Originally Posted by
worldiswide
We definitely agree. Its a long story.. they always are.. but its a destination that is off the beaten path and it suits the wedding pair quite nicely.
Well the setting should be spectacular no matter what! sounds like they'll have a grand time.
Originally Posted by
worldiswide
driven RHD before... A little bit.. so it will be an adventure.
Because of how many times this has come up: The gears are laid out exactly like they are in LHD, but on the other side. They are not mirrored. So 1st is top left, 2nd bottom left, etc.
Originally Posted by
worldiswide
...your point about perceptions by Americans about what is supposed to happen vs what actually may happen. Go with the flow..
I mention it because I've seen all kinds attempt to live there and the various ways that people deal with it. Including some VERY Type A individuals who had a spectacularly hard time adapting. But everyone did. It's not a difficult atmosphere to adapt to. The best thing I think anyone can do in Ireland is relax, budget more time than you think you need, be flexible and you'll have a great time.
Originally Posted by
gaelflyer
And as for the off quoted picture above, a similar road in the UK would have a 60mph speed limit which never seems to attract comment. A speed limit is a legal restriction, no rational person would expect that it inevitably represents a recommendation.
I didn't mean to imply all roads were equally signposted, but maybe it would help to explain that the speed limits are often set (as I recall) by road class and not by actual driving conditions. So an N road would typically have a given speed limit outside of town regardless of what the actual, practical speed would be.
That the actual speed limit could be (as in the case of that picture, chosen from a large set of possible candidates) double what the reasonable driving speed might be is, in my experience, more unique to Ireland than anywhere else. And after fifteen minutes driving the only reason it's still surprising is that the signs are there. But they are, and they're prevalent enough that it's something everyone I know remembers if they've lived there at one point.
But in a lot of countries the posted speed limit is more of a recommendation, or at least something you have to keep in mind because you're inevitably going to be driving faster than the posted speed. See: Poland. Also see: Canada, where the speed limits are set (IMO) far too low for the majority of driving conditions. Only in very poor conditions would one consider the speed limit an unrealistic number.