Using the telephone, internet or other telecommunications services in Ireland is very easy. The Irish network is 100% digital, quite high tech and provides services similar to those found in any other part of Western Europe or North America.  

Numbering: 

Irish phone numbers vary in length. Local numbers may be 5, 6 or 7 digits long and area codes are 1, 2 or 3 digits long.

To call an Irish number within Ireland, simply dial the entire number including the area code. (Local calls will still be charged correctly) 

Like most of Europe, area codes are prefixed with 0.

E.g. Cork 021 XXX XXXX or Dublin 01 XXX XXXX

If you are calling from outside Ireland, omit the leading 0.

The country code for Ireland is 353.

E.g. Cork +353 21 XXX XXXX or Dublin +353 1 XXX XXXX  

 

Area codes currently vary in length, between one and three digits, and subscribers' numbers between five and seven digits but a migration to a standard format, (0xx) xxx xxxx, is in progress. However, to avoid confusion, this is only being done very slowly.

 

Ireland Mobile Telephone Codes

  • Mobile phone numbers start with 083, 085, 086, 087 or 089. 
  • As there is full number portibility between networks, these codes no longer provide a reliable indication of network provider.

 Special rate numbers: 

Special services, or special rate numbers in Ireland start with the digit 1.

 

  • Freephone / Toll Free : 1 800
  • Local Rate : 1 850 or 1 890
  • Premium rate: 15 XX (cost varies and is advertised)
  • Special rate SMS 5XXXX (cost per SMS is advertised)

Emergency Services - 112  

112 emergency 

Ireland Emergency Telephone Number:

 

  •    112 - Emergency 

 

 All services: Fire, Ambulance, Police, Mountain and Cliff Rescue and Coast Guard.

Calls to this number are always free, from all phones.

Making a call:

To an Irish number (within Ireland): 

To make a call within Ireland, simply dial the entire number including the area code and trunk prefix (0)

E.g. Cork 021 xxx xxxx or Dublin 01 xxx xxxx or a mobile number 087 xxx xxxx

To Northern Ireland :

You can simply dial the Northern Irish number in the full international format:

00 44 28 XXXX XXXX

(There is a short-code, but charging for calls is the same whether you use the full international code, or the 048 short code.)

To call abroad: 

 The international access code in Ireland is 00 (European Standard).

To call abroad, dial 00, followed by the country code, area code and local telephone number of the person you wish to reach.

Full international access is available from all telephone, including mobiles and payphones.

These are a few commonly used country codes.

  • 1    USA and Canada
  • 44  UK
  • 61  Australia
  • 64  New Zealand
  • 33  France
  • 49  Germany
  • 31  The Netherlands
  • 34  Spain

A full list is available on the  Wikipedia 

 

Irish Tones 

 

  • The dial tone, ringing tone and busy tone on Irish lines are similar to those used in the UK and should be easily recognisable.
  • Dial tone : a long single tone (sometime a broken tone to indicate voicemail / call fowarding active)
  • Ringing tone : a double-beat tone, identical to that used in the UK, Australia, Hong Kong and New Zealand etc.
  • Busy tone : on/off single frequency tone, similar to busy tones used elsewhere in Europe.
  • Wrong number: Three ascending tones, or a verbal announcement. 

 

  

  Mobile phones (Cellphones):

Ireland has one of the highest rates of mobile phone ownership in the world. With 5,273,251 subscribers in total, or a 121.5 % penitration rate there are more mobile phones than people! (This compares to 88% in the USA). (both figures are as at Q4 2008)

Ireland's mobile phone networks use European standard GSM (2G) and 3GSM (3G/UMTS).

Networks:

 

 

What you'll need:

If you are travelling from Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, much of the Middle East, Africa and Asia where European GSM 900/1800 services are standard, your normal GSM handset will work in Ireland without any problems. 

However, if you are travelling from North America you will need to ensure that you have a triband or, preferably, a quad-band GSM handset. Triband handets will usually give you access to GSM 900, which will provide you with excellent coverage, but if you have a quad-band handset you will also have access to GSM 1800 which will give you even better service, particularly in built-up city centre areas where the networks are busiest.

 

  • Note: United States and Canadian CDMA phones do not work in Ireland.

 

Visitors from Japan should ensure that they have a UMTS 2100 compatible handset. Other Japanese handsets are not compatible with Irish networks.

You need to ensure that your mobile phone provider has a roaming agreement with one or more of the Irish networks and you need to ensure that roaming is activated on your account before you leave your home country.

It is advisable to check the roaming rates with your operator before you travel as you may need to select a specific Irish network to benefit from preferential roaming deals. 

Alternatively, if you have an unlocked handset, you can simply purchase an Irish pre-pay SIM card. These are available for as little as 10 Euro from most of the mobile operators. This can be a considerably cheaper way of staying in touch while you are in Ireland. Your prepay SIM card will provide you with an Irish mobile phone number, voicemail and depending on your handset, access to the internet via EDGE/GPRS or 3G.

Incoming calls to Irish mobile phones are free, and outgoing calls are charged at normal Irish mobile rates. Some operators have special international add-on deals on prepay which will allow you to call home at a better rate than from payphones or hotels. 

If you do not have an unlocked tri- or quad-band GSM phone then is possible to buy a cell phone in Ireland from any of the cell phone companies. Basic handsets start from about 70 euro.

If you need a cell phone number before you travel, you can rent a phone from -  Rentaphone Ireland.

NB: You will also need an adaptor for your phone charger, or alternatively, purchase a charger in a local mobile phone shop in Ireland. It will provide you with a much neater and safer way of connecting your mobile phone than using combersome international adaptors.

Payphones:

Due to the very high level of mobile phone usage, payphones are increasingly rarely used. As a result, phone companies are begining to remove them.  The vast majority of Irish public phones accept both coins and credit cards. Check the cost per minute before dialling, as international credit card calls from payphones can be very expensive.

It is also possible to use international calling cards from these phones by using the freephone access number provided by your calling card issuer.

Prepaid CallCards, a smart card for use in payphones, are still available from Post Offices. While they are now very rarely used, they can be a cost-effective way to keep in touch with home and they will work from any eircom payphone. 

Prepaid international calling cards are widely available from conveinence stores. These often provide very cheap calls to a wide range of international destinations and can usually be used from payphones. Some internet cafés provide private phone booths which make use of VoIP (calls over the internet). These often provide very cheap rates to many international destinations.

  Operator Services: 

Operator services are no longer provided in Ireland from payphones and have never been available from mobile phones. All calls are processed automatically.

If you need to report a fault, or need customer service, you can contact eircom on 1901 for any faults or problems with eircom lines or payphones. If you are using a mobile phone, or any other provider, you need to contact their customer service departments for help.

Collect Call / Reverse Charge services:

Some telephone companies provide 'homecountry direct' services, where you can use your calling card / credit card or make collect calls charged to your home / business phone account. Contact your own telephone provider before you travel for further details.

To make a collect call / reverse call in Ireland, including to overseas destinations, you can call the  1800 REVERSE automated service. Please check the call charges before completing your call, as these can work out very expensive. 

  Directory Assitance:  

Directory assitance services in Ireland are provided by competing commercial operators. You will see these numbers advertised extensively in the local media. They all charge different rates, and all provide different ranges of services. If you are calling from a mobile, they will all send you an SMS with the number you have requested. Most also offer call completion, but this can be quite expensive.

 Main providers:

 

  •  11 8 11 (Irish numbers) (eircom)
  • 11 8 18 (international numbers) (eircom)
  • 11 8 50 (Irish Numbers) (conduit)
  • 11 8 60 (international numbers) (conduit)
  • 11 8 90 (Irish numbers)

 

... there may be other providers too. 

you can access the Irish telephone directory online at:

 

 

Internet Access: 

WiFi:

Public WiFi is available in an ever-increasing number of cafés, bars, restaurants, hotels and other public areas. All major Irish airports and most train stations also provide WiFi access. Some phonebooths also have built-in WiFi hubs, and provide public access. It is often possible to pick these up from street-side cafés etc.

Some WiFi services are provided for free, although you may need to ask for a voucher in some cafés as the networks may be locked. Other services will require payment by credit or debit card. Typically, you just connect and open an internet browser, and you will be prompted to setup an account, or make a one-off payment. 

Areas of Cork City are covered by a public WiFi network operated on behalf of the City Council by Smart Telecom. This service is not entirely free, and payment by credit card / debit card is required. 

 Major providers include:

 

 

 

3G Mobile Mobile broadband:

Mobile broadband in Ireland offers speeds of up to 7.2mbit/s using 3G HSPDA. If you have a compatible device e.g. mobile phone, PDA, USB modem, or a laptop with built-in 3G connectivity, it is possible to get buy a pre-pay SIM card and connect to mobile data services from almost anywhere in the country. You can also purchase a USB modem from most of the network operators. 

Internet Cafés:

Internet cafes are common in major urban areas, but are not as common as they once were, due to the growth of 3G data services and public WiFi.  However, you will still find them in areas popular with tourists. Airports, railway stations and some shopping malls also have internet kiosks which can be used for checking email, social networking sites and basic browsing. 

For information on Northern Ireland, see this  Trip Advisor Article on telephones in the  United Kingdom.

Useful Info 

Current Local Time in Dublin 

Ireland Standard Time is GMT. GMT is Greenwich Mean Time .

Ireland Summer (Daylight-Saving) Time is GMT +1 hour.

Daylight Saving (Summer) Time is observed in Ireland. Clocks are put forward one hour in  March and back one hour at end of October.