Health and Safety in Ireland
What to do in an Emergency
If you are ill all hotels and guesthouses will be very helpful and will contact a local doctor for you. Many areas operate a very efficient emergency out of hours system which means you will be able to sepak with a nurse almost immediately and see a doctor very quickly and with little fuss.
Paying for Medical Care
If you are resident in the EU you should acquire a E111 form before travelling to Ireland, which will entitle you to all the health benefits of an Irish Citizen. However you will probably have to pay for consultations with a doctor at the time.
Travelling with an E111 form will get you emergency medical care but will not cover any follow up medical treatment or repatriation, nor will it provide cover against non-emergency medical treatment. You DO still need insurance that includes good medical cover.
If you come from outside the EU you will have to pay for a consultation at the time and reclaim the cost from your travel insurance. Be sure to retain all documentation.
Dental Emergencies
It can be both difficult to see a dentist at weekends, so if you feeling an impending tooth ache try to take care of it on a week day! There is no similar out of hours system to that operated by doctors, so if you do have an emergency at weekends or at night you will be at the mercy of the local knowledge of those at your accommodation.
Dentists in Ireland are very expensive, among the most expensive in Europe. If you are anywhere near Northern Ireland when pain strikes, get over the border as fast as you can, you will at least halve the cost of your dental care.
Buying Drugs
Drugstores are called 'Chemists' or 'Pharmacies' and are found even in quite small villages. They keep normal business hours though larger cities will have some late night chemists.
In each area there will be a designated chemist open for a few hours on Sunday, information about which one is open will be displayed in the window of all chemists in the area.
Water
Tap water is safe to drink everywhere. The water supply in Ireland is flouridated, which some people do not like. Many parts of the country have very hard limey water, which again is not to the taste of all. Bottled water is available everywhere if you prefer it.
Look out for Lidl and Aldi supermarkets, there is one in practically every large town, who sell very palatable bottled water at a fraction of the price you will pay elsewhere.
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