Cell Phone in Ireland - Buy or rent?

Buy a phone. Cell phones in Ireland can be pretty reasonable. There are a few major cell phone companies in Ireland. 1. Voda Phone 2. O2(pronouned "oh-2". There are shops for both of these companies in almost every town.. you will be surprised. Check their websites on-line. I was able to do so before my last trip to Ireland I decided to get a phone and was able to see Voda phones deals. This way when I went into their shop on Shop Street,Galway (city) I was able to get a phone which they activate and 20 euro bonus and all I paid was about 30 euros for the phone. I didn't even have to add any additional time as I didn't evene use up all of the 20 euro bonus time. FYI: Almost all carriers in Ireland & Europe are PAY AS YOU GO.

Finally, in small/rural areas if you do not get a signal just go to the top of the next hill & you will get a singal.

good luck & have fun!

Patrice, it would help to know whether you presently have a cell phone (mobile) in the U.S., and if so which network you're with? It may be possible to take your normal phone with you and "roam" with it in Ireland. If you could provide some further details, I may be able to offer more specific suggestions.

Cheers!

some like to buy one off ebay and resell it when they return.

I do have a cell phone here, but it is a Track Phone, pay as you go. I don't think it is usable in Ireland. I will check out the shops when I get to Dublin. Thanks for the suggestion.

Patrice, I'm not too familiar with Track Phone, but I suspect you're correct in that it won't work in Ireland.

You shouldn't have any trouble finding Cell phone shops, as they're plentiful in the U.K. and Ireland.

Good luck and happy travels!

I have a Tracfone, from what I was told, you can call Ireland from the US, but not use the phone in Ireland. Good luck.