Hotel options:

As mentioned in the Q & A section, we will be blocking rooms at the Castleknock hotel near our castle. However, just in case it is needed, we have listed information for that hotel as well as several others in the area. Please once again note that while transportation between the church and the castle will be available to everyone, day of transportation will only be provided between the venues and the castleknock hotel before and after the wedding.

Castleknock hotel
Porterstown Rd, Diswellstown, D15, D15 WNR7, Ireland

Clayton hotel liffey valley
Fonthill Rd, Liffey Valley, Dublin, D22 X4W6, Ireland

Crowne plaza Dublin- blanchardstown
Blanchardstown Town Centre, Blanchardstown, Dublin, D15 T1FD, Ireland

Carlton hotel blanchardstown
Church Rd, Tyrrelstown, Dublin, D15 EYX5, Ireland

Lucan spa hotel Dublin
Junction 4A N4 Westbound, Lucan, Co. Dublin, K78 X3H3, Ireland

Springfield hotel
Leixlip Road, Cooldrinagh, Leixlip, Co. Kildare, W23 W280, Ireland

Leixlip manor hotel
St. Catherines Park, Leixlip, Co. Kildare, Ireland

Court yard hotel
Main St, Leixlip, Co. Kildare, W23 E9TI, Ireland


Flight Info:

Fortunately, Ireland is not as far as you think! Most of us fly coast to coast in the US for vacation (typically a 5-6 hour flight) and don’t think twice about it, and the flight to Ireland is almost the same flight time. Depending where you are starting your journey that can vary a bit, but most of you will be departing from the east coast and average flight times for a direct flight to Dublin is about 6-8 hours.

Of course everyone will be flying from various locations, but we have listed a few flight options from a couple major airports in the US as well as round trip price estimates for each option. While flight prices are constantly changing, this will give you an idea of what to expect. We recommend exploring all of your options for nonstop and one stop flights. There are so many wonderful low cost carriers that can save you a bunch of money with one connection.

Please note that almost all flights going to Ireland from the US are overnight so they will land the following day. (If you depart the US on Saturday, you will land in Ireland on Sunday).

From Chicago:

Aer Lingus
ORD-DUB
Nonstop
$837 round trip pp

Icelandair
ORD-DUB
Connecting in KEF
$735 round trip pp

British Airways
ORD to DUB
Connecting in LHR
$1,664 round trip pp

United
ORD-DUB
Nonstop
$2,132 round trip pp

American
ORD-DUB
Nonstop
$2,027 round trip pp


From Fort Lauderdale/Miami:

American
FLL-DUB
1 connection in PHL
$942 round trip pp

MIA-DUB
1 connection in PHL or CLT
$811 round trip pp

JetBlue
FLL-DUB
1 connection in JFK
$972 round trip pp

MIA-DUB
1 connection in JFK
$916 round trip pp

British Airways
MIA-DUB
1 connection in LHR
$1,017 round trip pp

Delta
MIA-DUB
1 connection in ATL
$732 round trip pp

FLL-DUB
1 connection in ATL
$826 round trip pp


From New York City:

British Airways
JFK-DUB
1 connection in LHR
$577 round trip pp

Icelandair
JFK-DUB
1 connection in KEF
$614 round trip pp

EWR-DUB
1 connection in KEF
$636 round trip pp

JetBlue
JFK-DUB
$907 round trip pp

Aer Lingus
JFK-DUB
$1,004 round trip pp



What is required for entry into Ireland? What is customs/passport control like?

International travel can seem daunting if you’re not used to it. One of the things people stress about the most tends to be the customs and immigration process for entering and exiting a country. We’re hoping to alleviate a little of that concern by providing some information regarding the matter.

Luckily, passport control in Ireland and pretty much all of Europe is very simple. The first and most important thing you will need is a valid passport. Please note that your passport must be good for 6 months after your travel. So you will be arriving in Ireland in end of April 2025 so your passport cannot be expiring before beginning of November 2025. If your passport does not meet this requirement please update your passport ASAP! Processing times for new passports have been extremely lengthy lately, and if you aren’t able to get a same-day appointment at a passport office near you, this can take quite a while. So best to do that as soon as possible.

When you arrive in Dublin, you will follow signs for passport control, once you arrive in the customs hall there are a few separate lines, one for EU citizens, one for non EU citizens but for countries such as the US, Canada, UK, etc, and a line for all other passports (this one is the longest). You will of course be using the non eu line that specifies for US citizens etc. The passport control there is simple, you will scan your passport and look into the camera and the gate will open. You will then proceed to an officer that will look at your passport maybe ask you a question or two and then send you on your way. It’s as easy as that! As you’re exiting, you’ll have two options for exit, one doorway for nothing to declare, and one doorway for things to declare. You really shouldn’t have anything to declare so you can proceeded through the door that says nothing to declare and exit the airport.

If you are only traveling to Ireland or the UK, that is all you will need. If you are planning to continue travel throughout the EU There are policy changes coming into effect next year that you should be aware of.

In the first half of 2025 some EU countries will begin requiring US citizens to apply for ETIAS. This is a pretravel authorization. They have not determined a start date as of now but it will cost €7, take about 30 days processing time, and last 3 years after it has been granted. As of now, Ireland is not on the list of countries requiring ETIAS. We have included a link below with more information.

https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias_en


What about customs coming back to the US?

If you are connecting through the EU or UK to come back to the US, you will follow a similar passport control procedure as when you entered prior to your flight out of the EU. In this case, after arriving in the US you will need to clear customs in the United States. If you travel often i highly recommend investing in Global Entry, it is a much short line and lasts 5 years and includes precheck. If you do not travel internationally often, you can download the mobile passport app for free in the App Store for expedited entry into the us at most airports.


If you are flying on a direct flight back to the US from Dublin, you are in luck! The Dublin airport has pre-clearance into the United States. This means that when you arrive at the Dublin airport, you will clear security and enter the main hall of the airport and follow signs for your gate area where you will encounter US border control. You will clear US customs in the Dublin airport prior to reaching your gate for your flight (don’t worry, there is food in this area). This means you are only clearing US customs with other other people on your flight and maybe if there are one or two other flights going to the US around the same time, rather than clearing in the United States with thousands of other people from all over the world. When you land in the United States, because you have already cleared customs and technically entered the country, you will deplane through a regular domestic gate and be able to leave the airport without dealing with customs on arrival.


What type of plug adapter do i need?

While the Republic of Ireland is a part of the EU, almost all hotels and businesses use the UK type plug. So when you are buying adapters for your phones, computers, iPads, etc. please make sure that you are getting one with a UK plug, or an adapter set that includes the UK plug. Please also be aware that not all plugs. Adapters are power converters. The voltage used in the EU and UK are different than what is used in the US. This isn’t such a big deal for phones and iPads, but if you plan on using any hairdryers or tools, anything more powerful like that, you will need an adapter that also converts the voltage. All hotels offer hairdryers anyway so I wouldn’t be too worried with packing that.

Do i need to convert my money?

The Republic of Ireland is part of the EU and therefore uses the Euro for currency. While it is generally a good idea, and the cheapest option, to convert some cash to euros with your bank prior to leaving the US, you don’t have to if you don’t want to. If you do choose to convert money after arriving into Ireland, it is recommended that you pull cash out of an ATM from a local bank rather than, the currency conversion ATMs. These typically come with very high fees that are more expensive than the fee to use a different bank ATM. It is generally recommended that you have some amount of cash on you, as you will find often times there are some restaurants and bars that only take cash. This can also help you avoid racking up any foreign transaction fees if your card doesn’t waive those. It is also usually a good idea if you don’t travel often to alert your bank of your travel plans so that they do not shut off your card while you are abroad.

Will my phone work?

Everyone cell phone plans are going to be different and offer different services regarding international usage. Some phone plans include free international service with some limits on data, while others might charge a daily flat fee for unlimited call text and data. I would recommend checking with your phone provider what your Plan includes regarding international service. It is also worth looking into an eSIM, even if you have some manner of international services included in your phone plan, sometimes the eSIM can be cheaper, or have better data service than what you have included. It is worth researching what your best options are but most phone plans include some type of international service. No matter what service you have included in your plan, it is always recommended to connect to Wi-Fi whenever possible to conserve your data. If you do not have unlimited, Wi-Fi is available in most places so this usually isn’t difficult.

Any tips for dealing with jet lag?

The best ways to avoid Jetlag might not always be the easiest, but you will definitely want to follow this advice. When traveling to Europe, the best thing you can do for yourself is try to sleep on the plane. Even if it’s only for a couple of hours, and even if it’s not the most restful sleep, something is better than nothing. When you get into whichever airport you are arriving into, it will likely be the morning. Napping this first day is probably the worst thing you can do. If you don’t want to suffer jet lag for several days, you will need to keep yourself awake all day this first day. Just take it easy, get out for a walk, and plan for an early night, maybe around 8 or 9 o’clock. If you think you simply cannot make it through the day without a nap, you will need to be disciplined and keep it short. Try to keep the nap an hour or less, set an alarm on your phone and plug it in across the room so that you have to get up to turn it off.

Coming back to the US is a little easier to deal with, as most flights leave in the morning and you will land later in the afternoon. For this direction, it is ideal to try to keep yourself awake as much as possible on the flight back to the US. This way you can just make it an early night and get a full night sleep when you get back home.


Any advice for the flight?

While these flights are not extremely long, they aren’t exactly short either. Flights of any length can be hard on your body, but there are some ways to help yourself feel better during and after the flight.

The most important thing to remember when you’re flying is that you are going to be in a very dry environment. The altitude and the dry air are hard on your body so it is extremely important to stay hydrated. The general rule is to try to drink 8 ounces of water for every hour of flight as a passenger. While we know having to use the aircraft lavatory is the least appealing part of travel, it’s definitely better than feeling awful when you land. In any case, some movement during the flight is also very important and beneficial. Getting up every so often to stretch your legs and use the lavatory helps keep your blood circulating and prevent swelling in your legs. It is always a good idea to bring an empty water bottle through security and fill it up at a water fountain before your flight. This way you always have access to water, even if there isn’t a service being conducted.

If you are concerned about your legs and feet swelling during the flight, as mentioned earlier, getting up to stand or walk a little bit is helpful. Please just keep in mind that the galleys are for the working crew and it’s best to keep any stretching or walking around in the aisle areas. Wearing comfortable shoes, such as sneakers or flats and compression socks or compression stockings are also an excellent way to alleviate swelling and pain in the legs and feet.