[PG tips]

Originally Posted by Water Warrior

Ouch and double ouch. That really sucks. We are planning a trip to Ireland next year and at some point will be renting a car.
As much as we grumble about fuel costs here there are so many folks who will never own a cage due to the cost of ownership. From what I have heard there are more railways in Ireland than main highways so that will be a good option to consider. Lynda has a list of places to visit and I will be in charge of transportation.

I dont think thats correct, there are some main lines from Dublin out to some large cities/towns, a lot of the smaller connecting lines have been shut a long long time, most people get around by car, then Id say bus for long trips and taxis for shorter local journeys. The motorways are fairly complete, and fortunately there are plenty of places they dont go.
A train is nice if they are good/clean, been a long while since I was on one, a car is a better option in my opinion, can do what you want and go where you want when you want, unless you are looking for all the extra charm of seeing the route by the train line which can be ok too
But its possible onward journeys when you get to the terminus of the train line, will require getting on buses or getting mini bus/taxi maybe. It may be possible to get a rental after getting off a train, if that is a city. It can be nice to sit back and relax but then you cant stop where you want, unless you get off the train. A rental may work out cheaper to run, Im not sure how much to rent but I have been told there are smaller car rental places that do the same deal for less than the big companies, it could be the case in a lot of countries?
A diesel rental could give better mileage, not sure if they do diesel autos in standard size cars?