Councillor campaigns for restoration of Dublin Airport stop on Cashel/Dublin bus service

A Cashel councillor has written to the Minister of Transport Eamon Ryan TD, Bus Éireann and the National Transport Authority (NTA) requesting they examine the possibility of returning the Dublin Airport stop to the 245X bus service (formerly X8). 

Fine Gael Cllr Declan Burgess said the absence of this stop hinders the progress of Cashel's growing community and its accessibility for international visitors.

"Connections like this are vital and supports a wider goal for Irish tourism," he told The Nationalist. 

"Back in 2020, I didn’t and many in my community didn’t accept the previous unwarranted decision by Bus Éireann to cancel the X8 bus service from Cork to Dublin, which serves Cashel and Cahir.

"It was a short-sighted decision. Thankfully, the review that was sought provided the evidence that there was a Public Service Obligation (PSO) to the route."

He pointed out that Cashel is now described as a Destination Town by Fáilte Ireland. The ongoing private and public investment into numerous ventures was truly developing Cashel as a real tourism and heritage hub in Ireland. 

And he noted that the Rock of Cashel, one of the OPW’s most visited sites, is included on the new world heritage tentative list for Ireland.

"Our bid to become a UNESCO World Heritage site continues and we need our transport authority to realise the situation and help improve our transport links.  

"Tourism is one of the biggest sectors in Cashel and the new 245X Bus Éireann service is vital to our business community reaching its full potential.

"This service was a combination of a lot of work with our community, the department, the NTA and Bus Éireann. It was great news and served as a massive sense of relief to our community. However, the decision not to include the Dublin Airport stop has been disappointing.

"I am calling on the Minister of Transport to engage with the various stakeholders to examine the possibility of returning the Dublin Airport stop to the 245X route.

"Cashel’s visitor numbers are growing each year and many international visitors plan their trip to Ireland based on accessibility. The removal of the Dublin Airport stop has hindered our community and it is sorely missed, " he concluded.