Questions? Here are some basic answers that you may be looking for:

-Q: What are passport/visa requirements for entering Ireland? What about other European Union (EU) countries if we want to extend our trip?
-A: Anyone flying international to/from Ireland will need a valid passport to enter the country and you are able to stay in Ireland for 90 days without a visa. Visit the US passport website at http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html for more accurate information; it can take months to get/renew a US passport so please plan accordingly. All other European countries will require a valid passport just like Ireland and you won’t need a visa to visit any of them; please just check each country with http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1765.html#i to be sure though.

-Q: Where is the wedding church & reception in comparison with the airport and the city center?
-A: Dublin airport is about 6 miles (9 km) north of Dublin city center. St. Patrick’s of Glencullen church which is part of Sandyford Parish http://www.sandyfordparish.org/ is south of Dublin city center by 9 miles (15 km) in the Dublin mountains. The wedding reception is at Avon Ri Resort http://www.avonri.com/ which is just a bit south of town called Blessington south of Dublin city center by about 18 miles (28 km).

-Q: What is the planned itinerary for the wedding, reception, etc.?
-A: We are planning on a small private dress rehearsal at the church Monday afternoon, followed by a barbecue outside at Avon Ri resort for all of our guests Monday evening. The wedding will be in the afternoon on Tuesday at the church in Glencullen, a little longer than a one hour drive from the resort. The reception will be back at the resort Tuesday night and then we are planning on a brunch Wednesday morning at the resort.

-Q: What hotel/B&B accommodations are available near the reception or in Dublin?
-A: Unfortunately, accommodation prices in Dublin aren’t very cheap, especially in the tourist season in the summer where availability can be tight. Fortunately though, the wedding reception is being held at Avon Ri Resort http://www.avonri.com/ which has 39 townhouse holiday homes with 3 double bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms onsite and therefore can be rented out in theory by six people. We would strongly recommend that our guests rent these out and stay right at the resort (that is where we will be staying) as this would be the most convenient place to stay for the wedding & reception. If you have two people in your party than we would recommend sharing with another couple or family to fill up the house-we can help out getting people in contact with each other if needed to share the houses. There are also options at hotels in Dublin ranging from the basic like Comfort Inn http://www.choicehotels.ie/hotels/choice/hotel?hotel=IE067 to the modern-chic like The Dylan Hotel http://www.dylan.ie/. There are also many bed & breakfasts (B&B) in Dublin and the Blessington area which are a bit more cozy than hotels and may sometimes be cheaper.

-Q: How do you recommend that people plan their trip for this wedding? What sort of things do you recommend doing/experiencing in Ireland?
-A: One of the reasons that we chose to get married on a Tuesday was that it allowed people to travel on the weekend to Ireland and then attend the wedding and either travel additionally taking a longer vacation or return home without missing another weekend. Since we are hosting a barbecue (a sort of 'get-to-know-each-other' mixer) on Monday night which everyone is invited too, it would be best if people arrive in Ireland either Monday morning or on the weekend before.  We recommend that people reserve a house at Avon Ri resort, where the reception is going to be held. We would recommend that people stay there at least Monday and Tuesday night so that they are close to the wedding and reception for convenience.

-Q: What is there to do in the town of Blessington, where the reception and Avon Ri resort is located?
-A: The Avon Ri resort is a former adventure resort based on the Blessington Lake and caters to sailing, kayaking, tennis, etc. so there are plenty of those sorts of activities available. The Dublin & Wicklow mountains are nearby and are great for a drive and stopping for hiking too. There are some nice local pubs on and around the lakes and in the mountains which would be a good place to stop & have a pint (just as long as your designated driver doesn’t have too much!) There are some golf courses around too if you are interested in a golfing vacation-some very expensive courses as well as some more affordable ones too. There are a couple of supermarkets in town to help you stock your kitchens too. If you have some free time, you can visit Russborough house nearby, an 18th century Palladian villa.

-Q: Is there a bus or train or taxi service to the wedding & reception from the city center?
-A: There is a Dublin City bus #81 which brings you from the city center to within a half mile of the Avon Ri reception, but there is no easy way to get from the wedding to the reception other than a rental car. Taxis are available in this area, but as it is outside of the city center they are difficult to get. No train service is available in this area.

-Q: What about rental cars? Will it be difficult to get used to driving with the wheel on the other side of the car and driving on the other side of the road? What other tips do you have on renting cars?
-A: We don’t have a car ourselves as we live in the city center and don’t really need one too much; but we will be renting one for the wedding and planning of the wedding. We strongly recommend that you rent a car since there isn’t great public transportation from the airport to the city center to the wedding & reception. We would recommend renting a car right from the airport; remember that most cars are a bit smaller here than their American counterparts although you can rent SUVs and minivans if needed. Sharing a rental car is probably the best way to go if you are traveling single. It can be a bit confusing to have the wheel & the car on the other side. It’s relatively easy when you are driving on highways because everyone else is doing it and you just follow along. It can be a bit confusing when you are in the city center driving around small streets and sometimes mess up; it helps if you have a good co-pilot with you in the car to read maps and look out for road signs to make things easier. The good thing is that there are stickers all over the car to remind you to stay on the left hand side of the road. You may want to make sure that you rent a car with an automatic transmission just to make things a bit easier on you; most rental cars are standard with manual transmissions. Current price of gas for April 2008 is about $6.50/gallon but most cars here get better mileage than American cars.

-Q: Will it be easy to get around the roads and streets?
-A: On the website, we will provide some maps from the airport to the city center, from the airport to Avon Ri, from city center to Avon Ri, and from Avon Ri to the church and back along with some links for additional information. Signage in Ireland does leave a bit to be desired, but as long as you have a good navigator it should just be a fun adventure rather than something to worry about.

-Q: What currency does Ireland use? Can I use US $ or Danish Kroner? What is the current exchange rate? Should I convert some money before leaving and what should I do about cash when I arrive in Ireland?
-A: They use the Euro (€) here in Ireland-the Irish punt was phased out more than a few years ago. You can have US or Danish currency converted at the airport or some places in city center, but we wouldn’t recommend doing that too often as you usually don’t get the best conversion rates. The current conversion rate is about 1 US$ = €0.64 and 1 DKK = €0.13 but you should check current conversion rates at http://www.oanda.com/convert/classic . It might be a good idea to see if your local bank can convert some money into Euros for you to start out with when you come here as petty cash. Credit cards, debit cards, and ATM cards are widely accepted here and that is the way that we would recommend most of you to go regarding currency; you may get charged a small fee per transaction, but usually you get the best conversion rates this way.

-Q: Will my mobile phone work in Ireland?
-A: If you have a tri-band mobile phone with international service (check with your local service provider) than you should be able to get service here, but it will be expensive to make/receive calls so I would keep them to a minimum. If you don’t have a tri-band mobile phone you may be able to buy a cheap one here.

-Q: Can you organize some leprechauns for us to see?
-A: We’ve been looking really hard these past couple of years for leprechauns but we haven’t managed to find any-if we do see some we’ll let you know where they are if you want to visit them. That being said, there is no shortage of short Irish people here, except for our priest Fr. Sean.

-Q: Can you recommend some good guidebooks for Ireland?
-A: The good thing is that Ireland is a pretty common tourist destination so there is plenty of information available out there. Some guidebooks which should be available at a local bookstore or online include Lonely Planet, Fodor's, Frommers, and Rick Steves and some of them each also have websites which may help you with your trip. There are also websites like http://www.tripadvisor.com and http://www.goireland.com which may be of some assistance.

-Q: Is Ireland a dangerous place as far as crime goes?
-A: In general crime is pretty low here. There is some petty crime in the tourist city center areas, but we’ve never encountered anything like that. Keep an eye on your personal items and be sensible regarding pickpockets and you shouldn’t have any problems. No need to worry about any bombings or attacks from the British-those only happen in December (just kidding!)

-Q: Is there internet service readily available?
-A: There are plenty of internet cafes in Dublin city center and wifi use is increasing here in Ireland. Most hotels will also have internet service available. We’ll check on internet service availability at Avon Ri resort.

-Q: What do you expect the weather to be like in early August in Ireland?
-A: August should be in theory one of the warmer/sunnier months of the year. That being said, rain can always be expected here so be prepared and bring a decent rain jacket & umbrella. Sunglasses may be needed, or they may never leave your suitcase. You can check the weather here in Ireland at http://www.met.ie/

-Q: If I don’t like Guinness or whiskey or Irish coffee, will I still be able to enjoy the pub?
-A: No. There are no other drinks in Ireland except for Guinness or whiskey or Irish coffee-please bring your own vodka or rum or whatever is your chosen drink. Just kidding, although I’m sure that Ireland isn’t probably the best place to get a decent margarita, most drinks (alcoholic & non-alcoholic) are available here; but the Guinness is pretty damn good so it’s at least worth a try.

-Q: Will I have trouble with any electrical items that I bring along regarding voltage and plugs?

-A: Ireland uses 220-240 volts in their standard electrical supply which is the same as the rest of Europe in comparison with the 110 volts system used in USA. Ireland uses the same three prong electrical plug as England but it is a different plug than the rest of Europe. If you are bringing a small electrical item like a shaver you will most likely need a converter that is also a plug adaptor-please check the back of your item before bringing it along. If you are bringing a larger electrical item like a laptop, then they usually have an electrical converter built into the charger (check the back of the item though first before plugging it in though) and you will only need a plug adaptor. You should be able to buy these converter/adaptors from a bookstore or Target or something similar for less than $25.

-Q: Is it true that you can’t get ranch dressing in Ireland as readily available as it is in USA?

-A: Yes that is true, but not bad for me since I don’t really like ranch dressing. You will also find that you don’t get free refills of Coke, marinara sauce isn’t readily available, there are no Taco Bells (although there are plenty of McDonalds & Burger Kings), the Pepsi may taste different and the tortilla chips don’t taste the same among other things that may be different from home. But then again, if those sorts of things stopped you from ever leaving home, then there would be no need to travel to experience different things.

-Q: Will this be a semi-formal, formal, or casual wedding? What type of clothes should I bring?
-A: Bring your swim suit first of all since there is a pool & jacuzzi at the Avon Ri resort and it is located right on the Blessington Lake. The wedding itself will be semi-formal as far as dress goes.

-Q: Are there vegetarian options in Ireland for those with diet restrictions?
-A: Salmon, cod, and shrimp/prawn along with other seafood are common here in restaurants along with other vegetarian options, although Ireland probably isn’t a vegetarian’s paradise. Some version of potatoes are usually served with every meal so it’s great for spud-lovers!

If you have additional questions then send them to us and we’ll try to answer them as best as we can and post the question & answer up on the website if it is relevant for others to know too.

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Luise = luise@moulinsart.dk and Jake = jspruit3@hotmail.com