Ireland does Christmas thoroughly, which is lovely, and it closes thoroughly, which catches people out. Here is the practical picture.
The days that matter
24 December. Normal until early afternoon, then winding down. Shops close between 4 and 6 pm. Pubs are extremely busy and close early-ish. Public transport runs a reduced timetable and stops entirely in the evening.
25 December. Effectively everything is closed. No trains, no buses, no Luas, no DART. Pubs are closed by law. Most restaurants are closed; hotel restaurants serve residents. Almost every attraction is shut.
Taxis and private transfers do operate, but in limited numbers and at premium rates. If you are landing or departing on Christmas Day, book weeks ahead — this is not a day to improvise.
26 December (St Stephen's Day). Things reopen unevenly. Shops open for the sales. Public transport runs a Sunday-plus service. Pubs are open and busy. Horse racing at Leopardstown, and the Wren Boys in parts of Kerry and Clare.
27–31 December. Broadly normal, with reduced hours at some attractions.
1 January. A public holiday. Reduced transport, many places closed.
Flights and airports
Dublin Airport operates on 25 December, with a reduced schedule. The terminals are open. What is thin on the ground is ground transport: the Airlink and most coach services do not run, and the taxi rank is unpredictable.
The 22nd and 23rd of December are among the busiest days of the year at Dublin Airport — the returning-emigrant traffic is genuinely enormous, and the arrivals hall on those evenings is one of the more moving sights in Irish life. Allow extra time for everything.
What is actually good about it
- The lights. Grafton Street, Shop Street in Galway, and almost every small town does something.
- Christmas markets. Galway's is the largest and runs through most of December.
- Winter light at the coast. Short days, low sun, and the Cliffs of Moher or the Ring of Kerry with almost nobody there.
- The pubs on Stephen's Day, which are as good as Irish pubs get.
- New Year's Festival Dublin, over three days around the 31st.
If you are travelling with us
Book early. We run over the holidays and we do run on Christmas Day, but with a small fleet and high demand the slots go. A night or holiday supplement may apply, and as always we will quote it in the original price rather than adding it afterwards.
Request a quote with your dates and flight numbers and we will confirm availability.
