You don't need an Irish VOIP provider

The whole point of the internet is that it's international. For VOIP you can use providers from US, UK, or indeed anywhere else. Typically what happens is that they'll charge you their own local rate (which is usually a bit higher than the regular telephone local rate) for calls to the country where they're based, and a low international rate to everywhere else. If, for example, you have lots of friends/family in UK, get a UK provider. Similarly if you make lots of calls to the US, get a US provider. There are lots to choose from. For a quick overview go to http://barorny.com/html/voip_telephony.html which gives you several links to play with.

I've been using VOIP from home for ALL international calls for nearly two years now. It's reliable, good quality, and very cheap.

[Polar Ice]

and thats why ebay purchased skype my friend

[voipman]

There are some advantages to using a local VOIP provider

1. They can provide local numbering (for incoming calls)
2. Their IP routing will be optimised for your country
3. They will charge in the same currency
4. They will have support in the same timezone and speak the same language
5. They will normally route local short codes, freephone and emergency