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MONEY
US$1 ≈ 0.65 € (euro)
Most major currencies and types of travellers cheques are readily accepted in Ireland. Eurocheques can also be cashed here. Major credit cards, particularly Visa and MasterCard (often called Access), are widely accepted. You can obtain cash advances on your card from banks and from automatic teller machines (ATMs).
Costs
For the budget traveller 50 € per day should cover hostel accommodation, getting around, a meal in a restaurant and possibly something for the folks at home leaving just enough for a pint at the end of the day.
ACCOMMODATION
Bord Failte offices book local accommodation for a fee of 1 € (or 2 € to book in another town). This can be handy when it may take numerous phone calls to find a free room. The NITB provides a similar booking service.
All accommodation prices in this article are high-season rates (generally June to August); at other times of year, subtract 15% to 25% from the listed prices.
There are hordes of hostels in Ireland, but in summer they can be heavily booked.
An Oige (01-830 4555), which means 'youth', is the Irish branch of Hostelling International (HI), as is the Youth Hostel Association of Northern Ireland (YHANI; 028-9031 5435). These hotels are open to members of HI, An Oige and YHANI (annual membership 12 €), or to any overseas visitor for an additional nightly charge of 1.2 €. If you pay the extra charge 10 times, you become a member.
Two alternative associations with reliable accommodation include Independent Holiday Hostels (IHH; 01-836 4700) and the 'back-to-basics' Independent Hostels Owners association (IHO; 073-30130).
FOOD & DRINKS
Traditional meals (like Irish Stew, often found in pubs) are hearty and cheap. A bowl of the day's soup and some fantastic soda or brown bread can be a cheap lunch. Seafood is excellent in the west, and there are good vegetarian restaurants all over the island.
In Ireland a drink means a beer, either lager or stout. Stout is usually Guinness, the famous black beer of Dublin, although in Cork it can mean a Murphy's or a Beamish. Simply asking for a Guinness will get you a pint (570ml, IR£2 to 3 € in a pub). If you want a half-pint (285ml, 1 € to 1.2 €), ask for a 'glass' or a 'half.
In the Republic, pub hours are 10.30 am to 11.30 pm Monday to Wednesday, 10.30 am to 12.30 am Thursday to Saturday and 12.30 pm to 11.30 pm on Sunday. In Northern Ireland, pub hours are 11.30 am to 11 pm Monday to Saturday, and 12.30 to 2 pm and 7 to 10 pm Sunday.
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