Ireland without a car

Ireland does need extra research to travel through without a car, but it is entirely possible if you are willing to put in a little extra time and be a bit flexible. You will need to use a combination of trains and buses to make it around. My sister and I did a similar trip. I'm not going to lie. There were challenges, but we overcame them all with careful planning and a willingness to "think outside the box."

We found that travel in Northern Ireland was a bit easier with public transport only than in Ireland itself. Still, we made it to places that others told us it was impossible to get to without a car.

You will need to decide which places are your top priority and focus on them first. Then add in other locations that seem reasonable in terms of transportation.

It's very doable. Here is a map of the train routes:
https://www.seat61.com/reference/Ireland-map.pdf?dl=0
I don't see a way to get from Enniskerry to Kilkenny without going back through Dublin, but the good news is that Enniskerry to Dublin appears to be only 30 minutes or so.
The scenic drives (Ring of Kerry, Slea Head, etc) are generally more enjoyable as a passenger.
Download the Transport for Ireland app for bus schedules and tickets.

It is possible, but takes a lot of planning, and more time to get to some places that don’t have train service. This topic has come up several times here, so if you use the search feature and search for Ireland by public transit you should get numerous results, and lots of good advice.

We spent 12 days in Ireland in Fall '23 without a car. We used trains, buses and an occasional taxi. We had no problem getting to where we were going but also planned our locations around what was possible in terms of transportation. Dublin, Waterford, Killarney, Dingle, Kenmare and Kinsale.

Thank you all so much for the encouragement. I was about ready to find another public transport friendly spot to visit.

We just spent 3 weeks in Ireland W/O a car no problem. Direct bus from DUB to Galway. Busses to Clifden& Westport.
Local buses to Connamera, Achill, Clare Island, and other day trips. Trains for other spots. Very glad to not be driving when I saw my first backwards roundabout.
Brad

Recommend taking a tour. Check out Gate 1 Travel and Rabbies Tours.
We did a 10 day tour last year that cost about $2000 per person and it was great.

We traveled using only public transportation (buses, trains, ferries, taxi, bikes) April 19 - May 10 2026. This was our route; Dublin, Portrush (via Belfast), Dublin, Cashel, Midleton, Enis, Lahinch, Doolin, Aran Island - Inis Mor, Doolin, Galway, Letterfrack, Clifden, Galway, Dublin. Yes, it required some homework and organizing a table plus QR codes, but it went very smooth. We are active and in our 60’s and used backpacks (one a Rick Steves backpack) for ease of getting from the stops to the hotels and B&Bs. We enjoyed walking to the museums and sights in Dublin as our hotel was close to the River Liffey. We also planned lodging as close to the bus / train stations as practical.
Things we learned: 1) helps to purchase in advance if possible and if it fits into your schedule. 2) Train tickets in Northern Ireland can be activated anytime on the travel date so they are not time specific. 3) Trains in the Republic are time specific (you can purchase different types for time/refund flexibility). 4) I would always locate / visit the train/bus station or stop the day or morning before just to confirm the numbers and times (and for peace of mind). Attendants at the stations are very helpful in answering questions. 5) We never missed a connection except in Ennis where the bus stop was 2 blocks away from the posted stop. Another bus driver gave us a complementary ride to the local bus station to catch the next bus 1 hour later. 6) Some busses only accept cash and coins so be prepared. 7) Screenshot QR codes and place them in a folder on your phone in chronological order. 8) Create a Google Docs table in chronological order for your transportation.
CONS: The cons are not having as much flexibility as with a car. You may not be able to jaunt over to the next town to check out a sight or a restaurant that someone recommended. We soaked in the local culture where we were, enjoyed visiting with locals at the pubs and with the B&B host, and went to places they suggested in the town. One example is the Choctaw Memorial (huge stainless steel feathers arranged in a circle) in Midleton that an attendant at the train station shop recommended. Also, your trip is pretty locked in with the pre-booked tickets. A change could put a big wrinkle in the trip. We thought about going to Derry when we were in Portrush, but it would’ve made for a long day w/ public transportation getting back to Dublin for our lodging (our B&B host actually offered to take us as she was from Derry).
We would certainly do it again and just about everyone we talked to before we left said “Rent a car!” lol It would’ve been way more stressful for us and we would not have walked as much around the cities and parking would have been a pain. The places we missed on our list for the next trip to Ireland.

We've always used a rental car, but if your objectives are all "in" various towns, you should be fine. We always stay in towns/villages because of our love of trad music pubs. There are often few buses between two points, and getting off halfway to see a Neolithic site or old castle will cost most of a day, assuming there's an interim bus stop nearby. I've tried several times to build a public transit itinerary (especially when the post-Covid car prices were so outrageous) and never managed to do it while meeting even some of our objectives. We just got back from Scotland, and because I'm now 76, my wife had to drive on Uist for her first wrong-side experience. We did get an automatic which made it much easier and she loved the experience, although Uist doesn't have complex intersections. I think she's going to demand to drive on future trips. She did miss being able to knit while watching the scenery roll by.

We did a 12 day trip and saw all we wanted to see. From Dublin we hooked up with a company called Paddy Wagon. There were 40 people on the bus but not all were on the same tour. Some got right off in Belfast. We chose the 6 day tour. Hotels and Band B's were arranged for us. We stayed in Belfast, Derry, Dingle, Galway and Kilarney. Some people did a 3 day or a 4 day and got off at one of those cities. We saw all the sights including the Cliffs. The last day was Blarney and the bus went from there back to Dublin. We informed our wonderful jack- of- all trades driver, tour guide and host that we were staying in Blarney, He said fine, just so I know..
We caught a cab to Macroom for 70 Euros to see an ancestral home. Very reasonable with a local driver who filled us in on all there was to see. Next we got another cab for about the same price to Skibereen to see the Famine museum. From there we took a very nice coach to Cork city and changed to a bus to Cobh. We spent the day and night in Cobh, where the majority of Irish Emmigrants
departed, many of whom never returned.( the last port for the Titanic) Finally, there was a train in Cobh which took us to Cork and a train transfer to Dublin before heading home. It was great not having a car. The Paddy Wagon was reasonably priced as were the cabs, buses and trains, far cheaper than renting a car with all the stress and costs that go with a car. The planning was not particularly difficult. Just check out the Paddy Wagon and arrange before you go.

I agree with geovgriffith that you should consider a tour. I have not done a tour of Ireland-we rented a car-but have done 2 tours with Gate 1 and really enjoyed them. We also did a 4 day tour of England with Rabbies and I highly recommend them

We just returned from a trip that included two weeks in Ireland without a car so a few comments from my POV. We fo not take buses when we are traveling with luggage. It is a personal preference for certain, but we just don't like it. We do take buses for day trips.

• Do not expect trains as nice and as fast as those in countries like Switzerland and Italy (our two faves)
• Trains vector back to Dublin so some hauls are long, like Killarney to Galway was 6 1/2 hours, but then, we did not want to take the bus
• Day tours are a wonderful way to see some magnificent sites. We took Rabbie's for the Dingle Peninsula and Ring of Kerry, Galway Tours for Cliffs of Moher and the Burren, Mary Gibbon's tour to Newgrange. All excellent but Rabbie's the very best.
• Taxis are very useful and the drivers very helpful. Far less expensive than renting a car!

We do not like to move around too much so we had only the three places as bases. Not ideal unless you want a day tour or to take an intercity bus for a day trip. We did enjoy the people so much and the food too much. The weather was as expected: lots of wind, some rain, little sun.

Thank you all so much for the very helpful details and insights you’ve shared. I love this forum group!!