It’s always helpful to have some quick tips and suggestions about your travel destination before leaving. In this Know Before You Go article, some of the best tips, tricks, suggestions, and knowledge about Ireland have been collected. This information will improve the quality of a trip to Ireland and reduce the pre-trip anxiety that many feel when planning their vacation.
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Connectivity Abroad
Staying connected to the rest of your life can be important. While I encourage you to unplug at least a little while on vacation, completely unplugging isn’t always an option. If you are unfamiliar with the general options for international connectivity, I recommend that you read our post on “How to Stay Connected on Vacation“.
US Cell Phone Providers
The big three US cell phone providers all have solid coverage and availability within Ireland. As shown above (red is Verizon, pink is T-Mobile, and orange is AT&T), the entire Irish island is covered. While there may be a few areas with weak signals in the countryside, it is rare to experience a loss of coverage.
Getting coverage through your home US cell service provider is by far the easiest coverage option, but it sometimes isn’t the cheapest.
Irish Cell Providers
The main providers of cellular service in Ireland are Vodafone (right above), Three (left above), and Eir Mobile (center above). If you have an unlocked phone that takes a SIM card (which is becoming more common in the US), you can pick up a local SIM card to use. This local SIM card won’t have the same phone number that you use at home, but it will allow calling local numbers in Ireland for fairly cheap.
Of the Irish providers, Eir Mobile tends to have the best coverage. While there isn’t much separation between the companies from a voice and text perspective, Eir has more 5G data coverage at the time of writing.
A variety of locations sell SIM cards around Ireland. All the major cities (including Dublin) will have Vodafone, Three, and Eir Mobile stores. All of these will sell a SIM card to visitors. Other options include buying a prepaid SIM card from convenience stores like Spar, WH Smith, or dedicated vending machines. Just make sure to bring your passport for identification when going into a store. The vast majority of these companies will offer a SIM card valid for 4 weeks for €20. Depending on the current deals, these almost always include data, but it can vary in text and calling options. There are other less expensive options as well that don’t include data, but I wouldn’t recommend these unless you have another data option lined up.
An easier and more convenient option is to pick up a SIM card while you are at the Dublin Airport. The WH Smith location in Terminal 1 and the Spar location in Terminal 2 sell prepaid SIM cards. Each of these is located immediately after exiting the secure or customs area. The prices for SIM cards at the airport tend to be a little more expensive than those bought in the city center. However, this extra cost can be worth it for the time and hassle savings.
A final item to look for when purchasing a SIM card is free EU roaming. While the majority of SIM cards allow roaming, some do not. EU roaming allows the usage of data in EU countries other than the purchase country. This is important for the Circuit of Ireland Itinerary since it includes both Ireland and Northern Ireland (part of the United Kingdom).
Typical Weather and Climate
Ireland is known for two things that go well together: its lush green landscapes and rain. Most people view rain as a negative during travel. However, travelers will find some drier seasons in Ireland, and overall the climate isn’t bad.
Temperatures
Temperatures throughout Ireland remain fairly consistent. Unlike the United States where one region will be getting snow while another region experiences 80°F weather, Ireland is mostly consistent. Summer temperatures (June – September) are typically between 60°F – 70°F for the highs. Lows during the summer are typically in the low 50s. While winter temperatures are lower, they seldom dip below freezing. Much of the country sees 40°F – 50°F for winter highs and 30°F – 40°F for the winter lows. The winter temperatures typically last from November to March in Ireland. The country experiences a small shoulder season in April – May and October where the temperatures vary a little more and generally fall somewhere between the summer and winter limits.
Daylight Hours
Most of Ireland is located between 52°N and 55°N latitude. For context, the vast majority of the United States is located below 49°N latitude (except Alaska). This means that Ireland is located much further north than the US. As such, it experiences longer days in the summer and much shorter days in the winter. In the peak of summer (June and July), most days will see about 16 hours of daylight. In contrast, during the winter months, 8 hours of daylight is fairly common. Obviously, the longer days mean more time for tours and many attractions stay open longer in the summer. This, coupled with the warmer temperatures, makes the summer the peak travel time for Ireland.
Shoulder seasons in April – May and September – October still get a good amount of daylight at around 12 – 13 hours. This should still be plenty to see the sights and do the tours. As an added bonus, crowds should be less during these months due to typical school schedules.
Precipitation
The extent of the rain varies somewhat throughout the country and by season.
Dublin on average experiences rain about one-third of the year or every three days. It also doesn’t matter too much what time of year it is. Dublin’s chance of rain is pretty consistent year-round. If you escape Dublin without rain on one of the two days in our 2 Full Days in Dublin Itinerary, consider yourself lucky. All in all, rain is manageable on a trip to Ireland with the appropriate preparation. The chance of precipitation should only slightly impact your trip and plans. Have a game plan for outdoor activities in case it does rain. Similar to Dublin, cities on the eastern side of Ireland (such as Kilkenny) have similar weather.
Where Ireland really earns its reputation as a rainy country is in its western regions. Areas such as Galway and Dingle experience much more rain than Dublin. In an average month, it’s not unusual for there to be 16 – 23 days of rain in Dingle depending on the time of year. For perspective, this means that more than one-half of the days (and sometimes two out of every three) have rain. While this may seem like these cities are no good to visit, there is some good news. Despite so many of the days each month seeing rain, summer months see a smaller volume of rain. Summer months in Dingle will see less than four inches, while winter months will reach close to eight.
All this goes to say that Ireland can definitely be a rainy place. However, don’t let this mess up any travel plans and come prepared to experience the country during the rain. After all, this is a natural state for Ireland most of the year, so you would miss out on part of the experience if you missed out on the rain.
Tipping
Tipping is not generally expected throughout Ireland. There are some exceptions to this rule, however. In large tourist cities (such as Dublin), you may find some establishments trying to add tips as a way of getting additional revenue. Below is the tipping culture and recommended tip for each situation:
- Restaurants – Many restaurants include a service charge in the food price or on the bill. Look for this to be notated on the menu or in the final bill you receive. In the unusual case where it is not included, it is appropriate to tip 10 – 15% of the total bill.
- Bars/Pubs – Tipping bartenders at bars or pubs is not common. Many bartenders won’t accept a monetary tip. However, if they provide particularly good service or conversation, offer to buy them a drink. This type of tip is seldom refused.
- Taxis – It is not customary to tip a taxi driver. If you want to round up your purchase for convenience, not having to provide a small amount of change is a nice gesture. Finally, if the taxi driver does help you with bags, a tip of €1 per bag is customary.
- Tours – Tours and sightseeing is one area where tipping has become common in Ireland. This is probably a case where the American tipping culture influenced Ireland, and it has stuck. The amount of an appropriate tip for this type of activity is variable. It should be proportional to the amount that was originally paid for the experience. Somewhere around 10% is generally customary, but use your best judgement. Also, adjust this up or down depending on the quality of the tour and level of service provided.
Time Zone
Ireland is located in the Greenwich Mean Time (UTC/+0) time zone. For half the year, this means that Ireland is 5 hours ahead of New York (Eastern Time) and 8 hours ahead of Los Angelos (Pacific Time). Ireland also observes Daylight Savings Time (DST). DST starts in Ireland on the last Sunday in March of each year and ends on the last Sunday in October. While the majority of the daylight savings time periods overlap between the US and Ireland, the US DST timeframe is a little longer on the start and end. When the US is on DST and Ireland is not, the difference is 4 hours for Eastern Time and 7 hours for Pacific Time.
This is enough of a time change to notice the lack of sleep during the short overnight flight from the US. This will cause travelers to be drowsy on the first day. However, it generally improves after that as the few hour difference isn’t enough to knock off sleep patterns for a week.
Electrical Plugs
Ireland utilizes the G-type plug. This plug is used in Great Britain but is different from the C-type plug used in most of Europe. Ireland’s electric supply operates at 230 Volts and 50 Hz. The vast majority of electric devices operate on anything between 100V and 240 Volts. Therefore, laptops, tablets, phones, and similar devices should be fine. However, it is wise to check electric devices that use more electricity for compatibility. Items like hair dryers, curling irons, straighteners, heaters, etc… aren’t as forgiving when it comes to the voltages that they will accept. If they aren’t able to handle Ireland’s voltage or frequency, damage to the device may occur. Look at the electrical tag for the range of Volts (V) and frequency (Hz) that the device can handle.
While many devices will be able to handle the voltage and frequency, an adapter for the plug type will still be necessary. A Type A (US Plug) to Type G (England and Ireland Plug) are generally inexpensive. I suggest a universal adapter if you travel to a number of different international destinations, but a Type A to Type G adapter will work well if you aren’t sure you need the added flexibility. Pick up several adapters to ensure that you can charge/use all your devices at the same time. Otherwise, you might be left choosing between charging your phone, tablet, and computer overnight.
Words to Know
Ireland speaks mainly English. In addition, some pockets in Ireland speak Gaelic more frequently (sometimes just called Irish). This means that there often isn’t a language barrier for US travelers to worry about. However, even with Ireland being English speaking there are words, phrases, and some Gaelic slang that are used often. The following would be helpful to know prior to traveling to Ireland:
- Sláinte – A very common bar/drinking salute. Most similar to “Cheers!” in the United States.
- Jacks – A common slang word for the bathroom. You will never hear anyone in Ireland call it a bathroom. Toilet and Jacks are the most common label. In places where a bathroom is referred to as the jacks, “fir jacks” would be men and “ban jacks” would be women.
- The Guards/Garda – The slang name for the police men
- Petrol – The name for what is referred to as gasoline in America. Make sure you need Petrol and not Diesel in your rental car before you pump.
- The Boot – The trunk of the car
- Minerals – Refers to a soft drink. This is used in more rural areas, but the name is dying with time (especially in more urban areas).
- Chips – Similar to England and much of the rest of Europe, this refers to French fries. If you want American style chips, you need to order “crisps”.
