Visiting Oranmore General info
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This section provides some general information about Oranmore, the West of Ireland and the Island of Ireland in general such as climate information, visa & passport requirements, etc.
Climate Influenced by the Gulf Stream, Ireland has a mild climate with summer temperatures generally ranging from 14 to 16 degrees Celsius (60-70 Fahrenheit). The temperatures in Spring and Autumn are generally around 10 degrees Celsius (50 degree Fahrenheit) and in Winter between 4 and 7 degrees Celsius (30-40 degrees Fahrenheit). Useful Links: Ireland is acquitely aware of the need to conserve and protect our environment and with this in mind the Government and other National Bodies have introduced a variety of ‘Green’ schemes and initiatives, such as Green Schools, Mandatory Re-cycling for Domestic Homes and 15cent levy on all plastic bags. Useful links: The unit of currency in Ireland is the Euro and each Euro has 100 cent. In Oranmore and Galway in general, banks open from Monday to Friday between the hours of 10.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. Each bank has one later opening day per week. In Oranmore there are two Banks as follows: AIB, Dublin Road, Oranmore, Co. Galway. Tel: +353 91 794398 Bank of Ireland, Main Street, Oranmore, Co. Galway. Tel: +353 91 794529 There is also a local credit union, St Columbus Credit Union, Main Street, Oranmore 091 794477. There are ATM machines available at the Bank of Ireland, Centra, Mor Oil, Main Street, OranTown Shopping Centre and inside the Supervalue Supermarket in the OranTown Centre. ATM’s are also widely available in Galway city and main Credit Cards are accepted. The Tourist Information Office in Galway city has Bureau de Change facilities, as do all banks. Many public places, including visitor attractions, are now accessible to wheelchair users, and an increasing number of hotels and restaurants are fully equipped to accommodate their disabled guests. Useful links At present, there are 104 embassies accredited to Ireland and 47 embassies are resident in Ireland. In addition, 40 countries are represented by honorary consulates in various parts of Ireland. Those for Galway are as follows: Spanish German Norwegian Five countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK) maintain permanent cultural institutes in Dublin. Useful Links: If you are thinking of moving to Ireland permanently please take note of the legal requirements of citezinship and work permits, the websites below should provide you with all the information you need. The same position applies for nationals from the other countries of the European Economic Area (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) and Switzerland. A Useful links: In Ireland, the general Emergency Telephone number is 999 or 112 - no coins required in telephone coin boxes. These numbers will alert the appropriate service - Fire, Gardai (police), Lifeboat (38 Lifeboat Stations in all Ireland), Coastal, Mountain and Cave Rescue Services. The 24-hour helpline number for Tourism Victim Support is Freephone - 1800-661-771 Ireland is a nuetral country and Irish neutrality has been a policy of the Republic of Ireland since independence from the United Kingdom in 1922. The Republic's armed forces are organised under the Irish Defence Forces and the army is relatively small (compared to other armies in the region), but well equipped, with 8,500 full-time military personnel (13,000 in the reserve army). This is principally due to Ireland's designation as a neutral coutnry however due to the "triple-lock" rules governing participation in conflicts, deployments are on United Nations peace-keeping duties and protection of the Republic's territorial waters (in the case of the Irish Navel Service). There is also an Irish Air Corps and Reserve Defence Forces (Irish Army Reserve and Navel Service Reserve) under the Defence Forces. Over 40,000 servicemen have served in UN peacekeeping missions around the world. Useful Links: Language Though Irish is the first official language of the State, English is spoken everywhere in the Region. Irish is spoken in 'Gaeltacht' areas and in some isolated rural areas. The largest ‘Gaeltacht’ region in Ireland is the Connemara Gaeltacht which is easily accessible from Oranmore. The Irish language is also taught in all primary and secondary schools in Ireland and in a number of third level education colleges. In Oranmore there is also a Gael Scoil where children in primary education learn all subjects through the Irish Language. Useful links: To ring an Irish telephone number from outside Ireland, first dial 00353, then drop the 0 at the beginning of the Irish telephone dialing code. For example, to call the Oranmore Tourist Information Office from abroad, dial 00-353-91-790811. Dialing codes are not necessary when you are making a call within the same dialing code number area when using landline telephones however if you are using a mobile phone you must include the area code. Examples of Dialing Codes from Ireland – Australia: 0061 Enquiries Directory Enquiries for the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland – 11811 Useful links: Radio Telefis Eireann (RTE) is the Irish National Broadcasting Company and they operate Radio 1, 2FM, FM3, Radio na Gaeltachta (Irish Language Service) and Lyric FM (classical music). See the weekly RTE Guide for details of RTE TV and Radio programmes, and programmes provided by other service providers. Other channels such as the BBC suite of channels or American News channels are available from service providers across the country via satellite or cable. Local radio has been licensed extensively in Ireland, i.e. Galway Bay FM (founded by a local Oranmore resident) and Ballyhaunis Radio. Useful links: Broadband internet access is widely available in Oranmore with many accommodation providers allowing ‘wifi’ internet access (free wireless). To support the rollout of broadband across the country in early 2004, the Government approved a national Group Broadband Scheme (GBS) with the objective to promote the rollout of broadband access through the establishment of sustainable broadband services in towns, villages, rural hinterlands and underserved areas of larger towns on the basis of local/regional authority coordination and community driven initiatives. Useful sites: Value Added Tax (VAT) is generally included in the price of goods and services in Ireland. Visitors to Ireland from outside the European Union can obtain a refund of VAT for goods purchased however this refund does not apply to services such as accommodation or taxis. Useful links: It is customary to add a gratuity of approximate 10% to the bill in respect of Restaurants and Taxis. In some restaurants, a Service Charge is already included in the bill, as presented to the customer. All of Ireland is geographically located in the Time Zone GMT or Greenwich Mean Time and also follow the Summer Time practice where clocks are advanced by one hour in relation to the official time observed during the rest of the year. The period extends from the last Sunday in March (clocks go forward1 hour) to the last Sunday in October (clocks go back 1 hour) each year. Ireland is an island, you are never more than 150 miles from the sea. The Republic of Ireland (gained independence in 1919 from the UK) consists of 26 of the 32 counties of Ireland and Northern Ireland (governed by the UK) consists of the remaining 6 counties. The coastal town of Oranmore is in County Galway (8 kilometres from Galway City Centre), one of the five counties that make up the region of Connacht on the west coast of Ireland. Useful links: An Post is a major commercial organisation providing a wide range of services which encompass postal, communication, retail and money transmission services. There is a Post office in the centre of Oranmore town which is open from Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm and Saturday morning. In addition there are a number of convenience stores which sell postal stamps and there is a post box in the centre of the village and in the grounds of the OranTown Centre. Useful Links: On the 29th of March 2004 the Minister of Health and Children introduced legislation that resulted in most enclosed places of work in Ireland becoming smoke-free. There are few exceptions to this smoke-free legislations such as smoking is premitted in designated Smoking Accommodation Bedrooms where staff do not need to work in these area’s while the occupant is smoking, Irish prisons are also the exception to the rule. The legislation in detail and details of exceptions to the smoke-free rule are outlined in the Smoke Free at Work website. Useful links: Irish Passport Office is located in Dublin and enquiries can be made by calling +353 1 6711633 or Low cost call 1890 426 888. If you are a EEU/EU visitor then you do not require a Visa to visit Ireland. Citezins of other countries may or may not need a Visa so before you make your travel arrangements please make the necessary enquiries. Useful Links: There are 9 Public holidays in any given Irish Calendar year and some businesses may be closed during these holidays or open for reduced hours. - New Year's Day (1 January)- St. Patrick's Day (17 March) - Easter Monday - First Monday in May, June, August - Last Monday in October - Christmas Day (25 December) - St. Stephen's Day (26 December) An additional day of note is Good Friday, although it is not a Public holiday it is illegal to sell alcohol in Ireland on this day as well as Christmas day, therefore all Pubs and Off-licences will be closed for business. It is however possible for travellers only to purchase alcohol in their hotel, on trains or at the airports. The importation of pets into Ireland has always been strictly controlled to ensure that diseases such as rabies are not introduced. A new harmonised EU system of "Passports for Pets"allows cats, dogs and ferrets to travel between EU Member States. This EU Pet Passport certifies that the pet has been identified by means of a microchip and vaccinated against rabies. For travel to Ireland the pet needs a blood test (called an “ antibody titration”) to certify that the rabies vaccination has worked. The pet also needs to be treated for tick and tapeworm between 24 and 48 hours before travel to Ireland. This new system came into effect in Ireland in 2004. Further information in relation to pets (other than cats or dogs is available from the Department of Agriculture and Food, Live Trade Section, Animal Health and Welfare Division, Agriculture House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Tel: (01) 607 2862 or Fax: (01) 661 9031. Useful links: In Oranmore as in the rest of the Republic of Ireland Roman Catholisism is the primary Christian religion. The second largest Christian denomination is Church of Ireland (Anglicanism), however with the growing number of immigrants to Ireland, people of many different religions, denominations and beliefs happily co-exist. In Galway the nearest place of worship can be obtained from the list below: Baptist Buddhism Church of Ireland Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints New Life Centre, Monivea Road, Ballybrit, Galway. 091 752989 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Galway Islamic Society Jehovah’s Witnesses Roman Catholic
Seventh Day Aventist Church United Presbyterian/Methodist Church The electrical supply throughout the Region and in Ireland is 230 volts (50 cycles). Plugs are 3-pin flat. Adapters are, therefore, required for 2-pin appliances. En-suite bathroom shaving points normally have 110 and 240 volt outlets for using shavers. Shops and businesses are generally open from 09.00 to 18.00, Monday to Saturday, with an increasing number of retail outlets now also open for shorter hours on Sundays. Most large retail stores have a late-night shopping evening or two during the week, generally on a Thursday and Friday evening. In Oranmore Grocery and Convenience Stores are open daily until 10pm and a number of Grocery Stores in Galway city open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week as do a number of Petrol/Convenience Stores. |
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