Trains

Using the rail network can be a good way to tour Ireland, though it has limitations and will almost certainly need to be combined with bus travel.

There are good train connections from Dublin to other cities and towns, but links between cities other than Dublin are patchy to say the least.

For most people planning a significant amount of train travel in Ireland, an Eurail travel pass, available only to non-European residents, is good value.

There are a number of different pass options – this overview will help you to select the right one for you, and there are also some tips about getting the best value from your pass.

InterRail passes are available to residents of Europe and North Africa only and are valid for travel in up to 29 countries.

Information here about what passes to buy, where to buy them and how to get the maximum value from your pass.

It’s one of the great tragedies of Ireland that a once extensive local railway network was allowed to disappear.

Some are being restored by bands of enthusiasts, and this is one of the best, a restored narrow gauge railway on which old locomotives run, taking passengers on trips down memory lane, via the local countryside.