How to call Ireland from the UK

Calling Ireland from the UK is straightforward once you know the country code and drop the right digit. Here's exactly how to dial, the Northern Ireland distinction to get right — and, if you call Ireland often, how to stop per-minute charges adding up.

1. Exit code: dial 00 from a UK landline, or + from a mobile (press and hold 0 to get the + symbol on most phones)
2. Country code: dial 353 for the Republic of Ireland
3. Local number: dial the Irish number, but drop the leading 0

Example: to call a Dublin landline (01 234 5678), dial 00 353 1 234 5678 from a landline, or +353 1 234 5678 from a mobile.

The most common mistake is keeping the leading 0 in the Irish number. The country code replaces it, so dialling both will make the call fail.

This is where it's easy to get caught out. Northern Ireland (Belfast, Derry) is part of the UK, so it uses the UK country code, +44, not the Irish code, +353. Dialling a Belfast number with +353 simply won't connect.

• Republic of Ireland (Dublin, Cork, Galway): +353
• Northern Ireland (Belfast, Derry): +44

If you regularly call contacts on both sides of the border, it's worth saving every number in full international format (+353 or +44) so your phone always dials the correct one.

• Dublin: 01
• Cork: 021
• Galway: 091
• Limerick: 061
• Waterford: 051
• Sligo: 071
• Kilkenny: 056
• Donegal: 074

Irish mobile numbers work a little differently: they start with 08 and are 10 digits long in total, rather than following a city-based area code.

None. Ireland and the UK share the same time zone all year round, both moving the clocks forward and back on the same dates. If it's 2pm in London, it's 2pm in Dublin too, so there's no need to check the time before calling.

Even though it's a short distance, a call to Ireland is still classed as international, so it isn't usually included in a standard UK plan. As a rough guide:

• From a mobile: typically 30p to £1.50 per minute, depending on your provider and plan
• From a landline: typically 10p to 50p per minute, often cheaper in the evenings and at weekends

Some mobile plans do include EU or Ireland calling as part of the package, so it's worth checking your specific tariff before assuming you'll be charged per minute.

If you only call Ireland now and then, a few simple steps bring the cost down:

• Check your plan: some UK mobile contracts already include calls to Ireland or the wider EU.
• Use an internet calling app: apps like WhatsApp or FaceTime let you call over WiFi at no extra cost, if the other person has the same app.
• Save numbers in international format: storing Irish contacts as +353 avoids dialling mistakes and works correctly wherever you're calling from.

Calling Ireland regularly for business? There's a simpler way.

Those steps are fine for the occasional call, but they wear thin if Ireland is a regular fixture — suppliers, a branch office, or clients. Checking tariffs, chasing the cheapest app, watching the per-minute meter: it's a lot of effort to avoid a bill.

With Rinkel, you don't have to. Ireland is one of the 50+ destinations included in your plan, so you call it at your standard rate: £0.05 per minute on Essential, and included in unlimited calling on Professional and Expert. One predictable plan, no tracking charges call by call — and you make and take those calls on the business number you already use, from your mobile or your laptop.

So whether you're calling Dublin first thing or taking a call from Cork at the end of the day, the cost stays the same, and you stay reachable on one professional number.