Living in Ireland without a car is entirely possible. Dublin has excellent public transportation in the form of buses, trains and trams. For Dublin, this network extends to both the north and south suburbs of the Dublin City. Also, Dublin Airport has a variety of buses traveling to the city center, the suburbs and cities such as Cork, Galway, and Limerick.
City to city transportation is accessible on a daily basis via both bus and train.
I chose to live in Kinsale in part because I was not tied to a car. From Kinsale, there is a bus 30 minutes to Cork City that leaves every hour. This bus stops at Cork Airport on the way with international flights to Europe. My last trip to Kinsale, I got off the plane in Dublin, took a bus to Cork City and then switched to another bus to Kinsale. Trip basically took only a little longer than if I had a car waiting at the airport. Also, Kinsale has many residential options within walking distance of the town center. I found the same thing true in a few other towns in central County Cork such as Bandon and Innishannon which have buses to Cork stopping every hour or so.
So when planning on where in Ireland to live, give some consideration to the proximity of 1) the town center by foot, 2) buses or trains stopping in the town and 3) the proximity of regional airports such as Knock, Kerry, Donegal, Shannon, Dublin and Cork that offer both flights and car rentals.
In my opinion, public transportation in Ireland is one of its best features. I plan on buying a car eventually so I can better tour some parts of the country but for the time being I am happy to be without one, taking public transportation or occasionally renting a car when desired.
City to city transportation is accessible on a daily basis via both bus and train.
I chose to live in Kinsale in part because I was not tied to a car. From Kinsale, there is a bus 30 minutes to Cork City that leaves every hour. This bus stops at Cork Airport on the way with international flights to Europe. My last trip to Kinsale, I got off the plane in Dublin, took a bus to Cork City and then switched to another bus to Kinsale. Trip basically took only a little longer than if I had a car waiting at the airport. Also, Kinsale has many residential options within walking distance of the town center. I found the same thing true in a few other towns in central County Cork such as Bandon and Innishannon which have buses to Cork stopping every hour or so.
So when planning on where in Ireland to live, give some consideration to the proximity of 1) the town center by foot, 2) buses or trains stopping in the town and 3) the proximity of regional airports such as Knock, Kerry, Donegal, Shannon, Dublin and Cork that offer both flights and car rentals.
In my opinion, public transportation in Ireland is one of its best features. I plan on buying a car eventually so I can better tour some parts of the country but for the time being I am happy to be without one, taking public transportation or occasionally renting a car when desired.
