Irish Rover Tickets

[Wigan Wanderer]

I'm trying to find out what, if any, Irish Rover tickets are still available and getting some conflicting information.

I read that many of the rovers were discontinued a year or so ago, so there are no all-ireland rovers any more. But does the Southern Ireland rover still exist?

I'd be grateful if anyone, maybe who has visited Ireland recently, could help.

 

[island]

I'm Irish, but I'm not familiar with any Irish Rover tickets. The only unlimited country-wide ticket I'm aware of is the four-day Trekker ticket, costing €100 for four consecutive days.

Have you tried http://www.irishrail.ie and http://www.railusers.ie/forum/ ?

 

[paul1609]

Assuming you are a resident of the UK I think you can buy a Interail Ireland pass, anyone confirm?
http://www.interrailnet.com/interrail-passes/one-country-pass/ireland

 

[The Engineer]

Hi all,
I enquired last September - thinking of doing a rover this summer in August. Here's the reply I got (cut and paste....)



The Irish Explorer tickets that we offer are as follows:


Irish Explorer Rail Only (Republic of Ireland)

5 Days travel out of 15 consecutive days

Adult: €160.00

Child: €80.00



Irish Explorer Rail and Bus (Republic of Ireland)

8 Days travel out of 15 consecutive days

Adult: €245.00

Child: €122.00



Regards,

Emma,

Iarnrod Eireann,

35 Lower Abbey Street,

Dublin 1,



Ph; 01-8366222

E; [email protected]

W; www.irishrail.ie

 

[Wigan Wanderer]

Thanks for all your help. I've found details of the Trekker ticket, you are correct about the details except it only covers Southern Ireland, still it could be useful.

From the Irish Rail website it appears the Irish Explorer Rail ticket no longer exists, the only Irish Explorer ticket they sell now is bus only.

Interrail sounds promising, particularly as it covers both North and South Ireland. I have a confusion with this though as it says you can't use Interrail in your own country. Now I always thought I lived in England, but the website says no, I live in the United Kingdom and of course Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom so I guess that means I can buy an Irish Interrail but I can't use it in Northern Ireland. Why can't anything be simple!

 

[Railjet]

Interrail sounds promising, particularly as it covers both North and South Ireland. I have a confusion with this though as it says you can't use Interrail in your own country. Now I always thought I lived in England, but the website says no, I live in the United Kingdom and of course Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom so I guess that means I can buy an Irish Interrail but I can't use it in Northern Ireland. Why can't anything be simple!

No - the countries for Inter-Rail purposes are Great Britain (England + Scotland + Wales) and Ireland (Northern Ireland + the Republic). Consequently, you can buy an Ireland I-R pass if you live in GB, and use it through the whole of Ireland. If you live in Northern Ireland you can buy a GB I-R pass but not an Irish pass.

 

[Wigan Wanderer]

Thanks Railjet, you just solved all my problems,

 

[Thewanderer]

The following Rover Tickets are available on IE services:

Irish Explorer Rail Only - 5 days travel out of 15 consecutive days
Adult: €160
Child: €80
Vaild on all scheduled Iarnrod Eireann Services.

Irish Explorer Rail & Bus - 8 days travel out of 15 consecutive days
Adult: €245
Child: €122
Vaild on all scheduled Iarnrod Eireann & Bus Eireann Services.

Trekker Ticket - 4 consectutive days travel.
Adult: €100
Child: N/A
Vaild on all scheduled Iarnrod Eireann Services.

Dublin Area Rover Tickets:

Rail / LUAS 1 Day Ticket: €9.50
Rail / LUAS 7 Day Ticket: €37.50
Rail / LUAS Monthly Ticket: €143.00

Rail / Dublin Bus 1 Day Ticket: €10.20
Rail 1 Day Ticket: €8.30
Rail 3 Day Ticket: €17.80
Rail 7 Day Ticket: €26.80* / €30.50
Rail / Dublin Bus 3 Day Ticket: €20.00
Rail / Dublin Bus 7 Day Ticket: €34.50
Rail / LUAS Monthly Ticket: €143.00

The limits of Dublin Rover Tickets on IE services are:
- Balbriggan
- Kilcoole
- Hazelhatch
- Maynooth.

* = The limit on this ticket is Rush and Lusk, Bray, Maynooth and Hazelhatch.

The Wanderer.

 

[317 forever]

As I am also going to Dublin this summer I find details of the boundaries of Dublin Bus/rail tickets especially helpful, so thanks!

 

[toffeedanish]

If a NI resident can travel in GB on an Inter-Rail ticket as mentioned above, is further proof of residency in NI required when travelling over and above the normal requirement for a passport?

 

[Butts]

No - the countries for Inter-Rail purposes are Great Britain (England + Scotland + Wales) and Ireland (Northern Ireland + the Republic). Consequently, you can buy an Ireland I-R pass if you live in GB, and use it through the whole of Ireland. If you live in Northern Ireland you can buy a GB I-R pass but not an Irish pass.

Is this the same for Britrail Passes then - ie NI is part of UK but not GB ?

 

[saracen43]

What kind of rolling stock is used in Ireland these days,about 20 years ago i got the early morning service from rosslare to Dublin which was loco hauled with mk 1,s, then the express from Dublin to cork. Has it gone the of this country with units and no windows to hang your head out of.

 

[Railjet]

If a NI resident can travel in GB on an Inter-Rail ticket as mentioned above, is further proof of residency in NI required when travelling over and above the normal requirement for a passport?

This is a grey area. The issuer of the pass should see proof of residence. The pass itself says "only valid with passport", the passport number being printed on the pass. There is no requirement that you prove your residence to a ticket inspector. In practice, you are rarely asked to show your passport. I was asked once by a Virgin RPI at Euston. When he saw I had a British passport, he said "do you live abroad?" and I said "yes" - which is true - and that was it.

Is this the same for Britrail Passes then - ie NI is part of UK but not GB ?

The rules specifically say that residents of the United Kingdom cannot buy a Britrail Pass.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Greetings all, this kinda ties in so here goes:

I'm off to Northern Ireland in July, and plan to line-bash over there for the first time ever. I'll only be out 3 days tops, but will be making various different jorneys from Lisburn, including one southwards into the Republic to Dublin, whereas the other two will be up towards Belfast/Londonderry/Larne etc. Ared there any tickets like Rovers that would dover this, I don't fancy shelling out everyday fro specific routes if there's a cheaper alternative.

Thanks,
Matt

 

[hedpe]

What kind of rolling stock is used in Ireland these days,about 20 years ago i got the early morning service from rosslare to Dublin which was loco hauled with mk 1,s, then the express from Dublin to cork. Has it gone the of this country with units and no windows to hang your head out of.

A lot has changed, the mk1's you are referring to were withdrawn sometime around 2006-07. Much of the network afaik is mostly DMU's, apart from the intercity and enterprise services which still also use loco push/pull.

 

[GM078]

What kind of rolling stock is used in Ireland these days,about 20 years ago i got the early morning service from rosslare to Dublin which was loco hauled with mk 1,s, then the express from Dublin to cork. Has it gone the of this country with units and no windows to hang your head out of.

The only locomotive operated passenger services are those from Dublin to Belfast, which are Die Dietrich (1996) built pushpull sets, and the Dublin-Cork route, which is operated by CAF built (2005) mkIV pushpull sets (not related to the BR mk4s). Both are powered by 1994/5 built GM 201 class locos.

All other passenger services are worked by railcars. The Rotem built 22000 class work most of the Dublin based Intercity services (apart from those mentioned above, though they do work one or two Cork turns). Outer suburban Dublin workings are mainly either Tokyu Car (2000) built 2800 class or CAF (2003-5) built 29000 class railcars. Non radial routes and Limerick/Cork locals are worked by either the Tokyu Car (1994) 2600 class or the Alstom built (1997-8) 2700 class railcars, as is the Ballina branch.

With the exception of some ex-BR brakes converted to steam heat and generator vans, there were never any mk1s in Ireland, nor was the term mk1 ever used. The coaches you are referring to are probably the 1963-67 built Cravens, which in terms of structural integrity, age, etc have more in common with a mkII. These were withdrawn over the course of 2006 and ten have been preserved in Dublin by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland (RPSI) for use on excursion trains. Predating them were a variety of carriages built in the 1950s (Park Royals, Laminates, older wooden-bodied stock) but again these were never known as mk1s.

The mkIIds were withdrawn over 2007/8 (two preserved by the RPSI at Whitehead), with the mkIIIs being withdrawn in 2009 (apart from a brief reprieve to work a one-off railtour for charity in 2010). The secondhand ex-BR mkIIa/b coaches were withdrawn back in 2003.

All in all the system has come along way in the last half a decade or so, with efficient railcars allowing many routes a greater service frequency than ever before (Dublin-Sligo now has a train every two hours, there used to be only three a day!).

----------

As for the price of Rover tickets, there is due to be a fare increase (on average 3%) from March 1st 2011 so it's probable the prices of some of these tickets will have risen slightly by the summer.

 

[Railjet]

To Wigan Wanderer and toffeedanish: I stated my understanding of the validity of Inter-Rail, but I am trying to get independent verification of this.

 

[Thewanderer]

To get an idea of Irish Railways in this day and age take a look at my fotopic site though GM078 has more or less rounded it all up very nicely.

http://thewanderersirishrailphotos.fotopic.net/

The Wanderer

 

[The Engineer]

Anyone puzzled by UK and GB should know that Great Britain is always defined as England, Scotland and Wales (as mentioned earlier).

When Great Britain "took over" Ireland it became "the United Kingdom" (England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland).

When the Irish Republic (the "South") became independent of the UK, the UK became "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" - it says that in UK passports, IIRC.

Also, "Ireland" is taken as being the WHOLE of the Isle (Republic of Ireland PLUS Northern Ireland).

Hope the above helps and I haven't trod on any nationalistic toes!!

 

[saracen43]

The only locomotive operated passenger services are those from Dublin to Belfast, which are Die Dietrich (1996) built pushpull sets, and the Dublin-Cork route, which is operated by CAF built (2005) mkIV pushpull sets (not related to the BR mk4s). Both are powered by 1994/5 built GM 201 class locos.

All other passenger services are worked by railcars. The Rotem built 22000 class work most of the Dublin based Intercity services (apart from those mentioned above, though they do work one or two Cork turns). Outer suburban Dublin workings are mainly either Tokyu Car (2000) built 2800 class or CAF (2003-5) built 29000 class railcars. Non radial routes and Limerick/Cork locals are worked by either the Tokyu Car (1994) 2600 class or the Alstom built (1997-8) 2700 class railcars, as is the Ballina branch.

With the exception of some ex-BR brakes converted to steam heat and generator vans, there were never any mk1s in Ireland, nor was the term mk1 ever used. The coaches you are referring to are probably the 1963-67 built Cravens, which in terms of structural integrity, age, etc have more in common with a mkII. These were withdrawn over the course of 2006 and ten have been preserved in Dublin by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland (RPSI) for use on excursion trains. Predating them were a variety of carriages built in the 1950s (Park Royals, Laminates, older wooden-bodied stock) but again these were never known as mk1s.

The mkIIds were withdrawn over 2007/8 (two preserved by the RPSI at Whitehead), with the mkIIIs being withdrawn in 2009 (apart from a brief reprieve to work a one-off railtour for charity in 2010). The secondhand ex-BR mkIIa/b coaches were withdrawn back in 2003.

All in all the system has come along way in the last half a decade or so, with efficient railcars allowing many routes a greater service frequency than ever before (Dublin-Sligo now has a train every two hours, there used to be only three a day!).

----------

As for the price of Rover tickets, there is due to be a fare increase (on average 3%) from March 1st 2011 so it's probable the prices of some of these tickets will have risen slightly by the summer.

Thats a shame as i enjoyed travelling on the old rattlers, rosslare to Cork is under 100 miles but i enjoyed every minute of it.P.S cant remember what the haulage was but as i remember it sounded a bit crompton like.

 

[GM078]

Anyone puzzled by UK and GB should know that Great Britain is always defined as England, Scotland and Wales (as mentioned earlier).

When Great Britain "took over" Ireland it became "the United Kingdom" (England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland).

When the Irish Republic (the "South") became independent of the UK, the UK became "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" - it says that in UK passports, IIRC.

Also, "Ireland" is taken as being the WHOLE of the Isle (Republic of Ireland PLUS Northern Ireland).

Hope the above helps and I haven't trod on any nationalistic toes!!

There does indeed seem to be many interpretations and permutations as to what defines "Ireland". One thing though, the term "The South"/"Southern Ireland", though still used by the media and even some politicians, is not an accurate title (it was only used from 1920-1922 to cover the counties under Home Rule from Dublin, but for all intents and purposes never really functioned as a state), the term used after the Irish Civil War was the Irish Free State, with of course the Republic of Ireland, or just Ireland, from 1937 (not recognised by the UK as such until 1949, but actually in place since 1937). For some reason or other the term "south" has been perpetuated but is historically, politically and geographically inaccurate, indeed it makes no sense for anywhere outside Munster. It actually implies that Donegal (parts of which are more northerly than "The North" is in the south! Sorry for the impromptu history lesson!

 

[4SRKT]

Greetings all, this kinda ties in so here goes:

I'm off to Northern Ireland in July, and plan to line-bash over there for the first time ever. I'll only be out 3 days tops, but will be making various different jorneys from Lisburn, including one southwards into the Republic to Dublin, whereas the other two will be up towards Belfast/Londonderry/Larne etc. Ared there any tickets like Rovers that would dover this, I don't fancy shelling out everyday fro specific routes if there's a cheaper alternative.


Thanks,
Matt

Within NI you can buy a smart card called an I-Link. This costs £1.50 to buy, then £15 to charge up for a day's unlimited travel on buses and trains within Northern Ireland. Awesome value.

To get to Dublin you can buy a single advance off the Translink website for as little as £8.99 depending on the train used. This costs the same from Belfast as it does from Newry or Portadown. Don't feel tempted to get the ticket to start at either of these unless you're going to be spending some time there rather than passing through. NIR use a bizarre system for issuing advances where they send you a coupon in the post that has to be swapped for a ticket on the day of use at the station of journey origin, so (for example) you'd have to get off at Newry and go to the booking office, resulting in at least 2 hours' wait for the next train. If your journey is just from Lisburn to Dublin and back that day, rather than combining with other NIR action, I'd get the advance from Portadown and buy a day return from Lisburn to P'down. Day returns are 1/3 off after 9:30 BTW.

You also cannot buy advance singles from Dublin to Belfast on the Translink website. You have to use the Irish Rail site and pay in Euros. Advance returns can be bought from either site, but it's worth looking at both sites as buying singles can be cheaper as the two companies don't have the same promotional fares on the same trains.

 

[Butts]

There does indeed seem to be many interpretations and permutations as to what defines "Ireland". One thing though, the term "The South"/"Southern Ireland", though still used by the media and even some politicians, is not an accurate title (it was only used from 1920-1922 to cover the counties under Home Rule from Dublin, but for all intents and purposes never really functioned as a state), the term used after the Irish Civil War was the Irish Free State, with of course the Republic of Ireland, or just Ireland, from 1937 (not recognised by the UK as such until 1949, but actually in place since 1937). For some reason or other the term "south" has been perpetuated but is historically, politically and geographically inaccurate, indeed it makes no sense for anywhere outside Munster. It actually implies that Donegal (parts of which are more northerly than "The North" is in the south! Sorry for the impromptu history lesson!

What would be your definition or understanding of "The British Isles" to mean?

Also I always thought The Republic of Ireland was officially known as Eire

 

[GM078]

What would be your definition or understanding of "The British Isles" to mean?

Also I always thought The Republic of Ireland was officially known as Eire

Interesting question, my interpretation of it would be that it is an archaic term used to describe the islands that is still used colloquially; it's no longer used by state departments in Ireland at any rate, nor does is it used in school text books (though it was up to the 2000s).

True enough, "The Republic of Ireland" is not actually an official name, "Éire" or "Ireland" being the official names (either are valid under Bunreacht na Éireann, the 1937 Irish constitution, though the term Éire would have been used prior to this). I personally only use the term "Republic" when when I'm mentioning it in relation to the North to avoid confusion, as the term "South" is not an accurate one (though still used by some officials who should know better!).

By the way when discussing this I mean no offence to anyone in terms of nationality, etc, I realise this may be a touchy subject for some, I just find language and etymology interesting.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Thats a shame as i enjoyed travelling on the old rattlers, rosslare to Cork is under 100 miles but i enjoyed every minute of it.P.S cant remember what the haulage was but as i remember it sounded a bit crompton like.

Not sure, my guess it would be it was an 001 (A) class (the ITG's preserved A39 will be running on a mini-gala day at Downpatrick in a few weeks time), twenty years ago anything older than that would have been withdrawn, anything newer would have been the GM built 121, 141/181 and 071 classes, though the 001s would have had GM engines at this stage.

All is not lost on the "old rattlers", they'll be used on a variety of specials by the RPSI later in the year. Though sadly Cork to Rosslare can no longer be done without going via Dublin.

 

[island]

You can in fact get advances from Dublin-Belfast from NIR and vv from IÉ, but only as part of a return journey. You must have a UK address to buy online from NIR. The fares may vary as mentioned above, and if they don't vary now they'll start varying with the euro/sterling exchange rate

Hate to be a wet rag but would people mind decoupling the rolling stock discussion into its own forum?

 

[4SRKT]

What would be your definition or understanding of "The British Isles" to mean?

Also I always thought The Republic of Ireland was officially known as Eire

As I understand it the state we now call The Republic of Ireland was originally to be called Southern Ireland as opposed to Northern Ireland. It would have had the same status as Northern Ireland, that is a subordinate Home Rule parliament based in Dublin. This never happened, and the state became largely independent from Britain straightaway and was called the Irish Free State. It still had the King as its Head of State and a governor from Britain though. In 1937 the country adopted its own constitution and became known as Eire, which is simply the Irish word for Ireland. In 1949 the country left the Commonwealth and became fully independent. Because the name Eire just means Ireland this name can't be officially used internationally by a sovereign state because it takes no account of the fact that the island is divided into two different polities (see also Macedonia). Hence internationally it is known officially as The Republic of Ireland, although within Ireland and abroad the term Eire persists.

 

[cuccir]

Two Pointless asides:

1. thanks to this thread I'm now going to have the Pogues version of 'Irish Rover' going around my head all day

2.

Because the name Eire just means Ireland this name can't be officially used internationally by a sovereign state because it takes no account of the fact that the island is divided into two different polities (see also Macedonia). Hence internationally it is known officially as The Republic of Ireland, although within Ireland and abroad the term Eire persists.

I believe that, constitutionally, the state's 'name' is Ireland and 'description' is 'Republic of Ireland'. As you say, the designation 'RoI' is often used in international organisations to avoid confusion - as in some cases, there are all-Ireland groups that are members of international organisations (the International Rugby Board, and the ICC (cricket governors) being the most obvious examples).

 

[Railjet]

The helpful guys at Interrailnet have confirmed the issue about Northern Ireland being part of Ireland for Inter-Rail passes:

Dear Railjet,

Thank you for your email message to InterRailNet.Com Customer Service.

Your understanding is correct! As far as InterRail is concerned, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland make up one country together, and Scotland, Wales and England make up another country together.

Therefore, you will be considered as a resident of the Irish Island and can therefore not purchase an Irish Pass, but you can purchase a One Country Pass for Great Britain or Global Pass and use it in England, Wales and Scotland (not in Northern Ireland of course).

 

[wintonian]

The helpful guys at Interrailnet have confirmed the issue about Northern Ireland being part of Ireland for Inter-Rail passes:

Yep I did a 4 day one last year and states on the ticket "VALID IE/NIR" it also has my country of residence "UNITED KIGDOM" next to my name and passport number.

I might do scan later.

 

[The Engineer]

Because the name Eire just means Ireland this name can't be officially used internationally by a sovereign state because it takes no account of the fact that the island is divided into two different polities (see also Macedonia). s.

Interesting point! "Eire" used to appear on the country's coinage - I still have a pre-decimalisation old penny form the 60's that shows that!!