Local Information

Local information for EU Grid PMA meeting in Dublin, January 2010.

Travel information

Dublin Airport is well served by daily international flights from major European cities. The main carrier to Dublin Airport is Aer Lingus, but is also served by:

• RyanAir
• British Airways
• British Midlands
• Air France
• Malev Hungarian Airways
• LOT Polish Airways
• CSA
• and many others.

Timetable and route information may be found at Dublin Airport Flight Information page.

For non-direct flights - London Heathrow, London Stansted, London Gatwick, Manchester International, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Frankfurt and Amsterdam are well serviced hubs.

When travelling back from Dublin please allow two hours for check-in. Passport control and security checks can take from 5 minutes to 50 minutes depending on the time of day. Early morning (from 5:30am) and evening time are the most congested. If flying with Aer Lingus, fast pass check-in is available in the departures hall (Areas 3,4 and 14). Once you have cleared security, some departure gates can take about 7/8 minutes by foot to reach (Area A departure gates 65-71).

The journey from the city centre to the airport can take from 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on traffic conditions. Peak hour(s) are between 7:30am-9:30am and 4:30pm-7:00pm, Mon-Fri.

Taxis

Taxis operate from outside the arrivals area in the airport. A fare for a 10km journey from the airport to the city centre should cost between 25 Euros and 35 Euros, and depends on the time of day, the number of passangers, and the amount of luggage carried - the minimum fare is Euro 4.10. Taxi drivers are required to give you a printed receipt on request, and are required to display their license identification on the front window the taxi.

Complaints about taxis and fares can be directed to the Commission of Taxi Regulators office.

If you are coming directly from the airport to the meeting, then the best drop off point will be the Science Gallery on Pearse Street or, around the corner at Pearse Station on Westland Row, which runs along the eastern side of the campus. Note: Please clarify to the taxi driver that you want to go to the train station, otherwise you may be taken to the Garda (Police) station at the other end of Pearse Street.

Airport Buses

Several bus companies operate services from the airport to the city centre.

Dublin Bus operate the 747 service from the Airport to the central bus station Busaras. The cost of a single ticket is 6 Euro, and a return ticket is 10 Euro. Also, a three day Rambler ticket can be purchased for Euro 11.00, this is also valid for the Airlink service. These can be bought in the airport from:

• CIE Information Desk
• Dublin Tourism
• Kiosk
• Ticket Machine at bus stop.

Aircoach operate a bus service (the Donnybrook/Ballsbridge route) that stops at Merrion Square North. This is convenient if you are staying in the Davenport, Alexander, Mont Clare or Holiday Inn hotels (details below). A one-way ticket will cost 7 Euro, and a return ticket will cost 12 Euro. Due to the one way traffic system that operates in parts of the city, if you are returning to the airport with AirCoach, the closest Bus Stop is on Dawson St, or on Suffolk St.
WARNING: Dublin Bus 747 tickets and Aircoach tickets are not inter-changable.

City Bus system

The local bus system is operated by Dublin Bus.

• Local buses do not stop at Busaras.
• You can purchase a single ticket on the bus
• You are required to have exact change
• Only coins are accepted.
• If you overpay, you will be given a receipt to redeem at Dublin Bus's O'Connell St office. No coins will be given back by the bus driver.
• Bus fares range from Euro 0.50 to Euro 1.90 depending on the length of the journey.

Within the city centre, it is very unlikely that you will need to make a bus journey, as most places are within 15-20 minutes walk. There is a 50c fare for journeys within the city centre. In addition, One day tickets and 2 journey tickets can be purchased at most news agents for about 6 Euros and 3.20 Euro respectively. A three day ticket can be purchased for Euro 11.00, this is also valid for the Airlink service.

Access to the meeting rooms

The meeting will be held in the O'Reilly Institute Large Conference Room, which is at the eastern end of the university campus.

Directions within the O'Reilly Institute

Enter the lobby of the O'Reilly Institute by going up the steps and turning left. Turn left into the School of Computer Science & Statistics and the Large Conference Room is on your right, opposite the reception desk.

Accomodation

Hotels

Trinity College lies in the centre of Dublin City. The city is broken into postal areas (1 - 24) , with Dublin 1 the on the north central side of the river Liffey, and Dublin 2, the south central side of the city. If you require a hotel close to the meeting, then a hotel in the Dublin 2 area will be at most 15 minutes walk from the meeting room. A fairly comprehensive list of hotels and their prices is available from the Dublin Events Accomodation website.

The hotels closest to the venue are:

• The Davenport Hotel - 4 star, from 125 Euros, approx 2 minutes walk from Lloyd
• The Alexander Hotel - 4 star, from 125 Euros, approx 2 minutes walk
• The Mont Clare Hotel - 3 star, from 95 Euros, approx 2 minutes walk
• Jurys Custom House Inn - 3 star, from 89 Euros, approx 5 minutes walk
• The Trinity Capital - 3 star, from 59 Euros, approx 5 minutes walk
• Holiday Inn (Pearse Street), 3 star, from 45 Euros, approx 7 minutes walk

Please note prices for O'Callaghan hotels (no relation!) based on TCD coroporate rates for 2009. Other prices based on those from Dublin Events Accomodation website at time of writing. You may get a better deal through Hotels.com or a similar service.

The organizers will look into arranging a block booking at one of the nearby hotels.

Google Maps

Google Map with salient features, Dublin Airport is due north from the displayed map.

Useful links for travellers

• Dublin Tourism Office Website
• Various maps - street, bus, tram, commuter train

Visa Information

People travelling from outside the EU may require a visa. For more information please visit http://www.inis.gov.ie/. In particular, you may wish to apply for a Conference Visa. We have notified the Irish Natuarlisation and Immigration Service regarding the meeting.

The Grid-Ireland website is hosted on cagraidsvr06.cs.tcd.ie in the Department of Computer Science, Trinity College Dublin.