Publication
Papal Visit 2018 - Plan Your Transport (Dublin)
From Department of the Taoiseach
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of the Taoiseach
Published on
Last updated on
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Greater Dublin Area routes. A hi-res version of this map is available here.
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Detailed Routes. A hi-res version of this map is available here
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Phoenix Park site overview. A hi-res version of this map is available here
Gallery of the maps
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Public transport and coaches will be given priority and will bring you closest to Phoenix Park. Leave your car at home - There is NO car park near the venue.
Decide how you will travel to Phoenix Park well in advance - bus, train, Luas, walking or coach. You will not be able to drive up to or park near the venue. Information on all transport options is below.
If you have a ticket for the Phoenix Park Mass, you will be allowed to travel for free within Dublin on the day of the event.
Please note that given the volume of people attending this event, the gate through which you will enter Phoenix Park will be assigned to you. You will also be required to leave from this same gate. When you receive your ticket for the event, it will include the information on your route to Phoenix Park and the gate you must use to enter and exit.
For more information, please see our Link to Frequently Asked Questions .
This information is updated Link to Pope in Ireland Website on an ongoing basis so please check back regularly.
It is advisable, where possible, to avail of public transport, or pre-organised private coaches to attend this event. These options are being given priority and will bring you closest to Phoenix Park. It will not be possible to drive up to or near to Phoenix Park by car.
Regardless of your transport option choice, this day will include considerable walking. Therefore appropriate footwear and weather related clothing is advisable. For more information on how to plan for a long day, click Link to information on long journey
Groups on private coaches will be allocated parking in specially designated coach parks from which you will have to walk to the Mass location in Phoenix Park.
Groups and coach companies will be required to register in advance.
Registration for hired private coaches has opened, as of Monday, 25 June via this website .
Please note those travelling on these registered coaches via their group/parish do not need to separately apply for Mass tickets – your Mass ticket will be included. It is the responsibility of the group/parish leader to advise those within the group that this is the case.
| Further Information : Coaches |
| Please contact your private coach company or your parish leader for more information. |
All Bus Éireann services (Commuter and Expressway) will operate to and from Busáras or its immediate surrounding area (Beresford Place, Amiens Street, Georges Quay and Custom House Quay). Busáras is about 3km from Phoenix Park (Parkgate Street entrance). Passengers arriving at Busáras can walk via the recommended route or travel on the Luas red line as far as Smithfield.
Commuter services to and from Dublin city
An enhanced Sunday schedule will operate on all commuter routes into and out of Dublin city on Sunday, 26 August.
Those wishing to travel to Dublin via this service should refer to the website Link to Bus Éireann Website for the most up to date timetable information. If you have a ticket for the Phoenix Park Mass, you will be allowed to travel for free within Dublin on this service.
In order to guarantee a seat tickets must be purchased in advance.
Intercity Expressway Services
Normal Sunday schedule will operate on Expressway services nationwide on Sunday, 26 August. In addition to this, Expressway will operate special services on certain key routes to Dublin. These include Wexford, Waterford, Cork, Limerick, Sligo, Donegal, Letterkenny, Dundalk and Galway. For more information please see Link to Bus Éireann Website or Link to Express Way Website for more information.
It is advised to secure a ticket in advance via regular channels to avoid disappointment.
| Further Information | Bus Eireann |
| Phone | 1850 836611 (Mon-Sun, 08:30 - 18:00) |
| Link to Bus Éireann Twitter (staffed 24/7) Link to Expressway Twitter (staffed Mon-Fri, 09:00-17:00) | |
| Website | Link to Bus Éireann Website |
For all Iarnród Éireann - Irish Rail services, the closest stations for this event will be Heuston station, Ashtown railway station, Navan Road parkway, Tara Street station and Connolly station. Passengers arriving at these locations can walk via the recommended route or travel on the Luas red line as far as Smithfield, depending on their location.
A special timetable will be in operation with additional services on Sunday, 26 August. Details of the special timetable will be available soon on Link to Irish Rail website
Booking on intercity services is now available. Those who wish to travel to Dublin on Intercity services for the Phoenix Park event on Sunday, 26 August must book a ticket in advance at Link to Irish Rail website . If you do not have an advance booking you will not be permitted to travel from any Intercity station.
This includes existing ticket holders, including Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection pass holders and annual ticket holders, who can choose 'seat only' reservation on the Link to Irish Rail website .
A special commuter timetable will be in operation on Sunday, 26 August. Extra services will be provided on Drogheda/Dundalk, Maynooth and Portlaoise commuter services.
Those intending to travel on commuter services may purchase their ticket on the day or use a valid season ticket. Large crowds are expected, it is advisable to allow plenty of time to queue for your ticket or purchase in advance. For those travelling within the shorthop zone (from Balbriggan, Maynooth, Sallins and Naas or Kilcoole), you may travel for free if you show your Phoenix Park Mass ticket.
Details of the special timetable will be available soon on Link to Irish Rail website .
A special DART timetable will be in operation on Sunday, 26 August. Extra services will be provided, with services commencing from 7am. If you have a ticket for the Phoenix Park Mass, you will be allowed to travel for free within Dublin on this service.
Details of the special timetable will be available soon on Link to Irish Rail website .
| Further Information | Iarnrod Eireann Irish Rail |
| Phone | 1850 366 222 (Mon-Fri, 09:00-18:00) |
| Link to Irish Rail Twitter (Mon-Fri, 07:30-18:30) | |
| Láithreán Gréasáin | Link to Irish Rail Website |
Dublin Bus will provide capacity for up to 400,000 journeys across its full fleet of 1,000 buses on Sunday, 26 August. Up to 1,500 drivers and 100 additional support staff will be scheduled for the day.
We advise the public to plan your journey in advance and allow plenty of time for your journey. If you have a ticket for the Phoenix Park Mass, you will be allowed to travel for free within Dublin.
Normal scheduled Sunday services will operate, however diversions will be in place. Details of the diversions are available here.
In addition to this, Dublin Bus will have 7 dedicated transport hubs, throughout the city, to bring you as close as possible to Phoenix Park. Regular services from the transport hubs will commence from early in the morning and finish at night.
The hubs will operate from the following locations:
See www.dublinbus.ie for detailed route maps and stops and a full list of FAQs.
Customer service will be available from 6am until last bus on Sunday, 26 August.
| Further Information | Dublin Bus |
| Phone | 01 8734222 (Mon-Sat, 08:30 - 18:00 excluding Bank Holidays) |
| Link to Dublin Bus News | |
| @Dublinbusnews or Link to Dublin Bus FaceBook | |
| Website | Link to Dublin Bus Website |
All available Luas trams will be operating on Sunday, 26 August from 7am until midnight. If you have a ticket for the Phoenix Park Mass, you will be allowed to travel for free within Dublin on this service. Please note:
From Broombridge, Blackhorse and Smithfield, passengers will walk via the dedicated routes. Given the high volumes of people likely to be attempting to use Luas services on this day, please give yourself lots of time to get to the venue.
| Further Information | Luas |
| Phone | LoCall 1850 300 604 |
| @Luas (Mon - Fri, 07:00 – 18:00, Sat, 10:00 -14:00) | |
| Mail info@luas.ie | |
| Website | Link to Luas website. |
It is strongly advised you leave your car at home and take public transport or a pre-organised coach to this event – public transport is the only mode of transport that will be given priority.
A Garda cordon around Phoenix Park will be in place on the day. It will not be possible to drive up to or park near Phoenix Park.
Some Park and Ride facilities will be available around the city at the below transport hubs. Public transport will be available directly from these hubs which will bring you close to Phoenix Park.
If you have to travel by car, you should drive to these allocated transport hubs where you will then take public transport to Phoenix Park. Limited parking will be available at the hubs.
Transport hubs are located in:
Plans for some limited Park and Walk facilities are being finalised. Details will be available closer to the event. For more information on how to plan for a long day, click Link to information on long journey .
A controlled access area will be in place from 6am to 11pm on Sunday, 26 August, 2018, for the Mass by Pope Francis in Phoenix Park. The priority for this event is public transport, including Taxis in order to ensure the safety of the high volumes of pedestrians expected. Taxis will be allowed to move through the controlled access area, subject to significant limitations including:
Dublin city remains open for business with the eastern corridor largely unaffected (M1, Port Tunnel, Eastlink ).
Under no circumstances will taxi fares to Phoenix Park, or the roads/streets around Phoenix Park, be facilitated when the controlled access area is in place.
Where possible and subject to the safety of pedestrians, taxis will be facilitated. For example, to take a passenger from Stillorgan Road to the Rotunda or Holles Street hospitals will be facilitated. If scheduling fares to the airport, plan accordingly and allow extra time for the journey. All taxi drivers are asked to study the details available on the Garda website , and to be familiar with the limitations in the controlled access area.
It is not possible to cycle directly to Phoenix Park as bike parking facilities will not be available. Dublin Bikes will be unavailable up to a certain radius of the park.
Therefore it is recommended that you take public transport, group transport or walk.
If you are walking to the event from Dublin city, please pay attention to road closures in the city as this will impact your route and the time it will take. More details on road closures will be published closer to the event.
Once you get to Phoenix Park, you will be required to walk from the gate to and from the Mass site in the heart of the park. Walking is unavoidable due to the size, scale and location of the event. For more information on how to plan for a long day, click Link to information on long journey .
Every effort is being made to accommodate as many people with accessibility needs as is possible, within this unique location. We are currently consulting with disability organisations regarding this and will be communicating the finalised plans as soon as possible.
For more information, please see our Link to Frequently Asked Questions .