[drama queen]

Originally Posted by ronwi

I also looked into Tesco Mobile, which now uses 3G data.

The attraction is that they have very cheap calls to the US - 2 cents per minute, within Ireland 10 cents per minute (the official rate is 20 cents, but they double your top-up for Irish calls):

Pay as You Go Price Plans | Mobile Phone Call Charges :: Tesco Mobile Ireland

The problem with them is that while they have a decently priced data bundles, when you use up the bundle rather than charging 2 cents per MB as does Meteor they charge 79 cents per MB!

Mobile Phone Bundles | Mobile Phone Deals :: Tesco Mobile Ireland

Other Mobile Phone Charges :: Tesco Mobile Ireland

Be careful with Tesco Mobile. They are an MVNO on the O2 network, and some services have been deliberately dumbed down to differentiate from the host network service. For example they don't offer 3G HSPA data speeds. There are also many reports of them not interconnecting with other networks for voice and text.

Meteor generally have the fastest data network in the areas where it is available. Meteor are also interesting in that they now offer "free voice roaming" in Europe. If you are planning on travelling anywhere else in Europe after you leave Ireland, the Meteor SIM will give you free incoming voice calls. You will pay for outgoing calls at standard Irish out-of-bundle rates.