Languages
English and in some areas they still speak the native Irish (though everyone speaks English as well, but it’s cool to hear).
Currency
Euro (EUR)
Cash is occasionally helpful in Ireland. You’ll need it for walking tours and incidentals. Generally you can get by with credit cards most places, but it’s a good idea to carry a little bit of cash.
International Airports
- Dublin (DUB)
- Belfast (BFS)
- Shannon (SNN)
- Cork (ORK)
- Knock (NOC)
Tipping
- Restaurants – not necessary, can consider 10%
- Pubs – not expected unless table service, in which case 1 euro for a round of drinks
- Taxis – 10% or up to the nearest euro
- Hotels – 1 euro per bag if someone carries it in for you
Airlines with Good Deals
- Ryanair
- Air Lingus
Most airlines fly to Ireland, use KAYAK, Kiwi, or Skyscanner to find the best deals
Best Rental Car Companies
All of the major rental car companies are there. OF NOTE, almost none (maybe none) of the normal collision damage waiver provided by credit cards works in Ireland. Therefore, spend some time to look for deals that include insurance.
See our Driving Overseas for more information. You will be driving on the left side of the road.
Not-to-miss Local Food, Beer, Drink
Food
Ireland has not traditionally been known for great cuisine but in recent years they have upped their game. Expect potatoes with every meal in every form. If you order fries/chips you may also get boiled potatoes with your meal.
- Traditional Irish Breakfast (you only need to try this once…)
- Irish soda bread
- Irish stew
- Colcannon and Champ (think mashed potatoes-like)
- Boxty (potato pancake/bread)
- Black and white pudding
- Coddle (a type of stew in Dublin)
- Ulster fry
- Shellfish
- Barmbrack (a sweet bread)
Drinks
Water
Drinking tap water in this country is fine. Bring your reusable water bottle and request tap water at restaurants.
Local Beer
- Guinness (national beer of Ireland, skip the Guinness factory and enjoy it at a pub with live music instead)
- Harp
- Murphy’s
- Smithwick
- O’Hara’s
- Beamish Irish Stout
- Be on the lookout for increasing numbers of craft beer/microbreweries (like the Porterhouse Brewing Co and Tig Bhric & West Kerry Brewery)
Irish Whiskey
Irish whiskey is triple distilled which makes it smoother than other whiskeys. They also tend to be lighter in taste than scotch or bourbon. They also don’t usually include peat in their creation, meaning there won’t be that smokey quality. There are tons of Irish whiskey (and many places you can learn about them).
- Jameson (not the best distillery tour)
- Bushmills (great distillery tour)
- Tullamore Dew
- Teeling
- Red Breast
- Connemara
- Among others…
Movies/Literature
- The Wind that Shakes the Barley
- The Quiet Man
- Waking Ned Devine
- Bloody Sunday
- Once
- The Guard
- Ondine
- The Crying Game
- Books by James Joyce
- Plays by Oscar Wilde
- Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
- Poetry by WB Yeats
- Books by Sally Rooney
- The Irish Country Doctor book series
Not-to-miss Sites:
- Dublin: St. Stephen’s Green, Trinity College/Library, Archeology Museum, Historic Walking Tour, Temple Bar
- Derry
- Giant’s Causeway
- Gallway
- Aran Islands
- Cliffs of Moher
- Dingle and the Dingle Peninsula
- Skellig Islands
- Rock of Cashel
- Glendalough