Shannon to Dublin

We chose to fly into Shannon and visited Dublin at the end of our time in Ireland, Consider flipping your itinerary.

If appears they can't fly into Dublin so they can't flip the arrival. I seem To remember someone asked this before and it was suggested a bus from Shannon to Limerick then transfer to train straight thru to Heuston station right in Dublin. Good luck and I hope someone can give you more recent advice.

You will probably get better suggestions if you provide some context - what exactly are your plans for Ireland? How many days are you planning to spend and where?

I ask that question because what you're asking is often the exact opposite of what people seem to want. That is, they're flying in to Dublin (the vast majority of flights arrive in Dublin, not Shannon) and many folks are looking for ways to manage their trip to include the far west/southwest (which is the region that Shannon serves).

Shannon (and far western/southwestern Ireland) are somewhat remote, and not quickly/easily/directly connected to Dublin. This is a feature, not a bug (at least for most folks). The "best" way to get between them is subjective, and depends what you're really trying to do.

For many folks (myself included) the far west/southwest of Ireland is some of the best part of the country. It would be a shame (IMHO) to land in Shannon, and just head straight for Dublin without checking out the region first. So to some of us, the question you're asking seems a bit unusual.

To answer your question directly, there are limited flights between Shannon and Dublin. There's a train, but Shannon does not have conveniently co-located station. Nearest stations are (I believe) Ennis or Sixmilebridge. I'm sure you could take a bus (coach). The Irish rail system is not the sleek and high-tech image many Americans have when they think of rail services in Europe. The trains are fine and work well, but not the euro trains of our dreams.

There are not limited flights Shannon to Dublin, there are no flights. As it should be over such a short distance.

Ireland is not like the US, in that there are very few domestic flights. People have a lot more basic respect for the environment.

You take the Bus to Ennis or Limerick then train or bus onwards.

The problem with the bus is that Limerick or Ennis to Dublin is now run entirely by private operators so there is no direct connection point as the private operators are too mean to pay to use bus stations when they can avoid it.

On the train for most of the day you change into a Cork to Dublin express at Limerick Junction.
The above comments about the quality of Irish Rail are just subjective and ill informed. The country is too small to support high speed rail but it is a good system with good quality trains.

This happens in two weeks. We are flying standby. We want to fly to Dublin, but the flights are really tight. Shannon is much more open. I have several appointments in Dublin the day after we are to arrive there. We have hotel accommodations there as well. Three days after Dublin, we drive to the west coast and finish out five days in Ennis where we have hotel accommodations. At this late date, trying to switch hotels and start the trip from the west and finish in the east, is a non-starter. We fly home from Shannon.

We will try to fly to Dublin. If that is not possible, Shannon is the fall back. If we arrive in Shannon, I have to figure a way to get to Dublin on public transportation.