Two sisters spent a week crossing southern Ireland using nothing but public transport and their own feet — and proved you can reach some of the country's most dramatic scenery without touching a steering wheel. Their route ran Dublin to Cork by train, on to Kinsale and Killarney, then out to the Dingle Peninsula on the country's southwest coast.
Ireland's rail network makes the big legs painless. Frequent trains run from Dublin's Heuston Station to Cork, and the pair booked five days of consecutive travel for about €182 — though a standard 2.5-hour second-class fare is roughly €21.94 if you're not travelling every day. Leap Cards offer up to 30% discounts on public transport in major cities, and Tourism Ireland actively promotes car-free itineraries. There are still gaps — no trains reach Dingle, for example — but local buses fill in well.
Cork was the first stop, with a hotel by the riverside a short walk from the English Market and the Franciscan Well brewery. From there, Bus Eireann's 226 covered the 35 minutes to Kinsale, a brightly painted seaside village. A 30-minute Scilly Walk along the coast leads to Charles Fort, a 17th-century star-shaped fortress, and the town remembers the 1915 sinking of the ocean liner Lusitania in a small museum.
Killarney, 80 minutes from Cork by train, was the next base. Ireland's first national park is on the doorstep, with marked trails to Torc Waterfall, Ross Castle and Muckross House starting right from town. The hop-on, hop-off Red Bus loops the main sights for €16, though in off-season most bike rentals had closed. A day's walking added up to around 21km before the pub at Murphy's provided dinner for about €10.
The final leg went to Dingle, an hour-and-a-half bus ride west (from €17.50 return) via Tralee. The town is known for its music and nightlife, and the surrounding peninsula delivers the wild stuff: Hussey's Folly and its 19th-century tower, a walk to Ireland's westernmost pub at Kruger's Bar, and Coumeenoole Beach — where Ryan's Daughter was filmed and which now carries a "Star Wars Beach" sign, courtesy of The Last Jedi. A light rainstorm in the Atlantic, a stiff wind and a few sheep completed the picture. Add a rainproof jacket to your packing list no matter the season.
The verdict? Public transport in Ireland means someone else handles the roads — which can be narrow, hedged and occasionally full of sheep — and drivers on regional buses will happily drop you at a walking trailhead if you ask. Rural buses don't run endlessly, so plan return times. Trade-offs exist: the Dingle coastal bike loop had to be cancelled in forecast rain, and off-season closures trimmed some options. But as one Irish travel founder put it, doubling the train coverage of generations past isn't the only benefit — train travel gives you a sense of being on holiday. Slow, scenic and occasionally sheep-adjacent, it's a genuinely workable way to see the southwest.
Story via Bangkok Post Life
