The Giant's Causeway

Do I need my passport to travel to Northern Ireland?

Er, no. Only as much as you do to travel to Scotland, Wales or other parts of England.

No. There is a passport union between the UK and Eire so you wont be asked to show a travel document when you cross the border. In fact, since the Single Market in the EU took shape, the only way you will know you have crossed the border is tht the road signs look different. Oh yes, and then there are the potholes ....

Surprisingly enough, the Pound Sterling is the legal currency in Northern Ireland; as in Scotland the local banks - Ulster Bank, Bank of Ireland, Allied Irish Bank and Northern Bank - issue their own notes which are generally accepted throughout the UK. As regards cashpoints, Ulster Bank is part of NatWest and other banks' machines - all on the Link network - will tell you which cards they accept. Credit and debit cards are used as widely as everywhere else.
If you venture over the border, which is about 40 minutes' drive from Benone and no time at all from Baronscourt, you will find that most nearby business will accept Sterling at a reasonable rate, even though the local currency is now officially the Euro although still in practice the Irish Pound / Punt.

You mean, something like cead mille failte go Uladh agus slainte! or something like yer man Jim off Coronation street? Well you are only likely to hear spoken Irish in small areas on the West Coast of Ireland and on the Republic's third radio programme. On the other hand, the small area of the North harbours a rich linguistic diversity because of its heritage of settlement, colonisation and migration. So you will hear what might sound more traditionally Irish, the classic Ulster vernacular, and the gruff ullans, lowland Ulster Scots. Dont: say "I'm sorry, I only speak English". Do: Nod occasionally and say "Aye, right you are so it is, like." There are three sites with info and examples of this : select one, twoand three.

Well that rather depends who won the rugby ... no, no problems there. The Irish, all of them, are well known for their hospitality, particularly to visitors.

Sainsbury's might like to think that they are competitive but a short drive across the border to fill up for cash / Visa is will worth while. The difference in fuel duty and the advantageous exhcange rate mean that unleaded fuel costs approximately 55 pence Sterling per litre, or a saving of about 33%!

Political? Stuck in a timewarp but harmless to the individual. Meteorological? Well, a maritime climate dominated by the warm, damp air brought in by the succession of weather systems predominantly from the South West, and the effect of the tail end of the Gulf Stream bringing warmer water from Mexico combine to ensure that the weather will change repeatedly! Yes, it rains a lot in Ireland, but the sun does shine strongly too. So you could find yourself having five days of glorious sunshine, or lashing storms, or grey drizzle, but most likely a combination of all. You can the check weather conditions on the Met Office website or the Belfast Telegraph, the province's leading daily broadsheet.