In Ireland you drive on the left, with the steering wheel on the right, and roundabouts go clockwise. At junctions without signs or road markings, traffic from your right goes first, even from a small side street.
Watch for fixed, mobile and average speed cameras.
The most important first.
Traffic in Ireland drives on the left and overtakes on the right. Hire cars have the steering wheel on the right. Take extra care when pulling out of junctions and car parks, and at roundabouts.
Limits are in km/h. Unless a sign says otherwise, motorways (M) are 120, national roads (N) are 100, regional roads (R) are 80 and local roads (L) are 60. Built-up areas are 50, and more and more town streets are 30. The road number is on direction signs.
A white disc with black diagonal lines and a Go Mall / SLOW plate does not mean the end of restrictions. In Ireland it sets a 60 km/h limit on narrow local roads. It shows no number so that drivers judge a safe speed, which on these roads is often much lower.
Many local roads are very narrow, with no hard shoulder, and some have room for only one vehicle. Expect tractors and animals on rural roads, and drive slowly and carefully.
Turn left to enter a roundabout and go round clockwise. Give way to traffic already on the roundabout, which comes from your right.
The limit is 50 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood. It is 20 mg for learner drivers, drivers in their first 2 years and professional drivers. Gardaí run random breath tests, and every offence brings a ban of at least 3 months.
Where two roads meet with no signs and neither is a major road, give way to traffic approaching from your right. If your road ends at the junction, give way to traffic on the other road.
Marked GoSafe vans check speeds in more than 1,900 zones, and static, average speed and level crossing cameras cover other places. The Gardaí publish the zones and sites on garda.ie. Camera notices for hire cars are passed on to the driver.
Direction signs show Irish above English. In Gaeltacht areas, signs are in Irish only and show only the Irish place name, so learn the Irish name of where you are going.
Northern Ireland is part of the UK. Its speed limit signs are in miles per hour, while the Republic uses km/h. If you take a hire car across the border, check that its insurance covers Northern Ireland.
You may not turn left on a red light. Only a green filter arrow lets you go while the main light is red.
Most toll roads have barrier plazas where you pay by cash or card. The M50 around Dublin has a barrier-free toll that you pay online, by phone or in a shop by 8pm the next day. The M50 toll point is between Junction 6 (N3 Blanchardstown) and Junction 7 (N4 Lucan) and charges in both directions. Cameras on an overhead gantry read your number plate, and there is nowhere to pay at the roadside. Purple overhead signs marked Toll show where the M50 toll applies. A late €3.80 toll becomes €7.80 and can grow to €186.80.
Where no sign says otherwise, in kilometres per hour.
The app animates all 6 junctions for Ireland, including the ones above.
Open it in the appGive way to traffic on the major road ahead.
The same as the YIELD sign, in Irish.
Stop completely at the line before entering the major road.
A 60 km/h speed limit on a narrow local road. Elsewhere in Europe a similar disc means the end of restrictions, but not here.
The maximum speed in km/h from this point.
A roundabout is ahead.
A speed camera is ahead at the distance shown.
Your average speed is measured between two cameras.
A railway level crossing with flashing red lights is ahead.
Marked GoSafe vans check speeds in more than 1,900 published zones. There are also nine static cameras, average speed cameras on five roads and cameras at two railway level crossings. The Gardaí publish the van zones and the static and average speed sites on garda.ie, with a map.
Mobile safety camera (GoSafe van)
Looks like: A van marked with high-visibility reflective material and a safety camera symbol.
Catches: Speeding.
GoSafe runs the vans for An Garda Síochána. 390 new zones started on 1 January 2026, taking the total past 1,900. The list, an interactive map and sat-nav files are on garda.ie.
Static safety camera
Catches: Speeding at one point on the road.
Nine sites, live between December 2024 and August 2025: N59 between Moycullen and Galway city, N17 north-east of Claremorris, N13 east of Letterkenny, N69 east of Askeaton, R772 at Aske near Gorey, N22 between Lissarda and Ovens, N80 between Barristown and Levitstown in Carlow, N25 between Glenmore and Luffany near Waterford, and the Dolphin's Barn junction in Dublin 12.
Average safety camera
Catches: Your average speed between an entry camera and an exit camera, read from your number plate.
Dublin Port Tunnel (since 2017), the M7 between junctions 26 and 27 in both directions (9 km, since 2022), the N3 near Butler's Bridge in Cavan, the N5 near Swinford in Mayo and the N2 near Slane in Meath.
Every camera type in Ireland, the warning signs and how fines reach you
| Licence from | Permit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| the EU, Iceland | Not needed | Licences from EU and EEA countries can be used for as long as they are valid. |
| United Kingdom | Not needed | UK licences, including Northern Ireland licences, can be used for the length of a visit. No IDP is needed. |
| Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Japan | Not needed | Ireland lists these as recognised states. Visitors can drive on a current, valid licence for up to 12 months. |
| Canada | Required | Not needed for licences from Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario or Saskatchewan, which Ireland recognises for visits of up to 12 months. Licences from Quebec, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and the territories need an IDP from Canada. |
| United States | Required | US licences are not on Ireland's list of recognised states. Visitors can drive for up to 12 months only if they also hold an International Driving Permit from the US. |
Most toll roads have barrier plazas where you pay by cash or card. The M50 around Dublin has a barrier-free toll that you pay online, by phone or in a shop by 8pm the next day.
The M50 ring road has a barrier-free toll between junctions 6 and 7. Pay by 8pm the next day unless your hire company pays.
The Dublin Port Tunnel costs €14.00 southbound from 6am to 10am and €12.00 northbound from 4pm to 7pm on weekdays, and €3.50 at other times. Average speed cameras check speeds inside it.
A static speed camera covers the Dolphin's Barn junction in Dublin 12.
A camera at the Merrion Gates level crossing in Dublin 4 catches drivers who pass the flashing red lights or speed over the crossing.
The East Link bridge has a toll plaza.
A static speed camera covers the N59 between Moycullen and Galway city.
The N6 between Galway and Ballinasloe has a toll plaza.
A static speed camera covers the N22 between Lissarda and Ovens, west of Cork.
The N8 Rathcormac to Fermoy bypass has a toll plaza.
The Limerick Tunnel has a toll plaza.
A static speed camera covers the N69 east of Askeaton.
The left. Hire cars have the steering wheel on the right, and speed limits are in km/h.
Yes, as a visitor for up to 12 months, but you also need an International Driving Permit from the US. The RSA and Citizens Information both say this applies to licences from states Ireland does not recognise, which include the US.
Ask your hire company first, because many pay it and recharge you. If you must pay, do it at eflow.ie, by phone on 0818 501 050 or at a Payzone shop by 8pm the day after your trip. A car without an account pays €3.80.
Unless signs say otherwise: 120 km/h on motorways, 100 on national roads, 80 on regional roads, 60 on local roads and 50 in built-up areas. Many town streets are 30.
50 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood for most drivers, and 20 mg for learner, novice and professional drivers.
No. Only a green filter arrow lets you go while the main light is red.
Yes. GoSafe vans work in more than 1,900 published zones, and there are nine static cameras, average speed cameras on five roads and cameras at two railway level crossings. The Gardaí publish the zones and sites on garda.ie, with a map.
Yes. Northern Ireland is part of the UK, so its speed limit signs are in miles per hour. The Republic of Ireland uses km/h.
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Checked 15 October 2026. Official sources first.