Travel to Dublin
Flight
There are many possibilities and each of you will have your own starting point and will be doing your own research via Google Maps, airlines websites etc and make your own choices.
Here are some of our observations which we hope will confirm your expectations, as well as offering some possibilities which lie outside the usual information.
The obvious choice will be to fly to Dublin Airport and travel to the University College Dublin (UCD) by public transport or taxi. This is fine. For orientation, Dublin Airport is in the North of the city and UCD is in the South of the city. The fastest way to get from Dublin Airport (DUB) to UCD is to catch line 702 bus just outside the terminal which takes under an hour and costs €7 - €11. The other public transport takes about one hour 20 minutes and involves changes.
Another flight option is via Belfast in the North of Ireland, Belfast is 160 km north of Dublin (2 hours train to Dublin). Belfast has 2 airports, ‘International’ (out of town) and ‘City/George Best’ 20 minutes bus to the centre of Belfast.
Shannon airport is 240 km west of Dublin. Cork 270 km to the south.
Trains
Here are some lesser-known options. There is a comprehensive website which has all this train travel information and more: www.seat61.com
Look under ‘Northern Ireland’, ‘Republic of Ireland’ on the left panel and ‘Eurail’, ‘Interrail’ and ‘Eurostar’ right down at the bottom of the list.
SailRail
If your origin is mainland Great Britain (GB), England, Scotland and Wales or if you find a convenient flight to GB or want to visit friends there, there is a train/ferry option which is good value. It’s called ‘SailRail’ and is available from anywhere in GB to Dublin or Belfast. It is a train ticket which includes a fast ferry (boat) to Ireland. It’s not expensive.
There several options using sea crossings by fast ferry. This is a greener option than flying to Dublin from GB, but it takes longer, most of a day, but that becomes an interesting part of the trip.
From the North of England and Scotland, the trip via Belfast is worth investigating. It arrives in Belfast at 18.00. There may be a train to Dublin the same day, or you might want to spend a night (or two) in Belfast and then get the 2 hour train to Dublin centre. This would be a worthwhile experience. Belfast is a small friendly city and despite its troubled past it is safe and welcoming. The recent history is part of what’s on display to visitors. This journey works well if you are coming from Manchester, Edinburgh or Glasgow and also any other GB origin, including London. Just make sure you put ‘Belfast’ as the destination. Then get the train to Dublin as suits you.
From London, or anywhere in the South of England, the usual route goes by train to Holyhead in north west Wales (from an island called Anglesey) and from there by ferry to Dublin. Straightforward but none of the extra interest gained on the Belfast route, but you arrive at UCD on the same day.
To find these ‘SailRail’ tickets, put ‘Belfast’ or ‘Dublin’ into one of the UK rail apps. ‘The Trainline’ is reliable but has a small commission, so it’s a good place to start, for information. Also try tfw.wales
Interrail and Eurail
Look at the website www.seat61.com which is a comprehensive website about train travel in Europe.
’Interrail’ (for European citizens including UK citizens) and ‘Eurail’ (for people from outside Europe) is a European multi-country train pass. It’s not just for young people, and there is a discount for seniors. It can get you from anywhere in Europe to Dublin, via France or the Netherlands to England and on to Ireland. You need to pay separately for the ferry, GB to Ireland, there may be a discount. You need to plan the Eurostar (train under the channel between France and England) in advance, there’s currently a euro 30 surcharge for that, each way.
They sell Interrail / Eurorail passes for various durations. For example, ‘Any 4 separate days train travel in a two week period’. First Class is relatively small uplift in price and is a bargain at busy summer travel times.
Trains from Europe through Eurostar (the channel tunnel) arrive in London St Pancreas train station. This is a short walk (10 -15 minutes) to Euston train station from where trains go northwards to north-west England, Wales and Scotland, and on to Ireland. Don’t bother with the ‘Underground’ tube between these two stations, as you will walk further to get to and from the platforms.
From France, there are ferries to the south coast of Ireland and the south coast of England, from Brittany and Normandy. As well as the Calais/ Dover routes. This is another way of approaching from mainland Europe.
Border controls
Since ‘Brexit’, (which the English and Welsh voted for as the solution to all their problems, while the Scots and Northern Irish didn’t) the requirements for EU citizens to enter the UK and for UK citizens to enter the EU have become complicated but manageable. More longer queueing is the English solution.
Fortunately, the UK and Ireland have a ‘common travel agreement’ which dates back, probably to 1922.
Belfast is in Northern Ireland. It is in the UK but it is not now part of the EU. However, there is no border check between Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland, since the Belfast (‘Good Friday’) agreement of 1998.
So, once you are in the UK, there will be no problem entering Ireland. But you will need your passport, not just a European ID card, if you want to enter the UK from the EU, for example via Belfast direct from Europe.
Please check your particular visa requirements before you travel.