Touring Ireland by car

A plaid-capped chap nestles on a bench in Galway, Ireland, a stop on a Times reporter’s tour of the Emerald Isle by car. Navigating the island’s highways and byways can be daunting — one drives on the left side of the road, and then there’s the abandon of Irish drivers — but it can also be a fine way to experience the land’s spectacular coastlines, wild glens and small towns full of character, and characters.