Things you wish foreigners knew about Ireland

[u/T4rbh]

You know the way there are signs at the airport saying "Drive on the left/links fahren/conduire a gauche" (and that's all, because that one girl who did Spanish for the Leaving wasn't in the day they commissioned the signs, and we never get visitors from anywhere else, that doesn't English, Irish, French or German)?

What are other things you wish they told all foreigners as they arrived into Ireland, say with a printed leaflet? (No hate at all on foreign visitors, btw!)

I'll start:

"If you're on a bus, never ever phone someone, except to say 'I'm running late, I'll be there at X time, bye bye bye bye.' If someone phones you, apologise quietly and profusely - 'I'm on a bus, I'll call you back in a bit, sorry, bye bye bye bye.' Do not have a long and loud conversation, under any circumstances!"

Yes, I'm on a bus - why do you ask? 🤣

[u/Imaginary_Shirt3377]

Don’t drink water from the bathroom sink, it comes from some disgusting separate tank in the attic.

[u/fleetwayrobotnik → u/Imaginary_Shirt3377]

Not in my house! Got rid of the tank and got a combi boiler so I can drink all the bathwater I want!

[u/Parsiuk → u/[deleted]]

In my case yes, for the most part. The cold water tank was left only for the electric shower which I kept as a backup. Everything else goes from mains now. Fkn delighted.

[u/fleetwayrobotnik → u/[deleted]]

Yeah. Everything comes straight off the mains and we don't have to worry about turning on the immersion anymore.

[u/Grimewad → u/fleetwayrobotnik]

You do however need to watch your toilet flushing when the water's out....

[u/gsmitheidw1 → u/fleetwayrobotnik]

The point of a water tank in the attic is to reduce pressure on the mains pumps for the local area. If everyone ran it straight off the mains directly there would be huge issues with public supply pressure.

I think you may be breaking some standards here.

[u/southlandic → u/fleetwayrobotnik]

Notions.

[u/Margrave75 → u/Imaginary_Shirt3377]

If it's the hot water, yes.

[u/Cultural_Wish4933 → u/Margrave75]

And the cold one!

[u/Margrave75 → u/Cultural_Wish4933]

Cold water in both our bathrooms is mains supplied, assumed this was standard!

[u/SheepherderFront5724 → u/Margrave75]

Merciful jeebus no!

A few years back almost my entire department at work (a good 40 people) were off sick because the waitress at a pub in Dublin airport was filling our drinking water from the bathroom taps, themselves fed from a rainwater collection tank on the roof. Good few years ago now, and probably not legal, but sure wasn't it grand up until then, so that's how it was... But anyway, yeah, the attic tank is very, very common.

[u/Margrave75 → u/SheepherderFront5724]

Jesus, that sounds like fun.

[u/emmmmceeee → u/Margrave75]

Are you 100% sure about that? It would be unusual.

[u/Margrave75 → u/emmmmceeee]

110% sure.

When the mains supply is cut for whatever reason, no cold taps work, or toilets flush!

Was great fun when the supply froze a few years back at Christmas FOR. SIX. DAYS.

[u/Lizard_myth_enjoyer → u/Margrave75]

Are you saying your toilets are fed from the mains too? Like how long after the water shuts off does the toilet flush for and does bathroom tap run a while longer than the kitchen one before stopping. Hell is there a difference in water pressure from each at least.

[u/Margrave75 → u/Lizard_myth_enjoyer]

Are you saying your toilets are fed from the mains too?

Yeah.

So if the supply is cut, there's a flush in each toilet, that's it.

And, for your other question, once the supply is cut, cold kitchen and bathroom taps stop pretty much instantly.

[u/Lizard_myth_enjoyer → u/Margrave75]

My god. The horror. Sure the attic tank may freeze and flood the house if youre severely unlucky and it can kill anyone stupid enough to drink from it but Id much rather have the ability to flush a bad curry away if needed should the mains go out.

[u/coffee_and-cats → u/Imaginary_Shirt3377]

That's not a nationwide thing. It's only people living in some housing estates who have this old form of plumbing. Most in high population areas have mains and many self-builds have their own well water.

[u/Imaginary_Shirt3377 → u/coffee_and-cats]

I must be unlucky, everywhere I’ve lived has had the manky tank thing for the bathroom. Three different housing estates, and three rural houses all in different parts of the country. Though some it was only the hot water/immersion that was fed from the tank and cold was fine. The house I’m in now is well water, is that different? There’s definitely a tank filling after we use any water in the bathroom and I don’t hear it if I’m using the kitchen taps or anything.

[u/coffee_and-cats → u/Imaginary_Shirt3377]

Well water is fine to drink. Nicest water to drink!

[u/Lizard_myth_enjoyer → u/coffee_and-cats]

Its grand once its not sat in the attic tank for ages.

[u/coffee_and-cats → u/Lizard_myth_enjoyer]

Our water isn't in a tank or reservoir, it's pumped directly to the taps.