How to Easily Format your Ireland Address with Examples
Whether you want to mail a letter to your friend or you’re sending a package to your company’s Irish partner, understanding how to format an Ireland address is essential for ensuring your products reach where they’re destined to go.
By the end of this quick post, you’ll have all the information you will need for finding, correctly formatting, and writing Ireland addresses in an efficient manner.
Let’s Get Started!
How do you Write an Address for Ireland?
Ahh, this is one of the biggest questions that people ask when wanting to mail a letter or package to Ireland… or anywhere in the U.K. for that matter!
Ireland addresses can be quite confusing since there are many different postal codes within the same town, and county information that you have to include.
Not to mention with the addition of Eircodes, it’s no wonder why people’s mail has been getting lost for decades in these areas.
But, if you follow the format I have provided below, you shouldn’t have any issues.
Addresses in Ireland Format
It doesn’t really matter whether you are sending a package or a letter, the Ireland mailing address format is going to stay the same in most instances.
If you use the following format, your package is bound to be delivered to the correct location (that is, as long as you have the correct Eircode – read more about this under the topic of ZIP codes below!)
☘️ First: The Addressee (Personal name and Business name, if applicable – this can be put on two separate lines)
☘️ Second: House or Building Number and Street Name (and P.O. Box information, if applicable)
☘️ Third: Town or City
☘️ Fourth: County or District
☘️ Fifth: Country (Ireland)
☘️ Sixth: Eircode
If you will be sending a letter or package to an address in Dublin, be sure to get familiar with the Dublin postal codes before you mail it!
Do Houses in Ireland have Addresses?
Yes, just like most places around the world, houses in Ireland have addresses.
Even though much of the Irish population doesn’t live in a city like Doolin or Dublin and own homes in the Irish countryside, there is a mailing address format that needs to be followed.
Some houses, at least the more rural ones, will have P.O. boxes at the local post office instead of personal mailing addresses. There are nearly entire postal codes that do this in the more remote villages of Ireland, so be sure to collect all of the information you need before shipping your package out.
You could have all of the correct information including the Eircode, but if you don’t have a P.O. Box number for an address that requires one, then your package will be doomed to sit at the post office until you can convince the person that it is addressed to to go and tell the clerk to find it in the back and bring it out to them.
In rural villages, this won’t be much of an issue since there isn’t nearly as much mail coming in. But, if this happens in Dublin, you might as well start over and send a new package because you may never see the original again.
Are there ZIP Codes in Ireland?
Okay, all this talk about Eircodes probably has you thinking that they’re important and you need to figure out which one you need. Good! I have provided you with the link to find your exact Eircode for your Ireland mailing address below.
Yes, Ireland actually has an entire postal code system, called the Eircode, dedicated to creating unique codes (what we call ZIP codes in the U.S.) for every single destination in Ireland.
This ensures that even if you don’t get a physical Ireland address 100% correct, your package or letter will still be delivered to the correct location. It’s quite genius, actually, and the system is rather new with it just being launched in July of 2015.
It is made up of two unique codes: the Routing Key and the Unique Identifier. Unlike in the U.S., these codes are made up of both letters and numbers.
The Routing Key is a combination of 3 numbers and letters which identifies the actual town or postal area that the address is located in. Say, Dublin, for example. The Routing Key stays the same for all addresses within that town or postal area.
The Unique Identifier is a combination of 4 numbers and letters which follow the Routing Key and are unique to the address’ geographic location. This is how Ireland addresses within the same postal area are distinguished from one another.
If you aren’t sure what the Eircode is for your mailing address, use the Ireland Eircode website to find out!
Pro Tip: The National Postal Service, better known as An Post, has mentioned in the past that eircodes are not always consulted when making local deliveries, but may be used in the beginning stages of the delivery process. This is why it is imperative that your postal address is fully correct before mailing – do not assume that just because your eircode is correct that the mail will be delivered!
Here is an article from the Irish Times if you want to read about it firsthand.
Ireland Address Postal Code Examples
Since postal codes and Eircodes are the same thing in Ireland, you’ll notice that unique 7-digit combination of letters and numbers below.
Here are some examples of Ireland address postal codes:
T12 N8W5 – Turners Cross, Cork, Ireland
D02 EH42 – Dublin 2, Ireland
V92 FR83 – County Chiarraí, Dingle, Ireland
Remember that each Eircode is unique to a specific postal area and geographic location, so don’t assume that you can use the same Eircode for multiple addresses within the same town. Almost always, you can’t!
Again, the tool I linked to above is an invaluable resource if you aren’t sure what the Eircode is for your Ireland address. You get 15 free searches, so use them wisely!
How to Address a Letter to Ireland
The way you will address a letter to someone in Ireland is the same way, except you will want to be sure to include your own address (also known as the “sender’s address” in the upper left-hand corner of the envelope).
This ensures that the letter will be returned to you if they can’t find the address that you intended it be delivered to.
How Much Does it Cost to Mail a Letter to Ireland?
To send mail from the U.S. to Ireland, you will also need postage. The cost of mailing a letter from the U.S. to Ireland is $1.40.
To reach this amount, you can purchase just one (1) First-Class Mail International Global Forever stamp or multiple domestic Forever stamps, but they must add up to $1.40 in value.
You can get a full breakdown of the cost of international mail on the USPS website.
Random Ireland Address Generator
If after reading this article you still want help ensuring your Ireland address is formatted correctly for mailing purposes, you can use this tool.
It generates random (and most of the time, fake) mailing addresses in Ireland. The information may be incorrect, but the formatting is usually right.
Just be sure to keep in mind that these addresses don’t include Eircodes or P.O. Boxes, so you’re going to need to ensure that your information is complete before stopping at the post office.
Ireland Address Samples and Examples
Below are some samples of the most common Ireland mailing address format. If you follow this format carefully, your mail is almost certain to reach its destination.
Just always be sure you have all of the information you need before shipping, because something as simple as a forgotten P.O. Box or Eircode can be the difference between your package getting delivered, lost, or returned to you.
Other Helpful Ireland Resources
☘️ 27 Authentic Souvenirs from Ireland to Bring Home
☘️ Is Donegal in Northern or Southern Ireland? Everything You Need to Know
☘️ 9 Top-Rated Giant’s Causeway Tours in Ireland
☘️ 12 Amazing Family Hotels in Limerick, Ireland
☘️ 9 BEST Cliffs of Moher Tours from Dublin in 2024
☘️ 9 BEST Tours from Galway to Cliffs of Moher 2024
☘️ Guinness Tour Dublin: The BEST 5 Tours in 2024
☘️ Does it Snow in Ireland: The Ultimate Guide to Winter in Ireland
☘️ Is Dublin in the UK? EU or Northern Ireland?
☘️ Aldi in Northern Ireland: Plans for 2024
☘️ Jameson Tour in Dublin: 5 BEST Tours in 2024
☘️ 7 BEST Blarney Castle Tours from Cork & Dublin 2024
I hope this article helped answer all of your Ireland address questions! Ireland mailing address formats can be confusing, but hopefully you can use this article as a guide for the next time you need it.
Sláinte!
Emily
