It can be a bit intimidating when you begin using public transport for the first time. Growing up in Kentucky, I was a country kid, and I always took the bus to school, but as an adult I’ve become so used to driving that it took time to shift gears (pun intended). Taking the bus, I typically will leave at least an hour before I must be in class. Buses can be delayed at times due to more or less people using them. The bus ride tends to be a time of decompression (especially if I ran to catch it) and hopefully listening to a bit of music or doing some writing. Initially for longer trips, such as to Dublin, my preferred method was CityLink bus, because it tends to be cheaper than the train, but the train runs a bit faster and students and young adults receive a discount, making it much more worthwhile.
The buses are very useful in maintaining connections to the countryside which is difficult to reach by train. One of the most interesting ways of traveling in Ireland is by ferry. Ireland is an island, with many smaller islands bordering it, which must be accessed by ferry. There is one such ferry from Connemara, Galway to Inis Mór (pronounced "innish more"). Ferries can become part of a daily commute for many people. For instance, there is a ferry between Wexford and Waterford which runs back and forth all day, cutting what could be a thirty-minute trip to the next county, into a ten-minute trip. You simply drive onto the ferry with the other cars, and the ferry takes you across, where you drive off.
