So what were those reasonable deals I mentioned in my last post, tempting me into the briefest of visits to Dublin?
Aer Lingus first… I paid £126 for my return flights in their Saver fare deal, meaning I was entitled to bring a 7kg cabin bag but not a checked in one. That was fine for an overnight trip in the summer. No scratch cards were offered.
Both my flights used ATR 72 aircraft with only 2 seats on either side of the aisle. It was comfortable. It was civilised. I slept both ways.
Dublin Airport worked well on arrival and departure. Edinburgh Airport did not. Pity, but normal.
My night at the Destiny Student – Ardee Point residence cost me €107 for a room with shower etc, and the use of a shared kitchen (with 4 or 5 adjacent rooms). The residence does not offer breakfast – or any other hotel facilities – but in that part of the city it was easy to find my breakfast even at 7am. I could have bought it at a Tesco just 100m away, and eaten it in the kitchen.
Check-in is from 3pm, but can be earlier (for a small fee) if the room is ready. Check-out is 10am, but for €10 you can upgrade to a 12 noon check-out (subject to availability). I did.
They will store your bag for the day for €5. I was happy to do that because my flight home was early evening.
I used Dublin Bus to get around, and into the city from the airport. My 24 hour Leap visitor card cost €8. It was great value. You can buy one in the Spar at Terminal 2 arrivals in the airport.
Going back to the airport I used Dublin Express. It cost €10, and is hardly quicker than the Dublin Bus services. Traffic congestion in the city centre slows the express service so much that “express” must be misleading advertising.
The football match only cost me €10 with my elder statesman discount, and in the standing area.
ⓒ iain taylor, 2025
🇪🇺🇮🇪