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Here we have gathered
information that we hope you will find useful when you are traveling
in Ireland.
Money
and ATM's
Currency
1 Euro = 100 cents. Notes are
in denominations of 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. Coins are
in denominations of 2 and 1 Euro, and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents.
Credit Cards
Access/MasterCard, American Express,
Diners Club and Visa are all widely accepted. Check with your
credit card company for details of merchant acceptability and
other services which may be available.
Travelers Cheques
Accepted throughout Ireland.
Currency Restrictions
There are no restrictions on
the import of local and foreign currencies.
Banking Hours
1000-1600 Monday to Friday. In
Dublin, banks stay open until 1700 Thursday; there are also late
opening nights in other parts of the country, but the day will
vary.
Exchange Rates
There is full information on
current Euro exchange rates here.
ATM's
Your existing bank cards are
unlikely to work in ATM´s in Ireland. However, if you have
a MasterCard, Cirrus Card or Visa Card, there are a lot of ATM's
in the county where you will be able to withdraw money.
Electricity
 Very
simply, Irelands electricity supply is 220 volts at 50hz. Converters
and sets of adapter plugs are available at travel & luggage
stores and at Radio Shack/Tandy and other electronic stores. They
can often be found in airport shops and duty free stores. A set
of adapter plugs costs around 10 to 15 Euro and in some stores
you can buy an individual adapter for only a few Euros.
Ireland uses a rectangular blade
plug, with a ground pin. It looks like this:
Weather
 Ireland
has a moderate Atlantic climate, influenced by the Gulf Stream.
The southeast, including Waterford, gets the largest number of
sunny days in the year. The seasons do not change dramatically.
Average annual temperature is around 10 deg. C (50 deg. F). It
gets colder in January and February, temperatures around 5 to
8 deg C (41 - 46 deg F). The warmest month is generally August,
with average temperatures of 16 deg C (60 deg F), though the last
few summers have been very changeable, with scorching heatwaves
and driving rain.
So, bring plenty of cold weather
gear at the start of the year, and some waterproofs during the
summer!
Current
Weather Forecast from Aertel, Irelands Teletext service.
Phoning
Home
Ireland has a very advanced digital
telephone system, and everywhere you stay will most likely include
a direct dial telephone. Pay phones are also common, and work
either on coins or callcards. Callcards can be purchased in many
shops such as grocery shops and newsagents. Tourist information
offices will also stock phone cards. Prepaid calling cards are
also available that offer discounts on international calls. They
generally involve calling a freephone number and then following
some prompts. It's worth the extra effort, as they can work out
much cheaper. These callcards are also available from many shops.
Directory Enquiries is 11811,
but please remember that this call is charged. You will be asked
if you want to be connected, say No! There is a huge cost added
on if the operator connects you. Just note down the number you
are given, hang up, and dial direct.
Emergencies
To contact any emergency service
(Fire Brigade, Gardai, Lifeboats, Ambulance, Mountain and Cave
Rescue, Coastal and others), dial 999 or 112 from any phone. You
will quickly be connected to an operator. Clearly state the emergency
service required. You will then be connected to that emergency
service. Calmly and precisely detail the location and nature of
the emergency, give your name, and stay on the line until you
are told it is OK to hang up. Please note that this call is completely
free.
If you see
an accident, or any circumstance in which you think the emergency
services should be called, please do so. The emergency services
would rather be called 10 times about the same incident than not
called at all.
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