Home » Meeting information » Getting here

Getting here

Airports

The main airport in Ireland is Dublin airport, which serves numerous destinations across Europe and the US through the two main Irish airlines Aer Lingus (intercontinental and European travel) and Ryanair (European travel), and many other international airlines.  There are regular flights between Dublin and most of the London airports. From Dublin airport, you can reach the city centre in about 30 minutes by bus, either with Aircoach or the Airlink Express service operated by Dublin Bus. Both buses run every 15-30 minutes, and you can buy your ticket at the counter outside the terminal building (Aircoach) or at a vending machine by the departure stop (Airlink).

Transportation will be arranged to take participants from Dublin to the conference Venue, the Slieve Russell Hotel in Cavan, or you can make your own way there.

Belfast International Airport and Belfast City Airports are another option for reaching Ireland (Easyjet are the main airline operating from Belfast International). To reach Dublin from Belfast takes around 2.5 hours by bus, or 2 hours by train. However, please note that there is no convenient public transport from Belfast to Cavan, and that if you fly into Belfast you may require a UK visa (see below).  If you are renting a car, Belfast airports are about 2 hours drive from the conference venue, and Ireland West Knock Airport (1.5 hours) and Shannon Airport (3 hours) may also be suitable options.

At the end of the meeting buses will be available to take participants back to Dublin city and Dublin Airport.  These will leave after the symposium finishes.

Bus Éireann is the national bus service and Expressway Route 30 (Dublin to Donegal) runs from Dublin main bus station (Busáras) and Dublin Airport to Belturbet every 3 hours, and the same in the other direction (€18.50 single ticket, Feb 2022 prices).  Beturbet is about 10km from the Slieve Russell Hotel, and a taxi journey takes about 15 minutes and costs ca. €16 to €21 (2019 prices).  The timetables can be found on the Expressway website.  Please note that timetables are subject to change, and when travelling from Dublin make sure to get bus number 30 and not X30.

Visas

In general, participants from the Europe and the United States will not require a visa to visit Ireland. However, we strongly advise everyone to check with the Irish Immigration Service to see the requirements.  Participants who require a visa to travel to Ireland should submit their visa application at least 8 weeks before their planned travel date.

If you do require a visa, a Schengen visa is not valid for travel to Ireland. A UK visa is generally also not valid, but in some cases you may be able to travel on to Ireland from the UK without the need to obtain a separate Irish visa under the Via Waiver Programme. Again, you can check this on the Immigration Service website.

Finally, note that the conference is being held in Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan, which is close to the border with Northern Ireland. If you wish to cross the border then it may be necessary to first obtain a UK visa.

If you require a letter of invitation, please contact us at info@massivestars.ie.