Ireland

Quick Facts

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Capital

Dublin

Population

4,239,848

Government

Republic

Religions

Christianity (Catholic, Protestant)

Languages

Irish (Gaelic), English

Calling Code

+353

Currency

Euro (€) (EUR)

Nationality

Irish

Local name

Éire

Introduction

Panoramic view of Dingle Bay

© All Rights Reserved samsara2

Though the strife of its political conflict over the last half-century might suggest otherwise, Irish hospitality is warm and inviting, providing an excellent framework for touring the nation's many attractions. Pubs occupy many a street corner, and the merry atmosphere is often accented by someone playing the fiddle, accordion or singing. Georgian-style houses line the streets in Dublin, but here the fundamental irony of modern-day Ireland is best exemplified: often, inside these historical houses, thriving computer and telecommunications industries operate. The simultaneous actions of treasuring the past and latching onto the current day's competitive international market create an interesting tension, one which for the most part has not done Ireland any harm. Of course, the booming economy has pushed the standard of living up, with one negative side effect for the traveller: Ireland's not a cheap destination.

Brief History

Geography

Ireland shares international borders with the United Kingdom because of Northern Ireland.

Regions

Ireland is divided into four main provinces. These in turn house the 32 counties of the island of Ireland (26 of which belong to the Republic of Ireland while the remaining 6 fall under Northern Ireland). This divide is formed in the province of Ulster. For this purpose the counties of the Republic and of the North are divided in the Ulster section below.
The Gaeilge name for each county is given in brackets after the English.

Connaught

• Galway (Gaillimh)
• Leitrim (Liatroim)
• Mayo (Maigh Eo)
• Roscommon (Ros Comán)
• Sligo (Sligeach)

Leinster

• Carlow (Ceatharlach)
• Dublin (Baile Átha Cliath)
• Kildare (Cill Dara)
• Kilkenny (Cill Chainnigh)
• Laois (Laois)
• Longford (Longfort)
• Louth (Lú)
• Meath (Mí)
• Offaly (Ua Fáilghe)
• Westmeath (Iarmhí)
• Wexford (Loch Garman)
• Wicklow (Cill Mhantáin)

Munster

• Clare (Clár)
• Cork (Corcaigh)
• Kerry (Ciarraí)
• Limerick (Luimneach)
• Tipperary (Tiobraid Arainn)
• Waterford (Port Lairge)

Ulster - Northern Ireland

• Antrim (Aontroim)
• Armagh (Árd Mhacha)
• Down (Dún)
• Fermanagh (Fir Manach)
• Derry (Doire)
• Tyrone (Tir Eoghain)

Ulster - Republic of Ireland

• Cavan (Cabhán)
• Donegal (Dún na nGall)
• Monaghan (Muineacháin)

Cities

• Cork
• Dublin
• Galway
• Limerick
• Waterford
• Belfast
• Londonderry/Derry

Sights

Activities

Events and Festivals

Weather

Getting there

Unless you're coming from Northern Ireland, the options for getting to Ireland are limited to air and sea. If you're coming from the northern neighbour, you could drive, bicycle, walk or crawl across the border and there should be no need for a passport or visa. The same goes for other UK citizens, though airlines, ferry companies, tour operators and travel agents may require some sort of photo ID.

If you're not a UK citizen, you will need a valid passport to travel around Ireland. For EU citizens and nationals from numerous other countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa, there is no need for a visa. If in doubt, contact your local Irish Embassy/Consulate before you set off.

Plane

Although there are increasingly more regional airports being served internationally, still most travellers (especially those from outside Europe) arrive on Dublin International Airport. The main national carrier is Aer Lingus with flights to many European destinations, several American citees like New York, Boston and Los Angeles and flights to Agadir in Morocco and to Dubai.
On top of that, it also serves other international airports in Ireland, like Cork with connections to mainly European destinations as well.
The main lowcost airlines to serve Ireland internationally is Ryanair with connections from Dublin, Cork and Shannon International Airports to airports in the United Kingdom and mainland Europe.

Getting around

My advice, as an Irish person, would be to come to Ireland for the sights, the people, the culture and the history, but NOT for the transport system.

TP member jessieanne in the forums

Red Tape

Money

See also: Money Matters

Italy has adopted the Euro (ISO code: EUR, symbol: €) as its official currency. One Euro is divided into 100 cents, which is sometimes referred to as eurocents, especially when distinguishing them with the US cents.

Euro banknotes come in denominations of €5, €10, €20, €50, €100, €200, €500. The highest three denominations are rarely used in everyday transactions. All Euro banknotes have a common design for each denomination on both sides throughout the Eurozone.

The Euro coins are 1 cent, 2 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, €1 and €2. Some countries in the Eurozone have law which requires cash transactions to be rounded to the nearest 5 cents. All Euro coins have a common design on the denomination (value) side, while the opposite side may have a different image from one country to another. Although the image side may be different, all Euro coins remain legal tender throughout the Eurozone.

The cost of living in Ireland is quite high. Dublin, in particular, is an expensive city, though cities and towns throughout the rest of Ireland are markedly cheaper. Within Dublin, prices also vary based on where you are. Areas such as Phibsborough and Dublin 15 are generally cheaper, for example.

Visa and Mastercard are generally accepted, though American Express can be a bit harder.

If you have an ATM card, bring it. It's much easier to withdraw money from the wall than to exchange currencies. Of course, chances are that your bank will charge a withdrawal fee, so it's generally advisable to withdraw larger sums of money at a time.

Work

Study

Language

Irish (Gaeilge) is a Celtic language of the Goidelic branch spoken in Ireland. Although once spoken across the whole of the island, it is presently a minority language. It is constitutionally upheld as the national and first official language of the Republic of Ireland, and it is an official language of the European Union. It is also an officially recognised minority language in Northern Ireland.

English would be the main language of the people however you will find in parts of Ireland, especially Gaeltacht Regions, that Irish is spoken as a traditional, native language.

Many English-speaking Irish people use small and simple phrases (known as the cúpla focal, "pair of words") in their everyday speech, e.g. Slán ("goodbye"), Slán abhaile ("get home safely"), Sláinte ("good health"; used when drinking like "bottoms up" or "cheers"), Go raibh maith agat - ("thank you"), Céad míle fáilte ("a hundred thousand welcomes", a tourist board saying), Conas atá tú? ("How are you?"). There are many more small sayings that have crept into Hiberno-English. The term craic has been popularised outside Ireland in its Gaelic spelling: "How's the craic?" or "What's the 'craic'?" ("how's the fun?"/"how is it going?").

Eat

In the 20th century the usual modern selection of foods common to Western culture has been adopted in Ireland. Europe's dishes have influenced the country, along with other world dishes introduced in a similar fashion to the rest of the western world. Common meals include pizza, curry, Chinese food, and lately, some West African dishes have been making an appearance. Supermarket shelves now contain ingredients for traditional, European, American (Mexican/Tex-Mex), Indian, Chinese, and other dishes.

The proliferation of fast food has led to increasing public health problems including obesity, and one of the highest rates of heart disease in the world. Traditional Irish food and diet is also somewhat to blame, with a large emphasis on meat and butter. Government efforts to combat this have included television advertising campaigns and education programmes in schools.

In tandem with these developments, the last quarter of the 20th century saw the emergence of a new Irish cuisine based on traditional ingredients handled in new ways. This cuisine is based on fresh vegetables, fish, especially salmon and trout, oysters, mussels and other shellfish, traditional soda bread, the wide range of hand-made cheeses that are now being made across the country, and, of course, the potato. Traditional dishes, such as the Irish stew, coddle, the Irish breakfast, and potato bread, have enjoyed a resurgence. Schools like the Ballymaloe Cookery School have emerged to cater for the associated increased interest in cooking.

All towns have a good variety of restaurants, cafés and takeaways to suit all budgets. A popular place to eat in Ireland would be the local pub, which usually does full dinners reasonably priced normally around €10 / €12.

Sleep

Drink

Health

Safety

The police service (An Garda Síochána) and fire services can be contacted by dialling 999 or 112 on any phone or mobile phone throughout the country.

National Police Service - An Garda Síochána

The police force in the Republic of Ireland are called An Garda Síochána - more commonly referred to as "the Gardaí" or just simply "the Guards". Members of the force can be identified on the street usually by the green florescent jackets they wear with the word "GARDA" written on the back and front.

The Gardaí in Dublin police an area known as The Dublin Metropolitan Region which incorporates the city and County of Dublin as well as small portions of adjacent counties - Kildare (to the west) and Wicklow (to the South).

The current headquarters of An Garda Síochána is located in the Phoenix Park - the largest municipal park in the World, to the west of Dublin City.

In Northern Ireland the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) are the national police force. The PSNI were formerly known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) prior to 2002.

Keep connected

Mobile Phone Networks

There are currently four main mobile phone operators dominating the Irish market:

• Vodafone (prefix 087 - GSM900/1800 - 3G 2100)
• O2 (prefix 086 - GSM900/1800 - 3G 2100)
• Meteor (prefix 085 - GSM900/1800)
• Three (prefix 083 - GSM900/1800 - 3G 2100)

Most European phones and operators will allow you to roam on Irish networks, however you should ensure before arrival that your phone can operate on the GSM900/1800 network and that your service provider has set you up to allow roaming. This is especially true for visitors from outside the Eurozone.