"If you are an employee, your employer makes Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) deductions from your earnings each week. These PRSI contributions to the Social Insurance Fund can help you to qualify for social insurance payments, such as Jobseeker's Benefit and State Pension (Contributory). If you are out of work you may qualify for a credited contribution.
A credited social insurance contribution is a contribution given to you and recorded on your social insurance record. In some cases you can combine your paid and credited contributions to help you qualify for a social insurance payment".
Credits are vip and avoids a broken record when it comes to the state pension calculation so in this
regard they are just as equal as a paid contribution.