By Car in Southwest Ireland with Cork and Killarney

By Car

The main driving route from Dublin is N7, which goes 192 km (120 mi) directly to Limerick City; from Dublin, pick up N8 in Portlaoise and drive 257 km (160 mi) to Cork City. The journey time between Dublin and Limerick runs just under three hours; between Dublin and Cork it takes about three hours. From Rosslare Harbour by car, take N25 208 km (129 mi) to Cork; allow 3½ hours for the journey. You can pick up N24 in Waterford for the 211-km (131-mi) drive to Limerick City, which also takes about 3½ hours.

A car is the ideal way to explore this region, packed as it is with scenic routes, attractive but remote towns, and a host of out-of-the-way restaurants and hotels that deserve a detour. That said, the Celtic Tiger is not all gain; increased prosperity has led to an enormous growth in car ownership. Road upgrading has not kept up with the increased usage, and the result is our old friend, the peak-hour traffic jam. This is especially bad in the mornings between 8 AM and 9 AM on all major roads around Cork City, Limerick, and even Killarney. The evening rush hour has a wider spread, and can build up anytime between 4 PM and 6 PM.

Cork, Kinsale, Killarney, Tralee, and Limerick all have strict parking bylaws. Kinsale, Killarney, and Tralee are all amply provided with ground-level car parks: follow the blue "P" signs. In Cork and Limerick it's advisable to use a multistory car park, as on-street parking can be hard to find. If you do get lucky, you'll have to become familiar with "disk" parking regulations, which involve buying a ticket (or disk) for around EUR 2 an hour from a machine or a shop and displaying it. In Cork and Limerick car clampers are active, especially during peak traffic times.

Rental Agencies

Alamo (Cork Airport. 021/431-8623. www.carhire.ie). Avis (Cork Airport. 021/428-1111. www.avis.com.) Budget (Cork Airport. 021/431-4000. www.budget.ie.) Dan Dooley (Shannon Airport. 061/471-098. www.dan-dooley.ie). Enterprise (Cork Airport. 021/497-5133. www.enterprise.com). Hertz (Cork Airport. 021/496-5849. www.hertz.ie). Europcar (Cork Airport. 021/491-7300. www.europcar.ie). Irish Car Rentals (Shannon Airport. 061/328-328; 021/431-8644 Cork. www.irishcarrentals.ie.)