
All the transport options GAA fans have for this weekends football semi-finals
All roads lead to Croker this weekend as Kerry take on Tyrone on Saturday and Meath face Donegal on Sunday in the semi-final stages. Many hopeful supporters have booked their bus and train tickets weeks in advance, but some might not be as organised.
With train tickets from Kerry and Sligo (where Donegal fans would travel by rail from) already booked out for the weekend, many supporters may be wondering what their alternative is, apart from making the drive to the capital. All roads lead to Croker this weekend as Kerry take on Tyrone on Saturday and Meath face Donegal on Sunday in the semi-final stages. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Jack O'Connor's Kerry face off Malachy O'Rourke and the Tyrone boys in the first semi-final on Saturday with kick-off at 5pm at Croke Park.
Unfortunately, at the time of writing the all Tralee to Dublin trains are fully booked as is the 7pm Dublin Heuston to Tralee train.
Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae took to social media in recent days, confirming he had been in contact with Irish Rail who said 'they will be providing additional services on the day to accommodate supporters.'
The Junior Minister added that the rail network are currently finalizing details. Extra.ie have since reached out to Irish Rail for more clarity on when the tickets could go on sale for supporters to book.
While there is no Kerry to Dublin bus via Bus Eireann, supporters can get to Dublin via Dublin Coach who on Monday confirmed they have 'increased capacity' on Route 300 on Saturday.
Kerry fans have the option from getting the bus at either Killarney or Tralee, with buses from Tralee at 5.30am and 10.30am.
Times from Killarney include 6.30am; 7.30am; 9.30am and 11.30am.
For returning supporters there are still available tickets for the 8.15pm and 11.15pm buses to Tralee and 7.15pm and 9.15pm back to Killarney.
While Bus Eireann don't cater for Kerry to Dublin, Tyrone supporters may be able to travel via the bus company on Saturday with a number of bus tickets still available from Omagh, which is just ten minutes from the semi-finalists county.
The bus route runs in and around every hour. Those looking to get the bus back to Omagh on Saturday night should book sooner rather than later as the 9.15pm is fully booked. Setas on the 7.15pm is still available. While Bus Eireann don't cater for Kerry to Dublin, Tyrone supporters may be able to travel via the bus company on Saturday with a number of bus tickets still available from Omagh, which is just ten minutes from the semi-finalists county. Pic: Getty Images
In the second semi-final of the All Ireland Football Championships, Meath face Donegal with kick off on Sunday at 4pm at Croke Park.
Extra.ie have contacted Bus Eireann regarding options for Meath supporters travelling to the capital for the semi-final.
Another option Meath fans have is private bus service Collins Coaches, who are not running special buses for the day but have added extra capacity to their regular commuter service. In the second semi-final of the All Ireland Football Championships, Meath face Donegal with kick off on Sunday at 4pm at Croke Park. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
A spokesperson told Extra.ie: 'The 10am and 1pm N2 services from Carrickmacross on Sunday goes through Ardee, Collon, Slane, McGruder's Cross, The Brink, Curtis Cross, Balrath Cross and Rathfeigh Cross to Dublin.
'We plan to get a bit closer than usual by dropping at Mountjoy Square which is a short walk to Croke Park.'
Those looking to travel back to Meath via Collins Coaches on Sunday will have the 5pm; 7.15pm and 8.30pm bus services with the closest stop to Croke Park at Mountjoy Square West (bus stop I.D. 1174).
The company added that their Whitworth Road stop will not be serviced on the day due to safety issues.
For more information and timetables you can go here, with tickets only bought while boarding (cash, card, Leap Card and Free Travel Pass are all accepted).
For Donegal fans still looking to book travel tickets down to Dublin, tickets for the first train at 9.05am are fully booked, though there are tickets for the 11.05am train. There are no train tickets back to Donegal after the match.
The Expressway Donegal to Dublin route has still got plenty of tickets available also, with tickets available for the 5.30am; 7am and 10am Donegal to Dublin bus and return tickets also available on the 9.30pm and 11.00pm services.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Watch: Tanzanian orphanage cheers on Donegal
An orphanage in Tanzania has sent their support to the Donegal Gaelic football team ahead of their All-Ireland football final clash against Kerry this Sunday - with a rendition of "Jimmy's Winning Matches". Rafiki orphanage, pre and primary schools learned the anthem alongside the basics of Gaelic Football as part of a volunteer programme in which five Irish teachers visited the Rafiki Sana Foundation this month. The teachers, three of which hail from Donegal, raised over €10,000 for the non-profit organisation. The money has been used to build a new classroom and two toilet cubicles in the primary school, paint and decorate two classrooms in the preschool, and feed 30 local families for a month. Founded in 2017, the Rafiki Sana Foundation is a non-profit based in Tanzania. It operates a free orphanage, pre-school, primary school and hostel facilities for local children living ion difficult circumstances. The foundation relies on sponsorship, donations, and volunteers.


The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
RTE makes unusual change to All-Ireland final TV coverage due to Women's Euros final commitments
RTÉ have changed the traditional All-Ireland final TV schedule due to commitments made for the Women's Euros. The All-Ireland final on Sunday between 2 Jim McGuinness will not be hoping for a repeat of the last time these sides met in the final 2 David Clifford is in flying form scoring 1-9 against Tyrone in the semi-final Coverage of the match begins at 2:15pm and continues until 6pm after the game to allow time for potentially extra-time and penalties. The Women's Euros clash between Spain and England will instead take the slot on RTÉ Two with coverage starting at 4pm. The hurling final between Read more on GAA The GAA had already announced a change to Croke Park tradition yesterday when they announced It will be the first time since Cork defeated Down in the 2010 final that both sides are wearing their alternate kits due to a colour clash. When the two sides met in the 2014 Sam Maguire decider the colour clash received backlash as both sides wore green and yellow. On that occasion it was the Kingdom that got the better of Jim McGuiness' side in a 2-9 to 0-12 win. Most read in GAA Football It is unsure whether the same outcome will unfold on Sunday as you can see in the poll below people are split between the two counties. Kerry - especially David Clifford - impressed in their Donegal also produced a stellar team performance to Joe Brolly and Pat Spillane also have When talking on the "Paddy McBrearty was asked after the All-Ireland semi-final about how he'd be pushing for a place in starting fifteen and he said he'd be pushing for a place in the matchday 26! "There's massive competition there because Jim has this messianic quality." While Brolly believes a third All-Ireland win for Donegal, Spillane has kept his faith in his home county. The eight-time All-Ireland winner replied: "Their running game is a hard game to sustain for 70 minutes. Zonal defence is a weakness. There's space to be exploited there by a kicking team. "The first half against Monaghan showed that as Monaghan switched the play from one side to the other. They'd an overload and took them on one-on-one and were very impressive. "So zonal marking, running in transition and Michael Murphy - no different from David Clifford - if he's contained (Kerry can win). The new rules suit Kerry, Croke Park suits them as a heads up kicking team."


Irish Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
RTÉ and BBC go head to head with heavyweight All-Ireland SFC final coverage
RTÉ and the BBC have released their star-studded line-ups as they go head to head for All-Ireland SFC final audience ratings on Sunday. The terrestrial broadcasting giants are bringing out the big guns in a bid to sway viewers to their own coverage. RTÉ's TV build-up starts first at 2.15pm from Croke Park, ahead of the 3.30 throw-in, with the BBC's underway from 3pm on BBC Two NI. The national broadcaster's coverage - on RTÉ 1, due to the Women's European Championships final being shown on RTÉ 2 from 4pm - will be hosted by Joanne Cantwell, and she will be joined by ex-stars Tomás Ó Sé (Kerry), Peter Canavan (Tyrone) and Lee Keegan (Mayo) for analysis. In fact the Kingdom will be well represented on RTÉ, with Éamonn Fitzmaurice - who masterminded Kerry's 2014 final victory over Donegal - joining commentator Darragh Maloney in calling the game in real time, while Damian Lawlor will report from the touchline. Éamonn Fitzmaurice (Image: ©INPHO/James Lawlor) The BBC's programme, meanwhile, will be anchored again by Sarah Mulkerrins and she will be joined by ex-stars Oisín McConville (Armagh) Philly McMahon (Dublin) and Conor McManus (Monaghan). Commentator Thomas Niblock will be joined by three-time Sam Maguire winning manager Mickey Harte, while ex-Donegal star Brendan Devenney and Tyrone's Owen Mulligan will be with Mark Sidebottom for analysis and Maurice Deegan will provide a referee's insight into the biggest calls. Mickey Harte (Image: ©INPHO/Andrew Paton) The BBC interviewed celebrity guests Paul Mescal and Rachael Blackmore, among others, for last Sunday's All-Ireland hurling final and more stars are expected to join their coverage this week. Meanwhile, the RTÉ News channel will also have Irish language coverage of the build-up and the game from 2.55pm. Later, as is traditional, RTÉ 2 will have The Sunday Game cameras live from the winners' hotel from 9.30pm. Jacqui Hurley will host the programme and a number of pundits, including Donegal's Mark McHugh and Kerry's Tomás Ó Sé plus Ciarán Whelan, Cora Staunton, Enda McGinley and Paul Flynn, will look back on the afternoon's action and reflect on the football championship in general as well as picking The Sunday Game team of the year. Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts.