General information about Ireland
Location
You will find Ireland on the map at 53.5° N and 8° W. It is an island country, bounded on the west by the North Atlantic Ocean and on the east by the Irish Sea.
Ireland is part of the European Union and is one of the "Euro" countries. Euro coins and notes came into operation in 2002.
Capital city
Dublin. Situated on the river Liffey it is located approximately half way up the east coast.
Local Time
GMT. Local time is adjusted in accordance with British Summer Time (GMT +1 hour) from end of March.
Climate
Temperate (no extremes and not a lot of snow). Relative to other locations at the same latitude, Ireland has a milder climate because of the North Atlantic Drift from the Gulf of Mexico.
Size
The island of Ireland is 83,000 square kilometers.
Population
Greater than 5 million. Outside city areas, the country is sparsely populated.
Geography
Highest mountain is 1,010m. However, the landscape is very scenic.
Government
Democratically elected Dáil (Parliament).
Water
Quality: tap water is safe to drink.
Currency
1 Euro = 100 cent.
Coins 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 cent, 1 Euro, 2 Euro
Notes 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 Euro.
Tax/Duty
Value Added Tax (usually 20%) applies to most goods. Displayed prices usually include VAT.
Electricity
Uniformly 230 volts, 50Hz. Sockets are generally of the type that accept British 13A, 3 pin (flat) plugtops (BS1363).
Fixed Line Communications
Country telephone access code is 353. International access code from Ireland is 00. Dublin area code is 01. If dialling into Ireland, then omit the leading digit of the area code, e.g. +353 1 XXXX XXX for Dublin.
Mobile Communications
Ireland has 3 GSM Networks (085, 086, 087) in operation with nationwide coverage.
Driving
Driving in Ireland is on the left hand side of the road. The majority of cars (including hire cars) use manual gear shift.
Emergency Services
Telephone 999 or 112 from any public telephone.