Most public hospitals provide accident and emergency services. Anybody in Ireland with a medical emergency is entitled to attend their Accident and Emergency Departments. You may have to pay charges for public hospital services.
If you are a national of a member state of the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland and you are travelling or staying temporarily in Ireland, you are entitled to receive medical care if you become ill or have an accident. These services are provided free of charge through the public health system on production of a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).
There is a reciprocal agreement on medical treatment for temporary visitors between Ireland and Australia. Under the agreement, Australian visitors who access emergency public treatment pay the hospital charges that apply to people who are ordinarily resident in Ireland. If you are on a temporary visit to Ireland and are not covered under EU regulations, you will have to pay the cost of attendance at an Accident and Emergency Department. If you are not a national of an EU/EEA member state, or from Switzerland or Australia, you may also be charged the full economic cost of any further treatment, including medical care in an acute hospital. Therefore taking out private medical travel insurance before travelling is recommended.