Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [624]
School Holidays
In the Republic, standardised primary and secondary school holidays include Christmas, Easter and the summer (July and August for primary schools, and also June for secondary pupils) and two midterm breaks, usually in October and February. For specific dates, check out www.citizensinformation.ie.
In the North, holidays for primary and secondary schools vary. Visit www.deni.gov.uk for more comprehensive information.
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INSURANCE
Insurance is important: it covers you for everything from medical expenses and luggage loss to cancellations or delays in your travel arrangements, depending on your policy.
If you’re an EU citizen, a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC; available from health centres, or from post offices in the UK) covers you for most medical care. While other countries, such as Australia, also have reciprocal agreements with Ireland and Britain, many do not.
If you do need health insurance, remember that some policies offer lower and higher medical-expense options, and that the higher one is chiefly for countries that have extremely high medical costs. Ensure that you’re covered for the worst possible case, such as an accident requiring an ambulance, hospital treatment or an emergency flight home. You may prefer a policy that pays health-care providers directly rather than having you pay on the spot and claim later. Click here for health insurance details.
All cars on public roads must be insured. If you are bringing your own vehicle check that your insurance will cover you in Ireland.
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INTERNET ACCESS
Most laptops these days are dual-voltage and should work with just a plug adapter (Ireland uses the same triple flat-pin plug as the UK), but if your computer isn’t equipped to handle 220 volts AC, you’ll need a universal AC adapter, as well. All hotel rooms have phone lines and you can plug the phone cord into your laptop’s modem; although most have direct-dial services, you’ll most likely have to dial an outside line access number (usually 9) to get online. Provided you’re dialling a local access number, you’ll be charged the price of a local call (which from a hotel is usually timed and 50% more than usual).
Major internet service providers (ISPs) such as AOL (www.aol.com), CompuServe (www.compuserve.com) and AT&T Business Internet Services (www.attbusiness.net) have dial-in nodes in Ireland. If you access your email account through an ISP based at home, your best option is to open an account with a local ISP provider: the most reliable ones are Eircom ( 1890 260 260; www.eircom.ie) or O2 ( 1850 200 741; www.O2.ie).
Although Ireland has one of the lowest rates of broadband penetration in Europe (26% in 2009), 60% of Irish households have broadband, including most B&Bs in and around the major towns of Ireland; you’ll also find wi-fi (wireless internet) in many midrange and top-end hotels. Most towns also have internet cafes, although many are closing as the rate of household broadband goes up. You can log on for €4 to €10 per hour in the Republic, or about £4 per hour in the North.
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LEGAL MATTERS
If you need legal assistance contact the Legal Aid Board ( 066-947 1000; www.legalaidboard.ie), which also has a number of local law centres listed in the phone book. In the North, contact the Northern Ireland Legal Services Commission (www.nilsc.org.uk).
The possession of small quantities of marijuana attracts a fine or warning, but harder drugs are treated more seriously. Public drunkenness is illegal but commonplace. Be aware that you will undoubtedly attract police attention if you’re way out of line. Fighting is treated more harshly – you could easily end up in a cell for the night, or worse.
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MAPS
Many publishers produce some good-quality maps of Ireland. Michelin’s 1:400,000-scale Ireland map (No 923) is a decent single sheet map, with clear cartography and most of the island’s scenic roads marked. The four maps – North, South, East and West – that