Customs and daily life

Daily life

• Languages: English and Irish are the two official languages. Irish English (Hiberno-English) has its own turns of phrase. A few words of Irish are always appreciated: Dia dhuit (hello), Sláinte! (cheers!), le do thoil (please).
• Money: the euro in the Republic of Ireland. Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted, American Express only in some places; contactless payment goes up to €50. Banks generally open around 9:30 and close around 16:30 on weekdays (17:00 on Thursdays) (Tourism Ireland).
• Emergencies: 112 or 999 (fire brigade, ambulance, police). Give the exact address with the Eircode (Irish postcode specific to each property) and keep your phone on after the call.
• On the road: drive on the left, seat belt compulsory in the front as well as the back, licence always with you. Speeds and distances in km/h. The barrier-free toll on the M50 around Dublin (eFlow) is paid before 20:00 the day after you pass, online, by the app or at a Payzone retailer.
• Equality: Irish law prohibits discrimination in hiring and in access to services, in particular on grounds of nationality or origin.
• Minimum wage: €14.94 per hour announced from 1 January 2027 (increase of 79 cent announced in Budget 2027); the 2026 rate is €14.15 per hour for an adult aged 20 and over (WRC); the 2027 figure of €14.94 is the recommendation of the Low Pay Commission.

Public holidays

• The 10 public holidays: 1 January; first Monday of February (or 1 February if it falls on a Friday); 17 March (St Patrick); Easter Monday; first Mondays of May, June and August; last Monday of October; 25 and 26 December (Christmas and the feast of St Stephen, St Stephen's Day).
• 2026 dates: 1 January, 2 February, 17 March, 6 April, 4 May, 1 June, 3 August, 26 October, 25 and 26 December.
• 2027 dates: 1 January, 1 February, 17 March, 29 March, 3 May, 7 June, 2 August, 25 October, 25 and 26 December.
• Good Friday is not a public holiday, even though some schools and businesses close.
• Employees: a public holiday entitles you to a paid day off, or an extra day of leave, or an extra day's pay, or a paid day within the month. For part-time work, you must have worked 40 hours in the previous 5 weeks. A holiday that falls on a weekend (26 December 2026 is a Saturday) does not automatically give the following Monday.

Common pitfalls

• Rental scams. The fake "landlord" supposedly abroad who asks for the deposit before any viewing, the one who makes several applicants pay, the fake keys: pay nothing before you have visited the home in person and agreed to its conditions, and avoid paying in cash. The deposit cannot exceed one month's rent (RTB), and you cannot be required to pay more than 2 months' rent in advance, deposit included, for a lease entered into since 9 August 2021 (Citizens Information). Always ask for a receipt.
• The fixed-term lease. If you leave before the end, you may lose your deposit: only sign if you are sure you are staying.
• Driving on the right out of reflex, especially when leaving a roundabout or a car park.
• Forgetting the M50 toll: no barrier, your passage is recorded by a photo of your plate; pay before 20:00 the next day.
• Crossing the border without thinking. In Northern Ireland (United Kingdom), you pay in pounds sterling, distances and speed limits are in miles and the emergency number is 999.
• What the official sources do not say. Tips, meal and shop hours, Sunday opening, pub hours: except for alcohol: in a pub, sales from 10:30 to 23:30 Monday to Thursday, until 0:30 on Fridays and Saturdays, from 12:30 to 23:00 on Sundays; in an off-licence or a supermarket, from 10:30 to 22:00 Monday to Saturday and from 12:30 to 22:00 on Sundays (Citizens Information, before the reform of the alcohol sales law). For the rest, no official page consulted sets opening hours or a tipping amount: these are customs.

What changes by country of origin

• EU and EEA citizens and Swiss citizens: the same customs for everyone; the law prohibits any discrimination based on nationality.
• British citizens (Scots included): the Common Travel Area allows you to live and work in Ireland without conditions. Watch your reflexes: euros and kilometres, and no British licence once settled (sheet IE-ADMINISTRATIONS-TOUS-001).
• Special regions: in the Gaeltacht (mainly along the west coast), Irish is the everyday language and signs are in Irish only.