How to get there, how to get around, where to find stuff and how to ask for it. These are tips from the local insider to make your stay here a breeze
One of the wonderful, quaint little things you’ll probably notice on your visit to Ireland is the two separate taps on the sink.
This may seem charming and old-world, but for those of us used to adjustable water temperature in our lavatories, this is the bane of our existence.
It is just about impossible in Ireland to wash one’s hands - especially in winter - without nearly freezing or scalding oneself.
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Just not done. Oh, a few years ago a few places were trying it, but it’s too cheap nowadays to just buy one.
Remember that in Ireland all incoming calls are free (yes, FREE) to mobile phones and there’s no such thing as roaming charges. Chances are you’d end up spending as much on a hired phone anyway.
I checked with Tourist Information in Dublin airport and they told me there were no companies that hired phones. However, I found this website offering an Irish phone hire …
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If you’re picturing the Irish pub as a fascinating, dark, smoky place then you’re one-third right.
Ireland passed a blanket ban on smoking back in 2004. Since then your Irish pub experience has been smoke-free. I won’t lie to you, there are cigarettes lit up when doors are locked - should that ever happen. Such things are mainly due to proprietors who smoke themselves, however.
The decision to ban smoking in Irish pubs was heralded by many at the time as the end of the Irish pub. Funny enough, it seemed to have little or no impact. Wellll- that’s not exactly true. Suddenly, just about every pub that could manage it set up an outdoor beer garden (where, being outside, smoking is legal). Most of these are covered affairs with either canvas or retractable roof panels installed.
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The basic thing to remember in Ireland is you need to dial “0″ first when placing a call (the “0″ is usually included before any phone number when written).
Phone services (emergency, information, etc) are the exception to this rule - no zero necessary.
To dial internationally, you’ll need to dial “00″ and then the country code and number.
Emergency services, dial 999 (no pre-zero).
Domestic operator is 10 (no pre-zero).
International operator is 114 (no pre-zero).
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A lot of people don’t like travelling by bus. Unfortunately, unless you’ve hired a car or are hitchhiking, you will probably find yourself on a bus sometime during your time here. Taking the train is great, but you’ll probably find either the price of tickets, limited destinations or sparse departure times don’t suit to get you everywhere you want to go, when you want to go there.
The good news is that most of the busses are brand new and their service areas cover the entire country. Their website is a good one, giving rates and times for service anywhere in Ireland. Make sure you produce some student ID if you have such a thing, as the student rates are quite good. There are specials happening on and off, year-round but, in general, a daytrip from Dublin to Galway (probably the most-travelled route for tourists) is less than €20.
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I mentioned in a previous post that hiring cars at Dublin Airport is a better idea than you might think, but I haven’t really discussed the experience that awaits the foreign driver in Ireland. I have, in fairness, expressed my thoughts about whether auto-based tourism is changing for the better or the worse in this previous post. But as regards car hire:
First off, it’s very easy to find a rental car in Ireland. There are many companies online and at Ireland’s airports that are falling over themselves to take your money. You will end up paying somewhere between €25 - €85 a day for your car, depending on the size, insurance and package that comes with your hired car.
Here are a few facts about hiring cars in Ireland:
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If you have ever flown into Ireland, you know what a nightmare it can be to pass through Dublin airport.
Well, back in the 1980s a small midland airport was mysteriously developed to accommodate international flights to Ireland (if you ask Christy Moore, it was for bombers to refuel before flights over communist Russia). The airport has languished from a lack of viable destinations until recently.
Just yesterday Globespan, a low cost airline, has announced the first transatlantic flights from Knock airport starting in May 2007.
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ooooo, Irishness in a DAILY DOSE!
Just about then I realised I was getting the auld DDs,
When the child of Prague began to dance around the mantlepiece . . .
Here is a list of all of the Irish Ferry websites:
DOMESTIC IRISH FERRY COMPANIES:
Aran Island Ferries
Aran Direct
Clare Island Ferries
Inishbofin Island Ferry
Murphy’s Ferry, Cork to Bere Island.
O’Malley Ferries, another Clare Island Ferry company.
Shannon Ferries, Killimer to Tarbert.
INTERNATIONAL IRISH FERRY COMPANIES:
Brittany Ferries, Ireland to UK and France.
Celtic Link Ferries, Ireland to France.
Irish Ferries, Ireland to UK and France
Norfolkline Ferries, Ireland to …
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People often ask me when is the best time to visit Ireland.
The answer is never an easy one. Ireland is unusual in that its weather is relatively consistent year round. In other words, you’re almost always guaranteed a bit of rain.
My father always used to tell me about how to tell Irish weather. He’d say,
“If you look out the window and you see the hills, it’s going to rain.
“Now, if you look out the window and you don’t see the hills . . . it’s raining.”
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So if you intend to travel somewhere other than Dublin from Dublin Airport, the handiest and cheapest way of doing so is to catch a coach. This may come as a surprise to you, because I find that the coach services from Dublin airport are not well advertised.
There are two national coach companies in Ireland, Bus Nestor and Citylink. Citylink is the newer and more frequent of the two. Nestor Bus’ coaches tend to be older and less branded (Citylink’s busses are an unmissable bright yellow and blue), but in …
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