Hi Dave,
Have fished Ireland a few times. Yes you will require a licence but the Irish also have to buy one. They come in 1 day, 1 week(?) or on an annual basis. The week licence I bought 3 years cost about £12 sterling, now in Euros. In addition you need a ticket from the owner of the water, just as in Scotland.
Most of my fishing was in the west of Ireland, Mayo and Galway. Love Ballina and the River Moy!! Although I do mention above that you need a ticket, that is certainly the case for salmon, many of the loughs are free, eg Conn, Cullin, Mask but a boat is pretty essential. It is quite difficult to rent a boat without a boatman, gillie, but it can be done if you persevere. When you see the rocks and obstructions in the loughs, it becomes clear why there is such a difficulty in hiring a self drive boat on the lough. Local knowledge is essential.
As you say it is a family holiday, Ballina and Mayo have many tourist facilities, Ceide Fields, golf, walks etc but for myself for a mixed age party Galway City is the best.
Hope you have a great time,
Lyall
