Visitor Information
Bord Failte is a government-run agency that deals with the promotion of Ireland as a tourist destination. It has offices all over the country that will handle queries during office hours. Tourist information in Dublin is readily available all year round from Dublin Tourism offices dotted around the city. The main Dublin Tourism office is located on Suffolk Street (walk north down Grafton Street from the Stephen's Green direction and turn left) in the renovated St Andrew's Church.

Dublin Tourism:
Dublin Tourism Centre, Suffolk Street, Dublin 2. Tel. 353 1 605 7799
Opening Hours:
9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday; 9.30 a.m.-5.30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday

Baggot Street Bridge Tel. 353 1 676 5871
Opening Hours: 9.30 a.m.-5.15 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Dun Laoghaire Ferry Terminal
Opening Hours: 8 a.m.-1 p.m. daily.

PASSPORTS & VISAS
Citizens of EU countries (UK, France, Italy, Spain, Luxembourg, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Greece, Austria, and Portugal) will require either a passport or a national identification card to enter Ireland.
The same applies to citizens of Liechtenstein, Monaco and Switzerland.
Citizens of the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand do not require visas to enter Ireland.

Visas are required by citizens of the following countries: Afghanistan, Albania, Bulgaria, Cuba, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Romania, Lebanon, Moldova, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), Somalia, Sri Lanka and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Those with a Hong Kong Certificate of Identity require an entry visa.
Holders of British Hong Kong passports who have a right of abode in the UK do not require entry visas.

Other non-EU citizens will always require a passport but not a visa for a short-term stay.

Hours of Business
Shops: Most shops open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday.
Thursday is late shopping day, when shops don't close until 9 p.m.
Sunday trading is still not widely practised but it is on the increase, particularly in out-of-town shopping centres, of which there are many on the periphery of Dublin.
Local convenience stores and many larger supermarkets will have longer opening hours than other shops. Some supermarkets stay open until 7 p.m. while convenience stores will often open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Banks: Banks open at 10 a.m. and close at 4 p.m, except on Thursdays when they stay open until 5 p.m. Banks in the city centre do not close for lunch, while branches outside the city centre may close from 12.30 p.m.-1.30 p.m.

Bars: Recent moves to liberalise the licensing laws have spelled longer opening hours for bars. Bars may now open from 10.30 a.m. to 11.30 p.m. in winter and summer, with 30 minutes 'drinking-up' time. Bars now have the option of opening later at the weekend with last drinks served at 12.30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, also with 30 minutes 'drinking-up' time. An increasing number of bars in Dublin have special dispensations or licences to open as early as 7 a.m. and others may apply for exemptions to extend closing time beyond the aforementioned times.

Currency
The euro is the money for Ireland and of the European Union.
The euro replaced the Irish pound as the unit of currency on January 1st 2002.
There are 100 cent to the euro
The Euro coinage is divided into eight denominations: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cent,
and 1 and 2 euro.
Euro notes increase in size as the denomination rises.
Euro notes come in seven denominations: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 euro.

Tipping
While tipping is not de rigueur in Ireland, it is customary to give a tip of between 12 and 15 per cent in restaurants or hotels when a service charge is not already included in your bill. It is generally not necessary to tip in coffee shops, small restaurants or fast food outlets, although staff will always appreciate acknowledgement of good service.
A tip of around 10 per cent will suffice for hairdressers, lounge staff or taxi drivers, although in these cases it is best to rely on your own discretion.

Useful Numbers:
The general emergency numbers 112 or 999 will put you through to the emergency services switchboard. You will then be asked which emergency service you require.
(e.g. Gardai, Fire Brigade, Ambulance).

Useful numbers: (Prefix 353, if calling from abroad)

Rape Crisis Centre: 01 661 4911
Automobile Association: 1800 667788
Tourist Information: 1850 230 330
Emergencies: 999 or 112
Emergency Accommodation: 1800 724 724
Operator Assistance: 10
Directory inquires (Ireland): 1190
Directory inquires (International excluding Britain): 1198
International Assistance: 114
Dublin Bus information: 01 873 4222
Provincial bus information: 01 836 6111
Train information: 01 836 6222
Dublin Airport: 01 814 1111
Taxi lost and found: 01 475 5888
Passport office: 01 671 1633
Samaritans, William St: 01 872 7700
Poisons Information Service: 01 837 9964

Social Customs
The Irish don't stand on ceremony and are generally relaxed and easygoing. The handshake is the traditional greeting, although the European custom of kissing one or both cheeks is increasingly popular as a form of greeting between friends of both sexes.
In the pub, a system of 'rounds' is often used. This system dictates that all members of the group will buy, or at least offer to buy, drinks for all others in the group. Dodging the 'rounds' system and leaving before it's your turn to buy drinks won't win you any popularity points. It is important to note that barmen, lounge staff and coffee-shop staff will usually expect to be paid immediately after serving drinks.

Driving:
As in Japan, Australia, and Britain, motorists drive on the left-hand side of the road in Ireland.
This can be a little disconcerting for visitors but after a couple of days of careful driving you should get used to it.
The speed limit is 96 kmph/60 mph unless otherwise stated. Main roads are patrolled by unmarked police cars doing speed checks with sophisticated cameras and tracking equipment. Gardai also mount checkpoints on all roads on a regular basis.
Wheel-clamping was introduced in August 1998. Illegally parked cars - either on a single or double-yellow line, on a footpath, on a disabled parking space, or where meter fees run out - are liable to be clamped. The declamping penalty is €80. Illegally parked cars which cause a danger to the public are also liable to be towed away.

Post:
Standard stamps costing 32p, (open or closed) and used to post letters to anywhere in Ireland or Europe, can be purchased in post offices, from machines, or in selected newsagents.
Letter postage for non-European countries costs 52p, and a 44p stamp is required to post to non-EU European countries.
Post offices are open from 8.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m, Monday to Friday, and from 9 a.m. to lunchtime on Saturdays.
The historical General Post Office on O'Connell Street is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m, Monday to Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. on Sundays.

Police:The police force in the Republic of Ireland is called the Garda Síochána (guardians of the peace, in English), usually referred to as the Gardaí (pronounced gar-dee).
The force is mainly unarmed and is headed by a government-appointed Commissioner, who is answerable to parliament.
The two principal Garda stations in the city centre are at Pearse Street and Store Street.
Both are open 24 hours a day.
Pearse Street, Dublin 2, Tel. 01 - 6669500
Store Street, Dublin 1, Tel. 01 - 6668000

Telephones The dialling code for Ireland from abroad is 353 and the code for Dublin is 01.
When calling the city from another country dial +353 1 (i.e. drop the zero in the Dublin code) and then the number you require.
Public telephones are widely available. They are usually found on streets, in post offices and in many shops, restaurants and bars.
There are three types of public telephone, the most common of which is the card phone. Cards - with 10, 20 and 50 units - can be bought in post offices and in most newsagents.
Coin phones are generally restricted to the city centre.
Local calls cost 20p for three minutes, or one card phone unit, while international calls will cost in the region of 80p for three minutes.
A limited number of credit card phones are available, generally in hotels. Calls from hotel rooms are expensive - they multiply the cost by at least three.

Whether on holiday or business, Lyndon House is the ideal choice.