Tag / Irish Rail

by shannonchance

Working on the Railroad with Kitty and Patty

Irish Rail is definitely something to write home about!  Clean, comfortable, reliable, and on time. It accesses all the major cities in Ireland.

If you’re coming to Ireland (for this year’s Gathering perhaps) all you need to do is go online to irishrail.ie to book your train tickets. You’ll pick your tickets up when you get to the station by entering your reservation number into a kiosk. The find the train platform and take your seat. There are food, restrooms, and free (but intermittent) wi-fi access on board.

Simple as pie!

We had such a lovely train ride to Cork a couple weeks back.
Kitty and Patty sorted photos, chatted…
read, and watched the landscape whiz by.
I even got some work done…
…reviewing a journal article.
It was fascinating and well written. I hope to see it in print soon.
by shannonchance

Westport

The canal running through downtown Westport.

 

It never ceases to amaze me that they serve lasagna with fries (called chips or wedges). Here, potato chips are called “crisps”.

 

The Protestant church in Westport.

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A contemporary sculpture next to the IshSko Center.

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Reflections on news.

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The “octagon” in Westport.

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A favorite archway… Glen McClure brought us here last month.

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This is a “Achill salmon salad plate”. Many thanks to Glen McClure for helping me figure out what a “salad plate” is.

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The train knew I was coming. All the train cars are brand-spanking new.

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The Cullan brothers sat across from me on the train. Our Macs communed. (And my iPhone distorted their heads… live and learn!)

 

by shannonchance

Train-ing for Westport

Headed west and enjoying all the train has to offer.  (This photo also marks my discovery of the panorama feature on my iPhone.)

Arriving at Heuston Station this morning. I arrived by tram. Others by foot, bike, car, and bus. Dublin is full of double deckers!

Few Americans have ever ridden a train.  That’s so unfortunate.  But it’s because, by the time we pay the costs to purchase, maintain, and insure an automobile (and pay taxes to build and repair roads), there’s not much left for train tickets.

And in the States, one must have an auto to get by. That’s true in almost every place.  Except New York City (although my sister feels the need to have one even there).

That’s a shame because train travel is amazing!  So comfortable and convenient….

I awoke early this morning to catch my 7:30 AM train to Westport.  I’m making the trek, as so many people from all around Ireland do, to see the holistic (and mercury-free) dentist there.  She scheduled me so that I can take the train from Dublin and back in the same day.  So, I’m traveling coast-to-coast again — headed back to County Mayo for the day. Hoping to find a comprehensive solution to my dental problem.

In the meantime, I’m enjoying beautiful views, reading, and the use of free wi-fi, on-board restrooms, and snack cart service offered by Irish Rail. You can’t get any of these from a car!  Yes, you can see there’s a view from the car, but you have to watch the road….

It’s so simple: I retrieved my pre-booked ticket from the machine…

…then waited for the board to show what platform to go to…

..and then found my reserved seat, to enjoy the ride.  And what a ride! Watching history fly past… I’m so in awe of the majesty of this land.