Dublin Airport to Ennis travel options

An alternative option is Dublin Coach (www.dublincoach.ie) who run from Dublin Airport to Ennis with one change. Saves heading into the city centre to catch a train.

The airport bus costs about €6.50 apiece, while a taxi is around €25 for the two of you. For the convenience of door to door service, especially if horsing luggage around, I think I'd opt for the taxi.

We just got back from Ireland and did pretty much what you are asking about. Took a taxi from the airport to Heuston station (around 32 euro), and then the train to Killarney, with one change. I’ve taken both trains and busses in Ireland. For this trip, I definitely recommend the train. It was easy, and comfortable, and faster than a bus would be, because there are fewer stops and no traffic to contend with.

I’d suggest a taxi from the airport to Heuston over the airport bus. It’ll be much faster, because the bus stops a lot along the way. Taxi will take maybe 20 minutes, while the bus will take 45.

Buy your tickets at the train station kiosk with a credit card. It’s easy. Same-day prices at the kiosk will be higher than anything you buy online, even the flexi ticket. We weren’t sure how easy it would be to collect pre-paid tickets, so we just waited until we got to the station, and paid the higher price. Plus, you never know if your flight is going to be very late. We felt better not pre-booking. Follow your own instincts on this one. (BTW, the option to collect prepaid tickets at the kiosk did look pretty straightforward.)

Check the list of stops for your possible trains on irishrail.ie. It looks like some trains to Ennis change in Athlone, while others change in Limerick Junction. (Also note there are several Limerick stops, so be sure you get the right one!)

We didn’t reserve seats, but had no problem. You just have to avoid sitting in seats that have names posted on the little screens above the seats.

At Heuston station, if you need breakfast, there’s a little Marks & Spencer market where you can buy pastries or yogurt or fruit. There will also be a snack trolley on the train, where you can get coffee, tea, or (sad-looking) pastries.

Have a wonderful trip!

Oh, now I see FFS’s recommendation to take Dublin Coach straight from the airport. That sounds like a really easy option! Maybe compare total travel times.

Thank you all so much for your very thoughtful and really helpful information, ideas and advice. So appreciative of your posts. A very good idea to just take the easy approach and take a taxi to the train station. Particularly for our ‘time change’ brains which will be a bit challenged.