Ireland · anonymous SMS
Send an anonymous text to an Irish mobile
Ghost delivers your text to any mobile in Ireland without showing your number. A standard text costs 1 credit ($0.20), there is no subscription, and you can send it from a browser on any phone or computer or from the Android app. It arrives from an ordinary mobile number, not from a business sender name, which is what Ireland’s “Likely Scam” label is aimed at.
What a text to Ireland costs
One SMS segment to an Irish mobile costs 1 credit ($0.20). A segment holds 160 characters of plain text, and texts to Ireland start with “GHOST:”, which counts toward that. The € sign is allowed in a plain text but counts as two characters. Irish spelling matters more: the fada vowels á, í, ó and ú are outside the basic SMS alphabet, and one of them switches the whole text to 70-character segments. é is the exception, because it is in the basic set. Curly apostrophes from phone keyboards switch it too. The table shows what that does to the cost.
| Text | Characters | Encoding | Segments | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A short message | 89 characters | GSM-7 | 1 segment | 1 credit ($0.20) |
| A longer message | 282 characters | GSM-7 | 2 segments | 2 credits ($0.40) |
| English, with the euro sign | 108 characters | GSM-7 | 1 segment | 1 credit ($0.20) |
| Irish | 89 characters | UCS-2 | 2 segments | 2 credits ($0.40) |
| English with an Irish sign-off | 59 characters | UCS-2 | 1 segment | 1 credit ($0.20) |
Counts include the “GHOST: ” prefix these texts start with. Rates checked October 22, 2026. Rates for every country
How to type an Irish mobile number
Written locally
08x xxx xxxx
Type in Ghost
+353 8x xxx xxxx
- Open Ghost in your browser or the Android app.
- Choose Ireland (+353) in the country list and type the mobile number.
- Write your text, check the credits shown under it, and send.
Choose Ireland, then type the number without the 0 at the front: 089 011 0123, from the range ComReg reserves for drama, becomes 89 011 0123. Irish mobiles start with 083, 085, 086, 087 or 089. Numbers starting 088 are for machine-to-machine services, not people’s phones. If the number is written with +353 in front, leave that out, because Ghost adds it.
What the person in Ireland sees
- The text arrives as an ordinary SMS from a Ghost mobile number. Your own number is not shown anywhere in it.
- It starts with “GHOST:”, so they can tell it came through Ghost. Nothing in it says who you are unless you write it.
- Since 3 July 2025, Irish networks relabel texts sent under an unregistered business sender name, such as a bank’s name, as “Likely Scam”. ComReg’s registry covers those names only and says mobile numbers do not need registering, so a Ghost text shows a phone number, not that label.
- Replying from their messages app does not reach you. If you want an answer, switch on a Reply Link: they open it in a browser and send you one reply, still without seeing your number.
- Anyone who would rather not get Ghost texts can block them on the stop page. Ghost will not send to a number on that list.
Writing a text for Ireland
Most texts in Ireland are in English. In Census 2022, 1,873,997 people said they could speak Irish, and 71,968 speak it every day outside the education system. Both languages use Latin letters, but the fada decides how much fits in one segment.
English, with the euro sign
Hi, is the room in Rathmines still available? I can pay €650 a month and view it on Thursday evening.GSM-7, 108 characters, 1 segment: 1 credit ($0.20)
The € sign is in the extended SMS alphabet, so it keeps the text at 160-character segments but counts as two characters. With “GHOST:” in front, this text still fits in one segment.
Irish
Dia duit! An bhfuil an rothar fós ar díol? Is féidir liom é a bhailiú Dé Sathairn.UCS-2, 89 characters, 2 segments: 2 credits ($0.40)
Switched to UCS-2 by: ó í ú
The ó, í and ú in this text are outside the basic alphabet (é is inside it), so it is sent in 70-character segments. With “GHOST:” in front it is 89 characters, which makes two. Without the fadas it would fit in one, but the spelling would be wrong.
English with an Irish sign-off
Thanks a million for minding the dog. Slán go fóill!UCS-2, 59 characters, 1 segment: 1 credit ($0.20)
Switched to UCS-2 by: á ó
One fada is enough to switch the whole text to 70-character segments. This one is short, so with “GHOST:” in front it still fits in one.
When people in Ireland keep their number private
Buying and selling on DoneDeal or Marketplace
Listings for cars, furniture and pets on DoneDeal and Facebook Marketplace put you in touch with people you know nothing about, and a number you post there stays with all of them. Agree a price and a viewing time through Ghost, and give your own number only when you are ready to meet.
Renting a room through Daft.ie
Looking for a flat or a house share on Daft.ie means texting landlords and housemates you have never met. Ghost lets you ask about rent, bills and viewings first, without handing your mobile to every advertiser.
A note you would rather not sign
Telling a neighbour their car is blocking the lane, or that their dog barks all day while they are at work, is easier without a reply thread on your own phone. Keep the tone polite: the law below cares about what you write, not about the number being hidden.
Irish law on anonymous texts
Sending a text without showing your number is not an offence in itself. What you write is what matters: sending a threatening or grossly offensive communication to someone with intent to cause harm is an offence under section 4 of the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020, known as Coco’s Law. Persistent texts that seriously interfere with someone’s peace and privacy can be harassment or stalking under section 10 of the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person Act 1997, and threatening to kill or seriously harm someone by any means is an offence under section 5. Marketing texts to individuals need their consent under regulation 13 of the ePrivacy Regulations 2011.
Got a text you did not want?
If a text looks like a scam, do not reply or use any number or link in it, and block the sender. ComReg advises contacting your local Garda station or garda.ie if you think it is a scam, and asking your provider to block a number that keeps texting you. Gardaí suggest taking a screenshot, deleting the text and reporting it to your bank and local Garda station. To stop texts sent through Ghost, add your number on the stop page.
Questions and answers
A text of up to 160 plain characters costs 1 credit ($0.20), including the “GHOST:” at the start. Longer texts are charged per segment, and a fada on á, í, ó or ú, a curly apostrophe or an emoji shortens each segment to 70 characters. Ghost shows the cost before you send.
An SMS from a Ghost mobile number that starts with “GHOST:”. Your number is not in it, and nothing identifies you unless you put it in the text.
Not by replying in their messages app. Add a Reply Link when you send: they open it in a browser and send you one reply without seeing your number. A Reply Link costs 3 credits plus the reply’s rate and works for 7 days.
Yes, hiding your number is legal. Sending threatening or grossly offensive messages with intent to cause harm, threatening to kill or seriously harm someone, or texting someone persistently to harass them is a criminal offence whether or not your number shows.
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