Before I get flamed, I do NOT think that Ireland is in anyway a backward place where computers are hard to come by!! (Far from it) BUT, when I last travelled in the UK in '99, I had a very hard time finding a "public" computer for sending/checking email. I found one internet cafe in Scotland. A lot of the places, like libraries, where you could sign up to use the computers, did not allow email access.

What is it like now? We are not staying at any big hotels with those kind of guest services. We will be on the road for 5 weeks and want to keep in touch, from time to time, with the folks back home. What are the chances?

Alison

We have more than our fair share of Internet cafes now.

http://www.failteireland.ie/gullsear...section=dining

http://www.hoteljobs.ie/ireland.asp#intercafe

Most decent-sized towns have a least one internet cafe, and most village libraries do have public internet access (ours allows e-mail access). But library hours can seem pretty random. Ours doesn't open until 2 p.m. most days.

Any quick search for "cybercafes" (Yahoo, google, etc) will ead you to sites like http://www.netcafes.com or http://cybercaptive.com (seems like there was another one I used to like, but I am not running across it right now)...

The three I have cited list 36 and 33 places, respectively. I would print this list out and take it with you, though as others have said, this is probably only a fraction of your choices. Five years is an eternity in the public internet access business (it surprises me that anybody makes any money in it), and WiFi hot spots have changed the landscape - - in Ireland, too, no doubt.

I assume you are not interested in taking a laptop, with a WiFi card. I wonder what others more experienced in Ireland travel will think - - how close is the time when this is an easier way for a traveler to get online, as opposed to "land-line based" public internet access?

Have a great trip. I am jealous of your taking five consecutive weeks to travel.

Best wishes,

Rex

Rex - I reckon WiFi is the way forward. Bitbuzz - an Irish company - is leading the way in providing WiFi hotspots over here:
http://www.bitbuzz.com/locations.shtml

If you have a lightweight laptop or PDA with a WiFi card it would be the best way to access email on the move. Most hotels in Dublin and a lot of pubs have wirelsss hotspots so you can email your friends and family back home while you enjoy a pint of Guinness!

I find it interesting that I can use my WiFi anywhere in the Belfast City Airport, but have trouble finding anywhere in Heathrow where it works consistently.

Ask in any majot town for a local internet cafe. Most tourist areas will have these. There are more than ever here in Dublin. My local corner shop has one now!

I actually found it easier to find internet cafes in Ireland than in rural UK. You shouldn't have much of a problem at all.

Bill

We had no problem finding internet cafes in Ireland in 2000. You'll be fine!

Internet cafes are fairly common in places popular with visitors, at around 4 euro an hour. In smaller places and away from tourist trail, head for a nearest public library, usually with free net access. I am travelling in Ireland with laptop and unlocked mobile phone. I got Vodafone Ready to Go sim card for 29 euro (with 5 euro credit plus 10 euro after registration) and signed up for their More to Speak tariff, which is 10 cents/min weekdays and 3 cents/min weekends and use a local dial-up service on geographical number like O2 or www.elivefree.net. Connection is a bit slow but coverage is pretty nationwide and adequate for e-mailing.

Thank you everyone! we don't own a lap top or PDA, so will be checking out the cafes as we go. Appreciate the help!

Alison

Hi Alisonh:

We stayed in B&B's during our recent trip. The B&B operators always had a few suggestions on where to locate internet access. We had no trouble finding access, even in some pretty small towns!