The Pope in Ireland: what do I need to know? [VIDEO]

Information compiled by Esther O’Moore Donohoe and Chris Jones

This blog contains up to date information on public transport restrictions, road closures and diversions. For the latest traffic information throughout the 25th and 26th of August visit the AA Roadwatch Newsroom by clicking the button below.

Pope Francis will arrive in Ireland on Saturday 25th August. He will appear in Dublin city centre and at Croke Park that evening, and at both Knock and Phoenix Park on Sunday 26th August, with a series of additional events planned ahead of the visit.

On Tuesday (21st), Opening Evening Prayer takes place at the RDS in Dublin from 7pm to 8:30pm. From Wednesday (22nd) to Friday (24th), Pastoral Congress will take place at the RDS with events throughout each day. Dublin Bus will provide extra services on all routes serving the RDS.

There’s general information on all aspects of the Papal Visit at the government website here. Frequently asked questions can be found on the World Meeting of Families website here.

Note that all events are fully booked: do not travel without a ticket.

It is essential that you organise your trip well in advance and pre-book tickets for travel where necessary. Factor a long walk into your journey regardless of how you plan to get to the event. No exceptions will be made.

To jump to specific information on each of the main events, click below:

DUBLIN CITY CENTRE / CROKE PARK

Photo by William Murphy

PAPAL PROCESSION

On Saturday, the Pope will proceed through Dublin city centre in ‘the Popemobile’ from the Pro Cathedral to the Capuchin Centre. The route can be seen here.

He is scheduled to leave Marlborough St onto Cathal Brugha St at around 4:15pm. The procession will then turn onto O’Connell St, cross the Liffey, travel down Westmoreland St, past College Green and then continue up Dame St. The Pope will pass Dublin Castle and City Hall, continuing up Lord Edward St, High St and Bridge St, crossing back over the Liffey up Church St before turning onto Bow St and into the Capuchin Centre. The entire trip is expected to take approx. 15-20 minutes.

There will be viewing points at the following locations:

O’Connell St near Parnell St ​: 67 spaces (plus 67 carers)

O’Connell St near O’Connell Bridge: 74 spaces (plus 74 carers)

College Green: ​​​​​282 spaces (plus 282 carers)

Jury’s Christchurch: ​​​​80 spaces (plus 80 carers)

Church St: ​​​​​50 spaces (plus 50 carers)

If you want to see the procession, allow plenty of time to get into the city. Random bag searches may take place at entry points and people are advised not to bring large bags. The recommendation is to keep bag sizes to around A4 size.

Keep in mind that road closures will be in place around the city centre at different times due to the procession. A full list can be found here.

There will be restrictions to Luas services on the day. See here for full details.

All other public transport will operate. A small number of routes will be diverted for a short time on Saturday afternoon (more info below).

CROKE PARK

On Saturday evening, Pope Francis will attend the Festival of Families at Croke Park in Drumcondra, with gates opening at 4pm.

The concert starts at 6:30pm and will run until 8:30pm. 70,000 people are expected to attend. Every person in attendance will require a ticket to access the venue.

We advise everyone to walk or use public transport if possible, as there will be limited parking in the vicinity of the stadium and

ON FOOT

Croke Park is a 20-minute walk from the city centre.

BY TRAIN

The closest main line station is Drumcondra at the junction of Drumcondra Rd and Clonliffe Rd, a five-minute walk from the stadium.

The closest DART stations are Connolly and Clontarf. Connolly is a 15-20 minute walk and Clontarf a 20-25 minute walk to the stadium. The closest LUAS and Intercity stop is also at Connolly.

A shuttle train will operate between Connolly Station and Ashtown Station for ticket holders.

Note that booking is ESSENTIAL for customers using Intercity travel.

Full details of Irish Rail services for Pope Francis’s visit can be found here.

BY LUAS

Croke Park is around a 16 minute walk from the Connolly Red Line stop.

There will be no Red Line service between Busáras and Four Courts between 3:15pm and 5pm and no alternative bus service. Abbey Street Luas stop will also be closed between 11am and 5pm.

BY BUS

Dublin Bus will operate a normal Saturday service with significant diversions affecting a third of all routes. Full details can be found here. The following Dublin Bus routes serve Croke Park: 1, 7, 11, 13, 14, 16, 27a, 27b, 29a, 31/a, 31b, 32, 33, 40, 40b, 40d, 41, 41b, 41c, 42, 43, 44, 53, 123 and 13.

All Bus Eireann services will operate to and from Busáras or its immediate surrounding area (Beresford Place, Amiens St, George’s Quay and Custom House Quay). From there, you can get the DART from Connolly to Drumcondra, connect to Dublin Bus or walk to the stadium in approx. 25 minutes.

KNOCK

Pope Francis will visit Knock in County Mayo in the morning of Sunday 26th August, before his visit to the Phoenix Park later that day. It will not be possible for the public to view Pope Francis arriving or departing Knock, and there will be no public viewing opportunities at Knock Airport.

Do not travel to Knock without a ticket. Plan your trip well in advance and allow plenty of time for your journey.

When you receive your ticket, it will include more information on getting to the event. You will be assigned a specific route to enter and leave the venue. It is strongly advised to car-pool or to organise coaches to get to Knock.

A Garda cordon will be in place on the day and it will not be possible to drive up to or park near the Shrine.

ROAD CLOSURES

Road closures will be in place from 6pm on Saturday (25th) and the centre of Knock Village will be closed (except to residents). Full details can be found here.

The N17 between Charlestown and Claremorris will be closed from midnight on Saturday (25th) until at least 6pm on Sunday (26th).

AIRPORT ACCESS

Access to Ireland West Airport Knock will be strictly limited. Between midnight on Saturday and 11:30am on Sunday, only those named on airline passenger lists and those transporting named passengers will be able to access the airport.

LONG WALK FOR ALL ATTENDING

There will be a considerable walk from the car parks and there will be no shuttle bus facility available between car parks and the event site. Wear suitable footwear and bring waterproof clothing. Car-pooling and sharing are essential due to space limitations.

CAR POOLING AND COACHES

Those car-pooling or who have organised a coach will be given priority and will be dropped closest to the event.

COACH AND CAR PARKING

Parking facilities will be provided around Knock on the day. Your ticket will indicate the best route to take into Knock.

Coaches have a designated parking area on the N17. This will result in the shortest distance to walk to and from the Knock Shrine via a short walkway.

TRAIN

Trains to Knock will be extremely limited and must be booked in advance. This includes Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection pass holders and annual ticket holders. If you do not have an advance booking, you will not be permitted to travel.

Limited services will operate from Westport, Ballina and Athlone with a bus connection at Claremorris for Knock. Your train ticket will gain you access to this bus connection service. There’s more information here.

BUS ÉIREANN

Bus Éireann will operate additional services on the following routes:

64 – Galway/Ireland West Airport Knock/Sligo/Derry

421 – Swinford – Kiltimagh – Knock – Claremorris

440 – Athlone – Westport

Full details are available for those heading to the event in Mayo and Dublin on the Bus Eireann website.

KNOCK AIRPORT

Only those named on airline passenger lists and those bringing named passengers will be able to access Ireland West Knock Airport between midnight on Saturday (25th) and 11:30am on Sunday.

Outbound passengers are advised to allow more travel time than usual as there will be a number of security checks on airport access routes.

PHOENIX PARK

Photo by William Murphy

Pope Francis will be the main celebrant at the Final Mass in the Phoenix Park, which marks the conclusion of the World Meeting of Families 2018 in Dublin. The mass will begin at 3pm and no more tickets are available.

Public transport and private coaches will bring you closest to the Phoenix Park, shortening your walk. Full details of public transport options are below.

There is no car park near the venue where attendees will be able to park up and walk to the event. Ticket-holders will be able to avail of free public transport in the Greater Dublin Area on Sunday (26th).

For those travelling from outside Dublin, the National Transport Authority asks that you pre-book your train or bus ticket or private coach.

Dublin city centre will remain open for business on Sunday, but we advise people to walk or use public transport to get there.

BY CAR

If you are planning on using your car to access Dublin City on Sunday, then be aware that diversions, road closures and restrictions will be in place on a number of routes. A full list of formal closures can be found here, and there’s an at-a-glance map below (click to enlarge). Rolling restrictions will be in place during the day as Pope Francis visits a number of locations in Dublin city centre.

Image: Dublin City Council

A Controlled Access Zone (CAZ) will be in place around Dublin City from 6am until 11pm on Sunday (see map above). The M50 will remain open throughout, however there will be no access for private vehicles from the M50 to the city side of the Navan Rd (J6), Chapelizod Bypass (J7) or Naas Rd (J9) as these will be reserved for buses.

Gardaí will be regulating the flow of traffic into the CAZ throughout the day – buses and pedestrians will be prioritised and it’s likely that drivers will be redirected at the busiest times. We’ve been told that local access within the CAZ will be facilitated as much as possible – it is likely to depend on the volume of pedestrians and vehicles in the area at the time, therefore traffic may be able to move more freely earlier in the day.

Residents and businesses will be allowed limited movement on these roads where there is no risk to pedestrian safety. Gardaí ask that local residents and employees carry proof of address or employment. Further road closures are possible in areas with a high volume of pedestrian traffic.

Allow ample time for any journey and make plans accordingly. Do not leave it until the day of the event to plan your trip. Expect congestion on all routes during the visit.

If you need to cross the city or travel to the airport on Sunday, you can use the M50 or the East Link Bridge and Port Tunnel or Swords Rd as normal – but allow plenty of extra time for your journey.

TAXIS

An Garda Síochána have said that road closures and traffic restrictions will apply to taxis as well as private vehicles.

All existing taxi ranks within Dublin will be operational with the exception of Aston Quay and Heuston Station.

There will be a taxi drop-off point at Dublin Industrial Estate – vehicle access via the Slaney Rd/Finglas Rd junction.

CYCLISTS

No bicycles will be allowed into the Phoenix Park. Cyclists will be permitted within the Controlled Access Zone, but they will be asked to dismount where there is a lot of pedestrian traffic, and at road closures.

There will also be three manned bike hubs for cyclists to securely park their bikes, with bike lockers available. One will be at Grangegorman DIT, another at St. Brigid’s National School in Blanchardstown and a third in the city centre in the amphitheatre at Dublin City Council on Winetavern St.

LONG WALK FOR ALL ATTENDING

Be prepared for a long walk regardless of how you plan to get to the Phoenix Park. Wear suitable footwear and bring waterproof clothing.

DUBLIN BUS

A normal Sunday service will be in place with additional departures and diversions affecting a quarter of all routes. Details here.

Dublin Bus will be given priority on dedicated traffic routes throughout the city, which will include bridges along the canal.

In addition to this, Dublin Bus will have seven dedicated transport hubs throughout the city, to bring you as close as possible to the Phoenix Park. Regular services will start at 8am. Customers will be required to return to the hub they arrived by. The Final Mass event ticket will be the only ticket accepted at the transport hubs.

The hubs will operate from the following locations (subject to change). Click on the hub name to see the route.

Hub 1: Clarehall Ave, Malahide Rd to Ratoath Rd

Average walking time: 35mins

Distance: 2.8km

Hub 2: Swords Business Park to Ballyboggan Rd

Average walking time: 50mins

Distance: 3.7km

Hub 3: Leopardstown to Cook St

Average walking time: 1 hour

Distance: 4km

Hub 4: Grange Castle to Chapelizod Bypass

Hub 5: Celbridge (Salesian College) to Chapelizod Bypass

Hub 6: Stocking Ave to Chapelizod Bypass

Hubs 4, 5 & 6 all set down at the same location.

Average walk time: 1 hour

Distance: 4.1km

Hub 7: Tyrrelstown (Carlton Hotel) to Laurel Lodge

Average walking time: 1 hour

Distance: 4.4km

AIRLINK

Airlink will operate on Saturday and Sunday but diversions will be in place so allow extra time.

For more Dublin Bus queries, click here.

AIRCOACH

Details of changes to Aircoach services over the weekend are here.

TRAIN

Intercity

Anyone intending to travel to Dublin via rail should book in advance at www.irishrail.ie – this includes Department of Social Protection pass holders and annual ticket holders.

If you do not have an advance booking, you will not be permitted to travel from any Intercity station.

Commuter

If you want to travel to the Phoenix Park on Commuter services, you will need to present your Papal Ticket within the shorthop zone (from Balbriggan, Maynooth, Hazelhatch or Kilcoole) to avail of free travel. Large crowds are expected, so get there early.

A special Commuter timetable will be in operation on Sunday (26th) with extra services on Northern, Maynooth and Portlaoise services. Details at www.irishrail.ie

The nearest train stations to Phoenix Park are:

Heuston (700m from City Gate)

Heuston (3.5km from Islandbridge Gate)

Ashtown (650m from Ashtown Gate)

Navan Rd Parkway (1.3km from Ashtown Gate)

Tara St (3km from City Gate)

Connolly (3.5km from City Gate)

DART

A special DART timetable will be in operation on Sunday (26th) and extra services will be provided. Present your Papal Ticket to avail of FREE travel. Large crowds are expected, so allow plenty of time to queue.

Details of the special timetable is available on www.irishrail.ie

The nearest DART Stations to Phoenix Park are:

Tara St (3km from City Gate)

Connolly (3.5km from City Gate)

LUAS

There will be curtailments to Luas services on Saturday and Sunday. Full details can be found here.

SUNDAY RED LINE

The Red Line will operate from Tallaght /Saggart to Blackhorse and from The Point to Smithfield, 7am to 10pm. There will be no service between Blackhorse and Smithfield from 7am until 10pm.

Connolly stop will remain closed between the hours of 7am and 10pm

From 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

Anyone travelling from Tallaght, Hospital and Cookstown should alight at Belgard for onward travel

SUNDAY GREEN LINE

The Green Line will operate from Brides Glen to Broombridge 7am-11:30pm

From Broombridge, passengers will walk via the dedicated routes which is a 46 minute walk approximately.

There will be a Luas stop operating at the Leopardstown racecourse for the first time.

PARKING

There is no car park near the venue where attendees will be able to park up and walk to the event. While the event organisers have secured additional car parking for this event, these car spaces are for those availing of Park & Ride facilities (see below).

PARK AND RIDE

There will be specially created Park & Ride hubs in a number of locations around Dublin and Kildare where people can park up and then take public transport to and from the event. These are:

Leopardstown Racecourse – Park & Ride (Luas)

UCD Belfield – Park & Ride (Dublin Bus)

Maynooth University – Park & Ride (Irish Rail) NB: access to the Maynooth Park & Ride from the M4 will be via J8 Kilcock only

Dunboyne M3 Parkway – Park & Ride (Irish Rail)

There are also other parking options such as at Beech Park Allotments, adjacent to Clonsilla railway station. See it on a map here. The car park will open from 6am and costs €10 for the day. Make sure you have change to pay.

On the southside of the city, Templeogue Synge Street GAA will have spaces available for a fee on their grounds. Those heading to the Phoenix Park can then walk the approx. 5.8km from Dolphin’s Barn to the event.

TRAVELLING FROM NORTHERN IRELAND

Translink have set up a special website for the Papal Visit. They will be operating their normal services and some additional special services to increase capacity in bus and rail. Coach hire is also available for groups.

Translink will be operating services from Northern Ireland to Connolly Station. These services must be booked in advance on www.translink.co.uk Those who do not have a valid booking will not be permitted to travel.

Main photo: Knocko

MONDAY MORNING COMMUTE

The Controlled Access Area in effect in the Phoenix Park will remain in place until 7am on Tuesday (28th), and there will be no access for vehicles, pedestrians or cyclists to the park during this time. Bear this in mind when planning your commute on Monday. Traffic is likely to be heavier than it has been all summer with some schools returning after the break. Use public transport options where possible.

For the latest traffic and travel news throughout the weekend, keep checking the AA Routeplanner and the AA Roadwatch website.