Touring by rail

Iarnrod Eireann have relinquished their RailBreaks operation to www.railtours.ie. Having gone on several Railbreaks but not yet experienced a Railtours operation, I would be glad to hear from people who have experienced these tours; you can read Tony Baker's illustrated review here.

They have taken over the Aran Islands tour which, under Irish Rail, was great fun and value.

I would heartily recommend Inismore (the largest island) for your first trip or Inismann for the one-night option or a second visit - they're brilliant fun (bring wind/rainproof though and leave your umbrella behind!). You'll always get a very warm welcome in the west of Ireland (much warmer than Dublin, I have to admit) and there are many things to see. Forget your factor 30 cream though and buy a good map (about 4.60 Euro) to walk the small roads and tracks. They're packed full of megalithic remains, the best of which is Dun Aengus fort on Inishmore. We've been to Inishmore and Inisheer off-peak and thoroughly recommend it.

A new and very exciting entry to Irish railtours is Tailte Railtours. They operate special excursions, aimed at both rail enthusiasts and tourists. A recent trip in 2022 to Tralee from Dublin enabled a stop for those interested in Killarney, whereas most of the rail enthusiasts stayed on the train as far as Tralee. On the return the special picked up at Killarney, and those visiting the Kerry town had about three hours to enjoy it. Details for 2023 excursions will be released on their website.

Most Dublin folk believe that the water that makes Ireland's best known drink, Guinness, is drawn from the River Liffey. Nothing could be further from the truth - the scenario is much worse than that! The Guinness filter beds may be found on the Grand Canal between Clondalkin and Inchicore.

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