Practical Information for visiting Ireland

The Republic of Ireland uses the euro. Northern Ireland, on the same island, uses pounds sterling — if your trip crosses the border, you need both, though there is no border check.

Cards and contactless are accepted virtually everywhere, including buses, taxis and small pubs, and Ireland is close to cashless in practice. Keep a little cash for rural honesty boxes, church candles and the occasional small pub.

ATMs are widespread. Decline dynamic currency conversion and choose to be charged in euros.

Tipping is modest: ten per cent in a restaurant where no service charge appears, rounding up a taxi fare, and nothing at all at the bar — tipping for a pint is not done and can look odd. Buying a round is the relevant convention instead, and it is taken seriously.

Coverage for mobile networks is good in the cities and along the main roads, with 5G in the urban areas and 4G across most of the country from Vodafone, Three and Eir. Rural coverage is patchier than the maps suggest, and the mountains, the far west and parts of Donegal and Kerry have genuine dead spots.

Ireland is in the European Union, so EU roaming rules apply for visitors from member states. Note that Northern Ireland is not, and phones near the border switch networks without warning — a real source of unexpected charges. Lock your phone to manual network selection if you are travelling along it.

Free Wi-Fi is standard in hotels, cafes, pubs and on Irish Rail. Fixed broadband in rural areas is improving under the national rollout but remains uneven.

Ireland is a safe country with low violent crime, and visitors rarely have trouble. The genuine risks are the roads and the coast.

• Rural driving is the main hazard: narrow lanes with stone walls, no hard shoulder, blind bends, farm vehicles and livestock on the road, and visitors adjusting to driving on the left. Take the coastal routes slowly and pull in rather than reversing on a single-track road.
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• The Atlantic coast. Rip currents, rogue waves and unfenced cliff edges account for deaths every year. Stay back from cliff tops, especially in wind, and never turn your back on the sea on a rocky shore.
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• Bogs and mountains. Weather turns fast and mist comes down quickly. Carry a map and a waterproof, and tell someone your route.
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• Petty theft in Dublin: bag snatching and pickpocketing around O’Connell Street, Temple Bar and the Luas, and theft from parked hire cars, which are easy to identify. Leave nothing visible.
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• Drink-driving limits are low and enforced with random checkpoints.

Healthcare is of a good standard. EU visitors are covered for necessary state treatment with a valid EHIC, and UK visitors under a separate reciprocal arrangement; everyone else pays, and costs are high, so insurance is sensible.

The public system has long waiting times for non-urgent care, and many Irish people use private clinics. Emergency departments treat anyone, with a charge for those without a referral.

Vaccinations: routine cover is sufficient; nothing special is required.

Ticks are present in long grass, bracken and woodland, and Lyme disease occurs. Check after walking, particularly in the Wicklows, Killarney and forested areas.

Weather exposure is the most likely problem: hypothermia is a real risk on the hills in any month, and the wind makes 8°C feel far colder than it reads.

Pharmacies are widespread and pharmacists can advise and dispense a range of treatments. Tap water is safe, though occasional local boil-water notices are issued and are worth checking if one is in force.

Rounds. In a pub, people buy drinks in rounds, each person taking a turn to buy for the whole group. Opting out or failing to take your turn is noticed. If you cannot keep up, say so at the start rather than halfway through.

Do not tip at the bar when buying a pint; it is not the custom. Offering to buy the bartender a drink is, occasionally.

Sessions. If traditional music is being played in a corner, it is not background — do not talk loudly over the slow airs, and applaud at the end of a set rather than each tune.

Politics and history. The North, the Troubles and Anglo-Irish relations are discussed openly by Irish people and are best not opened confidently by visitors. Calling the Republic part of Britain, or the whole island the UK, causes genuine offence.

Smoking has been banned in workplaces and pubs since 2004, the first such ban in the world. Drink-driving limits are strict. Litter fines are enforced, and the plastic bag levy is charged in every shop.

Emergency numbers: 112 or 999, either of which reaches Gardaí, ambulance, fire and coastguard. Both work from any phone and operators speak English and Irish.

Medical. Public hospital emergency departments — St James’s and the Mater in Dublin, Cork University Hospital, University Hospital Galway — treat anyone. Waiting times can be long for non-urgent cases. For minor problems, a pharmacy or a walk-in clinic is faster.

Coast and mountains. The Irish Coast Guard covers cliff, coastal and sea rescue, and mountain rescue teams operate in the Wicklows, Kerry, Galway and Donegal; both are reached through 112. Rescue is not charged for.

Weather warnings from Met Eireann use a yellow, orange and red system, and a red warning means stay indoors. Named storms are announced days ahead.

Keep an offline copy of your passport and insurance. Embassies are concentrated in Dublin, mostly in Ballsbridge.