Special Sub-Topic: A Tourist In Dublin Click Here To Play: A Tourist In Dublin

Taking the bus in Dublin can be a real adventure. What do you have to bear in mind when doing so?

all of these (you have to pay the exact fare, you have to signal (i.e. wave) for the bus to stop, even if only one line is serving the stop you're waiting at, you should thank the driver when you get off). I don't know how many buses went past me on my first day here... Since there are so many buses, and many of them have parallel routes around the city center, the bus only stops to pick you up when you explicitly signal the driver to. DublinBus is also operating an Exact Fare policy - if you don't have your 1.35€ or whatever, the driver won't give you change. You'll get a receipt and have to pick up your change at the service centre. It is considered polite to thank the driver when you get off the bus, and most of the Irish (and tourists) do so.

Another bus question: you're waiting for a bus, but the line you need doesn't come - or, even worse, the buses going by are what?

As seirbhís. "As seirbhís" means "Out of service". Sometimes it feels as if every third bus is out of service. "An lár" means "City Centre"; the Garda Síochána is the police, and the Luas is the tram.

What is the Garda Síochána?

police. Called "Garda" for short. Plural form is "Gardaí".

You would really like to bring your friends some nice souvenir from Dublin. How about a Guinness hat, or a shamrock-shaped ashtray, or shot glasses with funny little leprechauns on them? Where would you go to buy those items?

Carroll's. Carroll's, the Irish Gift Store, has many shops in and around the city centre. You can buy all sorts of memorabilia there - including t-shirts saying things like, "The Leprechaun made me drink/do/say it!" or "Kiss me, I'm Irish!", or whatever you like. Eason is a bookstore chain, the Porter House is a huge pub just south of the Liffey (there's also the Porter House North just up Phibsborough Road), and Dunnes is a department store chain that also sells food.

You would really like to see the sea, and people have told you that Howth is the place for you to go. What means of public transport would you take from Dublin City Centre to Howth?

DART. Howth is a nice place not too far from Dublin, located directly at the sea, with cliffs and lots of heather and fern :) The DART for Howth leaves at Connolly Station, just a few minutes from O'Connell Street. DART stands for Dublin Area Rapid Transit. The DART network, operated by Irish Rail (Iarnród Éireann) was established for commuters traveling every day into town.

You're queuing in a shop. When it's your turn, what is the first thing the average Irish clerk will say to you?

"You okay?". It confused me in the beginning because I didn't quite know whether I was expected to give any answer to that. Apparently, "Hi, how are you" is used equally often - according to a fellow quiz player who pointed this out to me - but I've only ever heard the option that counts as the right answer in this question.

Which of the following means of public transport is operated by DublinBus, looks exactly the same as all the ordinary buses, but costs an extra fare of 4€, no matter if you have a daily/weekly/monthly ticket?

Nitelink. Buses operate until 11:30 pm. Afterwards, you either take a taxi home or the Nitelink, which operates twice a night during the week and every 30 minutes between 12:30 and 04:30 at the weekend. However, your normal DublinBus ticket is not valid on the Nitelink. The Airlink and City Tour are also operated by DublinBus and, similarly, they cost extra, but they look different from the usual yellow buses. The Nitelink doesn't.

Someone you know wants to enjoy a pint and be able to look over the Liffey and O'Connell Street. Which of the following pubs would you recommend?

Messrs. Maguire. The three-storey pub "Messrs. Mac", as it is called for short, is located directly on Burgh Quay, overlooking the city centre. "John M. Keating" is a very interesting pub, too: it's in a former church!

The Irish drive on the left.

t. For any tourist who might forget, there are signs at the airport and the ferry saying, "Drive on the left" in English, Irish, German and French.

Where are you allowed to smoke in Ireland?

none of these. Ireland was the first European country to introduce a smoking ban in any closed public places. Hence, no more smoking in pubs, bars, restaurants etc. Some pubs provide a smoking area in the form of a terrace or sometimes even a room with the roof missing (the "Temple Bar", for instance). DART, Luas and buses are also strictly non-smoking areas (it is a criminal offense to smoke on a bus). The same goes for cinemas, theaters, etc. I think hotel rooms are the only exception. Maybe this helped you, maybe it didn't... but I hope you had fun playing this!