Ireland Postcodes
Jul 14th, 2015, 09:09 AM
#1
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Ireland Postcodes
The new postcodes (Eircodes) for Ireland were introduced this week. We’re planning a trip to Ireland in October and were wondering when Google and other Sat Nav providers will be updated to allow users to search addresses using the codes. I sent an inquiry to Garmin and they said there was no time frame for the updates yet but they would add my name to a notification list when the updates are available. Has anyone heard from any other Sat Nav providers regarding updates with the postcodes?
Jul 14th, 2015, 11:51 AM
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When I lived in the Republic of Ireland in 1994 there were two post codes, Dublin 1 and Dublin, 2.
My address was:
Name
Corcullen
Galway
Eire
Can't answer your question but tomtom GPS, being Dutch, MIGHT update sooner. We think their Europe maps are better than Garmin.
My address was:
Name
Corcullen
Galway
Eire
Can't answer your question but tomtom GPS, being Dutch, MIGHT update sooner. We think their Europe maps are better than Garmin.
Jul 14th, 2015, 02:57 PM
#3
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Just of the N59 and no need for a post code because the postman knew your name.. Yes Ireland has Post codes just so that Irish water can send out the bills without having to know the colour of the front door.
I really wouldn't worry about post codes we have been finding our way around without post codes and sat nav's since before GPS existed. If you know the location without the code I am sure your little bit of technology will get you somewhere close enough for you to wind down your window and ask someone, most of us don't bite.
I really wouldn't worry about post codes we have been finding our way around without post codes and sat nav's since before GPS existed. If you know the location without the code I am sure your little bit of technology will get you somewhere close enough for you to wind down your window and ask someone, most of us don't bite.
Jul 14th, 2015, 09:07 PM
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I'd wait and see how Eircodes (which operate only in the Republic) pan out before using relying on them to navigate.
Apart from widespread reported inaccuracies among the first assignments (Shannon airport's been allocated a code for a different county, for example), the whole point is their extreme precision.
They're going to be unlike any others: with unique codes for every postal address, there'll likely be two options for the code you need to input into SatNav devices.
The first half ("A65") is so high level it's close to useless for navigation: it's certainly going to be no more useful than inputting, say, Blarney. The second half ("FHE2") is specific to individual flats, and is assigned randomly, so it's only any use if you have the correct one. A hotel might be FHE2: the shop next door can easily be ABC7. FHE3 might be 20 miles away.
With current error rates, it's likely to be some time before everyone has a useable full postcode.
But - crucial for many visitors to Ireland - many places you want to visit will never have a full postcode. Locations where an ancestor lived, for example, or natural beauty spots, won't be assigned a code unless there's a mail delivery spot at that specific place.
This is important: in Northern Ireland, all you need to know is that your ancestors lived in the area covered by BT36 9XY. Even if the house was long demolished, the SatNav takes you to the street or field the house was in. Similarly, Northern Ireland's UK postcodes let you navigate close to a walk start point, the field a music festival is going to be happening in or the site of a terrific view.
All impossible with Eircodes. The system, as Tony hints, has been developed mostly to make direct mailshots more accurate and improve route planning for utilities. Even once the teething problems are sorted, it's unlikely to offer visitors any real advantages over the traditional route-finding method Tony recommends until the Irish population develops a wide range of work-rounds.
There's simply no way the Cliffs of Moher - or St Patrick's church, Ballygonowhere - will have a generally accepted, accurate, full proxy postcode by October this year.
Apart from widespread reported inaccuracies among the first assignments (Shannon airport's been allocated a code for a different county, for example), the whole point is their extreme precision.
They're going to be unlike any others: with unique codes for every postal address, there'll likely be two options for the code you need to input into SatNav devices.
The first half ("A65") is so high level it's close to useless for navigation: it's certainly going to be no more useful than inputting, say, Blarney. The second half ("FHE2") is specific to individual flats, and is assigned randomly, so it's only any use if you have the correct one. A hotel might be FHE2: the shop next door can easily be ABC7. FHE3 might be 20 miles away.
With current error rates, it's likely to be some time before everyone has a useable full postcode.
But - crucial for many visitors to Ireland - many places you want to visit will never have a full postcode. Locations where an ancestor lived, for example, or natural beauty spots, won't be assigned a code unless there's a mail delivery spot at that specific place.
This is important: in Northern Ireland, all you need to know is that your ancestors lived in the area covered by BT36 9XY. Even if the house was long demolished, the SatNav takes you to the street or field the house was in. Similarly, Northern Ireland's UK postcodes let you navigate close to a walk start point, the field a music festival is going to be happening in or the site of a terrific view.
All impossible with Eircodes. The system, as Tony hints, has been developed mostly to make direct mailshots more accurate and improve route planning for utilities. Even once the teething problems are sorted, it's unlikely to offer visitors any real advantages over the traditional route-finding method Tony recommends until the Irish population develops a wide range of work-rounds.
There's simply no way the Cliffs of Moher - or St Patrick's church, Ballygonowhere - will have a generally accepted, accurate, full proxy postcode by October this year.
Jul 15th, 2015, 04:30 AM
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Thanks Flanner for your detailed note. Looks like I’ll be relying on Sat Nav coordinates to navigate Ireland instead. Fortunately, nearly every tourist site and lodging location that we are visiting provide coordinates on their web sites. For the few that don’t, I’ve figured out how to get the coordinates from Google maps.
