Ireland uses the Euro like most other European Union members, and my mother, aunt, and brother and I converted our money in D.C., before we arrived in Ireland. I had some leftover Euros from my exchange trip to Germany, and thankfully, Ireland is much more credit-card-friendly than Germany, saving us having to go to the ATM more than once.
One thing I distinctly remember from Germany was how expensive drinks were. A .2L glass might cost you 2-3 Euros! Thankfully, this wasn't the case when we arrived in Dublin. Having spent four hours in Houston waiting for our delayed flight to D.C., and another thirty minutes for our yet-still delayed flight into Dublin, we were all exceptionally hungry, despite having eaten on the flight over. As such, we asked our chauffeur where we could grab a quick bite to eat. Quite surprisingly, when he brought us to a gas station, we found that there was a rather broad selection of meals we could buy and bring with us, unlike the snacks we might find in gas stations in America. I bought a coffee and breakfast burrito for only 4 Euros. Not bad.
Being on the Euro was a very good thing for Ireland, as it meant its products (assuming they are of equal quality) would carry the same weight as other products in the European Union, and much more weight in countries beyond. Ireland, however, likes to make its own products. Everywhere we went, next to more common European brands were products made and manufactured in Ireland. Kerry Gold butter is a prime example. There was even an entire store near Blarney Castle dedicated to Irish-made goods like shirts and sweaters. And of course, in good Irish humor, there were plenty of gag-gifts to bring home for our own delayed Christmas celebration.
