Frequently asked questions

The questions visitors and the diaspora actually send us, answered the way we would answer a friend: plainly, with the detail that matters. If your question is not here, the contact form reaches a person.

416 questions answered so far, in 16 sections. Search the questions, or browse a section.

Sources

• Revenue: Retail Export Scheme guidance, revenue.ie
• Met Eireann: weather warning definitions and long term climate averages, met.ie
• Transport for Ireland and Iarnrod Eireann: journey planning, service and accessibility information, transportforireland.ie and irishrail.ie
• National Archives of Ireland: the 1901, 1911 and 1926 censuses, nationalarchives.ie
• IrishGenealogy.ie and the General Register Office: civil records of births, marriages and deaths
• R. E. Matheson, Special Report on Surnames in Ireland; Patrick Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
• Failte Ireland: the Wild Atlantic Way route, failteireland.ie
• Road Safety Authority: speed limits and driving rules, rsa.ie
• Aircoach and Dublin Express: Dublin Airport coach services
• Festival dates from the festival organisers
• AA Ireland: what to do after a collision or breakdown, theaa.ie
• An Garda Siochana: the National Age Card proof of age scheme, garda.ie
• An Garda Síochána and the Irish Tourist Assistance Service: visitor safety and help after crime, garda.ie
• Aran Island Ferries and Galway Tourism: Aran Islands ferry ports and sailings from Rossaveal and Doolin
• Aran Island Ferries: Rossaveal sailings and crossing times, aranislandferries.com; Aer Arann Islands: flights from Connemara Airport, aerarannislands.ie
• AskAboutIreland: Griffith's Valuation and its valuation maps, askaboutireland.ie
• Attraction operators and national institutions: EPIC, Croke Park, Titanic Belfast, the National Museum of Ireland, Atlantaquaria and Cork City Gaol
• Attraction operators: Guinness Storehouse, Titanic Belfast and National Gallery of Ireland access, sign language and sensory programmes
• Belfast City Council: St George's Market days and hours, belfastcity.gov.uk
• Bloomsday Festival and the James Joyce Centre: Bloomsday programme and visitor information, bloomsdayfestival.ie and jamesjoycecentre.ie
• Bord Bia: Irish food, drink, seafood and farmers market information, bordbia.ie
• Bus Eireann: route 350 Galway to Ennis via the Cliffs of Moher timetable and service updates, buseireann.ie
• Central Statistics Office and Fáilte Ireland: visitor seasonality and peak tourism activity, cso.ie and failteireland.ie
• Central Statistics Office: national average price of a pint of draught stout, November 2025, and current operator menus, cso.ie
• Changing Places Ireland and the Changing Places Consortium: Changing Places toilet locations and RADAR key information
• Citizens Information and local authority guidance: parking discs, fixed charges and clamping, citizensinformation.ie
• Citizens Information and the Courts Service of Ireland: alcohol licensing hours, alcohol and the law, and children in licensed premises, citizensinformation.ie and courts.ie
• Citizens Information and the Department of Transport: Disabled Person's Parking Permit and EU parking card recognition, citizensinformation.ie and gov.ie
• Citizens Information: children in licensed premises and the 9pm rule, citizensinformation.ie
• Cliffs of Moher Experience, National Trust Giant's Causeway and Wicklow Mountains National Park: site access statements and accessibility pages
• Coeliac Society of Ireland: eating out guidance and the Eating Out Pledge, coeliac.ie
• ComReg: roaming and inadvertent roaming advice, comreg.ie; Ofcom: roaming alerts and inadvertent roaming, ofcom.org.uk
• Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann: traditional music, sessions and branches, comhaltas.ie
• Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann and Fleadh Cheoil organisers: festival, competitions and host town information, comhaltas.ie and fleadhcheoil.ie
• Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann: traditional music branches and sessions, comhaltas.ie
• Croagh Patrick visitor centre, Teach na Miasa, Murrisk, and Westport Parish: Reek Sunday pilgrimage arrangements
• Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: pet travel and assistance dog entry rules, gov.ie and pettravel.gov.ie
• Department of the Taoiseach: the national flag and its symbolism, gov.ie
• Dublin Airport and commercial left luggage operators: left luggage services, dublinairport.com
• Dublin Airport: special assistance and PRM booking, dublinairport.com; Irish Ferries and Rosslare Europort: passenger assistance information
• Dublin City Council: the College Green bus gate, reported by the Irish Times
• ESB ecars: the public charging network on the island of Ireland, esb.ie
• Failte Ireland: accommodation registration and classification, failteireland.ie
• Failte Ireland: food and drink visitor information, failteireland.ie
• FamilySearch: record guidance for the United States, Canada, Britain and Australia, familysearch.org
• Festival organisers: TradFest, Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy, Electric Picnic, Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, Galway International Arts Festival, Wexford Festival Opera and Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival official sites and programmes
• Findmypast and Ancestry: Irish record collection descriptions
• Food Safety Authority of Ireland: the 14 allergens and allergen information for loose and prepacked food, fsai.ie
• Foras na Gaeilge and Udaras na Gaeltachta: the Irish language, Gaeltacht areas and language guidance, forasnagaeilge.ie and udaras.ie
• Foynes Flying Boat and Maritime Museum, Foynes, Co. Limerick: Joe Sheridan and the 1943 Irish coffee, and the museum recipe
• Fáilte Ireland and Ireland.com: accessible accommodation and visitor information, failteireland.ie and ireland.com
• Gaelic Athletic Association: the games, fixtures and ticketing, gaa.ie
• Galway International Oyster and Seafood Festival: festival dates and the oyster opening championships, galwayoysterfestival.com
• Golf Ireland and the individual clubs: Lahinch, Ballybunion, Tralee, Royal Portrush and Royal County Down
• HSE: healthcare for visitors to Ireland and treatment with an EHIC, hse.ie; Citizens Information: health services and public holidays, citizensinformation.ie
• Health Products Regulatory Authority: medicines and controlled drugs, hpra.ie
• Heritage Ireland, Office of Public Works: filming, photography and drone rules at OPW heritage sites, heritageireland.ie
• Hertz, Avis, Budget and Enterprise Ireland: cross border fees and rental terms, hertz.ie, avis.ie, budget.ie and enterprise.ie
• Historic Graves: community graveyard surveys, historicgraves.com
• Horse Racing Ireland and racecourse operators: fixtures, tickets, dress and transport information, goracing.ie
• Inland Fisheries Ireland: salmon and sea trout licensing, permits and Lough Corrib trout fishing, fishinginireland.info
• Irish Aviation Authority: drone operator registration, training and UAS geographical zones, iaa.ie
• Irish Escapes county guides, destination pages, regions, itineraries and road dataset: shared/counties.json, shared/places.json, shared/regions.json, shared/itineraries.json and shared/roads.json
• Irish Escapes events page and festivals data: curated anchor festivals, county and category filters, and confirmed or to be confirmed date status
• Irish Escapes guides and articles: shared/guides.json and shared/articles.json, including Golf in Ireland, Ireland in the Movies and Visiting Irish Castles
• Irish Escapes itineraries, planner trip type data and road dataset: shared/itineraries.json, shared/roads.json and planner code, irishescapes.ie
• Irish Escapes planner trip types and themed trip data: client/src/data.ts (TRIP_TYPES)
• Irish Escapes road dataset: leg distances and drive times, shared/roads.json; Ring of Kerry length from the scenic drives guide, shared/articles.json
• Irish Escapes road dataset: leg distances and drive times, shared/roads.json; family pacing from the family friendly Ireland guide
• Irish Family History Foundation: RootsIreland and the county genealogy centres, rootsireland.ie
• Irish Ferries, Stena Line and Brittany Ferries: routes and crossing times, irishferries.com, stenaline.ie and brittany-ferries.ie
• Irish Immigration Service and Department of Foreign Affairs: visa required and non visa required nationalities, irishimmigration.ie and dfa.ie
• Irish Immigration Service: travelling with minor children and consent for visa applications, irishimmigration.ie
• Irish Rail: online fares and advance booking, irishrail.ie
• Irish Surfing: west coast surf season and breaks, irishsurfing.ie
• Met Eireann: marine forecasts and weather warnings, met.ie
• Met Éireann: forecasts and weather warning information, met.ie
• Met Éireann: long term climate averages 1991 to 2020, rainfall and sea temperature data, met.ie
• Met Éireann: weather warning definitions, forecast and marine forecast guidance, met.ie
• Mountaineering Ireland, Coillte and the National Parks and Wildlife Service: trail, forest and national park guidance
• Mountaineering Ireland: hill walking clothing and safety guidance, mountaineering.ie
• National Archives of Ireland: the 1901 and 1911 censuses, census fragments, Tithe Applotment Books and research guidance, nationalarchives.ie
• National Library of Ireland: Catholic parish registers, registers.nli.ie
• National Parks and Wildlife Service: Burren flora and national park information, npws.ie
• National Ploughing Association: championships visitor, site and traffic information, npa.ie
• National Transport Authority and Transport for Ireland: Leap Card, TFI 90 Minute Fare, live departures and service updates, transportforireland.ie and leapcard.ie
• OPW Heritage Ireland: Brú na Bóinne and state heritage sites, heritageireland.ie
• Placenames Database of Ireland: official place name forms and recorded pronunciations, logainm.ie
• Placenames Database of Ireland: townland, parish and barony records, logainm.ie
• Public Record Office of Northern Ireland and the General Register Office of Northern Ireland, via nidirect: valuation revision books, church records and civil records
• Revenue and US Customs and Border Protection: traveller allowances and food import rules, revenue.ie and cbp.gov
• Revenue: prohibited or restricted goods in baggage and cash declaration rules, revenue.ie
• Road Safety Authority: child restraints in cars and the taxi exemption, rsa.ie
• Road Safety Authority: drink driving limits, seat belts, child restraints and safe passing distances for cyclists, rsa.ie
• Road Safety Authority: winter driving advice and winter tyre rules, rsa.ie
• Ryder Cup and Adare Manor: 2027 dates, ballot result and spectator information, rydercup.com
• St Patrick's Festival: festival dates, parade and programme, stpatricksfestival.ie
• Surf schools at Lahinch and Strandhill: children's lesson age policies, operator websites
• Teanglann: the Irish language dictionaries, teanglann.ie
• The English Market, Cork: market history and opening hours, englishmarket.ie
• Translink: Enterprise and Goldliner services, translink.co.uk
• Transport Infrastructure Ireland and eFlow: M50 toll charges for 2026 and the 8pm payment deadline, tii.ie and eflow.ie
• Transport for Ireland: wheelchair accessibility and bus and rail booking information, transportforireland.ie
• UK Home Office: Electronic Travel Authorisation guidance, gov.uk
• Uisce Éireann and the Environmental Protection Agency: drinking water quality, water.ie and epa.ie
• Water Safety Ireland and local authorities: lifeguard seasons, bathing season and beach flags, watersafety.ie
• Water Safety Ireland: bathing season and open water safety advice, watersafety.ie
• Waterways Ireland: Shannon and Erne navigation, waterwaysireland.org
• Workplace Relations Commission: public holidays in Ireland, workplacerelations.ie; nidirect: Northern Ireland bank holidays, Sunday trading and smoking law, nidirect.gov.uk
• nidirect and the Department for Infrastructure: driving in Northern Ireland, speed limits in mph, nidirect.gov.uk
• Department of Foreign Affairs: Foreign Births Registration, citizenship and passport guidance, ireland.ie
• US Census Bureau: Facts for Features, Irish American Heritage Month and St Patrick's Day, and the American Community Survey, census.gov
• US Census Bureau: surname files from the 2010 Census, census.gov
• National Archives and Records Administration (US): passenger lists, census clues and naturalization guidance, archives.gov
• National Park Service: Ellis Island, Castle Garden and tracing immigrant ancestors, nps.gov
• US Citizenship and Immigration Services: Genealogy Program and naturalization records, uscis.gov
• Government of Ireland: Global Irish diaspora policy and the worldwide ancestry estimate, gov.ie
• Statistics Canada: 2021 Census of Population, ethnic or cultural origins, statcan.gc.ca
• Australian Bureau of Statistics: 2021 Census ancestry responses, abs.gov.au
• Parks Canada: Grosse Ile and the Irish Memorial National Historic Site, pc.gc.ca
• Battery Park City Authority: the Irish Hunger Memorial, bpca.ny.gov
• Boston Irish Tourism Association: the Boston Irish Heritage Trail, irishboston.org
• Irish American Heritage Museum: the museum, its galleries and library, irish-us.org
• Milwaukee Irish Fest: festival programme, grounds and history, irishfest.com
• Kansas City Irish Fest: festival programme and history
• Dublin Irish Festival and the City of Dublin, Ohio: festival dates, grounds and programme
• EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum: the museum and its galleries, epicchq.com
• Tailte Eireann: historic mapping and valuation maps, tailte.ie
• Published research on the Great Famine: National Museums NI teaching resources and peer reviewed studies
• Encyclopaedia Britannica and academic histories of the Ulster Plantation and the Scotch Irish migration
• Parade committees of New York, Chicago, Savannah and Boston: parade histories and dates
• NCpedia and the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games: history and programme of the games
• The Session: traditional music session listings, thesession.org
• Irish Escapes Irish in USA listings and the centres' own sites: programmes, libraries and classes
• Citizens Information: returning to Ireland, PPS numbers and the Habitual Residence Condition, citizensinformation.ie
• Department of Social Protection: Personal Public Service (PPS) numbers and MyWelfare, gov.ie
• National Driver Licence Service and the Road Safety Authority: exchanging a foreign licence and Reduced Essential Driver Training, ndls.ie and rsa.ie
• Revenue: Transfer of Residence relief and importing personal belongings from outside the EU, revenue.ie
• Safe Home Ireland: information, housing and outreach for returning emigrants, safehomeireland.com
• Crosscare Irish Diaspora Support Project: information and advocacy for returning Irish emigrants, diasporasupport.ie
• Clare Libraries: local studies and archives, including the free online genealogy collections, clarelibrary.ie
• Dublin City Library and Archive: the city's local studies, archives and Gilbert collections, dublincity.ie
• Fermanagh Genealogy Centre: volunteer genealogy guidance at Enniskillen Castle, fermanaghgenealogy.org
• Irish National Stud and Gardens: visitor information, opening dates and guided tours, irishnationalstud.ie
• St Brigid's Cathedral, Kildare: visitor opening and the round tower, stbrigidscathedral.com
• Solas Bhríde Centre: the perpetual flame and Féile Bhríde, solasbhride.ie
• Association of Irish Racecourses: the Curragh race days and race day transport, air.ie
• Punchestown Racecourse: the Punchestown Festival, punchestown.com
• Lullymore Heritage and Discovery Park: opening and attractions, lullymoreheritagepark.com
• Irish Family History Foundation: Kildare parish registers and record sources, rootsireland.ie
• Kildare County Council: Kildare County Archives and Local Studies, kildarecoco.ie
• Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail: Dublin Heuston to Kildare timetables, irishrail.ie
• Value Retail: Kildare Village boutiques, savings and the station shuttle, kildarevillage.com
• Newbridge Silverware: visitor centre and factory tours, visitnewbridgesilverware.com
• Into Kildare: the Barrow Way and county events, intokildare.ie
• APCOA Ireland: car parking at Kildare railway station, apcoa.ie
• An Garda Síochána: about the service and policing in Ireland, garda.ie
• timeanddate: Ireland time zone, clock changes and differences from US time zones, timeanddate.com
• Central Bank of Ireland: consumer information on payment cards, cash and ATMs, centralbank.ie
• Banking and Payments Federation Ireland: contactless and card payments in Ireland, bpfi.ie
• Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail: free Wi-Fi on Intercity trains, irishrail.ie
• AA Ireland: fuel stations and driving in Ireland, theaa.ie