1 · The short answer
St Patrick's Festival 2027 runs from Saturday 13 to Wednesday 17 March 2027 in Dublin, with the parade at 12pm on 17 March. For the trip, buy one data eSIM before you fly and install it on Wi-Fi at home. Ringo Light's Ireland plan covers Dublin, the Cliffs of Moher and the rest of the Republic as a trip plan: unlimited data at full speed, 2 weeks for $14.99 or 30 days for $26.99, with nothing that renews. The plan is at ringoesim.com/ireland.
The Ireland plan covers the Republic of Ireland only. Belfast and the Giant's Causeway are in Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and the United Kingdom plan covers that side (2 weeks for $14.99 or 30 days for $26.99). The Europe plan covers both (33 countries, 2 weeks for $22.99 or 30 days for $35.99), so for a trip with days on both sides of the border it is the one plan to buy.
Over for longer, or on to the continent and beyond? The Global plan is $49.99 a month for 133 countries and renews until you cancel. The card to buy any plan is below this article.
2 · Who needs an eSIM for Dublin
- From the US. Most US plans charge a daily fee for every day your phone uses data abroad, and the plans that include international data often slow it right down. For a week, a one-payment eSIM is usually the cheaper way, and your US number stays on your own SIM for calls, texts and bank codes. Our shows how to set the two lines up.
- From the UK. Ireland is in the EU and the UK is not, so EU roaming law does not cover a British SIM in Dublin. Many UK carriers include Ireland in their plans anyway; others charge by the day. Check before you sail or fly.
- From the EU. You roam in Ireland at home prices, within your carrier's roaming allowance. Belfast is another matter: Northern Ireland is the United Kingdom, outside the EU rules, and your carrier may bill it as roaming.
3 · Parade day
The parade starts at 12pm on 17 March and runs from Parnell Square down O'Connell Street, over O'Connell Bridge and through the south side of the city to the junction of Cuffe Street and Kevin Street, a little over three kilometres. The barriers along O'Connell Street fill early in the morning; the stands are ticketed, the rest is first come.
Dublin has good 4G and 5G everywhere in the centre, but on parade day the whole city seems to stand on one street. Messages slow, photos take a while to send, and a call to find your friends may not connect. The usual festival rules work here too:
- Meet away from the route. Pick a pub or a corner a few streets back, on the side of the river you will end up on, because crossing the route mid-parade is slow.
- Share your location before you get there. Live location keeps up in short bursts when messages stall.
- Plan the way home. Roads in the centre close for the parade, and the trams and buses are rerouted or full; the taxi apps (Uber and FreeNow both book Dublin taxis) are slow until the crowd thins.
4 · Temple Bar, honestly
Every visitor goes to Temple Bar on the 17th, which is the problem. The lanes are narrow, the famous pubs are full by the afternoon with queues outside, and the pints cost more than anywhere else in the city. It is worth seeing; it is not where most Dubliners spend the day. A ten-minute walk takes you to pubs round Camden Street, Stoneybatter or the streets off Grafton Street with traditional music and room at the bar.
The maps app is how you find the quieter places, and the festival's own programme, the céilí, the funfair on the quays, the night events of the days before the 17th, is published online in the new year. Keep your phone in a front pocket in the crowd.
5 · The Cliffs of Moher and the west
The most booked day trip from Dublin crosses the country to the Cliffs of Moher, usually with Galway or the Burren on the way; it is a long day by coach, around three hours each way. The motorway and the towns have coverage; the cliff path and the Burren have gaps, and the wind and rain at the cliffs do your battery no favours. Download the map and the tour's pickup point before you leave.
6 · Belfast and the Giant's Causeway
The Enterprise train from Connolly station reaches Belfast in a little over two hours, and the coach tours go on to the Giant's Causeway on the north coast. There is no border check and nothing to show you have crossed, but you have: Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, with British networks.
The Ireland plan covers the Republic only, so on that plan your data stops at the border. The United Kingdom plan covers the northern side, 2 weeks for $14.99 or 30 days for $26.99, and the Europe plan covers both (33 countries, 2 weeks for $22.99 or 30 days for $35.99): the one plan to buy if the trip has days on both sides.
Near the border, in Donegal, Louth or Monaghan, a phone can pick up a mast from the other side. If your data stops there, open network selection and choose an operator from the country you are standing in. What changed for British and EU SIMs in the UK since 2021 is in our .
7 · What two weeks of unlimited data costs
Our priced the brands most people search for on the same day, 28 September 2026. Here is Ringo Light against the cheapest rival in each unlimited chart, with the length each one sells.
Swipe to compare →
Prices change; the comparison post has every brand and the full method.
8 · Which Ringo plan, and how to set it up
Ringo Light is our own data eSIM, sold to fund the full Ringo, one plan that works everywhere with your own number ported onto it. Installed once, next to your own SIM. Your number stays on your own line for calls and messages; the eSIM carries the data.
- The Ireland plan, for the festival week in the Republic: unlimited data at full speed, 2 weeks for $14.99 or 30 days for $26.99, nothing that renews.
- The Europe plan, which covers both Ireland and the United Kingdom, for a trip that takes in Belfast: 33 countries, 2 weeks for $22.99 or 30 days for $35.99.
- The Global plan, for months on the road: $49.99 a month for 133 countries, renewing until you cancel.
Install the eSIM on Wi-Fi before you fly, turn Data Roaming on for the eSIM line, and set it as your data line. The step-by-step is in our and .
The card below sells the Ireland plan; the same plan is at ringoesim.com/ireland.
