Dublin
INTERNAL AFFAIRS
POPULATION
Ireland: 5.5 million
Dublin: 1 million
TIME
GMT; summertime, plus one hour
TELEPHONE
IDD country code 353
Dublin 01
Galway 091
Cork 021
For international calls from Ireland, dial 00 followed by the country code and then the required number
USEFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS
Directory enquiries
Ireland and N Ireland 1190
Britain 1191
Operator services
Ireland and Britain 10
Int, except Britain 114
Emergency services
999
WEATHER
May and June are the sunniest months in Ireland and December if the most overcast. However it does tend to rain in Ireland; even in the drier parts and Dublin being one of the driest still gets rain on 150 days in a typical year and it often rains for weeks on end. Bring an umbrella!!
COMMERCIAL HOURS
Banks 10am to 12.30 and13.30 to 15.00, Monday to Friday ATM facilities are widely available in the centre.
Shops 9.00 to 18.00 Monday, Tuesday, Saturday; 9am to 20.00 Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.
NATIONAL HOLIDAY 1995
1 January, 17 March (St Patrick's Day), 14-17 April, 5 June, 7 August, 30 October, 25 December, 26 December
BEST GUIDES & MAPS
In Dublin (entertainment guide) sold in most newsagents - but be sure to buy one from Pete Shortt, the lofty, bearded gentleman who uses his bicycle as a newsstand by the window of Bewleys Café on Grafton Street. Edibilia (Eating guide) is available in all Easons outlets. The Green Guide to Ireland is an up-to-date guide to entertainment, accommodation and restaurants nationwide, and the Inside Pocket Guide to Ireland (£4.50 approx) is a handy guide to what's happening all over Ireland. Both are available at most newsagents. Map of Greater Dublin is published by the Ordinance Survey office, while the Michelin road map - current edition number 405 is a good bet. Both are for sale at Easons on O'Connell Street or from newsagents
TOURIST INFORMATION
Tourist board
Bord Failte Eireann, Baggot Street Bridge, Dublin 2 Tel (01) 6765871/6616500 or (01) 747733 for up-to-date information.
ELECTRIC CURRENT
220 volts
TRADING PLACES
Number of cinema screens in Ireland (1994/5): 215
Annual admissions: £9.5 million
VCR penetration (1994/5): 678,500 (62.8%)
TV penetration (1994): 1.8m
TV NETWORKS
Radio Telefis Eireen (RTE)
Donnybrook, Dublin 4 Ireland. Tel: (01) 643111
Independent Radio and TV Comm
Marine House, Clanwilliam Ct.2 Tel: (01) 6760996
INDUSTRY EVENTS
Dublin Film Festival
9-18 March
Cork Film Festival
early October
Galway Film Festival
July
Emergency
Ambulance/Police/Fire 999
Couriers
DHL (London) 0181 818 9000
The x-files tipping
10% is standard.