Travelling to Ireland for first time?

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Orla C

You have to be 18 in Ireland, but some places get snotty and do the over 21 or even over 23 thing.

While Dublin is the capital, it is not representative of Ireland as a whole. Friends of mine who are through and through Dubliners have admitted that Dublin feels different - and I think myself it still feels very English, for all that it's the capital of the Republic of Ireland.

Dublin is also horrendously expensive to live in, compared to the other cities and large towns. I would recommend that you visit it, because it's a nice place, and historical, but that you base yourself in Cork, Limerick or Galway, each of which is less than 4 hours away by train. There are also the cities of Waterford and Kilkenny, which you might want to check out, plus other places like Sligo. Go through the country county by county and find out the large towns, and see what each place has to offer. Your money will last longer if you stay outside of the capital.

Another thing about Dublin is that it tends to be very cliquish, so you probably would be better off living outside of it if you want to meet a guy. There are now people from all over the world living in Ireland, you're just as likely to meet a nice Spanish boy as you are a nice Irish boy.

As regards the seasons, well, in recent years we've had all four seasons in one day, plus a few that haven't been invented anywhere else. The last time it snowed properly in Ireland was during the winter of 2000/2001, and it was about 8 inches, not much compared to countries like Austria but it was enough to shut the country down for a week. We don't get a lot of snow. Last winter there was a little snow, but it was gone within hours.

We don't get much sunshine in Ireland, we do get a lot of rain, and it can be cold, especially if you're used to 35 degrees celsius plus all year round. You will need a good coat if you're coming for our winter, and possibly a hat and scarf, and definitely good shoes.

In 3 months you should get everywhere, so I'd suggest checking out www.discoverireland.ie for the most interesting places. You will need a car or a bike to see some places as the trains only go between the cities, and the buses are not the best outside of the summer tourist season.

Podge and Rodge Tribute Band

It's 18. Don't worry though, you won't feel homesick in the least. We have Neighbours and Home and Away coming out our lugholes in this country.
Tell us, is Summer Bay the world capital for waifs and strays?
And whatever happened to Pipper and Carly? Didn't she end up marrying that fella in Nip/Tuck?

Jaysus we remember The Sulllivan's and Sons and Daughters. Now they were good wholesome family fun.........

alyozzo

its 18! :) im from Canada thinking of doing the same thing, haha even the whole irish boy scheme.

corey

Ireland is one of the most expensive countries in europe. Especially dublin. Accommodation and eating out can cost up to twice as much as it would in australia. If you want to meet irish boys, dublin is not the best place to go to. Walking around some parts of dublin city centre you would struggle to hear a dublin accent, or any irish accent for that matter, or sometimes even the english language. It can rain pretty much anytime of year in ireland and can snow quite a lot in winter, but it just mostly rains. Our summer is kinda like your winter. If your planning on going up north just remember that its got a different currency. The north uses pounds and the south uses euros. Like australia, you can drink from the age of 18. But dont expect to get any proper aussie beers in ireland as im afraid the closest thing you will get is fosters. Have fun and good luck.

GrahamB

The Morrison Hotel in Dublin is nice.
Go to Galway, Cork, and Killarney.

Also, Dublin Airport is home to many low cost airlines serving Europe.
You can go to the UK for 20- Euros.

parkplace250

Definitely go there! I loved my time in Ireland, it was one of the best years yet. You might find this useful: http://www.findingdulcinea.com/guides.?pg=0&topic=/categories/travel/Ireland-guide.xa_1.html

It covers where to go, how to get there, what to do while you're there, public transportation in Ireland, and so on.

Have fun!

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