Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
• In Europe, dates appear as day/month/year, so Christmas is 25/12/14.
• What Americans call the second floor of a building is the first floor in Europe.
• On escalators and moving sidewalks, Europeans keep the left “lane” open for passing.
Keep to the right.
Both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland use the metric system for everything
but driving measurements. Weight and volume are typically calculated in metric: A kilo-
gram is 2.2 pounds, and a liter is about a quart. The weight of a person is measured by
“stone” (one stone equals 14 pounds). Temperatures are generally given in both Celsius
and Fahrenheit.
On the road, the Republic of Ireland is still converting from miles to kilometers, and
you'lllikelyseesignsinboth(especiallyinruraldestinations).NorthernIrelandusesmiles
and posts speed limits in miles per hour.
1 foot = 0.3 meter
1 yard = 0.9 meter
1 mile = 1.6 kilometers
1 centimeter = 0.4 inch
1 meter = 39.4 inches
1 kilometer = 0.62 mile
1 square yard = 0.8 square meter
1 square mile = 2.6 square kilometers
1 ounce = 28 grams
1 quart = 0.95 liter
1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds
32°F = 0°C
When shopping for clothing, use these US-to-Ireland comparisons as general guidelines
(but note that no conversion is perfect).
• Women's dresses and blouses: Add 4
