Useful Facts to know about Ireland!
Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The Republic of Ireland is an independent nation and Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom CurrencyThe currency of the Republic of Ireland is the EURO (EUR).The currency of Northern Ireland is the British POUND (GBP). Many large shops in Northern Ireland now accept Euro as payment. Most major credit cards are accepted in Ireland, but some international debit cards may not be accepted here.
The electricity in Ireland is 230v at a frequency of 50Hz. Plugs are with three prongs. An adapter enables you to use Irish wall sockets, but they don't change the electricity supplied to your appliances.
But be aware that converters cannot change the frequency, so you should not use any appliance for more than a few hours.
Republic Of Ireland Holidays Northern Ireland Holidays
The official language of Ireland is Irish, but English is the main spoken language. If you would like to hear Irish being spoken, you can visit several places on the west coast of Ireland, specifically...
Ireland is in the Western European time zone and follows the same time as the UK, either BST or GMT. BST is 'British Summer Time'. It starts on the last Sunday in March and ends on the last Sunday in October. GMT stands for 'Greenwich Mean Time'. In March the clocks go forward, losing an hour. At 01.00 GMT, Ireland moves to 02.00 BST. In October the clocks go back, gaining an hour. At 02.00 BST, Ireland moves to 01.00 GMT.
Banks in the Republic of Ireland are generally open from 10:00 to 16:00. In Northern Ireland, opening hours are usually from 09:30 to 16:30. Post Offices are open from 09:00 to 17:30 and are closed at lunchtime. Supermarket opening hours vary greatly, with some closing early evening and others open 24 hours per day. Shops in urban areas are open late on Thursdays and Fridays until 21:00. Bars or pubs open at 10:30 from Monday to Saturday. On Sunday they open at midday. Closing time for bars from Monday to Thursday is 23:30, on Friday and Saturday it is 00:30 and on Sundays...23:00. Some bars have nightclubs and they may stay open until 03:00.
In Ireland, it is not obligatory to give a tip or gratuity for most services. The only place where you may be expected to pay a service charge is in a restaurant. The advisable rate is 10% of your bill.
Smoking Ban In Northern Ireland, the smoking ban was introduced in 2007 and the same restrictions apply. Laws about Travel Signs and speed limits in the Republic of Ireland are in kilometres, while in Northern Ireland they are in miles. The average speed limit in Ireland is 100 km/ph. (1 mile = 1.6 kilometres)
The normal greeting in Ireland is a handshake. Kissing is not a very common greeting. Irish people like to communicate using humour and by telling stories. They often make fun of each other during conversation, and modesty is preferred to arrogance. The Irish prefer to have a reasonable amount of personal space during conversation and in public places. They are also less comfortable when it comes to touching during conversation. However, both of these characteristics can be absent in a bar or nightclub. It seems that the Irish people may have invented the phrase "fashionably late". In Ireland, to be early is definitely not a priority and the Irish are likely to be 5 minutes late instead of 5 minutes early.
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