international cell phone

If you want to get one before you leave, CALL IN EUROPE provides an excellent plan. http://www.callineurope.com/ I panicked when it didn't come right away but then found out that they wait until a week before so that you are not charged for extra days. Some cell phones in the USA are ready for a SIM card and some are not. Hopefully, someone who knows more than me will respond.

The Dublin Airport site says they rent phones there, but you can buy a relatively inexpensive phone at shops such as Carphone Warehouse. Dublin apparently has lots of these stores (over 20?).

There are lots of threads on phones. You might want to do a search. I have a Mobal International phone. I got the budget model for $29 which includes the SIM. The downside is the nominal $1.25 to $1.50 it costs to make a call. Inside the UK incoming calls are free but in other countries you aren't so lucky. This seemed to be the best choice for me since it's really only used to let B&Bs know we're running late. It would be available if there really was an emergency. For calls to the US, skype works pretty well.

Thank you everyone. I have some research work to do.