Banking in Ireland

I'm glad to see I'm not the only foreigner in this country that finds the banking systems here archaic.

Ireland from a Polish Perspective has had many of the same problems that Jeanine and I have experienced with attempting to do some of the most basic banking transactions.

Jeanine opened her bank account with Bank of Ireland, near her old place of employment in Clontarf. When she moved to a new job, nearer the city, she asked about moving her bank account to a branch in the city too. She was told that there's no real reason to move, and that you can do anything from any branch, regardless of where your "home branch" is. Sounds fairly reasonable.
It later turns out that you can't do a same day deposit to your account anywhere... you have to do it at your "home branch". You can't apply for a Credit Card anywhere, you have to do it at your "home branch".
Thank goodness she's at least in the same County as her home branch.

Internet banking is a joke.
In South Africa, you could do absolutely everything online. I was able to open 32-day notice accounts, apply for a Credit Card, Add and Remove benificiaries... all Online.
In Ireland, you have to go to the branch to open additional accounts and apply for other "features". You have to phone in to their 24/7 telephone banking call centre so you can add a benificiary. I actually had to choose AIB as my bank because they were the only bank I could find that allowed you to do International SWIFT transfers online.
My only complaint, is that every once in a while, it will refuse to accept my login. After 3 "incorrect" attempts, it'll lock the account out and I have to wait 3 days for my new access code to arrive in the post.

This is supposed to be the richest nation in the world, with some of the most advanced technological research in the world happening here. *shrug*