Tip o’ the Hat to Irish Bargains

Independent travelers who want a little help arranging their budget adventure in the Republic of Ireland can choose a variety of economical packages by An Oige, the Irish youth hostel association. Deals for 1995 include accommodations and a rental bike for a week for about $145, or a one-week rail/bus transportation pass for Ireland plus seven nights accommodations for $205.

The 50 An Oige youth hostels in Ireland vary from castles and cottages to shooting lodges, schoolhouses and coast guard stations. There are no age restrictions. Expect to share a room with other members of the same sex. Some hostels have couples or family rooms available for a surcharge.

The An Oige do-it-yourself packages can be arranged through the travel service located in the Dublin International Youth Hostel at 61 Mountjoy St., Dublin 7, Ireland; telephone 011-353-1-830-4555, fax 011-353-1-830-1600.

The Dublin youth hostel is located in a former monastery, and the renovators have maintained some of its original features. The chapel (with stained-glass windows) has been turned into a restaurant; a confession booth now serves those who want privacy on a public telephone. It’s open 24 hours. You can reach the Dublin Hostel from Dublin Airport by taking Direct Bus No. 41A to Dorset Street. It is a three-minute walk from there.

The An Oige packages called Rambler Hostelling Holidays offer a combination of vouchers for accommodations in any of the 50 An Oige hostels throughout Ireland with transportation passes valid for Irish Rail and Bus Eireann trains and buses. You don’t have to travel every day to get full value from your travel pass. They are valid for travel on any eight days within a 15-day period. The travel pass with seven nights accommodations is $205. The travel pass with 14 nights accommodations is $275. Lower rates are available for travelers under 16.

If you plan to travel in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, you can consider the all-Ireland versions of the Rambler Package. They offer vouchers for hostel accommodations in both areas, plus a transportation pass valid for Irish Rail, DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit), Northern Ireland Railways, Bus Eireann, Dublin Bus, Ulster Bus, and all city and provincial buses. The transportation passes are valid for eight days of travel within a 15-day period, or 15 days of travel within a 30-day period.

The eight-day all-Ireland transportation pass with seven nights of hostel accommodations is $229; with 14 nights accommodations it’s $289. Versions with 15-day transportation passes are also available.

Those setting up their own cycling trips are offered do-it-yourself rail/cycling packages in these six areas: Killarney, Galway, Cork, Limerick, Wexford (Rosslare) and Dublin. The packages include return rail fare to the starting point from any railway station in the Republic of Ireland, a rental bike (to be picked up at the rail destination), youth hostel accommodations in the Republic of Ireland and a youth hostel handbook and map.

The seven-night Rail/Cycling Holiday is $143, two weeks is $234, three weeks is $323 and four weeks is $412. A $46-refundable deposit is required on each rental bike.

Also available are all-Ireland Rail Cycling Holidays that allow you to stay in the An Oige hostels in the Republic of Ireland and any of the six YHANI hostels in Northern Ireland. These can be started from Dublin, Limerick, Rosslare, Cork, Killarney, Galway, Derry, Newcastle or Larne. The cost for one week is $98, for two weeks $188, for three weeks $279, or for four weeks $370.

Students may also visit the USIT (Union Students of Irish Travel) office to compare special travel deals. Those with international identification can purchase a special Travel Save Stamp for $10.75, which gives a discount of about 50% on domestic rail and 15% on domestic bus services. You can find a USIT office at 19 Aston Quay, O’Connell Bridge, Dublin, tel. 011-353-1-679-8833.

Keep in mind that there are numerous independent hostels in Ireland that offer backpacker accommodations. They are inspected by the tourist board, so ask for details at local tourist information offices.

When wandering through tourist areas or rail stations in Dublin, keep your valuables in a pouch under your clothing. Tourists are targeted by bag grabbers.