merrion street

Minister of State with responsibility for Public and Commuter Transport Alan Kelly TD today urged everyone travelling during the August Bank Holiday weekend to use public transport as much as possible, particularly if attending weekend festivals, sporting events or enjoying the outdoors.

This weekend, many festivals and events will take place all around the country, including the Irish Open in Killarney, the National Steam Rally in Stradbally, County Laois, the Galway Summer Races and the inaugural Dublin Super Cup where some of the biggest names in world football meet at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.

Speaking today, Minister Kelly said: "I would encourage people to utilise public transport as much as possible over the coming days. Getting a bus,train or the Luas if you are travelling to a festival, attending a sporting event or just travelling home, can take the hassle out of journeys. It saves on parking, journey-time and is a cost effective, environmentally friendly way to get around"

The Minister concluded: "In recent weeks my colleagues (Ministers Varadkar and Ring) and I launched a major domestic tourism package including the €1 million Discover Ireland Summer 2011 promotion campaign and discounts of up to 50% for weekend rail travel.

Timetables and schedules that reflect public demand, and fares that make rail and bus transport the sensible option and are not only good news for public transport users, they good news for holidaymakers too"