Luggage and Public Transit

My friend and I will be travelling to Ireland in June this year.
We will arrive in Dublin Airport and will then travel to Enniskerry for a few days; back to Dublin; a bus trip to Northern Ireland for 2 days; then to Galway for 4 nights; then back to Dublin for 1 night before flying back home to Canada.
Neither of us are brave enough to drive, so we will rely on public transportation. We've got our accommodations sorted and we know the B&B in Dublin will store luggage for us when we do the bus trip as we are only allowed a small suitcase for that.  I am struggling to find information about bus and trains and what options/restrictions may be in place for bringing our luggage for the other portions of our trip.
Surely there is a way to bring a bigger suitcase?  I'm worried we are either stuck with a small case - or paying for a taxi to get around.  Expert advice (beyond telling me not to bring a big suitcase hopefully!) would be greatly appreciated.

Hello Grace,

It is so exciting that you and your friend are planning on visiting this summer, and I would love to see what I can do to help! :)

You've chosen some wonderful places to visit, and all of them are easily reached by public transport. Have you sorted out the schedules and routes yet? If you could use some help, I would be more than happy to point you in the right direction! 

For which parts of the journey would you need to bring your large suitcase with you? 

When you are travelling on one of the Bus Éireann coaches, or coach services in Northern Ireland, you can bring your small suitcase on the bus, and your large suitcase can be placed in the luggage compartment. You can read more about the terms and conditions on the Bus Éireann website, and the Translink website. 

On the train you can bring your luggage with you, as long as everything is safely put away in the overhead compartments or luggage racks near the carriage ends and in between seats. Take a look at the Irish Rail page for more information. The same rules apply for travelling by train in Northern Ireland with Translink. 

Are you thinking of going on guided (bus) tours around the island as well? It's a great way to see and learn about sightseeing spots and attractions on the island. 

I hope this was helpful, and please don't hesitate to get in touch if there is anything else you need. 

Warm regards,

Melin

Thank you Melin.  The information you've provided gives me some peace of mind.  We will be arriving at the Dublin Airport and then going first to Enniskerry, so we will have all luggage with us going there, and then going to Dublin after three days.  I'm not sure if we can accomplish the trip from the airport just by bus or will have to take a taxi for some portion?  The Bus Eirann website shows a route going that direction but doesn't seem to be an active route?  We would also like our larger suitcase with us when we go from Dublin to Galway (and then back to Dublin the day before our flight home).  We were thinking we would like to take that trip by train if possible.  I'm thinking I may email directly to the train and bus websites for further clarification unless you know even more details for me.  We are so excited to explore - even if we aren't brave enough to drive!

Hi Grace,

Your trip sounds amazing, you will have such a great time. For the journey from Dublin Airport to Enniskerry, use the Transport for Ireland app (www.tfi.ie), that will give you all the connections that you need using public transport. There is a bus from Santry to Enniskerry. As Santry is only a short journey from the Airport, you could get a number 16 Dublin Bus from the Airport to Santry (from Dublin City University I believe), then connect with the Dublin Bus to Enniskerry. It will take you about an hour and a half to get to Enniskerry from Santry. Depending on where your B&B is in Enniskerry, you may have to walk a bit when you get there. You will be able to get all your luggage on the public bus.
As mentioned below, you won't have any trouble on the regular public buses and trains with luggage, you will just have to make sure they are safely stowed.
Good luck and enjoy every second !

Sandra.

Hi Grace,

I just want to offer some information about left luggage facilities during your 2 day bus trip to Northern Ireland.
Visit Belfast Welcome Centre, Visit Derry Information Centre and the Giant's Causeway Visitor Centre all have left luggage facilities should you need to use them. I am hoping this may not be necessary and you are able to leave your bags on the coach, it just depends what type of bus trip you are taking.  

For more information please visit: www.discovernorthernireland.com 

I hope you and your friend have a most memorable holiday in Ireland!
Anne