Local Information

(information below is also available at https://www.ireland.com/en-au/help-and-advice/practical-information/money-in-ireland/ )

The local currency in the Republic of Ireland is the Euro (€). If you plan to travel to Northern Ireland, pound sterling is the official currency. Transactions are predominantly cashless.

Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted throughout the island of Ireland; American Express is accepted in some places but not all. Google Pay and Apple Pay are also widely used. Credit cards can be used for purchases and also to withdraw cash from ATMs (although this usually is accompanied by a fee). You can also withdraw cash from ATMs with your Mastercard or Visa debit card. Fees will still be charged but at a lower rate to credit cards.

Ireland uses a “chip and pin” system for debit and credit card transactions. Retailers may still accept swipe cards but please note this is not always guaranteed. It is recommended that you notify your bank of your travel plans prior to your departure.

Contactless payment is very common. You can "tap" your debit or credit card to pay for purchases of up to €50 or £45, or tap with ApplePay or GooglePay up to the limit of your card.

Travellers' cheques are no longer widely accepted on the island of Ireland.

 

The plug type for Ireland is G. It’s the plug that has three rectangular pins in a triangular pattern.

 

Dublin Airport is located approximately 10 km north of Dublin City Centre. The easiest way to get to the city is by taxi or bus (DublinExpress). A Taxi into Dublin city centre costs about €25 - €30 from designated taxi ranks outside each terminal. The bus ride is about €9.  You can find a map of the DublinExpress bus stops at https://www.dublinexpress.ie/stop-map. Bus tickets can be bought in advance at https://www.dublinairport.com/to-from-the-airport/by-bus/buy-bus-tickets. 

A full list of transport options from Dublin airport is available at: https://www.dublinairport.com/to-from-the-airport 

 

Walking:

Dublin city centre is relatively compact, and you can walk to most tourist attractions and venues. 

Public transport:

There are four public transport options for getting around Dublin: Bus; Dart (coastal light rail); Luas (two additional light rail routes) and Commuter train lines. You can find a map of the routes here: https://www.dublinpublictransport.ie/dublin-train-map .

Google maps gives the best advice on transport options from A to B, and is accurate on train times. Accurate bus times are available via  https://www.transportforireland.ie/plan-a-journey/.

Payment on public transport is via a LEAP card, a physical card that can be purchased at Dublin airport, at train stations, at many convenience stores throughout the city centre, or in advance and posted to you. See more information here: https://about.leapcard.ie/. You can also get 1-day, 3-day and 7-day visitor leap cards, see: https://about.leapcard.ie/leap-visitor-card.

Note: you can’t use a Leap card to pay for the DublinExpress coach from Dublin airport.

You can find more information about getting around Dublin and Ireland here: https://www.failteireland.ie/FailteIreland/media/WebsiteStructure/Documents/Business%20Tourism/FI-Ireland-Buyers-Guide-Group-FIT-Getting-Around-Ireland.pdf 

Bike rental:

There are bikes for rent throughout the city, operated by Dublin Bikes. For more information see https://www.dublinbikes.ie/en/home. 

See also https://www.visitdublin.com/plan/getting-around for other ways to explore the city.

Taxi:

FreeNow is the most popular Taxi app,  Uber and Bolt also operate in Dublin.

 

The following 24-hour and 48-hour guides to Dublin list a variety of types of activities and attractions. 

(links are to PDFs in this folder, so need to be updated for website)

The link below is Ireland’s tourist board’s interactive map of things to do, festivals, and restaurants in the vicinity of the conference centre. https://www.visitdublin.com/whats-nearby?location=53.34199469999999,-6.268377300000001 

See also the local organisers Google Map of things to see and visit in and around Dublin: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1wJQ2Y9Y9PeF2woXiK32qH0ZGRIin9uGF&usp=sh  

 

This guide to the coastal rail line running north and south of Dublin, recommends several stops at villages and harbour communities, from where you can explore castles, beaches, outdoor activities, heritage, local food, and much more. https://www.failteireland.ie/FailteIreland/media/WebsiteStructure/Documents/Dublin/stops-on-the-dublin-coastal-trail.pdf

Information on shows and exhibitions can be found at https://dublin.ie/whats-on/ or https://www.visitdublin.com/events . Venues close to the conference centre include Vicar Street, the Olympia Theatre, the Gaiety Theatre, the Irish Film Centre, Smock Alley, & International Comedy Club.

Most shops in Dublin typically open from 9 am – 6 pm Mondays to Saturdays, extending their opening hours on Thursdays until 8 pm. Sunday opening times are typically from 11am.

 

The following Grocery stores are less than 10 mins walk from the conference centre: walking distance:

• Dunnes Stores on Georges Street and in Stephens Green shopping centre, opens from 8:30am to 7pm (food is in the basement).
• Marks and Spencers on Grafton Street, opens 8am to 8pm (food is in the basement)
• LIDL, Thomas Street, open from 8am to 10pm
• Dunnes Stores, Georges Street, open from 7am to 9pm
• Tesco Express, Aungier street, open 7am to 10pm
• Spar, Dame street, open 24 hours

 

The weather in Ireland varies a lot from day to day, but is rarely very cold or very hot. Temperatures in March are most likely to be between 0 and 10 degrees Celsius, with some wind and rain. Bring light rain gear and layers of clothing. See https://www.met.ie/