Many tourists that flock to Ireland can attest to the Irish people's easygoing and friendly disposition.
They are eager to connect with friends and open to chatting with strangers.
Conversations with the Irish is dosed with a lot of good humor and modesty wherein the speakers are careful to play down their achievements.
Now, if you are interested in interacting with a local firsthand, your best bet is to hang out at the local pub.
In a pub, if you sit at a booth, they will assume that you want the service but generally wish to be left alone.
If you sit at the bar, you open yourself up to socializing with other people.
Feel free to engage the person seated next to you in a conversation.
Meals in Ireland are filling and served in substantial portions.
Dinner, which is usually eaten in the evening, is the main meal of the day.
Dressing down is fine as even in cities, there is less formal wear in comparison with other European countries.
Modes of address are often informal, and handshaking is normal.
For the smokers, please note that smoking is banned in all enclosed public spaces such as bars, restaurants and pubs.
When going around to visit attractions, mostly anywhere you see an Irish flag flying is a good indicator that it is probably state-owned and open to the public.
Entrance to these locations may even be free of charge.
Aer Lingus is the national air carrier of Ireland.
The main airports are the Dublin Airport which is 6 miles north of the city, the Shannon Airport 15 miles north of Limerick City, Cork Airport which is 5 miles southwest of the city, and Knock Airport which is 7 miles north of County Mayo.
All airports have duty-free shops, car hire, bars and restaurants.
The Dublin and Shannon airports have banks and money changers, as well.
Buses are available at all airports to go to the city center.
It is also possible to get to Ireland by ferry from England, Scotland, Wales and France.
Once in Ireland, you can get around by air, water, bus or rail.
There are domestic airports at Kerry, Carrickfinn and Gallway.
There are ferry services that travel to the west coast islands.
Iarnrod Eireann is the Irish Rail service, and you can avail of two classes of accommodation on the express trains that run between the main cities.
There are rail passes with certain number of days of travel allowed in a month and also a pass with a combination of rail and bus tickets for unlimited travel within Ireland.
Taxis are available as are coach tours.