Hello
Ste2911 - believe that
The Rambler has provided you w/ much information and a number of detailed links about the issues involved w/ charging the iPad; just in summary there are 3 main issues:
1. The standard 'American' 110v charger is 10W, lower power 'rip offs' are offered but be careful in your choices - you need the right power for effective charging.
2. 110v vs. 220v - in Ireland your power supply from the wall is 220v - some type of transformer adapter is needed to down the voltage to 110v.
3. Wall plugs - as you likely already know, these will vary; a wall plug adapter may just be that, i.e. does not also down the voltage; of course, universal adapters that include both choosing different voltages and offering different plug-in adapters are available.
Just do some searching around - there are plenty of different options of solve this issue; just not a major problem to solve but you obviously need to understand the principles - good luck!