Except for the smallest towns, you will probably have to pay for parking if you want to park near to your destination., although prices will be lower in general than in Dublin. Cork, Galway, Limerick, and many other towns have multi-storey car parks, but in general the smaller the town the greater chance you have to find free parking, whether on street or at, for instance, a supermarket.
Bear in mind that supermarkets, no matter what their location, are quite likely to have some restriction on parking. You may get the first two hours free with ticket validation (present your ticket at the checkout or Customer Service desk; a minimum spend may be required)
The same applies to hospital car parks. Most hospitals now charge for visitor parking. Some will offer reduced rates for family visiting a relative – usually in the form of a multi-use card; some will charge a fixed fee, perhaps with a time limitation. Prices are not as high as those in the major cities. Banks in general do not charge for customer parking, but there may be a very short time limit – as little as 15 minutes in some instances – after which clamping may follow.
On-street parking is generally regulated in the larger towns using the services of a traffic warden who may be from a private parking management company or employed by the town council. The warden may also have the discretion to have cars clamped and towed away. In these areas, there will be signs warning of this possibility.
Finally, the cities, and a lot of the larger towns would have on-street parking bays reserved for disabled parking. On public streets, these spaces may be used by disabled parkers or their drivers at no charge. An in-date blue disabled badge MUST be clearly displayed, as otherwise the car may be clamped and towed, or you may receive a parking ticket. Each shopping centre must by law assign a certain number of parking spaces for disabled drivers.
