Social ConventionsThe Irish are renowned as an affable, easy-going people, always eager to engage friends and strangers alike in chat that is liberally dosed with humor, irreverence and - if you listen carefully - a
beal bocht, an Irish expression that translates as ‘the poor mouth’. It refers to a kind of modesty where the speaker is careful to talk themselves down and never reveal how well he or she is actually doing. In short, the Irish don’t really like a showoff. The best place to observe and engage with the Irish is in the pub, still the center of all social
interaction in Ireland, especially in smaller communities throughout the country.
A meal in an Irish home is usually a substantial affair and guests will eat well. Dinner is the main meal of the day and is now eaten in the evening. Even in cities there is less formal wear than in most European countries and casual dress is widely acceptable as in keeping with a largely agricultural community. Women, however, often dress up for smart restaurants and social functions. Handshaking is usual, and modes of address will often be informal. Smoking is banned in all public enclosed/working spaces, including pubs, bars and restaurants.
International Travel:Getting There by AirThe national airline is
Aer Lingus (EI) (website:
www.aerlingus.com).
Departure Tax€10 at Knock International Airport only, payable by everyone over 12 years.
Main AirportsDublin Airport (DUB) (website:
www.dublin-airport.com) is 10km (6 miles) north of the city (journey time - 40 minutes).
To/from the airport: Taxis are available into the city center. An aircoach service runs to and from the airport, 24 hours per day.
Citylink runs a service from Galway to Dublin Airport (journey time - 3 hours).
Dublin Bus offers many routes throughout Dublin to the airport, including an
AirLink Express bus from Heuston and Connolly railway stations.
Facilities: Duty-free shop, car hire, bank, bureau de change, bars, restaurants, tourist information center and chemist.
Shannon Airport (SNN) (website:
www.shannonairport.com) is 24km (15 miles) north of Limerick City (journey time – 25 minutes).
To/from the airport: Bus services are available to and from both Limerick and Clare. A daily express coach travels between Limerick and Shannon, plus to Ennis bus station.
Citylink operates a service from Galway to Shannon Airport (journey time - 1 hour 15 minutes). Taxi services are available, 24 hours, to Limerick City.
Facilities: Outgoing duty-free shop, bank, bureau de change, bar, restaurant and tourist information center.
Cork Airport (ORK) (website:
www.corkairport.com) is 8km (5 miles) southwest of the city.
To/from the airport: Buses travel between the city center and airport (journey time – 15 minutes).
Facilities: Outgoing duty-free shop, car hire, bar and restaurant.
Knock International Airport (NOC) (website:
www.knockairport.com) is 11km (7 miles) north of Claremorris (County Mayo) and receives scheduled international flights from the UK only. At other times of the year, chartered flights operate between Knock and a number of European destinations, such as Salzburg, Majorca, Crete and Lisbon.
To/from the airport: Taxi services are available to Claremorris, where onward rail and bus connections are available to the rest of the country.
Facilities: Duty-free shop, bar, restaurant and car hire (pre-booking advised).
Getting There by WaterMain ports: Baltimore,
Dublin (website:
www.dublinport.ie),
Galway,
Kinsale and
Wexford.
In addition to conventional
ferry crossings, many ferry companies now offer
high-speed services as well as upgraded, state-of-the-art craft on many Irish sea routes. Fares will vary by season and promotional offers are available. Routes from Britain and France include:
From England: Liverpool-Dublin (journey time - 8 hours); Fleetwood-Larne (Northern Ireland, journey time - 8 hours). From the Isle of Man: Douglas-Dublin (journey time - 2 hours 45 minutes, summer only, to 4 hours 45 minutes); Douglas-Belfast (Northern Ireland, journey time - 2 hours 45 minutes).
From Scotland: Cairnryan-Larne (Northern Ireland, journey time - 1 hour to 1 hour 45 minutes); Stranraer-Belfast (journey time - 1 hour 45 minutes to 3 hours 15 minutes).
From Wales: Holyhead (Isle of Anglesey)-Dublin (journey time - 2 hours to 3 hours 15 minutes); Holyhead (Isle of Anglesey)-Dun Laoghaire (journey time - 1 hour 40 minutes); Fishguard-Rosslare (journey time - 1 hour 40 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes); Swansea-Cork (seasonal, journey time - 10 hours); Pembroke-Rosslare (journey time - 3 hours 45 minutes).
From France: Irish Ferries operate at least four direct ferry crossings a day between France and Ireland. The routes are Cherbourg-Rosslare (journey time - 19 hours); Roscoff-Rosslare
(journey time - 18 hours);
Roscoff-Cork (journey time - 13 hours 30 minutes).
For information on routes, fares and reservations, contact one of the following:
Brittany Ferries (tel: 0870 907 6103, in the UK; website:
www.brittany-ferries.com);
Irish Ferries (tel: 0870 517 1717, in the UK,
or 0818 300 400, in Ireland; website:
www.irishferries.com);
Isle of Man Steam Packet (tel: 0871 222 1333; website:
www.steam-packet.com);
P&O Irish Sea (tel: 0870 242 4777, in the UK; website:
www.poirishsea.com);
Stena Line (tel: 0870 570 7070, in the UK; website:
www.stenaline.co.uk); and
Swansea-Cork Ferries (tel: (01792) 456 116, in the UK).
Getting There by RailRail links serve Ireland from all the above ferry ports, as well as from Northern Ireland.
Rail PassesInterRail: offers unlimited first- or second-class travel in up to 30 European countries for European residents of over six months with two pass options. The
Global Pass allows travel for 22 days, one month, five days in 10 days or 10 days in 22 days across all countries. The
One-Country Pass offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month in any of the countries except Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro. Travel is not allowed in the passenger’s country of residence. Travelers under 26 years receive a reduction. Children’s tickets are reduced by about 50%. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from
Rail Europe (website:
www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail).
Eurailpass: offers unlimited first-class train travel in 17 European countries.
Saver tickets are valid for 15 days, 21 days, one month, two months or three months. The
Eurailpass Saver ticket offers discounts for two or more people traveling together. The
Eurailpass Youth ticket is available to those aged under 26 and offers unlimited second-class train travel. The
Eurailpass Flexi allows either 10 or 15 travel days within a two-month period.
The
Eurail Selectpass is valid in three, four or five bordering countries and allows five, six, eight or 10 travel days (or 15 for five countries) in a two-month period. The
Eurail Regional Pass allows four to 10 travel days in a two month period in one of nine regions (usually two or more countries). Children receive a 50% reduction. The passes cannot be sold to residents of Europe, Turkey, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia or the Russian Federation. Available from the
Eurail Group (website:
www.eurail.com).
OverviewThe following goods may be imported by persons over 17 years of age without incurring customs duty if obtained duty- and/or tax-free outside the EU:
• 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco.
• 1l of spirits and distilled beverages (more than 22%) or 2l of other alcoholic beverages with an alcoholic strength not exceeding 22%, including sparkling or fortified wine, plus 2l of table wine.
• 60ml of perfume and 250ml of eau de toilette.
• Other dutiable goods to the value of €175, or €90 if under 15 years old.
Abolition of duty-free goods within the EUOn 30 June 1999, the sale of duty free alcohol and tobacco at airports and at sea was abolished in all of the original 15 EU member states. Of the 10 new member states that joined the EU on 1 May 2004 and the two states that joined on 1 January 2007, these rules already apply to Cyprus and Malta. There are transitional rules in place for visitors returning to one of the original 15 EU countries from one of the other new EU countries. But for the original 15, plus Cyprus and Malta, there are no limits imposed on importing tobacco and alcohol products from one EU country to another. Travelers should note that they may be required to prove at customs that the goods purchased are for personal use
only. Member states may follow the EU’s guide levels of: 10l of spirits; 20l of fortified wine; 90l of wine; 110l of beer; 800 cigarettes; 400 cigarillos; 200 cigars and 1kg of tobacco.
Prohibited ImportsFirearms, ammunition, explosives, offensive weapons, indecent/obscene material, plants or bulbs, live or dead animals, bird or poultry, endangered species, meat and meat products and hay or straw (even if used as packing).
Internal Travel:Getting Around By AirAer Lingus (website:
www.aerlingus.com) serves destinations in Europe, the Middle East and the USA;
Ryanair (website:
www.ryanair.com) is a low-fares airline serving many European destinations. The Aran Islands are served by
Aer Arann (website:
www.aerarann.ie) via a 15-minute flight from Connemara Regional Airport (located 27km/17 miles west of Galway city), but also operates services to other airports including Donegal, Kerry and Dublin. Charter flights are also available.
Domestic airports include
Galway (GWY),
Sligo (SXL),
Carrickfinn (CFN) and
Kerry (Farranfore) (KIR), as well as various small airstrips.
Getting Around by WaterFerry services run to the various west coast islands; enquiries should be made locally.
Getting Around by RailRail services in Ireland are run by
Iarnród Eireann (Irish Rail) (tel: (1) 836 6222; website:
www.irishrail.ie) and express trains run between the main cities. There are two classes of accommodation, with restaurant and buffet cars on some trains. Children under five travel free. Children aged five to 15 pay half fare.
Rail PassesA range of rail-only and combined rail and bus tickets are available for unlimited travel within the Republic of Ireland.
InterRail One-Country Pass: offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month within Ireland. Travel is not allowed in the passenger’s country of residence. Travelers under 26 years receive a reduction. Children’s tickets are reduced by about 50%. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on
Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from
Rail Europe (website:
www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail).
Getting Around by RoadTraffic drives on the left. The network links all parts of Ireland. Ireland changed all road signs from imperial to metric measurements in 2005.
Bus: Internal bus services are run by
Bus Eireann (Irish Bus) (website:
www.buseireann.ie), which has a nationwide network of buses serving all the major cities and most towns and villages outside the Dublin area. Bus services in remote areas are infrequent. An ‘Expressway’ coach network complements rail services. Several independent bus companies, which are often cheaper, faster and more frequent than Bus Eireann, operate regular, scheduled services to and from Dublin. Further information can be found in local papers. The central bus station is in Store Street, Dublin.
Passes: A variety of special passes are available, including the
Irish Rambler, which offers unlimited travel for three, eight or 15 days.
Irish Explorer offers unlimited intercity and suburban rail services, as well as the Bus Eireann Expressway and local and city services. The
Emerald Card offers services in Northern Ireland as well as in the Republic of Ireland.
Coach tours: Many companies offer coach tours, varying in length and itinerary. Full-day and half-day guided tours are organized from the larger towns and cities. These run from May to October. Full details are available from
Bus Eireann and
CIE Tours International.
Taxi: Service is available in major cities. Taxis are metered in Cork, Dublin, Galway and Limerick. In other areas it is advised to agree on a fare beforehand. Cruising taxis are infrequent. Places to get taxis are at hotels, rail and bus stations or taxi stands.
Car hire: Available from all air- and seaports as well as major hotels. All international hire companies are represented in Ireland, as well as local operators. Age requirements vary from a minimum of 21 to a maximum of 70 years. A full license from the driver’s home country is required, and the driver will normally be required to have had at least two years’ experience. It is advisable to book hire cars in advance, especially in the peak season, and a child seat should be ordered in advance also. Advise the car hire company if the car will be driven into Northern Ireland.
Regulations: Speed limits are 50kph (30mph) in towns and cities, 80kph (50mph) on local roads (this is displayed on white signs) and 100kph (60mph) on national roads (this is displayed on green signs). Seat belts should be worn at all times.
Documentation: EU nationals taking cars into the Republic of Ireland require: motor registration book (or owner’s authority in writing); full EU driving license or International Driving Permit; nationality coding stickers; and insurance cover valid for the Republic. A Green Card is strongly recommended, as without it, insurance cover is limited to the minimum legal requirement in Ireland – the Green Card tops this up to the cover provided by the visitor’s domestic policy.
Getting Around Towns and CitiesExtensive
bus services operate in
Dublin. There is a fast
suburban rail service -
Dublin Area Rapid Transport (DART), traveling from Malahide in the north to Greystones in the south. Buses in the city are run by
DublinBus. Dublin also has its own
tram system,
LUAS, which is a high-speed service with convenient stop locations throughout the city.
Taxis can be hailed or hired at a taxi rank: the three main taxi ranks in the city are O’Connell Street, Dame Street and St Stephens Street.
Journey TimesThe following chart gives approximate journey times (in hours and minutes) from
Dublin to other major cities/towns in Ireland.
| Air | Road | Rail |
| Cork | 0.40 | 3.00 | 2.40 |
| Limerick | - | 3.30 | 2.10 |
| Shannon Airport | 0.35 | 3.00 | - |
| Kilkenny | - | 2.00 | 1.45 |
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