Airport Transfers in Ennis

A short motorway hop

Between Ennis and Shannon Airport there are only some 22 to 25 km. From the terminal the N19 carries the coach out to junction 9 of the M18, then the motorway runs north past Newmarket-on-Fergus to the Ennis exits, toll-free. Because the airport is so close, Ennis groups almost never use another one; Dublin is a cross-country drive and only makes sense when no suitable flight leaves Shannon. The same motorway runs on north to Gort and Galway, about an hour from Ennis, which helps a group splitting its stay between Clare and Galway: one vehicle can collect at Shannon, drop some passengers in Ennis and carry the rest on.

What happens at Shannon

Shannon keeps the frontage of its terminal clear: coaches and minibuses are never allowed to park there. They are held in the airport’s coach and bus parks instead, with on-hire minibuses directed to the second of them, Coach Park 2, by departures. Agree with the operator whether the driver meets the group inside arrivals or the group walks to the coach park. Long-haul passengers face passport control and a wait at the carousel before they appear, so the operator times the meeting from the actual landing once it has the flight number. On the way home, passengers heading for America are precleared by US officers at Shannon, so the group needs more time in the terminal than a European flight would take.

Friar’s Walk and the Ennis hotels

Ennis keeps its medieval street plan, and the centre is no place for a large coach to stop. The town’s answer is the Friar’s Walk coach park beside glór, the arts centre: 14 coach spaces, plus a covered spot for setting down and picking up that is roughly 100 m from the town centre, and a water supply for washing coaches. Ennis is a Coach Friendly Destination, an award from the Coach Tourism and Transport Council, and traffic wardens enforce the bye-laws covering its coach parking. For a group staying in the centre, Friar’s Walk is the usual set-down; hotels on the Clare Road and the Lahinch Road can usually take a coach at the door. Confirm each hotel’s entrance with the operator.

Touring on the first morning

Transatlantic flights tend to reach Shannon early, hours before hotel rooms are ready, so many Ennis groups tour first. Bunratty is about 20 minutes from Ennis and right beside the airport road. The Burren and Poulnabrone Dolmen are roughly 35 minutes north of the town, and the Cliffs of Moher about 45 minutes west. The Cliffs of Moher Experience needs advance bookings from every coach and from groups of ten people or more. Doolin, for music and the Aran ferries, is about 50 minutes away. With cases locked in the hold, the vehicle tours the morning and drops at the hotel once rooms are free. The roads west of Ennis are narrower than the motorway, and a midi coach of around 10.5 m handles them more easily than a 13 m vehicle.

How long is the drive from Shannon Airport to Ennis?

About 20 to 25 minutes on the N19 and M18, with no toll to pay. Add a few minutes for a set-down at Friar’s Walk and the short walk into the town, or for calls at more than one hotel. For a departure, add the airline’s check-in window and the extra time US preclearance needs.

Can we go from the airport to the Cliffs of Moher before checking in?

Yes, if the visit is booked. Coaches, and any party of ten or more, need a reservation at the Cliffs of Moher Experience before they arrive. Give the operator the booked slot and the flight, and the luggage stays aboard until the coach reaches Ennis.

Where does the coach stop in Ennis town?

Usually at Friar’s Walk coach park beside glór, which has a covered set-down and collection shelter a short walk, about 100 m, from the centre. The narrow central streets are not suited to a coach, though hotels on the edge of town can often take one at the door.

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