European Open Travel: Dublin

The venue of the European Open, the K-club, is situated 20 miles out of Dublin, the capital of the Republic of Ireland. Dublin was founded as a Viking settlement, and has been the hub of Ireland since medieval times. Interestingly enough it has one of the fastest growing populations of any European city.

European Open travel: Getting There

By Plane – The city is serviced by Dublin Airport which can be found about 10km north of the city. All airlines and the relevant timetables can be found on the airport’s website. Ireland has three national airlines:

• Aer Lingus – the international carrier
• Ryanair – Europe’s largest budget airlines
• Aer Arann – a regional airline which services the UK as well

There are three bus transport options to the city:

1. Aircoach – an express service which connects the airport and city hotels. Departures are every 15 minutes, journey time is about 30 minutes and a single fare will be €7, return €12. There is an additional service to Cork and Belfast.
2. Dublin Bus – an express ‘Airlink’ service to the city centre and the bus station. Departures every 10 minutes and a single ticket will cost in the region of €6, a return fare €10. A ‘one-day rambler ticket’, offering unlimited all day travel is available for €6.
3. Dublin Bus – standard service. Departures every 10 – 25 minutes, cost is €1.90 but the journey time could be as long as an hour.

By Train – Dublin has two train stations:

• Heuston, which is west of the city centre. It serves the west and south of Ireland including an hourly service to Cork.
• Connolly, which is north east of the city and serves the south east and east coast, Belfast, Sligo and encompasses the Dublin Area Rapid Transit System (DART).

For more information on Ireland’s rail system, including schedules and timetables, please log on to Irish Rail’s website. A tram service, locally known as ‘Luas’, connects the two stations, taking in the region of 15 minutes.By Bus – Dublin has one bus station, the Busaras, which is situated next to the Connolly station. An extensive countrywide service is operated by Bus Eirann. It also covers Britain and continental Europe. Privately owned companies like Kavanaghs (Limerick & Waterford) and City Link ( Galway & the West) offer cheaper and more localised services.By Boat – Dublin Port has several ferry services to Wales and England to choose from, but a more popular port is that of Dun Laoghaire Port, about 10 km south of the city. It is serviced by DART.

Join the throngs of golf enthusiasts who indulge in European Open travel, and come to Dublin in 2008. If you are one of the unlucky ones who cannot witness the best golfers in Europe do their thing, then why not place a bet on the possible 2008 European Open champion?

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