Irish drinking age?

Question

Is the drinking age in ireland (18) strictly enforced? I'm 17 and will be living in Sligo for nine months, and I'm just wondering whether I'll be able go to into bars/buy alcohol, etc... Answers from people ONLY who have lived/grown up in Ireland please.

Answer 1

Things have become more strictly enforced since I was your age (about five or six years ago), but in Sligo.... Things in the country aren't *quite* the same as they are in the city centres. You probably wouldn't get served in Sligo town on a busy Saturday night, but there will always be places where if you look and act relaxed, you'll get in or get served without questions asked. A lot of places are happy to know that you're not some excitable immature idiot who'll puke after half a pint.

If you're coming as a college student, you will probably get served in local student-type bars.

In my day, if you had the right contacts (lol) you could get a fake ID easily enough, but nowadays, if a place wants ID, they will only take a Garda Card (card issued by the police specifically to prove your age), a (recognisable) passport, or a driver's licence. I think it has to be a European licence. I assume you're from the US, most people on here are. Our licences are more like little passports, rather than plastic cards. If a doorman doesn't know what he's looking at, he'll just turn you away.

Answer 2

in some places you wont be able to get drink but then theres some places youll find that are fairly lenient on drinking but if yopu try enough places youll find somewhere especially in sligo good luck finding somewhere drink on

Answer 3

Enforced? At 18 it is compulsory!  Training usually starts 5 years younger. Enjoy your trip, you will be served in all bars.

Answer 4

It'll be impossible to get anything from an off licence, nightclubs would be harder to get into than pubs. The guys at the door sometimes only count every 15th(about that anyway) person. Once inside you should be fine, if the gardai are going to go to the pub to look for underage drinking etc they ring the pub and word gets around and everybody doing anything they shouldn't leaves, the pub will then be almost empty, fun to spread that when they aren't coming. That last bit won't happen if you go into a city/large town.

My friend is a teacher 11-18 year olds and she can no longer go into a pub where she teaches because they are full of her students.

Answer 5

It's not always enforced. I was drinking in pubs when I was 17 and never got asked for ID. It obviously depends on how old you look, how lenient the staff are, and so on, but I think you should be ok.

Answer 6

well the legal drinking age is 18

in lots of bars you maybe able o buy alcohol,but a lot of nights clubs don't allow entry without id first