Ireland Travel Recommendations Based on our experiences, these are good resources or services

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I think we've figured out a good cell phone solution while traveling in Ireland and/or in Europe.

First you need a GSM, unlocked phone. Ebay is a good way to go. We found one for about $30. You could also have your phone unlocked if it GSM compatible.

Second step was buying an prepaid sim card. We looked around and settled on Telestrial.com. They have good prices and you can probably find promo codes to get further price reductions (do a Google search for Telestial Promo Code). Put the promo code in when checking out and it will show the discount. We found the Passport Lite program to be the best for our needs. (More detailed information here).

Order at least a week in advance, two to be safe to receive your sim card and directions in time.

Things to be aware of, you may need to change the Network settings on the phone so that it will work correctly. We had to change ours from the default setting to a different band. There were only two band options. When we made the change, it detected the network and worked fine. Telestial has a toll-free number in the material they send, make sure you take it with you.

If you're traveling to Dublin and want to get around downtown and see the major sites, get a City Bus Tour pass. You can purchase it for less on line and pick it up at their office. It is easy to find. City Bus Tour is cheaper than the regular bus and faster to get to the sites you'll want to see. You can get on and off the bus at marked major sites and buses come by quite often. The driver has a running narrative which can be quite informative and amusing. Make sure you pay attention to what color bus you get on. There are red ones and yellow ones, don't mix them up. City Bus Tour buses are yellow. Most buses are double deckers and sitting up on top can be fun if you're taking a longer ride and the weather is good. It is hard to get off when you have to go down the stairs and to the front to disembark. They also have a Dublin Pass for access to sites. We didn't find that the Dublin Pass was a good buy for us, but it might work for you.
You can pick up the passes at their office on O'Connell Street just up from the General Post Office (GPO).

Buy a Duchas Heritage Pass card. You can buy the pass online or at any of the sites. It gets you into about 65 sites and saves a lot of money if you're visiting heritage attractions. You get a book with the pass that shows the site locations and a description of each location.
You can view the list of sites here.
The Duchas Heritage Pass is about 21 Euro per person. Senior and family rates are available.

Rent your car from Irish Car Rentals online prior to leaving, it is cheaper and easier than negotiating at the airport. Get a manual shift if you can drive one, they are a lot cheaper than an automatic. Make sure you allow for people and luggage in your vehicle choice. Get the smallest car possible, the roads are narrow, but make sure you are comfortable and have room for your luggage.
We found the Opel Zefira to be a good choice when traveling with older people. It is easy to get in and out of and holds a good deal of luggage. It sits up a bit higher than a car allowing for better visibility.

Get a map of Ireland, city maps are helpful too, especially in Dublin. It may not help, but at least you'll see where you should be. We live and die by our multi-paged atlas. It doesn't show all roads, but enough to get around the back ways.

ATMs are fairly plentiful in populated areas. Take larger amounts of cash out to avoid additional ATM or bank charges. Check with your bank before you go as to additional charges. We found a Credit Union with no charges for currency conversion, you should too.

Take the boats to the Islands. Blasket, Skelligs, and Aran Islands are all worth the trip. The boat trip from Doolin to the Aran Islands results in a rough ride. Don't take it unless you have a strong stomach and/or motion sickness pills.

Take travel adapters for your electronics when traveling from the US to Ireland. Irelands electricity supply is 220 volts at 50hz, whereas the United States uses 120 volts at 60hz.
Make sure that your electronic device can switch to accommodate 220 otherwise you'll need a travel converter (most include one each of the different adapters).
The plugs in Ireland look like the first two images below. Your normal plug goes into the back. I usually carry about 3 or 4. The second image is a good travel converter with different plugs.

Ireland Travel Recommendations

Based on our experiences, these are good resources or services.