Fast Facts

American Express -- There's an American Express office at 116 Grafton St. (tel. 01/677-2874). It's open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and on Saturday from 9am to noon. There's also an Amex desk at the Dublin Tourism Centre on Suffolk St. (tel. 01/605-7709). After hours, you can call them at tel. 01/872-1511 24 hours a day; this number connects you to the London office, but you pay the same as a call within Ireland.

Banks -- Nearly all banks are open Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm (to 5pm Thurs) and have ATMs that accept Cirrus network cards as well as MasterCard and Visa. Convenient locations include the Bank of Ireland, at 2 College Green, Dublin 2, and 6 O'Connell St., Dublin 1, and the Allied Irish Bank, at 100 Grafton St., Dublin 2, and 87 N. Strand, Dublin 3.

Business Hours -- Museums and sights are generally open 10am to 5pm Tuesday to Saturday, and 2 to 5pm Sunday. Shops generally open 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday, with late opening on Thursday until 7 or 8pm. In the city center most department stores and many shops are open noon to 6pm on Sunday.

Currency Exchange -- Currency-exchange services, signposted as BUREAU DE CHANGE, are in most Dublin banks and at many branches of the Irish post office system, known as An Post. A bureau de change operates daily during flight arrival and departure times at Dublin Airport; a foreign-currency note-exchanger machine is also available on a 24-hour basis in the arrivals concourse. Some hotels and travel agencies offer bureau de change services, although the best rate of exchange is usually when you use your bank card at an ATM.

Dentists -- For dental emergencies, contact the Eastern Health Board Headquarters, Parkgate Street Business Centre, Dublin 8 (tel. 01/635-2500), or try Molesworth Clinic, 2 Molesworth Place, Dublin 2 (tel. 01/661-5544). See also "Dental Surgeons" in the Golden Pages (Yellow Pages) of the telephone book. The American Embassy can provide a list of dentists in the city. Expect to be charged upfront for services.

Doctors -- If you need to see a physician, most hotels and guesthouses will contact a house doctor for you. The American Embassy can provide a list of doctors in the city, and you should contact them first. Otherwise, you can call either the Eastern Health Board Headquarters, Parkgate St. Business Centre, Dublin 8 (tel. 01/635-2500), or the Irish Medical Organization (a doctors' union) at 10 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2 (tel. 01/676-7273). As with dentists, expect to pay for treatment upfront, and contact your insurance company when you return home to find out whether you are eligible for reimbursement.

Embassies & Consulates -- The American Embassy is at 42 Elgin Rd., Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 (tel. 01/668-8777; http://dublin.usembassy.gov); the Canadian Embassy is at 7-8 Wilton Terrace, 3rd Floor, Dublin 2 (tel. 01/234-4000; www.canada.ie); the British Embassy is at 29 Merrion Rd., Dublin 2 (tel. 01/205-3700; www.britishembassy.ie); and the Australian Embassy is at Fitzwilton House, Wilton Terrace, 7th Floor, Dublin 2 (tel. 01/664-5300; www.ireland.embassy.gov.au). In addition, there is an American Consulate at 223 Stranmillis Rd., Belfast BT9 5GR (tel. 028/9038-6100).

Emergencies -- For police, fire, or other emergencies, dial tel. 999.

GLBT Resources -- Contact the Gay Switchboard Dublin, Carmichael House, North Brunswick Street, Dublin 7 (tel. 01/872-1055; http://gayswitchboard.ie); or drop in at The Outhouse, 105 Capel St., Dublin 1, tel. 01/873-4999; www.outhouse.ie), Dublin's GLBT community resource center.

Hospitals -- For emergency care, two of the most modern hospitals in Dublin are St. Vincent's University Hospital, Elm Park (tel. 01/227-4000), on the south side of the city, and Beaumont Hospital, Beaumont (tel. 01/837-7755), on the Northside.

Hot Lines -- In Ireland, hot lines are called "helplines." For emergencies, police, or fire, dial tel. 999; Alcoholics Anonymous (tel. 01/842-0700 daytime; 01/852-7000 evenings until 10pm and all day Sun); Narcotics Anonymous (tel. 01/672-8000); Rape Crisis Centre (tel. 01/661-4911 or 1800/778-888); and for people suffering from depression, Samaritans (tel. 01/872-7700 or 1850/609-090).

Information -- For directory assistance, dial tel. 11811 or 11850.

Internet Access -- Internet access is everywhere in Dublin; look for signs in cafes, pubs, shopping malls, hotels, and hostels. Like all of Dublin's public libraries, the Central Library, in the ILAC Centre, off Henry Street, Dublin 1 (tel. 01/873-4333), has a bank of PCs with free Internet access. Centrally located cybercafes are the Global Internet Café, 8 O'Connell St., Dublin 2 (tel. 01/878-0295), and the Access Cyber Cafe, 168 Parnell St., Dublin 1 (tel. 01/878-3403), which also offers a left-luggage service. A half-hour online averages €3.

Magazines -- The leading magazines for upcoming events and happenings are InDublin, published every 2 weeks and available at newsstands; The Dubliner, published monthly; Hot Press, also published every 2 weeks with excellent event listings; JMI (The Journal of Music in Ireland) for music information (www.thejmi.com); and the free biweekly Event Guide (www.eventguide.ie).

Pharmacies -- Centrally located drugstores -- known as pharmacies or chemist shops -- include Boots, which has branches at 12 Grafton St., Dublin 2 (tel. 01/677-3000) and St. Stephen's Green, Dublin 2 (tel. 01/472-4368). A late-night pharmacy is Hamilton Long & Co., 5 Lower O'Connell St. (tel. 01/874-8456). It closes at 9pm on weeknights and 6pm on Saturday.

Police -- Dial tel. 999 in an emergency. The metropolitan headquarters for the Dublin Garda Siochana (Police) is in Phoenix Park, Dublin 8 (tel. 01/666-0000).

Post Office -- The Irish post office is best known by its Gaelic name, An Post. The General Post Office (GPO) is located on O'Connell Street, Dublin 1 (tel. 01/705-7000; www.anpost.ie). Hours are Monday to Saturday 8am to 8pm. Branch offices, identified by the sign OIFIG AN POST/POST OFFICE, are open Monday to Saturday only, 9am to 5pm.

Weather -- Phone tel. 1550/122113, or check the Web at www.ireland.com/weather.

Yellow Pages -- The classified section of the telephone book is called the Golden Pages (www.goldenpages.ie), but the online version doesn't seem to work terribly well.