Travel on Easter weekend 2018

I will be in Dublin heading to Newcastle, NI on Good Friday and will be there through Easter. It seems like there may be issues with travel, restaurants, etc on some or all of those days up through Easter Monday. Will I be able to get to Newcastle on Good Friday? Will there be restaurants/pubs open Friday through Monday? Is Irish Rail on reduced schedules over that time frame? What about bus lines from Belfast to Newcastle and back? I have tried to get the answers on other websites, but it is not clear how far the restrictions on Good Friday go in terms of businesses and how many days are affected. We will be at a wedding, so it is not possible to change the days of our trip. Thanks!

Hello Stuart, 

I hope you are well. 

Irish Rail can reduce there times over the holidays. However, they will be running. 

If you are worried about this I would suggest renting a car to give the freedom to come and go as you please. 

Most restaurants and pubs will be open but on Good Friday they will not sell alcoholic beverages - but they will be open as normal.

I hope this helps.

Best Wishes, 

The Team at Car Rental Ireland

Hi Stuart,

Translink generally operate a holiday timetable on Easter Monday and Tuesday.  It advisable to visit the website of Translink, www.translink.co.uk, the public transport company in Northern Ireland, and use the journey planner option to view specific timetables for the date you are travelling or alternatively you can telephone them on +44 (0)28 9066 6630.

Licensing laws in Northern Ireland stipulate that pubs and clubs are only permitted to sell alcohol for a limited number of hours on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.  On Good Friday alcohol is sold from 17.00 until 23.00, while on Easter Sunday it is sold from 12.30 until 22.00. This therefore means that alcohol is not sold after 00.00 on the Thursday or Saturday evenings of Easter week.  These licensing laws also apply to restaurants. Most restaurants open daily over Easter, but some may have reduced opening hours.

We hope you have a great trip.
Visit Belfast

Hello, Stuart.

It's great to hear that you will be over for a wedding next Easter, best of luck to all involved.

Big thanks go to Car Rental Ireland and Visit Belfast for their informative answers. There are indeed restrictions on the opening times of many businesses and public transport over the holiday time as already mentioned. It may be necessary to wait until closer to the time to get an accurate picture of the travel arrangements as timetables may not be fixed as yet.

Best wishes

Martin