Water (and bathrooms!)

Creativitychick · Member

Water (and bathrooms!)

wojazz3 · Guru

Hi L:

Public bathrooms, or toilets more appropriately, are sometimes a bit hard to find. The good news is that, outside of Dublin, most places don't have a big issue if you use their facilities. Another little note, and it seems to get my wife the first time we encounter this each year, the Irish language is used on the toilets sometimes, Mna and Fir. It gets confusing because sometimes people think, "Oh yes, Male and Female" but that's backwards. Instead, think mother and father.

Bill

Michele Erdvig · Host

Creativitychick,

Good tip from Bill, although if you go in the wrong door I'm sure you would figure it out pretty quickly. You can find toilets at pubs, restaurants, hotels, McDonald's, petrol stations that have convience stores may have them, visitor's centers of major sightseeing places, and some towns have public toilets (although most are dreadful).

As for drinking water, it varies around Ireland. It is generally considered safe to drink (unless something unusual happens like a break in the water main) but tastes differently in different parts of the country. It also depends if it is city water or comes from a spring. Bottled water is readily available in all stores in Ireland. I usually buy a bottle or two that I can then refill at my favorite towns. For instance water in areas like Killarney and Kenmare comes from the mountains and tastes really good. The city water in Sligo and Galway are perfectly safe to drink but I don't like the taste. So I fill up elsewhere.

Everyone has their own preferences so just taste test the tap water and if you don't like it you can use your bottled water.

Have a safe journey and let us know how it goes.

Michele

P.S. When I use the toilet at a pub (and I am not buying anything) I generally ask the publican if it is okay to use the ladies toilet. I just think it is polite. I have never been refused.

kathy · Veteran Member

michelle is right about galway water - it is very heavy and has a metalic taste to us - we double filter it thru a pur faucet attachment then run it thru the britta. but bottled water is not outrageously priced.

dublin water, from our experience, has been fine to drink from the tap. we have always stayed downtown/city center and no incidence to report.

Melissa5 · Guru

I am glad that I'm not the only one who worries about bathrooms! What if ya gotta go and ya can't find one?!

? Creativitychick, thanks for asking this question.

Michele, I notice you mentioned that if you want to use the bathroom in a pub where you're NOT buying a drink, you always ask first. Good idea, very polite. But what if you are me, and you have a total panic attack that they are going to say no?

Much as I've travelled, I can't get over this silliness. So I usually end up solving the problem by buying a drink that I don't actually want, making my hubby irritated.

But if this is the worse problem I ever encounter while travelling, I will be very very fortunate indeed. Good luck, creativitychick!

Michele Erdvig · Host

Melissa,

Remember to ask to use the toliet not bathroom. Toilet is the correct term in Ireland. Or the ladies room (or mens room if you are a guy). Although I have to admit I had a tour of a mens room in Ireland but that's a whole 'nother story.

Michele

Melissa5 · Guru

Michele, after seeing a looong movie at a theatre I darted into the nearest men's room by mistake, and the funny thing was, a trail of ladies followed me right in! They thought it was the lady's room since they saw me headed in there!

Thanks for reminding me to ask for the toilet in Ireland. (I think people in other countries think we want to take a bath in the bathroom, and that we want to rest in the restroom?)