Cheap flights to Ireland

• British Airways
• Aer Lingus
• Air France
• KLM
• Lufthansa
• Swissair

• Direct flight from London Heathrow to Dublin is about 1 hour 15 minutes long, depending on the airline.
• Direct flight from Birmingham to Shannon is usually 1 hour and 35 minutes long.
• Direct flights from Manchester to Dublin are sometimes 1 hour 10 minutes long. This too depends on the airline the traveller uses.
• Flights from London Heathrow to Cork can be a bit longer. They take about 7 hours and 20 minutes from take-off to landing, with one stop over.
• Direct flights from London-Gatwick to Dublin are about 10 minutes longer than the ones departing from Heathrow. They are 1 hour and 25 minutes long.

Ireland has three major international airports. The Dublin to London flight route is the 9th busiest route in the world and the busiest route in all of Europe. Aer Lingus is the flag bearing airline of Ireland although Ryan air is the largest airline of the country.

• The Dublin Airport (DUB) is the busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland. The airport lies 10 kilometres from the city centre of Dublin and it handled 29.5 million passengers in 2017. The airport also serves as the headquarters for the Aer Lingus. Of the busiest six routes of the airport, the top five are to the airports in the UK; to London, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh.
• Cork Airport (ORK) serves the city of Cork, as the name suggests. The airport is only 6.5 kilometres from the city centre. It is the second busiest airport in Ireland. Last year, Cork Airport served 2.3 million passengers, 1.2 million of which came from the United Kingdom. The airport has met its eco-friendly targets set for 2020, six years ahead of time and is rated first in customer satisfaction.
• Shannon Airport (SNN) is the third busiest airport in Ireland. The airport is in the Clare County, right in the heart of Ireland. Last year, in 2017, it assisted 2.1 million people in their travels, out of which 700,000 passengers came from the United Kingdom. The airport is 7 kilometres away from the central market of the city.

The cheapest time to visit Ireland is early in the year, from January to March. The snowy January is not appealing to some but many appreciate a Guinness better in snowy days, around a toasty fire with friends. The accommodation prices dip a little in the winter, so you can travel to Ireland cheaply in this time of the year.

Ireland is part of the Common Travel Area. British citizens do not require a visa or even a passport to travel to Ireland but it is advised that you do take your passport along for Identification purposes. The passport is only needed to provide proof of nationality. Other documents may be required to provide identification depending on the airline the passenger is using.

The best time to travel to Ireland is from June to September. The ‘Emerald Island’ has the least rainfall during this time. The green of Ireland is soothing to the soul, which is why 7 million tourists turn up each year to visit the country, which is twice the population of the nation. Even if the June to September slot is not open for you, Ireland is beautiful and charming throughout the year. So pack up and find the four leafed clover in Ireland.

• The Trinity College in Dublin was founded by Queen Elizabeth I, in 1599. Since then, it has been at the forefront of the spread of science and philosophy in Ireland. Even though it is a functioning education centre, it is still the most visited tourist attraction in the country. The Longroom library of the college is old and beautiful, and photographs of it are displayed as screen savers on many laptops.
• Saint Mary’s Cathedral in Killarney has been a part of the Catholic faith of the Irish people and the church was accommodating worshippers by 1909. The cathedral was built on the style of ruined Ardfert Cathedral. The cathedral has been constructed out of brown and grey stone and the woodwork is done with Tasmanian oak.
• The Kilkee Cliff Walk is the most surreal experience one could have in Ireland. Ireland is its trees; its fields, valleys and shores. Take a walk on the cliff trail, and feel the power of the Atlantic thrash and shatter on the shoreline. Absorb the resilience of the cliffs and meditate on their silence in the face of roaring but eventually receding ocean.

Everybody is a bit Irish on Saint Patrick’s Day. Saint Pats is celebrated in March and is originally a religious holiday but the festivities involve a little bit of alcohol making it more of a fun holiday for everyone. The Cat Laughs Comedy Festival is celebrated from the 2nd to 6th June in which comedians all over the country gather their hilarity at the city of Kilkenny. The ‘Festival of Music in Ireland’ celebrates the folk music of the country and since 2013, attracted foreign competitors from Britain and the USA. The festival is celebrated in July. The Galway Oyster Festival is when the seafood of Ireland is celebrated. The event is unrivalled to any seafood festival in Europe and invites renowned chefs on a celebrity cook-off.

The Government of Ireland has been investing heavily in transport all over the country. The Transport 21 project has diverted € 20 billion to better the mass transit infrastructure of just Dublin alone. The cities of Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway already have impressive suburban rail networks. Buses connect the cities and provide cheap commute to tourists who want to visit the different parts of a city. Moreover, ferries connect the little ports along the towns on the coast, although this mode of transport is subjected to weather conditions.

here are many five star hotels everywhere in Ireland. With some Irish luck, you might find a pot o’ gold in comfort, at any one of the exquisite hotels listed below.

• Aghadoe Heights Hotel & Spa
• Dylan Hotel
• The Europe Hotel & Resort
• The Westbury
• The Savoy Hotel