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Children's health in Dublin

The Irish system, the HSE, looks after children well but is neither the French Sécu nor the NHS: no carte Vitale or reimbursement, a local family doctor, the GP, paid by adults but free for under-8s, and three children's hospitals with emergency departments open day and night. Here is how it works, with verified addresses and the official list of French-speaking practitioners.

Verified on 30 October 2026

How the Irish system works

A tax-funded public system where hospital care is free but the family doctor is paid, unless you hold a card. Private care is very present, mainly to see specialists faster.

Good to know

  • Once you live in Ireland and intend to stay at least a year, you are 'ordinarily resident' and have access to public hospitals; there is no carte Vitale and no reimbursement, each service is either free or paid depending on the card you hold. Source
  • GP visits are paid by most families. The means-tested medical card makes the GP, medicines and hospital care free; the GP visit card, with higher income limits, only covers GP visits and out-of-hours GP care. Source
  • All children under 8 living in Ireland are entitled to a free GP visit card, with no means test: GP visits, assessments at ages 2 and 5, out-of-hours urgent care and asthma care; medicines and hospital charges are not covered. Source
  • With the Drugs Payment Scheme card, a household never pays more than €80 a month for approved prescribed medicines and appliances, children under 18 included; use the same pharmacy within the month if possible. Source
  • In public hospitals, in-patient stays and day services have been free since 17 April 2023; attending an emergency department without a GP letter costs €100 for the first visit, and an injury unit €75, unless you have a medical card or a GP referral. Source
  • The European Health Insurance Card is only for temporary stays: once resident, you come under the Irish system. Many families add private insurance, often through the employer; the Health Insurance Authority compares the plans of Vhi, Laya, Irish Life Health and Level Health for free. Source

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Choosing a GP and baby check-ups

No compulsory British-style registration: you choose a GP surgery near home that is taking new patients, and it looks after the whole family. The first health step is to register the under-8s for their free card there.

Good to know

  • The HSE directory lists GP surgeries by address; call to check they are taking new patients and take part in the under-8s scheme. There is no direct-access community paediatrician: the GP follows children and refers to hospital. Source
  • The under-8s card is registered online with your PPS number, the child's PPS number and the GP's name; a baby under 4 months can be registered before having a PPS. The GP receives the details and the child gets a card number within a few days. Source
  • There is no single Irish child health record: the GP and the public health nurse each keep their own file. Bring each child's French carnet de santé, their passport or birth certificate and proof of address, and ask the GP to record the vaccines already given.
  • The public health nurse visits at home after the birth and then carries out the child's health and development checks up to age 5, at the local health centre. Source
  • For a newborn, the GP visits at 2 weeks and 6 weeks, as well as the mother's 6-week check-up, are free under the Maternity and Infant Care Scheme. Source
  • Dentist: children in state schools get a free dental screening in 2nd, 4th and 6th class, which triggers an HSE dental clinic appointment if needed; under-16s are entitled to emergency dental care and, subject to criteria, to public orthodontics. Source

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Emergencies and children's hospitals

Two numbers, 112 and 999, and one reflex: out of hours, the GP out-of-hours service answers and directs you. Children do not go to adult hospital emergency departments but to one of the Children's Health Ireland sites, open 24/7.

Good to know

  • 112 or 999 call an ambulance for a life-threatening emergency. For everything else, in the evening, at night and at weekends, the GP out-of-hours service takes calls, sees children and directs you to an emergency department if needed; the HSE directory gives the service for your area. Source
  • The Children's Health Ireland emergency departments (CHI at Crumlin, CHI at Temple Street and the Emergency Care Unit at CHI at Tallaght) are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for children from birth to the eve of their 16th birthday; triage is by severity, not arrival order. Source
  • Without a GP referral letter, the emergency department visit is charged €100; with the letter, or with a medical card, it is free. Bring the child's medicines and health record. Source
  • For a minor injury (small fracture, sprain, wound, light burn), CHI at Connolly in Blanchardstown runs an urgent care centre by same-day appointment, every day from 9am to 5pm; adult injury units generally only take children from age 5 and never for an illness (fever, seizures). Source
  • The new national children's hospital is being built on the St James's campus in Dublin 8: it will bring together Crumlin and Temple Street, with Connolly and Tallaght as satellite centres; until then, the addresses below remain valid. Source

Addresses

  • CHI at Crumlin, urgences enfants

    Emergency

    Cooley Road, Crumlin, Dublin 12, D12 N512

    The country's largest children's hospital, south-west of the centre; emergency department open 24 hours, national specialties and paediatric surgery.

    Website Source

  • CHI at Temple Street, urgences enfants

    Emergency

    Temple Street, Dublin 1, D01 YC67

    North-central children's hospital, 24/7 emergency care, outpatients and specialties; reduced-rate parking at Q-Park Marlborough Street with validation at the hospital.

    Website Source

  • CHI at Tallaght, Emergency Care Unit

    Emergency

    Belgard Square North, Tallaght, Dublin 24, D24 TN3C

    Children's emergency care unit open 24 hours, 7 days a week, for all medical emergencies and walk-in trauma; within Tallaght Hospital, south-west Dublin.

    Website Source

  • CHI at Connolly, centre de soins urgents sur rendez-vous

    Hospital

    Connolly Hospital, Mill Road, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, D15 RRN1

    Minor injuries and illnesses that do not need an emergency department, by same-day appointment booked online (slots released at midnight then during the morning), 9am to 5pm every day, bank holidays included.

    Website Source

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French-speaking doctors, dentists and therapists

The French embassy in Ireland publishes a list of French-speaking professionals: translators, lawyers and health practitioners. It is provided for information only, without engaging the administration's responsibility, and the choice of practitioner is free. It includes no paediatrician (in Ireland, the GP follows children); we list the Dublin-area practitioners, most of whom work privately.

Good to know

  • The official list covers, for Dublin and the rest of Ireland, general practice, women's health, psychiatry, dentistry, speech therapy, psychology and psychotherapy, podiatry and nursing; it is the only public source checked by the French administration. Source
  • These practitioners mostly work privately: consultations are paid, sometimes covered by private insurance; a French-speaking GP may nevertheless accept the under-8s card if they take part in the scheme, ask the surgery. Source
  • The lepetitjournal.com expat directory complements the list with French-speaking professionals who register themselves; Facebook groups of French parents in Ireland also share addresses, to be checked. Source

Addresses

  • Dr Conor Maguire

    General practitioner

    Leopardstown Valley (Dublin 18)

    General practitioner, Glencairn Medical Centre, Ballyogan Road, a few minutes from Foxrock and the Lycée français.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Source

  • Dr Kevin O'Flynn, Dr Caitriona O'Flynn et Dr Lucy Kelly

    General practitioner

    South Circular Road (Dublin 8)

    French-speaking general practice, 239 South Circular Road, south of the centre.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Source

  • Dr Sean Lynch

    General practitioner

    Raheny (Dublin 5)

    General practitioner, Raheny Medical, in Raheny Shopping Centre on Howth Road: the French-speaking GP of the north coast.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Source

  • Dr Sandra Hubert

    Lower Liffey Street (Dublin 1)

    Doctor, women's health, at the city-centre Well Woman Centre: contraception, gynaecological care, fertility questions.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Source

  • Dr Nicolas Bénard

    Psychologist

    Lombard Street East (Dublin 2)

    Psychiatrist, private consultations at the Elmwood Centre, near Pearse Street.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Website Source

  • Dr Marie Caroline Berthelin

    Dentist

    Blackrock

    Dentist, Azure Dental, Maretimo Gardens West, a stone's throw from Blackrock DART station.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Website Source

  • Charlotte Petit

    À domicile, Dublin

    French speech and language therapist, assessments and therapy at home: invaluable for bilingual children.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Source

  • Stéphanie Bloom-Nervi

    Psychologist

    Blackrock ou téléconsultation

    Psychologist and psychotherapist, Bloom Therapy, in person in Blackrock or online.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Website Source

  • Anne Sophie Bruley-Cappiello

    Psychologist

    Dún Laoghaire (Cualanor)

    Clinical psychologist and psychotherapist, experienced in child and adolescent care and perinatal issues (pregnancy, perinatal loss, baby's first years); in person or by video.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Source

  • Paula Marin

    Psychologist

    Dublin, cabinet et visio

    Clinical psychologist, adolescents and adults; autism assessment and diagnosis for children and adults (Insight Autism).

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Website Source

  • Marlène Boutier

    Psychologist

    En ligne et en extérieur, Dublin

    Child and adolescent psychologist specialising in neurodiversity and disability: supports children, teenagers and parents, in French or English, online or on walk-and-talk sessions.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Source

  • Sophie Raphenne

    Psychologist

    Dublin

    IACP-accredited psychotherapist and mindfulness teacher, Wildflower Counselling.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Website Source

  • Brigitte Battalier

    Psychologist

    Dublin, sur rendez-vous

    Psychotherapist and psychoanalyst, by appointment only.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Website Source

  • Hugues Bachelart

    Psychologist

    En ligne

    Psychologist, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), online consultations; appointments through the website form.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Website Source

  • Tanaë Healy Salvetti

    Psychologist

    Dublin et en ligne

    Psychotherapist, integrative approach with a systemic focus, Multiple Perspectives, in person or online.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Website Source

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Pregnancy and maternity hospitals

Pregnancy care is free for every resident, shared between your GP and one of Dublin's three large maternity hospitals. You choose between public, semi-private (a Dublin particularity) and private care, and you book in early.

Good to know

  • The Maternity and Infant Care Scheme gives every woman living in Ireland, with no medical card needed, free combined care between the GP and the maternity hospital: appointments, an ultrasound scan, hospital or home birth with an HSE midwife, then baby visits at 2 and 6 weeks; your GP registers you. Source
  • Three options: public, free, where low-risk pregnancies are followed by midwives; semi-private, offered only in Dublin maternity hospitals, with a consultant obstetrician and part of the costs paid by you or your insurer; private, with consultant's fees and a single room if available. Source
  • In several hospitals, the 'domino' scheme entrusts pregnancy, birth and the first days at home to the same team of midwives; an HSE home birth is booked from 10 to 12 weeks. Source
  • Maternity leave lasts 26 weeks, extendable by 16 unpaid weeks; it starts at least 2 weeks before the due date and lasts at least 4 weeks after the birth. State Maternity Benefit covers the 26 weeks if you have enough PRSI contributions, sometimes topped up by the employer; fathers get 2 weeks' paternity leave within 6 months. Source
  • A baby born in Ireland automatically receives a PPS number when the birth is registered; then think about the transcription of the birth certificate at the consulate, which is done by post. Source

Addresses

  • The National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street

    Maternity

    Holles Street, Dublin 2

    The south-central maternity hospital, near Merrion Square: free public care with midwives, semi-private and private options, neonatal intensive care unit.

    Website Source

  • The Rotunda Hospital

    Maternity

    Parnell Square, Dublin 1

    The country's oldest maternity hospital, north of the centre, caring since 1745: public, semi-private and private care, community midwives team.

    Website Source

  • The Coombe Hospital

    Maternity

    Cork Street, Dublin 8

    The south-west maternity hospital, since 1826: more than 10,000 women cared for each year, public, semi-private (often covered by insurance) and private.

    Website Source

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Pharmacies and medicines

Pharmacies are plentiful, often open on Sundays and late in the evening, and the pharmacist is the first port of call for minor ailments. There is no French-style duty rota: spot your area's late night pharmacies as soon as you arrive.

Good to know

  • Many pharmacies open on Sundays and late in the evening; explore your area and note the hours, because at night the GP out-of-hours service or the emergency department takes over. Source
  • The pharmacist is a qualified healthcare professional: they supply over-the-counter medicines, advise on minor illnesses and tell you whether a GP visit is needed; it is the first step recommended by the children's hospitals. Source
  • Equivalents: paracetamol (Calpol syrup for children) for Doliprane, ibuprofen (Nurofen for Children) for Advil, saline for sérum physiologique; many are sold off the shelf, including in supermarkets. Spasfon and many French syrups have no equivalent.
  • A prescription issued in France can be used in another European state if it includes the required information (prescriber and patient identification, medicine name); in practice, the simplest is to have the treatment renewed by your Irish GP. Source
  • Apply for the Drugs Payment Scheme card as soon as the family regularly spends on prescribed medicines: it caps the household's monthly bill, children included, and its digital version appears in the HSE Health App. Source

Addresses

  • Hickey's Pharmacy

    Pharmacy

    Plusieurs officines à Dublin

    Dublin chain with several late night pharmacies; opening hours per branch on the website.

    Website Source

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Vaccines: how the schedule differs from France

The Irish schedule broadly resembles the French one, with a few differences: babies' vaccines are given at the GP, older children's at school, chickenpox is vaccinated for babies born since October 2024 and flu is offered every winter to all children by nasal spray.

Good to know

  • Schedule vaccines are free: at the GP for babies, then by HSE vaccination teams at school. Since 1 October 2024, two schedules coexist depending on the child's date of birth. Source
  • Baby: the 6-in-1 (diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, Hib, hepatitis B) in several doses in the first year, with MenB, pneumococcal and rotavirus, then MMR at 12 months; children born on or after 1 October 2024 get a 4th 6-in-1 dose instead of Hib/MenC. Source
  • Chickenpox: children born on or after 1 October 2024 are vaccinated (combined MMRV vaccine in junior infants); for a child born before, the vaccine is not on the schedule but can be requested from the GP, at your expense. In France, chickenpox is not routinely vaccinated. Source
  • At school: in junior infants (ages 4 to 5), the 4-in-1 (diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio) and MMR or MMRV; in first year of secondary school, HPV for girls and boys, the Tdap booster and MenACWY, given by HSE teams in the school. Source
  • Every winter, from age 2 to 17, the flu vaccine is free, as a nasal spray, from October to the end of April; babies under 6 months can get RSV (bronchiolitis) immunisation from September to February. Source
  • In France, eleven vaccinations are compulsory for young children; the Irish schedule is recommended and free. Bring the French health record to the GP so that doses already given are recorded and the catch-up adjusted, and contact the public health nurse or the local immunisation team with any question. Source

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These landmarks do not replace the advice of a health professional. In an emergency, call the local emergency number shown above.

A place has closed, something has changed? Tell us: the mums of Dublin will thank you.

Sources for this page

The public pages these landmarks come from. The official website always prevails.

  1. 1 Ambassade de France en Irlande, professionnels francophones (liste de notoriété)
  2. 2 HSE, GP visit card des moins de 8 ans
  3. 3 Citizens Information, frais hospitaliers
  4. 4 Children's Health Ireland, urgences pédiatriques
  5. 5 HSE, options de suivi de grossesse
  6. 6 HSE, vaccins de l'enfant
  7. 7 Citizens Information, congé maternité
  8. 8 Health Insurance Authority, comparateur d'assurances santé

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