Hope some of the Irish on here can enlighten me with some advice about driving on single carriageway roads in Eire.
Went to Galway via Dublin the week before last for the first time, and was driving the N4/N6 route as it got dark. After being flashed by drivers behind me a few times, and then having it demonstrated for me by a truck in front, I took to pulling onto the hard shoulder and easing off a bit to let people overtake. Ended up doing it many times, and always got a thank you on the indicators of those that passed me. Driving back to Dublin during the day I was again letting people pass but not sure whether it was legal, although I also had a Garda car pass me and flash his indicators.
Is this manouevre legal in Eire, or is it just something that has evolved to get traffic moving better?
Really impressed with the place though. Friendly folks everywhere, good grub, and a wave from just about every trucker that came the other way.
Only bad experience was on the ferry coming back. Got parked on the top deck, and had to reverse down the ramp between the decks, and then out on to the dock. Not the best reverser of an artic in the world at the best of times, but trying to get the trailer to find a hole in the deck when it is dark and raining was not much fun. Hope to go back again soon.
I am regularly over the water to Eire, sometimes twice a week like this week, Ballydesmond then back to Goole via Holyhead straight back to Liverpool for tip in Cork. I don’t know if the use of ‘hard shoulder’ is legal but it certainly aids traffic movement 
The drivers do seem to be courteous over there, but changes somewhat when you are heading back to the docks at Dublin for the ferry running down the side of the Liffey on a night. Here everyone wants your bit of road, and it is like Santa Pod from each set of traffic lights. 
Beautiful countryside, especially on the west coast area.
I presume from what you said that you used P&O, Stena is alot better, a proper RO/RO ferry, excellent grub as well.
If you see a LIFT actros with Penfold in window make yourself known and we can have a couple of beers 
as far as I am aware it is legal to pull onto the hard shoulder to allow traffic to pass. i am from the west coast and if any of ye need any help just let me know.
nige
Great to see some of you coming to visit us now and again, ballydesmond, must be munster joinery then, not much else there, I think, regarding pulling into hard shoulder, it is a very grey area, like all driving legal matters here, my view would be that you are not allowing a car coming from a side road any space to look down the road. as far as I am concerned a hard shoulder is a hard shoulder and shouldn’t be driven, although I regularly do myself. How do yee like the irish hours, or do you still run on the tacho here ? Can’t stand irish work meself, seem to be waiting for 2 hours everywhere you go.
Friendly folks everywhere, good grub, and a wave from just about every trucker that came the other way.
Thats one thing about Irish Truckers they allways wave at each other.
As for the hard shoulder i even see car drivers doing it for other cars…
it happends alot about the roads of Ireland…Don,t know if you can get
done for it or not 
Thats the one thing about Irish Truckers, they all wave at each other 
Its like the Dutch, they all seem to know each other 
Maybe its that funny language they speak
Running on the hard shoulder is also accepted (expected) in Greece. Not sure of the legality of it though, “to be sure”
Cheers for all the replies folks. Will now feel a bit more confident riding the hard shoulder next time I’m over your way, which I hope won’t be too far away.
Back into Europe again this week through Dover so at least I won’t have to practise my reversing on or off the ferry.
Penfold - will keep my eyes open for you next time. BTW we do use P&O ferries whichever bit of water we cross.
df1:
…as far as I am concerned a hard shoulder is a hard shoulder and shouldn’t be driven, although I regularly do myself. …
… 
df1:
regarding pulling into hard shoulder, it is a very grey area, like all driving legal matters here, my view would be that you are not allowing a car coming from a side road any space to look down the road
I did some work over in Ireland a little while ago. As regards moving onto the hard shoulder to allow quicker vehicles to pass, most people seemed to do it. The stop line for vehicles exiting a side road is also the edge of the carraigeway, not the outside edge of the hard shoulder (IIRC). So you would do a bit more than obscure someones vision. I would pull back onto the carraigeway when approaching a side road, and the hard shoulder is usualy marked so as to encourage that too.
Hard shoulders are really considered a bit more road to use. Drivers will often park up on hard shoulders on motorways and have a kip 
I would never do this seen too many rear enders on the M5/M6. If you move over only do it if you can see enough road for them to clear you coz if you stick your indicator on to pull back out everyone will speed up and stick you in there till they’ve got round (look out for people walking). It works well always do it myself but use your own common sense and don’t think you have to. If your off to the west after the 12th Dec you will have dual carriageway from M50 Dublin to Kinnegad but it will be tolled.
Another tip is if its not stuck to the dash move it first pot hole and everything goes flying.
A bloke I used to work with, used to collect cattle from Ireland and was perplexed why people in a certain town, were always over-friendly- waving to him as he passed by.
It was only later, when a colleague explained he had been driving the wrong way down a one-way street, that the penny dropped!
Great place to drive. Everyone is helpful, even Dublin traffic wardens who let me leave my drag on double yellows in Parnell St. while I reversed down a one way to my drop.
Racing down the West Coast from Letterkenny to Galway to get tipped before nightfall, everybody moved over to the shoulder as soon as they saw me. Only delay was when an Irish driver who knew my wagon, flashed me to stop - for the craic 
.
Didn’t make the tip but the Finance Director who was working late let me in the gates and then made me sandwiches and tea in the canteen before going back to wrestle with his figures. That was the Farah trouser factory, if anyone knows it, on the ring road which I found after going into the centre of town and weaving through the narrow streets to get back out again. Nobody gave me a dirty look.
Salut, David.