How to get to Donegal?

EmmaLinnane

Hi, I'm going to Donegal in June for a festival and I'm wondering what's the best way to get up there. I'm living in Tralee. What kind of prices are there for busses and trains? Thanks!
Emma

horseburger

hi

There are a number of bus services to Donegal from Dublin

There are two Bus Éireann services to Donegal from Dublin,

The number 30 bus to Donegal Town which has nine services a day to Donegal from Dublin and return and goes through the Cavan, Enniskillen and Ballyshannon route.

http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1360750243-030.pdf

The other service is the Bus Éireann number 32 to Letterkenny and has nine services from Dublin and return, which goes through the Ardee bypass and Monaghan Town, Omagh route.

http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1360752941-032.pdf

John McGinley Coaches runs a service to between Dublin and Letterkenny

http://www.johnmcginley.com/timetable.html

McGeehans Coaches, as far as I know, runs some services within Donegal. They had an affiliation to Bus Éireann regarding the number 30 route but I am not sure of the status of that now.

http://www.mcgeehancoaches.com/

I think if going by train, you may have to get a train to Sligo from Dublin Connolly Station and get a Bus Éireann service from Sligo to Donegal or Letterkenny.

http://www.irishrail.ie/media/07-DublinSligo250920131.pdf

This Bus Éireann number 64 service starts in Galway and goes through Sligo and then later on goes through Donegal Town and Letterkenny on its way to Derry. I have never been on it so I can't say how long it takes or what time depending on traffic that it arrives in Sligo from Galway.

http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1360753092-064.pdf

There is another company does a service between Donegal and Belfast,

I'm not familiar with it but it might cover the area you will be in?

http://www.gallagherscoaches.com/index.htm

bodhrandude

Emmalinnane is it Sea Sessions festival your going to in Bundoran, get a bus eireann from Tralee to Cork, get the citylink bus from Cork to Galway and the final leg use Feda ODonnell from Galway to Bundoran, Donegal. It sounds like a lot of buses, but I can recommend that citylink expressway and Feda ODonnell are fast services. It would be a nightmare travelling the whole way by Bus Eireann, you would be shattered for that festival.

Tralee to Cork (Cork bus station)
http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1376666737-040.pdf

Go across the bridge from Cork Bus Eireann station and the Citylink bus stop is in St Patricks Quay: Cork to Galway
http://www.citylink.ie/images/citylink-cork-timetable-for-web.pdf

Buses are near Galway Cathedral across the Salmon Weir Bridge: Galway to Bundoran, Donegal
http://www.feda.ie/site/?page_id=217

I can't remember the prices.

horseburger

bodhrandude wrote: »

Emmalinnane is it Sea Sessions festival your going to in Bundoran, get a bus eireann from Tralee to Cork, get the citylink bus from Cork to Galway and the final leg use Feda ODonnell from Galway to Bundoran, Donegal. It sounds like a lot of buses, but I can recommend that citylink expressway and Feda ODonnell are fast services. It would be a nightmare travelling the whole way by Bus Eireann, you would be shattered for that festival.

Tralee to Cork (Cork bus station)
http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1376666737-040.pdf

Go across the bridge from Cork Bus Eireann station and the Citylink bus stop is in St Patricks Quay: Cork to Galway
http://www.citylink.ie/images/citylink-cork-timetable-for-web.pdf

Buses are near Galway Cathedral across the Salmon Weir Bridge: Galway to Bundoran, Donegal
http://www.feda.ie/site/?page_id=217

I can't remember the prices.

hi bodhrandude

thanks for the detail about those services. I didn't know about them.

I responded with the general Dublin Donegal services I mentioned as they are the ones of which I was aware.

EmmaLinnane

Thank you very much! And yes . It is Sea Sessions

bodhrandude wrote: »

Emmalinnane is it Sea Sessions festival your going to in Bundoran, get a bus eireann from Tralee to Cork, get the citylink bus from Cork to Galway and the final leg use Feda ODonnell from Galway to Bundoran, Donegal. It sounds like a lot of buses, but I can recommend that citylink expressway and Feda ODonnell are fast services. It would be a nightmare travelling the whole way by Bus Eireann, you would be shattered for that festival.

Tralee to Cork (Cork bus station)
http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1376666737-040.pdf

Go across the bridge from Cork Bus Eireann station and the Citylink bus stop is in St Patricks Quay: Cork to Galway
http://www.citylink.ie/images/citylink-cork-timetable-for-web.pdf

Buses are near Galway Cathedral across the Salmon Weir Bridge: Galway to Bundoran, Donegal
http://www.feda.ie/site/?page_id=217

I can't remember the prices.

dinneenp

I'm surprised nobody replied with the joke 'don't practice'.

bodhrandude

horseburger wrote: »

hi bodhrandude

thanks for the detail about those services. I didn't know about them.

I responded with the general Dublin Donegal services I mentioned as they are the ones of which I was aware.

No problem Horseburger, I travel down regularly from Galway to Cork, to see my sister and my folks used to live up North West of the country so I know the bus routes quite well, your advice is still well appreciated.

horseburger

bodhrandude wrote: »

No problem Horseburger, I travel down regularly from Galway to Cork, to see my sister and my folks used to live up North West of the country so I know the bus routes quite well, your advice is still well appreciated.

thanks bodhrandude!

I guess my details would be more useful for someone going to the Rory Gallagher Festival in Ballyshannon in May, who could take the number 30, or anyone going to the Monaghan Blues Festival each September who could take the number 32!:)

Birneybau

horseburger wrote: »

hi bodhrandude

thanks for the detail about those services. I didn't know about them.

I responded with the general Dublin Donegal services I mentioned as they are the ones of which I was aware.

She is travelling from Tralee

horseburger

Birneybau wrote: »

She is travelling from Tralee

I know that.

I responded with the details I included, because I was not aware of the Citylink service from Cork to Galway, or the service from Galway to Bundoran and I acknowledged that in a response to bodhrandude.

If those services didn't exist, to get to Donegal by public transport, someone coming from Tralee would most likely have to get to Dublin first to get a bus to Donegal.

There is no train service connecting Donegal to Dublin, so the nearest rail service as far as I know to Donegal is Sligo, so I included details of the number 64 service from there to Donegal.

Apart from any of that, it wasn't specified in the first post - which asked about bus and train services to Donegal - where in Donegal they were going, so I thought it would be useful to include, in my message, the various bus services, of which I was aware.