Public transport in Dublin for St. Patrick's Bank Holiday

On St Patrick’s Day, Tuesday 17 March 2026, and over the wider festival period, public transport operators in Dublin will operate special timetables and service arrangements to accommodate parade crowds and city centre road closures.

The National St Patrick’s Day Parade begins at 12:00 in Dublin city centre, starting at Parnell Square, travelling down O’Connell Street, crossing O’Connell Bridge, and finishing at the Cuffe Street / Kevin Street junction.Below are the key public transport arrangements for Dublin trains, trams and buses on St Patrick’s Day.

Below are the key public transport arrangements for Dublin trains, trams and buses on St Patrick’s Day.

Trains

On Tuesday 17 March 2026, Irish Rail services will operate with the following arrangements:

• InterCity services will operate as normal, with some additional services running to accommodate demand.

• DART and Dublin Commuter services will operate to a Sunday timetable, with some additional services before and after the parade.

• Tara Street Station will be closed until 16:00 due to Garda crowd management arrangements — passengers should use Dublin Connolly or Dublin Pearse stations instead.

Irish Rail advises customers travelling on InterCity routes to book tickets in advance, particularly during the busy holiday period.

Passengers are also reminded that:

• Alcohol is not permitted on board trains

• Bikes must be booked in advance for InterCity travel

• Bikes are not permitted on busy DART or commuter services.

Further information on train services over the St. Patrick’s Bank Holiday weekend is available from Irish Rail.

Trams

On St Patrick’s Day, Tuesday 17 March, Luas Red and Green Line services will operate Sunday operating hours and frequencies.

Due to the parade route through the city centre, there will be temporary closures on both lines during the day.

Red Line

• From first tram until 10:00 — the full Red Line will operate normally.

• From 10:00 to approximately 15:00, there will be no trams between Smithfield and Connolly / The Point.

• During this period, trams will operate between Tallaght / Saggart and Smithfield only.

• The full Red Line will reopen at approximately 15:00.

Green Line

• From first tram until approximately 18:00, there will be no trams between St Stephen’s Green and Dominick.

• Services will operate:

  • Between Broombridge and Dominick

  • Between St Stephen’s Green and Brides Glen

• The full Green Line will reopen at approximately 18:00.

For full details of services available for your route, check the Luas website before traveling.

Buses

On St Patrick’s Day (Tuesday 17 March 2026):

• Dublin Bus will operate Sunday timetables on all routes

• DoDublin City Tours will not operate on the day.

Due to the parade and associated road closures, diversions will be in place across the network from Friday 13 March until Wednesday 18 March.

Temporary city centre bus termini

Between 06:00 and approximately 17:00, several temporary termini will operate around the city centre to accommodate parade road closures.

• Wood Quay (pick up)
  Routes: 37, 39, 39a, 52, 60, 70, C1, C2, C3, C4, G1, G2.

• Upper Ormond Quay (set down)
  Routes: 23, 24, 37, 39, 39a, 52, 60, 70, C1, C2, C3, C4, G1, G2.

• Cook Street
  Routes: 13, 56a, 68, 69, 74, 77a, 150, 151, G1, G2.

• Mark Street
  Route: 47.

• Mountjoy Square North (north side)
  Routes: 33, 38, 38a, 41, 41b, 41c.

• Mountjoy Square North (south side)
  Routes: 7, 40d, 120.

• Mountjoy Square South (Route 13 terminus)
  Routes: 4, 19.

• George’s Quay
  Routes: 6, 27a, 27b, 130, H1, H2, H3.

Nitelink and 24-hour services

• Nitelink services will operate on Friday 13, Saturday 14 and Tuesday 17 March 2026.

• Dublin Bus also operates 15 routes on a 24-hour basis, which will continue running throughout the festival period.

Passengers are advised to check the Dublin Bus website for real-time updates and route-specific diversion information.