Making calls in Ireland
All you need to know about using phones while you’re in Ireland. Don’t worry — your mobile phone will still function here!
Cell phones
Most of us don’t go anywhere without our mobile phones, so you’re going to want to bring your digital best friend with you to Ireland. Your cellphone should switch to a local network while you’re here or you may manually pick the network you wish to use.
Almost all EU mobile phone networks will provide a partner service in Ireland and you won’t be charged roaming costs for calls, SMS messages or data use.
If you’re going from outside the European Union, you should contact your existing phone operator to find out more.
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3 excellent tips
1. Don’t forget your phone charger and an adaptor.
2. Connect to the WiFi when you can to economize on data expenses.
3. Check with your cell provider regarding programs for travellers or prepaid plans.
Pay phones
Pre-paid phone cards are available both in the Republic and Northern Ireland and are simple and straightforward to use. Cards may be acquired at newsagents and certain post offices. Coin and credit card driven pay phones are accessible in various locales, but are mainly restricted to metropolitan regions and bigger cities.
Telephone codes
If contacting Northern Ireland from overseas, all telephone numbers must be prefixed with 0044 (remove the initial 0 of the local code.
With example, for the local number 028 123 4567, a visitor would need to dial 00 44 28 123 4567 on a foreign phone). If contacting Northern Ireland from the Republic of Ireland, replace the prefix code 028 with the code 048.
If contacting the Republic of Ireland from overseas all numbers must be prefixed with 00 353 (remove the initial 0 of the local code. For example, the local number 01 344 1111 would need to be dialled as 00 353 1 344 1111 from a foreign phone).
Calling from Ireland works very much the same as in any other country. Almost all international nations can be direct-dialled. However, international calls might be pricey.
Irish phone numbers are formed of 10 digits, and are commonly displayed in this format: (0xx) xxx xxxx. The numbers correlate to the area code, as follows:
01 – Dublin area – also extends to some regions of Wicklow, Meath and Kildare
021-029 – Most of County Cork; Cork City, Bantry, Bandon, Fermoy, etc.
0402 – Arklow
0404 – Wicklow
041-047, 049 — North East Midlands and portions of Wicklow
048 – Northern Ireland land line access (may also be dialled as an international call to the UK using 004428) (may also be dialled as an international call to the UK using 004428)
051-059 – Midlands and South East
060 – Currently unused
061-069 — South West and Mid West Area
071, 074 – North West Area
0800 – Free calls
090-099 – Midlands and Western Area
Mobile prefixes commonly start with 08 (e.g. 0822 for Vodafone or 086 for O2) (e.g. 0822 for Vodafone or 086 for O2).
International Calls
To call overseas from Irish phones, it is required to use the ’00’ prefix, followed by the country code. You should then erase the initial 0 of the local phone number.
The country code for Ireland is 353. To call Irish numbers from overseas, you should dial the area code without the first zero after the country code (so for example 00 353 402 xxx xxx. if you are phoning someone who lives in Arklow) (so for example 00 353 402 xxx xxx. if you are calling someone who lives in Arklow).
International calls from Ireland may be highly pricey. For this reason, you may wish to examine alternate international calling options such as international calling cards or Voice over IP (VoIP) calls.
Northern Ireland
Calls to Northern Ireland may be made as international calls, using the format 00428, however this is quite costly.
Instead, Northern Ireland may be accessed by using the 048 prefix. If you utilize this prefix, you are only charged the cost of a national call. This operates exclusively for Northern Ireland, while the rest of the UK stays set at the international call rate.
Important numbers
Important numbers that should be known include the following:
112 is the European number for emergencies. Dialling the old number 999 also works.
Premium-rate services and “lo-cost” calls
The fixed prefix for premium-rate services in Ireland is 15, and comprises a variety of services.
The whole range of premium-rate numbers is: 151x, 1530, 1540, 1550, 1559, 1560, 1570, 1580. 1559 is designated for adult calls and secured by a PIN.
Premium-rates are determined by the different authorities, although all services are supervised by the government.
The national prefix for free calls is 1800. The prefix for shared expenses (Lo-cost) is 1850.
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