Digital Ireland Travel Tips

or what the other Irish travel or tip sites won't tell you

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 We've added a new feature to the site, our Ireland Travel Checklist. Use it to get your packing in order. We usually start a month or so ahead of time, pick an area, and start piling up the items on the list. We sort them and a couple of weeks before start putting things in the luggage. We have a combination of checked and carry on luggage. We have two pieces of checked luggage each. Usually at least one is collapsible (some sort of duffle) and can be packed in one of the full cases. We then have between two and three pieces of checked luggage with an extra to pack gifts and misc. stuff on the way back. We check initial weights and distribute luggage to stay within restrictions. On the way back, we break out the fourth bag and redistribute again to meet the weight restrictions.
 We also have a carry on and a personal item each. I carry the camera bag and a small roll case. Karen has a purse and small backpack. We try and bring some basics in the roll case in case our check in luggage is delayed or lost. It is also a good way to carry breakables.

The Basics

• How do I get there? Dublin and Shannon are the major airports. Depending on your itinerary, fly into one or the other. You can fly into one and out the other and drop your car at the end. This may make more sense unless you want to do one big loop.

• How do I get around? You can get a rail pass, drive or take buses. Driving will get you around with the least amount of trouble. We always get a car at the airport, reserved online in advance.

• Do I need a passport? The short answer is yes. Make sure it is current. If you need one, get it several months in advance to allow for delays.

• What should I wear? Depends on how you travel. By in large the Irish are less casual in their attire. You won't see jeans and t-shirts as much. Leave your Hawaiian shirts and Bermuda shorts at home. It is hard not to look like a tourist if you have a camera and/or pack. In large cities it isn't an issue. In smaller towns consider business casual to fit in. Keep the bright colors and neon stuff at home.

• Is it safe to visit Northern Ireland? Again, the short answer is yes. However, check the news for the current situation.

• What is the monetary unit? The Republic of Ireland uses the Euro. Northern Ireland uses the British Pound.

• What language is used? English is the primary language with Gaelic spoken in some areas secondary to English. Accents can be quite strong, but they are probably speaking English. Signs can be in English and Gaelic or Gaelic only.

• What about driving? Driving is on the opposite side of the road as the US. So is the steering wheel. It takes some getting used to, but shouldn't put you off. Take your license. Driving in the major cities is a nightmare. Park and walk or get a bus pass. Use your credit card insurance if possible. Drunk driving laws are stiff, so have a designated driver if you're visiting the pubs.

• What about smoking? All pubs are non-smoking in the Republic. There is a fine for the smoker and pub owner, so don't try it. This includes restaurants and other public buildings. Check on the policy in your hotel and B&B.

• What about insurance? Get insurance before you leave. Check on what your credit card will cover on the auto. Also check on your medical before you leave to be sure you are covered and take the proper documentation with you.

• What about weather conditions? Plan for rain, dress in layers, have some waterproof gear and you'll be fine. Weather can shift several times in a day and by in large you'll be pleasantly surprised.

• Hours of Operation? Irish businesses including banks seem to have their own hours. In general it is Monday-Friday 09:30-16:30. In Dublin, banks stay open Thursday until 17:00. What is posted isn't necessarily what happens. We've stood on the wrong side of a door many a time with the hours clearly posted, but the door locked. Most businesses are closed on Sunday's in small towns.

• What about tipping? We've found that it is similar to the US. Tipping in the pubs isn't necessary unless you're eating, but can create some good will and attention. Around 7-12% seems fine unless you're very happy or unhappy with the service. Remember your ideas of service may not be the norm.

• What about taxes? Taxes are problematic in Ireland and can be high, between 17-21% depending on the products. You can shop tax free in some shops or get a tax document that you can turn in later for a refund. The refund may or may not happen. One time we received a refund over a year later. The process is painful and may or may not be worth it depending on how much you are spending. The airport has a tax booth that you can use to turn in your receipts and apply for a refund. Give yourself time as it can be a slow process.

• What about power? Irelands electricity supply is 220 volts at 50hz, whereas the United States uses 120 volts at 60hz.  You'll need travel adapters for your electronics. Make sure that your electronic device can switch to accommodate 220 otherwise you'll need a travel converter (most include one each of the different adapters).

How to purchase and drink a pint of Guinness. The first key is to go to the bar to place your order. If you get a seat at a table, it would be a good while until someone comes over to take an order. Place your order with the bartender, pay if he asks or if you're only having one pint and then go sit down. Guinness takes awhile to pour properly and unless there is one partially poured, it will take a few minutes. Keep an eye out for the bartender to signal you that your pint is ready. Go back up to the bar and collect it and return carefully to your table. You don't want to spill it after all this time. At this point techniques will vary. I've heard you can tell by the rings of foam on the inside of the glass you can tell the nationality of the drinker. If there are 12-15 rings, you're American. If there are 8-12 rings, you're English. If there are 5-8 rings, you're Irish. If there is 2 or less, you're Australian. In any event, you can choose your method and enjoy your pint.

If someone is friendly enough to offer to buy you a Guinness or drink, you must be prepared to return the favor. It is expected. This goes for women, too. If she has been given a drink, she will be expected to buy a round when it’s her turn. If you offer to buy a round, you must stay until everyone has had their chance to return the favor. If your crowd consists of seven people, you will be expected to stay for (and drink) seven pints, be careful. Don’t be slow in ordering the round when it’s your turn. This could be considered poor manners and you might not be treated as nicely on the next occasion.

In Dublin, get a city bus tour pass. It is cheaper than the regular bus and faster. You can get on an off the bus at major sites and buses come by quite often. The driver has a running narrative which can be amusing. Make sure you pay attention to what color bus you get on. There are red ones and yellow ones, don't mix them up. Most buses are double deckers and sitting up on top can be fun if you're taking a longer ride. It is hard to get off when you have to go down the stairs and to the front to disembark. We didn't find that the Dublin Pass was a good buy for us, but it might work for you.

Take travel adapters for your electronics when traveling from the US to Ireland. Irelands electricity supply is 220 volts at 50hz, whereas the United States uses 120 volts at 60hz. 
Make sure that your electronic device can switch to accommodate 220 otherwise you'll need a travel converter (most include one each of the different adapters). 
The plugs in Ireland look like the first two images below. Your normal plug goes into the back. I usually carry about 3 or 4. The second image is a good travel converter with different plugs. Don't forget your battery chargers for your phone, camera and GPS! (see our checklist)

When you arrive at the airport, don't be cheap. Rent a cart (one or two Euro) for your luggage, you'll usually get it back when you return the cart. It will lower your stress, and make looking for a rental car or other transportation easier. You'll probably have a long walk to the car and carrying all your luggage will be tiring. This is especially true in Dublin Airport but applicable to Shannon as well. Many grocery stores charge for the carts as well, but return the money when you return the cart.

Buy a Duchas Heritage Pass card. You can buy the pass online or at any of the sites. It gets you into about 65 sites and saves a lot of money if you're visiting heritage attractions. You get a book with the pass that shows the site locations and a description of each location.
You can view the list of sites here.  
The Duchas Heritage Pass is about 21 Euro per person. Senior and family rates are available.

Think about traveling lighter. Take enough clothes for 5 days and plan on visiting a laundry do either do your own laundry or drop it off and pick it up later. We've had good success both ways, but found the drop off and pick up later option works very well. Your laundry will be washed and neatly folded for a reasonable price. Prices vary between large cities and smaller towns. If you decide to do your own laundry, the option below works well instead of buying detergent.

If you really like your coffee in the morning, and are a bit of a coffee snob, you might want to bring your own. (note the coffee was better in 2007). We like good coffee and grind our own from a variety of sources available locally. Coffee we bought in a coffee shop or stores invariably tasted like day old, weak stuff percolated in one of those large aluminum vats. Much of it came from The Netherlands, and not at all impressive. Conversely the tea is almost always excellent. You might want to get your caffeine fix that way. Starbucks is very rare in Ireland except one in Dublin.

Rent your car online prior to leaving, it is cheaper and easier than negotiating at the airport. Use Irish Car Rentals as they have the best prices. Get a manual if you can drive one, they are a lot cheaper than an automatic. Make sure you allow for people and luggage in your vehicle choice. Get the smallest car possible, the roads are narrow, but make sure you are comfortable and have room for your luggage. We found the Opel Zefira to be a good choice when traveling with older people. It is easy to get in and out of and holds a good deal of luggage. It sits up a bit higher than a car allowing for better visibility.
Get a quote at

Scampi can have a different meaning in parts of Ireland. Most people would assume that scampi refers to shrimp cooked in butter and herbs. We saw scampi on the menu in a restaurant and asked for it, they were out. We returned a few nights later and, oh joy, they had it. When it arrived it was shaped more like a pack of gum than a shrimp. On further investigation it proved to be a fish stick. They were fine as fish sticks go, just not an adequate substitute for shrimp when your mouth is set on it. The waitress confirmed that scampi meant "fish fingers" there. The Irish couple next to us said that they always thought it meant shrimp too. The lesson is to look for "shrimp scampi" or ask what the waiter believes scampi to be.

This advice is for all ages! To ease travel/flying discomfort, invest in some prunes and prune juice prior to leaving and start eating in moderation the day before. It keeps things moving that can become blocked during a long flight.

An Irish mile can be anywhere from "around the corner" to 10 miles.

If you are told it is a "wee stretch of the legs," tie on your walking shoes.

I take a good many pictures when I travel to Ireland. I've used point and shoot, to larger fixed lens cameras to DSLRs. My mileage varies as will yours. The trade off is portability vs. image quality. The point and shoot fits in your pocket or small bag, but you won't get the nice interior shots in low light that you can with a DSLR. Of course you could be a tourist and use the flash, blinding everyone in the pub and disturbing the poor musician causing him to drop the family fiddle onto the flagstone floor. OK, you don't want to be that guy (or gal). Learn how to use your camera, turn off the flash and bump up the ISO setting.

Here are a few cameras that I either have or want to have when traveling. Read the reviews, think about what kind of pictures you like to take and get what works for you!

Highly rated weather proof and waterproof camera. Perfect for those soft Irish days or a tropical beach excursion.	Very nice performance inside our outside. Will take great pictures in the pubs.	Canon makes some great gear. This one is a solid performer across the board. The next best thing to a DSLR.	Another nice offering from Nikon. This one has the advantage of GPS built in. Coordinates are written to each picture as you take it and you can find the location using Google Maps when you get home.	This is what I use. Incredible features, low light performance and fits any Nikon lens ever made. Also sold as a package with a nice 18-105 lens.

Sign distances posted could be in miles or kilometers, and are often not labeled with either one, just a number. Most are in kilometers now, but some signs in miles still linger. Distance also depends on the route. There is more than one way to get anywhere on the back roads.

Stop and "smell the roses," you may not go by here again.
Unless of course, you are near a pig farm, then keep those boots moving.

Directions from a local should be taken with a grain of salt. Getting a second opinion will probably make it worse.

Learn a bit of Irish before you go. You'll get baffled looks in some areas, and a lot of good will in others. Either way it can't hurt.

Get a map of Ireland, city maps are helpful too, especially in Dublin. It may not help, but at least you'll see where you should be. We live and die by our multi-paged atlas. It doesn't show all roads, but enough to get around the back ways.

Soft serve cones (especially HB) are very good. They taste like frozen whipped cream.

Guinness is better in Ireland. No, it is not because you're there or on vacation. It does taste better, has less preservatives, and you'll have less after effects. Do not try to keep pace with the gentleman at the bar who's matching you drinks, he'll win.

Most music doesn't start in pubs until half nine (9:30) at the earliest, in spite of what the sign, bartender, or fellow who fiddles says. They are probably getting you in earlier to increase your Guinness intake.

Doing a little reading before hand won't hurt. Instead of the traditional travel books, try these alternatives. They'll give you some real insight and keep you away from the bad touristy bits.

Book interlude
 Here are some books we read, reread or discovered on our trip. We think you'll enjoy them too. They are all related to traveling, living and surviving in Ireland. They are best to read after you've been once. So much will make more sense.

A sandwich in a pub or small store means thin slices of meat, some cheese and sliced onion, tomato or whatever is in the icebox, on toasted white bread. Not very substantial, but usually tasty and served at the temperature of molten lava.

Ireland uses the Euro. The Euro (EUR) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of EUR 500, 200, 100 50, 20, 10 and 5. Coins are in denominations of EUR 2 and 1, and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents. It is pretty easy to deal with.
This link has current exchange rates.

Club soda in Orange and Citrus are very good, better than standard American soda to our mind!

Irish road signs are posted at the road entrance. No advance notice is given. Be prepared to backtrack a lot. Drive a bit slower for self preservation and to read the signs easily. Signs are often partially covered by overgrowth on less traveled roads or missing altogether.

ATMs are fairly plentiful in populated areas. Take larger amounts of cash out to avoid additional ATM  or bank charges. Check with your bank before you go as to additional charges. We found a Credit Union with no charges for currency conversion.

Take the boats to the Islands. Blasket, Skelligs, and Aran Islands are all worth the trip. The boat trip from Doolin to the Aran Islands results in a rough ride. Don't take it unless you have a strong stomach and/or motion sickness pills. Aran Direct from Ros a Mhíl (Rossaveal), does a great job of getting you to the Aran Islands.

Ireland is green for a reason! Take rain gear (umbrellas don't fare well outside the city), but don't be surprised if you don't need it. Irish weather can change hourly.
Ireland is green for another reason, watch where you walk, the country is well fertilized.

Climb fences, climb hills, and go through gates to get to sites. Ask permission if there is someone around. If so, you may be charged a nominal fee. Most of the good stuff isn't where the tourists go. Watch for small road signs indicating landmarks, monastic sites and other points of interest. Watch for interesting stone piles on a hill or in a field. Take the back roads, you'll see a lot more.

Sit at the bar if you want to talk to people. If you sit at a table they will assume you want to be left alone. You'll get service and not much else. If you sit at the bar, you're fair game. Buy a round or a pint for people at the bar, and you're sure to be popular.

If you must do the traditional travel books, try these. We found them useful in places, but no one is perfect.

You might consider trying the mattress first thing in a B&B or Cottage. We found some to be little more than a sheet on a box spring. Not very conducive to good sleep when the springs are poking into your back. We're considering taking an inflatable mattress on our next trip, the kind with a plug-in pump.
2007 update: We took an inflatable mattress, but never used it. Probably a case of better safe than sorry.

Hairdryer may or may not be available in your B&B or hotel. It's easier to buy one there then worry about adapters and compatibility. This is true for curling irons as well. You'll make an enemy of your B&B host very quickly by plugging a 110 hairdryer in a 220 outlet.

We've found that either the inflatable or buckwheat filled neck pillows are very nice to have on long plan flights. They support your head and neck and keep you from drooling on your seat mate's shoulder.

 One or two Benadryl or similar allergy relief medications can help you sleep on the plane. Most sleep aids in the US contain diphenhydramine (the active ingredient in Benadryl . Check for the generic or Costco Barnd as it is much cheaper. Take them just before the plane leaves. Use only on a flight that is over4 hours, anything less and you'll be drowsy when you land.

Be a good traveler and have your own wash cloth and hand towel. Many places don't provide them and feel that you should. Makes sense if you think about it, those are pretty personal parts you're washing.

When you get your rental car, open the boot/trunk. Check to see that there is a spare tire. Then check if it is the spare tire that fits the car. Don't find yourself out on the Beara Peninsula at 10pm on a Sunday night with a flat and the spare won't fit!

Count your change. Irish shopkeepers are a wee bit deficit in this department. It can't be dishonesty, because the amount can also be over what it should be. Perhaps they are still not accustomed to the Euro. Also many of the wait staff are Eastern European and seem to be numerically challenged as well.

Take reusable grocery bags to the grocery stores. You will be charged for shopping bags (as much as a Euro each), and it is easier to bring your own (sturdier) ones. We brought a couple nylon mesh grocery bags from home and kept them in the car. The bags at IKEA that sell for .59 are great as well. Dunnes Stores have bags you can purchase for about 2 Euro that are large and reusable and make a good souvenir.

You get very few Irish carrots to the kilo, they are huge. Try chopping them in bite sized chunks and boiling them in salted water for about 8 minutes. Delicious!

Go to the butcher shops instead of the supermarkets for meat. The selection is better, fresher and you're more likely to have an interesting conversation. Irish meat is very fresh and much tastier and is probably free-range and organic if you're at all into that.

If you check the box that says you've been on a farm or in a pasture on your return trip paperwork, you'll have to pull out the shoes you were wearing and have them sanitized. There is usually a separate line at the airport that you have to go through that is marked Agricultural. Either wear the shoes on the plane or have them easily accessible in your luggage. It isn't easy to be in Ireland without being in a pasture at some point. Allow some cushion if you can as this process can take some time.

If you buy alcohol or any liquid product in the duty free shops, you'll have to put it into your luggage when you arrive back in the US if you're going onto another destination. We left room in our luggage that provided some padding and easy access to stow duty free purchases.