Area Code 9496 – Castlerea

Overview of Area Code 9496 (Castlerea, Ireland)

Area code +353 9496 is a geographic National Destination Code (NDC) assigned to the town of Castlerea and its surrounding areas in County Roscommon, in the western region of the Republic of Ireland. This code is part of the Irish telephone numbering plan, which adheres to ITU-T E.164 standards. The prefix is used for fixed-line (PSTN) services and is allocated to the incumbent operator, Eir, as well as other licensed fixed-line providers offering services in the area.

Geographic Coverage and Administrative Jurisdiction

Castlerea is a market town in the west of County Roscommon, situated near the borders with County Mayo and County Galway. The 9496 NDC covers the town itself and the surrounding rural hinterland, including the electoral divisions of Castlerea, Fairymount, and parts of the wider Roscommon countryside. The area is served by the western regional administrative framework, with local governance under Roscommon County Council.

Dialing Formats and Number Structure

In the Irish numbering plan, geographic numbers have a variable length. For the 9496 code, the local number length is typically 5 digits, resulting in a total national significant number (NSN) length of 9 digits (0 + NDC + local number). The international format is +353 9496 XXXXX, where XXXXX represents the 5-digit subscriber number.

National dialing (from within Ireland): Dial 094 96 XXXXX. Note that the trunk prefix '0' is used for all national calls, followed by the NDC (9496) and the local number.

International dialing (from outside Ireland): Dial your country's exit code (e.g., 011 from the US, 00 from most European countries), then Ireland's country code 353, followed by the NDC without the leading '0' and the local number: +353 9496 XXXXX.

Caller Instructions and Overlay Considerations

For local callers within the Castlerea exchange area, it is possible to dial only the 5-digit local number for calls to other numbers within the same geographic area, depending on the operator's settings. However, for all other calls within Ireland, the full national format (094 96 XXXXX) is required.

As of the latest numbering plan updates, there are no overlay codes for this area; the 9496 NDC is exclusive to the Castlerea geographic region. Callers from abroad should always use the international format, omitting the initial '0' of the national prefix.

Practical Examples

• To call a Castlerea number from Dublin: 094 96 12345
• To call the same number from the United Kingdom: 00 353 9496 12345
• To call from the United States: 011 353 9496 12345

This code is used exclusively for fixed-line services; mobile numbers in Ireland use separate NDCs (e.g., 083, 085, 086, 087, 089) and are not affected by this geographic code.