Practical information

Ireland's currency is Euro. Euro notes come in 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500. It is very often difficult to get change for €500.00

Most major currencies and brands of traveller's cheque are accepted in Ireland, but carrying them in pounds sterling has the advantage that in Northern Ireland or Britain you can change them without exchange loss or commission. Banks generally give the best exchange rates, but change bureaus are open longer hours. Many post offices offer currency-exchange facilities and they're open on Saturday mornings.

Credit cards are accepted almost everywhere. There are many ATMs but it's always a good idea to carry some cash with you.

Tipping is becoming more common than it once was, but is still not as prevalent as in the USA or the rest of Europe. If a restaurant adds a service charge (usually 15%) no additional tip is required. If not, most people tip around 10% of the bill for waiting staff and round up taxi fares. For hotel porters €1.00 per bag is acceptable.

Sample Price Guide

Business and shop opening hours

In both the Republic and Northern Ireland shop opening hours are approximately 9am to 6pm Monday to Saturday. Many  places in towns stay open until 8pm or later on Thursdays and Fridays and most are open on Sundays from noon to 6pm.

In the Republic, particularly in small cities, there are later opening and closing times. In rural areas you can generally find someone to sell you groceries at any reasonable hour, even if they have to open their shop to do it - and very often the village shop doubles as the local pub. On the main public holidays , outside the cities virtually everything will be closed except the garages and pubs. Should St Patrick's Day or Orange Day happen to fall on a Saturday or Sunday, the holiday is carried over to the Monday.

Opening and closing time of museums, archeological sites and other sites of interest do not follow any scheme. The bigger attractions will normally be open throughout the day, while smaller places may open only in the afternoon. Many sites away from the main tourist trails, especially houses or castles which are also private homes, are open only during the peak summer months.

Churches, at least if they're still in use, are almost always open, and if they're locked there's usually someone living nearby who will have the keys; otherwise, opening times will follow religious activity.

Electricity

Power supply in Ireland is different from the USA and plugs and sockets are different from those used in both Europe and USA.

In Ireland, voltage is 230v, frequency 50mhz and plugs/sockets have 3 square pins.