Here's some basic information for you when it comes to travel to Ireland...
CAPITAL
Dublin (Ire), Belfast (NI)
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE
English, Irish, Gaelic
FLAG
The flag of Ireland is three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and orange.
MONEY
Ireland's currency is the euro. Coins are 1 and 2, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents. Euro notes
come in 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 denominations. Northern Ireland uses the British pound
().
The VAT of 20% applies to most goods and services in Ireland. Non-EU residents can claim it back upon leaving the EU.
TIME
Ireland is aligned with GMT/UTC; thus when it's noon in Dublin, it's noon in London, 7am in New York, 4am in San Francisco,
7am in Toronto, 10pm in Sydney and midnight in Auckland. In the summer Ireland observes daylight savings time, setting clocks forward an hour on the last Sunday in
October and; clocks are wound back in the first Sunday of the following March.
BUSINESS HOURS
Offices are open 9am to 5pm on Monday to Friday with shops staying open a little later. Many shops also offer late night shopping
on Thursdays and are open Saturday mornings.
RELIGION
Religion has always played a pivotal role in Irish history. The Republic of Ireland is 95% Catholic and Northern Ireland
is about 60% Protestant.
ELECTRICITY
Electricity is 220V AC, 50 Hz, as in Australia, Asia and most of Europe; appliances designed
for DC supply or different voltages need a transformer.
WEIGHTS & MEASURES
Ireland uses the metric system of measurements. Petrol is bought in litres and food is
weighed in kilos.
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