With Eurail you can travel by train on the complete isle of Ireland, both in the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland.
Rail services in Ireland are operated by Iarnrod Éireann (Irish Rail). Trains in Northern Ireland are run by Northern Ireland Railways (NI Railways).
Ireland (Republic)
The national railway company of Ireland is called CIÉ (Córas Iarnród Éireann - Irish Rail). Irish Rail provides a modern, comfortable and frequent rail service to most parts of Ireland. Visit the website of the Irish railway company: Irish Rail.
Most trains in Ireland operate to and from Dublin. There are two main stations in Dublin: Connolly Station and Heuston Station. There are no trains connecting these stations, so you have to take a tram or bus to go from Connolly to Heuston.
Important long-distance connections from Dublin are:
- From Dublin Heuston to Cork, Tralee, Limerick, Galway, Westport, Ballina and Waterford.
- From Dublin Connolly to Sligo, Wexford, Rosslare Europort and Belfast.
The high-speed 'Enterprise' train is jointly operated by Iarnród Éireanna and NI Railways. It runs 8 times a day between Dublin Connolly and Belfast (Northern Ireland) in just over two hours.
Other InterCity routes in Ireland, that also stop at smaller stations:
- Cork to Tralee
- Cork to Limerick
- Limerick to Rosslare Europort
Smaller towns are connected by local 'Railcar' trains, that only have second class compartments. Routes where these trains run: Mallow-TraleeCork-Cobe, Limmerick Junction-Limmerick-Ennis Dublin-Dundalk and Dublin-Rosslare.
Your Eurail Pass is also valid on the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transport), a suburban railway network in the Dublin area operated by Irish Rail. You have to show your Pass at the ticket window to get access through the entrance gates.
Northern Ireland
NIR / Northern Ireland Railways is the national railway company of Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland Railways operates trains on these main routes:
- Bangor Line: Bangor - Belfast - Lisburn - Portadown - Newry
- Derry Line: Londonderry - Coleraine - Ballymena - Antrim - Belfast
- Larne Line: Larne - Carrickfergus - Belfast
- Portrush Line: Coleraine - Portrush
- Cross Border Line: Belfast Central - Portadown - Newry - Dundalk - Dublin *
* the high-speed 'Enterprise' train runs 8 times a day between Belfast and Dublin Connolly (Republic of Ireland) in just over two hours. It is jointly operated by NI Railways and Iarnród Éireanna.
For domestic trains in (Northern) Ireland reservations are not required, so you can just hop on any train with your Eurail Pass.
It is possible to make reservations for IC trains if you want to be sure of a good seat. They can be made locally or online at www.irishrail.ie.
Scenic routes
- Londonderry - Coleraine
- Rosslare - Waterford / Rosslare - Rosslare - Wexford - Enniscorthy
- Wicklow - Greystones - Dun Laoghaire
Airport - station links
From Dublin airport Airlink buses go to Heuston and Connolly railway station (bus 748). Eurail Passes are not valid on the bus.
Sydenham railway station is next to Belfast airport.
Eurail aid offices in Ireland
- Rail Travel Centre
Connoly Station, Amiens Street, Dublin 1
Mon-Sat: 7.00am – 22.20pm
Sun: 8.30am – 21.30pm - NIR Travel
Great Victoria Street Station, Belfast, BT2 7UB
Mon-Fri: 9.00am – 5.00pm
Sat: 9.00pm – 12.30pm
Ferry Connections
Your Eurail Pass entitles you to discounted ferry crossings from Irish Ferries, Norfolkline and Stena Line to France and the UK. See the page Pass Benefits Ireland.
