital city of Ireland is a wonderful place to be, with so much to see and do. The only problem is that Ireland is an island nation and, as such, there are very few opportunities to bring your car over with you when you come visiting. This puts you in a bit of a dilemma; sure, Ireland is a small enough place but it would be impossible to visit the real Ireland without using a car. Many of the most beautiful sights in the country are in some of the more secluded locations; the marshy areas and the coastland are areas that simply can’t be missed, yet are inaccessible without the use of a car.

But there are very few reasons why you would choose not to hire a car when it’s now so quick and easy to do. You can book it online months in advance and then only wait a few minutes before you can pick up the keys and be driving around the wonderful nation. It’s cheaper than people often think and, as such, can also rival the cost of using public transport. Not to mention the reliability – Ireland doesn’t exactly have a world renowned reputation for excellent transport links (like Switzerland, for example)! Hiring a car allows you to reach even the most secluded locations in the remotest parts of the island and, without doubt, it is worth the cost of hiring the car – I can guarantee that you would regret it if you decided against car hire.