Last minute issues in getting to Ireland inApril

It would be easiest to fly from Glasgow to Dublin. I didn’t even know you could do the journey by train. It will take a lot longer than flying.

You could fly into Cork from Scotland, and then fly home from Dublin.

How do you take a train to Ireland from Scotland? Sorry if I'm being dense, but Ireland is an island, so there would have to be more to the trip than just the train, anyhow.

Fly from Scotland to Ireland. You can not take a train from Scotland to Ireland without using other modes of transportation, taxis, ferries. Check out Ryan Air -a budget airline with very strict rules on luggage. (Pay for your luggage to be checked in when you book). Dublin is worth a 2 day stay at the end. Then fly back to US from there. Galway and the west coast of Ireland is wonderful, but public transportation is not as widespread here and it will be cold and damp, so waiting around for buses and trains can get you down. Renting a car would be more idea or if driving is not for you, then check out this small group tour company - they leave from Dublin. There are 5 and 8 days tours starting in March. We used them a few years ago and it was a fantastic trip. https://vagabondtoursofireland.com/

Train Glasgow to Ayr, connecting special coach/bus to Cairnryan for the ferry, then bus to Belfast City Centre from the ferry- covered by the integrated Rail/Sail ticket (which costs less than the ferry alone). On this route only (ie- not the Holyhead or Fishguard routes) National Railcards are accepted for their normal 33% reduction.
Glasgow Central depart 1130 Ayr 1222/1245 Cairnryan 1400/1530 Belfast VT5 arrive 1745
£39 each or £25.95 with a railcard.

Through fares are available from any UK station eg- London to Belfast via Glasgow and Cairnryan is £63/£41.95 with railcard.

These are all walk up fares.

On the Holyhead route only there are also through fares available to any station in Ireland or Northern Ireland- eg London to Derry/Londonderry or Cobh as examples.

Wysenhimer,

Sounds like a blast!

Take a look at the path of RS Steves 7 day tour of Ireland as a road map (see below or go to the tour page) . We took that tour a wee bit back and loved it. (Not too fast at all.)

I want to go record saying Rick Steves pacing is sometimes a tad slow-- not too fast at all! Time in money! Money is honey! And an Irish joke is always funny.

Excerpts of his tour below:

Day 1: Welcome to Ireland
Cliffs of Moher, where you'll find yourself leaning into the wind, teetering on the very edge of Europe more than 600 feet above the churning waters of the North Atlantic. Sleep in Ennis.
Day 2: Ennis to Dingle Town
Dingle Peninsula. En route we'll stop to visit County Limerick's lovely village of Adare, brimming with thatched cottages and flower gardens. At the end of our drive we'll arrive in the pastel-painted, quintessentially Irish harbor town of Dingle. A
Sleep in Dingle.
Day 3: The Dingle Peninsula
ancient Christian sites. a crystal cutting , Slea Head Drive, our vote for the most beautiful road in Ireland. Great Blasket Centre,Falconry Sleep in Dingle.
Day 4: The Rock of Cashel and Kilkenny
Kilkenny. On our way, the Rock of Cashel. Kilkenny Castle, Sleep in Kilkenny.
Day 5: Glendalough and Dublin
Glendalough, Ireland's most impressive monastic settlement. Glasnevin Cemetery and Museum, Sleep in Dublin.
Day 6: The Heart and History of Dublin
Book of Kells, National Museum of Archaeology or Dublin Castle.
Sleep in Dublin.
Day 7: Tour Over After Breakfast

Shannon airport in the West of Ireland is a decent alternative to backtracking to Dublin with direct flights to the US.

You can fly from Edinburgh to Dublin, Cork or Shannon. You can fly from Glasgow to Dublin or Cork. Cork or Shannon is a good choice if you're flying home from Dublin. It doesn't sound like you have a return ticket yet, so find out if you can fly home from Shannon instead. Next, determine when you will arrive in Ireland and calculate how many nights until your departure. Will you rent a car? Then set your priorities for what you want to see and do, striking out the low priority items that don't fit into a schedule. You'll be aided in this by buying a guidebook. The places you mention are all well-trod tourist areas and should be covered in any guidebook, certainly they are in the RS book.
Or book a tour. Rabbies has 3- and 5-day offerings between 4/5 and 4/12. I doubt returning to Dublin from a tour will involve more travel time than taking the ferry to Belfast, as described by isn31c.

As an example of Glasgow to Dublin by rail via Holyhead- cost £51.10 per person Glasgow Central depart 0838, Warrington Bank Quay 1122/1139 Chester 1201/1229 Holyhead 1415/1515 Dublin Port (Stena) arrive 1830,

or an hour earlier for the Irish Ferries crossing.

A through fare Glasgow to Cork for example is £78.10 via Irish Ferries or £79.40 via Stena. That is probably cheaper booking a separate Irish Rail Advance Fare, but as a CIV ticket booked through it is a protected connection.

There is even a Glasgow to Belfast via Holyhead fare of £69.80 IF/£71 Stena. Again probably cheaper as separate fares, but you would lose CIV protection.

On the Cairnryan route the through fare to any Northern Ireland station is the same as to Belfast- so basically the onward train is free of charge.