Travel Tips

Below are some tips to help you have a safe and enjoyable holiday in the North West of Ireland.

Banking / Money / Currency

The unit of currency is the Euro and each Euro has 100 cent. For visitors outside of the EU, Euros can be purchased at foreign exchange departments at your local bank or at any bank in Ireland (including those located at airports which are open for all flight arrivals).
In the Region, banks generally open from Monday to Friday between the hours of 10.00am-4.00pm. Some branches have one late opening day per week.
ATM machines are widely available and most credit cards are widely accepted particularly Visa and MasterCard, as well as debit cards (using Apple Pay and Google Pay is also standard everywhere).
The larger Tourist Information Offices in the Region have Bureau de Change facilities, as do all banks and many post offices.
Money Transfer can be organised through Western Union Money Transfer. This company provides a service from over 200 countries and has numerous outlets in Ireland.

Business / Shopping Hours

All shops are generally open from 0900hrs to 1800hrs Monday to Saturday. Many small local shops and grocery shops in villages and small towns open daily until 2200hrs.
Shopping centres normally have one or two late night openings each week. Most shopping centres and larger stores are also open on Sundays (typically 1200hrs to 1800hrs).
Duty-free shopping is available at Shannon International Airport, Dublin Airport, and on-board ferries for passengers travelling outside the EU.

Driving in Ireland

All traffic drives on the left.

Roundabout: You must always turn left into a roundabout. Treat the roundabout as a normal junction, which means you yield right of way to traffic approaching from your right on the roundabout.

Junction: at a junction where no road has priority you must yield to traffic coming from your right.

Motorways: motorways are signposted white on blue. The Entry to Motorway sign means that Motorway Regulations apply from that point. Learner drivers, vehicles under 50cc, slow vehicles, pedal cyclists, pedestrians and animals are not permitted to use motorways.

Information Signs: these signs give information regarding direction, distance, place etc. They may be in black lettering on a white background, white lettering on a green background (National routes), or white on blue (Motorways). Distances are always in kilometres.

Speed Limits:
Please note that all speed limits and road signs in Ireland are in Kilometres per hour (km/h).

• In built-up urban areas, a speed limit of 50 km/h applies. In many town and city centres, this is reduced to 30 km/h.
• On regional and local roads, a general speed limit of 80 km/h applies.
• On national roads (signposted with green signs starting with 'N'), a limit of 100 km/h applies.
• On motorways (signposted with blue signs starting with 'M'), a maximum speed of 120 km/h applies.
• The maximum speed limit for a car towing a trailer is 80 km/h, regardless of the road type.

Electricity

The electrical supply throughout the Region and Ireland is 230 volts (50Hz). Plugs are 3-pin flat (Type G, same as the UK). Adapters are therefore required for 2-pin appliances. En-suite bathroom shaving points normally have 110 and 240 volt outlets for using electric shavers.

Embassies

There are over 100 embassies accredited to Ireland; many of these are resident in Ireland.
In addition, numerous countries are represented by honorary consulates in various parts of Ireland.

For further Information see the Department of Foreign Affairs website: www.dfa.ie

Emergency Services

In Ireland the general Emergency Telephone number is 999 or 112 (these are Freephone numbers). These numbers will alert the appropriate services – Fire, Gardaí (Police), Ambulance, Lifeboat, Coastal, Mountain and Cave Rescue Services.

• The 24-hour helpline number for Tourist Victim Support is Freephone 1800 661 771

Garda / Police

The Irish Police force are known as the Gardaí (An Garda Síochána). There are Garda Stations in most of the main towns in the region. In an emergency the Gardaí can be contacted by dialling 999 or 112. For more information see: www.garda.ie

Language

English is the primary spoken language in Ireland. There are areas, particularly in County Donegal, known as An Gaeltacht, which stretch virtually uninterrupted from north Donegal to the southwest of the county. Here Irish (Gaeilge) is spoken as a first language. The Donegal Gaeltacht has the largest native Irish speaking population in Ireland. The social, cultural and linguistic traditions are safeguarded and eagerly promoted in this area.

Parking

The control of on-street parking is the responsibility of the Local Authority. Each Authority decides on the parking controls that are introduced within its area and sets the level of on-street parking fees. Pay-and-display machines and parking apps are widely used. Ask local Tourist Offices for more detail on the local areas.

Passports and Visas

British citizens, when travelling to Ireland, do not strictly require passports due to the Common Travel Area, but photographic identification (such as a driving licence) is required by airlines and ferries. All visitors from other countries must carry a valid passport.

For further information log on to: www.dfa.ie or www.gov.ie

Passport Office enquiries can be made via their website at www.dfa.ie/passports or by calling +353 (0) 1 671 1633.

Pets - Cats / Dogs

Ireland operates under the EU Pet Travel Scheme. Pets travelling from within the EU require a valid EU Pet Passport, a microchip, and a valid rabies vaccination.

Following Brexit, dogs, cats, and ferrets entering Ireland from Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales) require an Animal Health Certificate (or a valid EU/NI Pet Passport), a microchip, a valid rabies vaccination, and dogs must have a registered tapeworm treatment administered by a vet 24-120 hours before arrival.

For the most current and detailed regulations regarding pet travel from both inside and outside the EU, always check the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine website at www.gov.ie/agriculture.

Post Offices

An Post is Ireland’s national postal service provider. Generally, Post Offices are open from:

• Monday – Friday 9am – 5.30pm
• Saturday 9am - 1pm (Smaller rural offices may be closed on Saturdays)

For more see: www.anpost.com

Public Transport

Transport for Ireland (TFI) is the umbrella body that coordinates public transport across the country. Through TFI, you can access information for the three main State transport companies:

• Dublin Bus: Servicing the Greater Dublin Area.
• Bus Éireann: Operating provincial, regional, and national routes across Ireland.
• Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail): Operating the national train network, as well as the Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) and commuter systems.

For comprehensive journey planning, timetables, and ticketing (including the Leap Card system used nationwide), visit www.transportforireland.ie.

Bus Éireann: Tel: +353 (0) 818 836 611 | www.buseireann.ie
Irish Rail: Tel: +353 (0) 818 366 222 | www.irishrail.ie

Radio and Television

Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) is the Irish national broadcasting company operating RTÉ One and RTÉ2 television, as well as RTÉ Radio 1, 2FM, RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta (Irish Language Service) and RTÉ Lyric FM. Other national television providers include Virgin Media Television and TG4 (Irish language channel).
Local radio is licensed extensively in Ireland, and the counties of the North West all have popular local independent radio stations.

Signposts

Please be aware that signposting in An Gaeltacht areas is often in Irish only.
Road signs in Ireland display distances in kilometres (km) and speed limits in kilometres per hour (km/h). You may still encounter a rare, very old black-and-white sign on rural backroads that displays miles, but all standard and regulatory signage is strictly metric.

Telephones & Mobile Networks

Signal coverage for mobile phones in the North West is generally excellent, with 4G/5G available in most towns, though there can be blind spots in very mountainous or remote areas. Visitors should check their mobile operator's roaming charges. Purchasing a local prepaid SIM card or using an eSIM is a cost-effective way to get data and calls during your stay.

To ring an Irish telephone number from outside Ireland, dial +353 (or 00 353), then drop the initial '0' from the local area code. For example, to call Sligo (071) from abroad, dial +353 71 [local number].

International dialling from Ireland to main markets requires the following prefixes:

• Australia: 00 61
• Canada: 00 1
• France: 00 33
• Germany: 00 49
• Great Britain: 00 44
• Spain: 00 34
• USA: 00 1

For directory enquiries within the Republic of Ireland, you can dial 11811 (though internet searches are generally preferred by visitors).

Time Zone & Daylight Saving Time

When planning your travel and checking schedules, please note Ireland's local time zone:

• Standard Time (Winter): Greenwich Mean Time (GMT / UTC+0).
• Daylight Saving Time (Summer): Irish Standard Time (IST / UTC+1).

When do the clocks change? In Ireland, Daylight Saving Time begins on the last Sunday in March, when clocks spring forward one hour. It ends on the last Sunday in October, when clocks fall back one hour to GMT.

Tipping

A normal tip for good service in Irish restaurants is between 10%-15%. A service charge is sometimes included automatically for larger groups, so check your bill. Tipping taxi drivers (rounding up the fare) and hotel porters is customary but not obligatory. In pubs, it is not customary to tip the bar staff when ordering drinks at the bar, though you may leave a tip for table service.

Tourist Offices

Fáilte Ireland operates Discover Ireland Centres across the country providing local maps, bookings, and advice.

• North West Tourism Headquarters, Sligo (All Year) Tel: +353 (0) 71 9161201
• Letterkenny Tourist Office, Co Donegal (All Year) Tel: +353 (0) 74 9121160
• Donegal Town Tourist Office, Co Donegal (All Year) Tel: +353 (0) 74 9721148
• Buncrana Tourist Office, Co Donegal (seasonal) Tel: +353 (0) 74 9362600
• Bundoran Tourist Office, Co Donegal (seasonal) Tel: +353 (0) 71 9841350
• Dungloe Tourist Office, Co Donegal (seasonal) Tel: +353 (0) 74 9521297
• Carrick-On-Shannon Tourist Office, Co Leitrim (seasonal) Tel: +353 (0) 71 9620170
• Cavan Tourist Office, Co Cavan (seasonal) Tel: +353 (0) 49 4331942
• Monaghan Tourist Office, Co Monaghan (seasonal) Tel: +353 (0) 47 81122
• Fermanagh Visitor Information Centre (Northern Ireland) Tel: +44 (0) 28 6632 3110

VAT Refunds for Visitors

Value Added Tax (VAT) is generally included in the price of goods and services in Ireland. Visitors to Ireland from outside the European Union can obtain a refund of VAT on goods purchased during their stay.
A few of the large stores will deduct the VAT at the point of sale when items are being shipped directly abroad. Otherwise, goods purchased by visitors and taken out of Ireland within three months after purchase qualify for a VAT refund (look for stores displaying "Tax Free Shopping" signs).