According to Countryaah, Ireland is a country located in North Europe with name that begins with letter I. Ireland is a magical piece of earth with a long and varied history. The state of Ireland (Irish Eíre) covers 70,000 km², the majority of the 84,500 km² large Atlantic island of Ireland, on which about 5 million people live, of which 4.6 million in the republic that became independent in 1921. The capital of Ireland is Dublin in the east with over 500,000 residents. The official languages of the republic are English and Irish, which goes back to a Celtic language root.
Entry
Swiss and EU citizens need a passport or identity card to enter the EU country Ireland, which is not part of the Schengen area.
Climate
The Irish climate is characterized by the damp Atlantic, abundant wind and the mild Gulf Stream. As a result, the winters are relatively mild and palm trees grow on the “green island”. They are doused by the Irish rain, which is statistically evenly distributed over the year. From May to September there are on average more hours of sunshine per day than in the rest of the year. However, even in summer it is inconsistent and it can rain again and again.
Food and drink
Probably the best-known Irish drink is Guiness beer, followed by whiskey, which is a little milder than its Scottish counterpart. But tea drinkers also get their money’s worth in Ireland.
Breakfast occupies an important place in the Irish menu: with bacon, sausages and eggs, it is hearty and high in calories like the rest of the kitchen. The lamb stew Irish stew and smoked wild salmon are among the culinary highlights of Irish cuisine.
Health
No specific vaccinations are required for Ireland. Outside of the larger cities, the health system is not entirely at the Western European level. It is therefore recommended that you bring your own pharmacy with you to your own pharmacy.
Cultural characteristics
The Irish are fond of drinking and singing, and they love their national poets, including Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde and James Joyce, as well as Nobel Prize winners William Butler Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, Samuel Beckett and Seamus Heaney. It is a faux pas to call these English-writing authors English. By the way, Ireland is not only top in literature, but also in the Eurovision Song Contest: Irish singers and bands have already won this competition seven times.
Security
Ireland is considered a very safe country. However, pickpockets in restaurants and pubs have increased lately in the larger cities, so it doesn’t hurt to keep an eye on your belongings when visiting locales.
Special provisions
All public buildings (government offices, banks, public transport, pubs, bars, restaurants, hotels and B & B’s) are strictly non-smoking throughout Ireland. Disregarding this will result in heavy fines of up to 3,000 euros.
Climate and travel time
Moderate oceanic climate with low temperature fluctuations, the summers are rather cool, the winters are mild. Basically there is a lot of precipitation, the weather can be described as windy.
All about money
The British pound is used in Northern Ireland. There is the euro in the republic. We recommend that you take your EC card with you, which you can use to withdraw money at any bank. The most important credit cards are widely accepted. For our trips to Ireland, however, these are only recommended to a limited extent, as we usually move away from the usual tourist flows. You should therefore also bring enough cash with you or withdraw it at Dublin Airport. Banks are open Mon-Fri from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (sometimes only until 3 p.m. in rural areas). In most shops, petrol stations and supermarkets you can easily pay with an EC card (Maestro symbol).
Tip
The average tip is 10% in all service areas such as hotels, restaurants and taxi rides. Tips are only paid to the service staff, not to the owners or co-owners. Tour guides and bus drivers are also happy to have their work recognized.
If you want to give the waitress a tip in the pub, it is customary to give one (“Have a drink”). In the pub, drinks are paid for immediately with every order, not – as is usual with us – at the end of the evening.
Other essential information
Time difference
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) or Universal Time Coordinated (UTC) apply. It is one hour back compared to Central European Time. So the clock should be put back one hour. Times are usually given in a 12-hour system, midnight to noon is denoted by am and noon to midnight by pm.
Electricity
The voltage is 220 volts (Northern Ireland 240 volts). You need an adapter from 2 to 3-pin, a so-called “British standard plug 13a”, which can be bought on site (eg at the airport). You can also get it at home in a specialist shop.
