Tap water safety in Ireland ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ช

๐Ÿ‘ In general, the water may be safe to drink in Ireland.

World Health Organization (WHO)

According to the WHO, tap water is safe for consumption for 97% of the country.

Lonely Planet

The Irish have traditionally always drunk tap water, but in recent years have introduced filter systems to combat the presence of potentially toxic chemicals called trihalomethanes (THMs) in the water supply, which have exceeded EU-sanctioned levels in various parts of the country, including Kerry, Cork, Kilkenny city, Waterford, Wicklow, Meath, Mayo, Roscommon, Donegal and Galway.

Although the potential issues are only associated with long-term exposure to THMs, you should make sure to drink only filtered or bottled water while in Ireland, and never drink from the bathroom tap.

Centers for disease control and prevention (CDC)

According to the CDC tap water is generally safe for consumption.

Numbeo

According to the Numbeo water drinkability and accessibility index, tap water has a score of 72.8 / 100 (100 being best).

Numbeo considers this score to be "High"

European Union (EU) ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บ

Ireland is a member of the European Union which ensures tap water safety across its countries.

Advantages of drinking (filtered) tap water

1 adult could save about 1044$ per year in Ireland by drinking tap water instead of buying bottled water.

๐Ÿณ Drinking tap water would also help with reducing your plastic footprint and improve environmental pollution.

Warning

Even though drinking water might be considered safe, if you plan to travel to Ireland, consider talking to your local contact to verify that. Old pipes could be leaking toxic material or water in that specific location could contain heavy metals or bacteria.

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