Can I go to Dublin for lunch?

[IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads]

DD (nearly 13) wants to go to every country in the world. We are currently on holiday in her 11th country.

Her birthday is just before October half term. I was considering taking her to Dublin for the day (she has not been to Ireland, only NI).

The flights from our local-ish airport leave at 8:45 am, arrive at 10 am, then return at 18:20 pm.

I've never been to Dublin, and I've only ever ferry-ed to Ireland. How long will it take to travel from the airport to the city centre? Do we need to leave 2hrs to pass through check in and security as if we were going further abroad?

I know people go to Dublin on business, but it feels like if we don't get to the city until around 11am, and have to leave at say 15:30, then we're hardly there at all!!

Any change of a later return flight @IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads?

A 18.20 flight makes it tight and doesn't really leave much time to experience lunch so youd realise you were in different country.

Dublin airport can involve long walks in either terminal (Ryan Air = Terminal 1 and Aer Lingus = Terminal 2) and passport control and security can be busy. Mean both on arrival and departure can mean a lot of time in the airport. Plus traffic in Dublin is awful depending on time of day so to and from the airport a slog. All fine if you've more time to experience the city proberly. Otherwise theres not much to mark it as a different country, so not really achieving your reason for going.

Have a look at flights to Shannon, or as suggested above Cork.

Wow, and I thought my kids were spoilt 😳. Do you both not care about the environmental impact of this 'challenge'? And wouldn't it be better to save the money for a proper holiday, uni fees, house deposit etc.?

I've been to Dublin for the day but we had a later flight home around 10pm ish. It was absolutely fine, easy to get buses from the airport into the city.

Also does 'every in the world' include places like Russia, North Korea, Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan or Iraq?

Hey OP - I live and work in Dublin but fly to England frequently.
It’s perfectly doable and sounds great. I would fork out for security fast passes on the way back and then arrive 1.5 hours (probably 1.15 tbh) before the flight.
get a taxi into Dublin and back and use the port tunnel. It’ll be a bit more pricey but worth it if you’re tight on time.
I would do an open top bus tour - great way to see the city and hop off for lunch somewhere. Avoid temple bar like the plague. It’s expensive, full of tourists and shite. Green Hen is good but maybe not the thing your daughter would like? Cafe en Seine maybe? Let us know what she likes and you’ll get more suggestions.
good luck!!!

For the people who have read the thread, thank you for your food for thought.

I asked a question, and I have now formulated an answer.

I am confident that my dc are not spoilt, and that I am not an environmental criminal. I was just trying to see if I could make the most of a rare oppurtunity where time and money (voucher) collided in a fortuitous manner. It's not going to happen without using the voucher, and the trip booked with that needs to have been completed by the middle of November. Those who've read my posts will see that there is a lot to consider and put in place before I can go away overnight.

I agree that there is much more to the island of Ireland than Dublin, and I have already visited much of it. You'll be pleased to know that I cycled to a train station, got the train to a ferry and cycled the rest of the way, camping and hostelling. It is a marvellous country that lets you put bikes on buses and trains easily! (or at least it once did!).

I went to Dublin for the day about 15 ish years ago.
6am flight from Bristol, day out seeing the sights and a river cruise, shopping and lunch. Flew back at about 8pm.

best bit was that it cost 1pence for the return flight. Some crazy promotion that one of the budget airlines was doing at the time.

Ffs some of these responses!! Get off your high horses!

Op have a lovely lunch with your daughter in Dublin's fair city!

I think a 6.15pm flight is a bit tight - I assume that is the only option from your nearest airport.

You can definitely come to Dublin for lunch, but you won't have a lot of time.

Dublin airport departures page tells you how long security lines are.

Ime very often Dublin airport is quiet with short lines at security. And now most of their security scanners don't need you to empty your bags of electronics and liquids. (2 left scanners in T1, maybe more of them by now)

Howth is worth a visit if you have time but will cost you in taxis.

I've done the opposite to visit family in the UK. The train/ferry is lovely too if you have time but you can't do a day trip with that, unless you live in Holyhead or right nearby.

Why does she want to go to every country? Flying in, having lunch and flying out without seeing anything else just seems pointless and doing it for the sake of ticking a place off a list

Why not do it at a time where you can actually appreciate where you are? Your vouchers expire but surely you can use them as part payment to a weekend break if you book it before they expire?

This!

They are two different countries with different cultures. I live in NI- every time I go to Dublin I very much feel like I am in a different country.

Back in the day we would finish work in Manchester on a Friday evening, have a few drinks, train to Holyhead then 3am ferry to Dublin where we would get the bus up to Heuston for brekkie, then a mooch round whatever took our fancy before the ferry back home.

So in short, if we could go to Dublin on a drunken whim for breakfast, I'm sure you can have a great time having a wonderful lunch

Same as saying if you have been to Scotland you have been to England or Wales. Nope

It's like saying you've been to Scotland but have never been to Britain.

You could but why not do a weekend? If you get a flight delay or caught in security it will be a write off.

I did obvs go to Paris for lunch though.. 😁

She wants to go to different countries not land masses

It's doable. What does your daughter like to do/eat? Can give you some suggestions of things to do/places to eat.

Britain is an island and so is Ireland.

If you're in Northern Ireland, you are on the island of Ireland. That's why you can apply for an Irish passport if you were born anywhere on the island of Ireland. If you've been to Northern Ireland, you've been to Ireland.

Ireland is an island but NI is part of the Uk

The OP’s daughter wants to go to the Republic of Ireland which is a separate nation state, at present.

Don’t be obtuse, etc.

I know the politics but read the thread a bit too quickly. I get the point now.

They are legally completely separate countries. Whether you want to acknowledge that or not. As I said being in Scotland doesn’t mean you have been in England. Same island separate countries.

I know. I missed the whole point of the op because I was eating cold chips at the time and they were so gross I got distracted.

We are going in September to meet a friend for the day. No big deal lots of time to do fun stuff

Not at all because these two statements are both true:

1. Ireland is an island

2. Ireland is not an island.

Indeed, as @Janedoe82 points out, Northern Ireland is significantly different to the Republic of Ireland. After all, they ARE two different jurisdictions and divergent significantly after more than 100 years which is normal.

Nobody uses the same name for Scotland as for the island it sits on. Nor does Scotland have close to the same historical issues the last 100+ years.

Not the same situation at all.

Indeed, in the lists of Sovereign States in the world, Northern Ireland is NOT listed as part of the Republic of Ireland...is it? Like Scotland, it comes under United Kingdom.

Either way, partition is a reality and the OP did nothing wrong in making a very clear distinction between the two. Visiting Northern Ireland does not count as Visiting the Republic of Ireland. And vice versa. 🤷‍♂️