Ireland Local Customs

  A trio of 'Little People'
by suvanki
 
  • A trio of 'Little People'
      A trio of 'Little People'
    by suvanki
  • A headless leprechaun!
      A headless leprechaun!
    by suvanki
  • Cheering us all on...
      Cheering us all on...
    by suvanki
  •   Literary Dublin
    by jo104
  • Jo hatching with a Paddys
      Jo hatching with a Paddys
    by jo104
 

Most Viewed Local Customs in Ireland

76.

Drinking   Dublin

Drinking, Dublin

 37 Reviews  There is a famous saying that god created alcohol so that the Irish won’t take over the world. Indeed, some of the most popular sights in Ireland are alcohol-related such as Whiskey tasting or a visit... 

 See All 206 Local Customs in Dublin

77.

Irish language   Cork

Irish language, Cork

 3 Reviews  Irish people promote the use of Irish Gaelic, which they call simply Irish, in all areas of life. Dual street names are just one sign of this, but there are also Irish names of pubs, signposts in both... 

 See All 35 Local Customs in Cork

78.

Smoking.   Galway

Smoking., Galway

 1 Review  Basically, you can't smoke in any 'workplace'. So that includes pubs, cafes and restaurants. Some pubs have set up smoking areas outside, and you can smoke at cafe tables on the pavement. I liked the... 

 See All 16 Local Customs in Galway

79.

General Information   Waterford

General Information, Waterford

 2 Reviews  Smirting is a combination of the words smoking + flirting, geddit? It started when people had to go out for a ciggie after the ban was enforced, and got chatting to fellow smokers outside on the... 

 See All 10 Local Customs in Waterford

80.

Hurling   Kilkenny

Hurling, Kilkenny

 2 Reviews  Hurling is an ancient Gaelic sports and very popular in Ireland. We happened to be in Kilkenny two days before an important hurling match. It was the “All-Ireland Championship”, where Kilkenny and... 

 See All 9 Local Customs in Kilkenny

81.

Gaelic language   Sligo

Gaelic language, Sligo

 1 Review  Ireland has a strong gaelic culture. To promote the irish gaelic language, most roadsigns are bilingual: english and irish gaelic. The irish gaelic language is usually known just as irish. The photo... 

 See All 4 Local Customs in Sligo

82.

Food Festival   Kinsale

Food Festival, Kinsale

 1 Review  The Kinsale Gourmet Festival held every October is by now world-famous. All the best restaurants and chefs showcase their talents.As Kinsale is twinned with Antibes in France and Newport in Rhode... 

 See All 8 Local Customs in Kinsale

83.

Language   Dingle

Language, Dingle

 3 Reviews  Dingle is in the Gaeltacht area of Ireland, which means it is an Irish speaking area (Don't worry, they speak English aswell). Simple words like Conás ata Tú (Pronnounced con-as-a-ta-tu) which means... 

 See All 5 Local Customs in Dingle

84.

The Rose of Tralee   Tralee

The Rose of Tralee, Tralee

 1 Review  Tralee : The Rose of Tralee festival takes place every August. The basic legend was immortalised in song . A young woman is nominated to represent her city/region every year and the event is televised... 

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85.

Newgrange   Drogheda

Newgrange, Drogheda

 1 Review  Not that far from Drogheda you can find Newgrange, a unique stone aged tomb. The great megalithic tomb at Newgrange is over 5,500 years old. Their survival through more than 5,500 years reflects the... 

 See All 1 Local Customs in Drogheda

86.

Language   Derry

Language, Derry

 1 Review  Language - or more to the point Derry lingo can be a bit of a communication barrier sometimes. Derry people do not speak normal English!! And they talk fast which really doesn't help matters. I was... 

 See All 2 Local Customs in Derry

87.

Famine Houses   County Clare

Famine Houses, County Clare

 2 Reviews  The Great Famine in Ireland lasted from 1845-1852 during which approximately 1 million people died and more than 1 million more emigrated to other countries. Although many factors contributed to the... 

 See All 9 Local Customs in County Clare

88.

General Information about Dublin   Dublin

General Information about Dublin, Dublin

 26 Reviews  Smirting is a combination of the words smoking + flirting, geddit? It started when people had to go out for a ciggie after the ban was enforced, and got chatting to fellow smokers outside on the... 

 See All 206 Local Customs in Dublin

89.

Local Drink   Cork

Local Drink, Cork

 3 Reviews  Beamish is Corks other stout that is still brewed in the city. I enjoyed a pint at Cork Opera House during our VT Taste of Cork meet. (I must confess that Beamish is my least favourite stout when... 

 See All 35 Local Customs in Cork

90.

Reginald's Tower   Waterford

Reginald's Tower, Waterford

 1 Review  Check out Reginald's Tower. The tower dates from the late twelfth century and is the most historic urban monument in Ireland. The heritage museum houses two collections; artefacts from the Viking and... 

 See All 10 Local Customs in Waterford

91.

Cat's Laughs Festival   Kilkenny

Cat's Laughs Festival, Kilkenny

 1 Review  Every June bank holiday, Murphys brewery sponsor a comedy festival in Kilkenny, attracting top comedians from all over the British isles and even some Americans like Dan Castellata (the guy who does... 

 See All 9 Local Customs in Kilkenny

92.

W.B.Yeats   Sligo

W.B.Yeats, Sligo

 1 Review   The Wild Swans At Coole by W.B.Yeats. THE trees are in their autumn beauty, The woodland paths are dry, Under the October twilight the water Mirrors a still sky; Upon the brimming water... 

 See All 4 Local Customs in Sligo

93.

Matchmaking Festival   County Clare

Matchmaking Festival, County Clare

 2 Reviews  Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking festival takes place annually in September in the town of Lisdoonvarna. It goes back a long time and was a way for the local single farmers to come to town and find a wife.... 

 See All 9 Local Customs in County Clare

94.

Irish language   Dublin

Irish language, Dublin

 10 Reviews  The notorious 1980s bronze monument to the personified river Liffey, Anna Livia, was removed from nearby on O'Connell St. A woman sitting on a slope with bubbling water running down past her... 

 See All 206 Local Customs in Dublin

95.

Gaelic Language   Waterford

Gaelic Language, Waterford

 1 Review  Ireland has a strong gaelic culture. To promote the irish gaelic language, most roadsigns are bilingual: english and irish gaelic. The irish gaelic language is usually known just as irish. The photo... 

 See All 10 Local Customs in Waterford

96.

History   Kilkenny

History, Kilkenny

 1 Review  When you're in Kilkenny, this would apply to Waterford too, you will probably see lots of references to 'Ormond', like Ormond St/road, businesses & hotels with Ormond in the name. And you might just... 

 See All 9 Local Customs in Kilkenny

97.

Tipping   Dublin

Tipping, Dublin

 6 Reviews  In some restaurants I found that the 10% tip was included in the bill, which is something I dont like. I understand that I should tip someone when I get a good service and not because I am obligued... 

 See All 206 Local Customs in Dublin

98.

Smoking   Dublin

Smoking, Dublin

 8 Reviews  I am SO glad they've outlawed smoking here. Makes for a much nicer time in the pubs and restaurants. I know everyone claims business will be lost when these bans go into effect but place after place... 

 See All 206 Local Customs in Dublin

99.

St. Patrick's Day Parade   Dublin

St. Patrick's Day Parade, Dublin

 3 Reviews  OK, I will have to confess my bias here as I don't particulary enjoy the post-parade part of the day where you see people throwing up, urinating, throwing rubbish, fighting, or staggering around on... 

 See All 206 Local Customs in Dublin

100.

Irish Hospitality   Dublin

Irish Hospitality, Dublin

 5 Reviews  I must say the Irish are good ol' wacky people who are extremely genuine and hospitable not to forget one of the friendliest people I've ever met. The accent is just kinda hot and such a turned on!... 

 See All 206 Local Customs in Dublin

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

The Irish Way

by Rinjani

My short stay in Ireland definitely is too short to learn more about the Irish. But along our journey, we were impressed by the warmth and friendly of the Irish people we met. Sometimes you were stopped by people for small chat or simply share information on what happen on your way ahead.

The Irish Traffic

by Rinjani

It is another “official” conversation starter after complaining about the weather. Especially for the Dubliner that mostly need around 45 minute to get away from the city in the weekdays. Yes, it can be frustrating. Things that I find amusing is the sign of “max 100 kilometer” in a narrow road that only allow you to speed not more than 60 kilometer.

Gaeltacht

by Rinjani

Gaelic is the Irish language, mostly spoken in the northern part of Ireland. Although some areas in the west coast also known as “Gaeltacht” or Irish speaking area. Most traffic sign is bilingual English and Gaelic, though if you travel north, you can only find Gaelic sign that makes you wonder the meaning of it. I found the Gaelic is interesting and not miss any single traffic sign to try to pronounce it and find I only made mistakes of pronouncing them. Ath Cliath is Gaelic version for Dublin.

Guinness

by Leipzig

Guinness is a dry stout from Dublin. It is one of the most known and successful beer brands in the world. The beer should have a thick creamy crown and a very dark colour. It is extremely popular in Ireland and can be purchased in every bar and liquor shop. Guinness is usually served in a pint (~0,5 litre) in pubs. Do not drink more then one glass when you want to drive afterwards! Alcohol limit is 0,8 per mille in Ireland - including Northern Ireland.

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Innocence by Patrick Kavanagh

by FionaKate

Innocence by Patrick KavanaghThey laughed at one I loved-The triangular hill that hungUnder the Big Forth. They said That I was bounded by the whitethorn hedgesOf the little farm and did not know the world.But I knew that love's doorway to lifeIs the same doorway everywhere.Ashamed of what I lovedI flung her from me and called her a ditchAlthough she was smiling at me with violets.But now I am back in her briary armsThe dew of an Indian Summer liesOn bleached potato-stalks What age am I?I do not know what age I am,I am no mortal age;I know nothing of women, Nothing of cities,I cannot die Unless I walk outside these whitethorn hedges.

Innocence by Patrick Kavanagh

by FionaKate

Innocence by Patrick KavanaghThey laughed at one I loved-The triangular hill that hungUnder the Big Forth. They said That I was bounded by the whitethorn hedgesOf the little farm and did not know the world.But I knew that love's doorway to lifeIs the same doorway everywhere.Ashamed of what I lovedI flung her from me and called her a ditchAlthough she was smiling at me with violets.But now I am back in her briary armsThe dew of an Indian Summer liesOn bleached potato-stalks What age am I?I do not know what age I am,I am no mortal age;I know nothing of women, Nothing of cities,I cannot die Unless I walk outside these whitethorn hedges.

Hurling

by magor65

Hurling is an ancient Gaelic sport, especially popular in Ireland. It is said to be one of Europe's oldest games.Hurling is played with wooden axe-shaped sticks (hurleys) and a small ball. The ball can be caught in the hand and held for three steps, struck in the air or struck on the ground. The purpose of the game is to hit the ball into a net or between the opponent's goalpoast. Hurling is a team sport, each team consisting of 15 players.But of course apart from organised events, hurling is played just for fun. All you need is some space, at least one partner and the equipment ( a ball and sticks). I watched a nice match played on the beach in Malahide. The players were my friend and his son, who has been living in Ireland for a couple of years. (BTH, the Polish community in Ireland is quite big.) Needless to say, the winner was the son.

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Media, phone & post

by tpk2

The main national newspapers in Ireland are the Irish Times, the Irish Independent and the Examiner. The national radio station is RTE (88.2 – 90.0) and the television stations RTE1, Network 2, TV3 and TG4.For telephone enquiries dial 1190, for Britain 1197 and other countries 1198.Post offices are open 9-17.30 Mo-Fri and 9-13 Sat.The emergency telephone number is 999.

Pubs

by magor65

It's obvious that when you go to Ireland you must visit pubs. So we did and enjoyed it really much. My first encounter with Guinness was not very encouraging - I simply didn't like it. But my friends' son told us in Dublin at the very beginning of our trip: "Wait till you go to a traditional pub with live music somewhere in the west and you'll see that Guinness tastes great". He was right - with time I got to like Guiness quite much, although I would probably place Murphy's on the first position.But beer is only a kind of extra attraction to pubs; their essence is the unique atmosphere, especially on days when live music is played. At first I thought it was impossible that so many people could get inside: with all seats taken and several times as many people standing, new guests were still coming in and nobody seemed to mind it. When I looked around I was surprised that both elderly...

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No Smoking

by tini58de

In Ireland the EU law that forbids smoking in all the places that employ people is enforced vigerously. That means that there is no smoking in any public building including restaurants and bars. That is absolutely wonderful!!!You will notice little crowds outside, though, but that is perfectly okay!

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Top 3 Hotels in Ireland

Westbury Hotel  Dublin

 4 Reviews and 722 Opinions  If location is a must and you have the extra to spend, Westbury's is certainly a place to go. Just... 

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Fitzgerald's Vienna Woods Hotel  Cork

 1 Review and 172 Opinions

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Park House  Galway

 2 Reviews and 657 Opinions  I selected the Park House Hotel because it is very convenient to both the bus and train stations in... 

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Questions and Answers

Skeena63 profile photo

Q:  Well we finally purchased our plane tickets everyone!! My daughter and I will be visiting Ireland in October of this year. We are... 

leics profile photo

A: I'm sure you'll have a super trip! You will take the 'bus' rather than the 'coach'. Getting around Ireland by bus is easy, although some journeys may take quite a... 

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