Buses: Dublin Bus bars any animal likely to cause annoyance or damage
Transport for Ireland's page on animals gives Dublin Bus one rule: no bird or animal that is likely to cause annoyance or damage to any customer or to property. It says nothing about leads or carriers. Go-Ahead Ireland lets a small animal sit on your lap but not on the seat. Bus Éireann carries no animals at all. Guide and assistance dogs ride every TFI service.
Trains: lap dogs only, unless the train has a guard's van
Irish Rail carries a small dog free on your lap. A dog must be on a lead unless it's in a basket or carrier, restricted breeds must be muzzled, and no animals go in restaurant cars except guide and assistance dogs. A bigger companion dog travels only in a guard's van, for a charge, muzzled and on a collar and chain, and Irish Rail says the guard's van is only on its Dublin to Cork and Dublin to Belfast trains. No guard's van, no dog, apart from guide, assistance and lap dogs.
Luas: in a closed pet carrier, at staff discretion
Luas allows guide dogs. Any other dog or animal is allowed on the tram only in an appropriate enclosed pet carrier case or box, and its travel is at the discretion of Luas staff.
Council parks and seashore: a two-metre leash, off it only in set hours
Dublin City Council's dog bye-laws require a leash of no more than two metres, or ten if retractable, in any park, garden, open space, field, stadium or seashore the council controls, except during the off-leash hours the bye-laws list for each month, and never on North Bull Island. Restricted breeds stay on the leash at all times. Council playgrounds, swimming pools and libraries are closed to dogs without permission.
Dollymount Strand and Bull Island: on a lead in the dunes, off it only outside bathing hours
Dublin City Council zones the island by colour. Blue means dogs on a lead. A green stretch of beach is off-lead outside the bathing season, and during it outside the hours of 11am to 8pm; the season runs 1 June to 15 September. In the dunes the lead stays on to protect ground-nesting birds.
Dogs Trust Ireland's warm-weather advice is to walk early in the morning or late in the evening, and to hold your hand on the pavement for five seconds first: too hot for you, too hot for the dog, so walk later. Shade and plenty of fresh water through the day. A parked car can kill in minutes, even in the shade with the windows down.
Only inside a closed pet carrier, and staff can still say no. Guide dogs ride as normal.Source: Luas, FAQs, checked
Can my dog ride the DART?
A small dog can, free, on your lap. A dog too big for a lap needs a guard's van, and Irish Rail says the van is only on the Dublin to Cork and Dublin to Belfast trains; where there's no guard's van, the dog can't board.Source: Irish Rail, Pets on-board trains, checked
Do I need a lead in the Phoenix Park?
In some areas, yes, and some areas are closed to dogs altogether; the park regulations say every dog must be under control. A restricted breed must be muzzled and on a chain or leash of two metres or less, handled by someone over 16.Source: Phoenix Park (Office of Public Works), Park regulations, checked
Are the transport rules changing?
Possibly. The National Transport Authority consulted in February and March 2026 on one policy for every TFI service: small animals in a container, on your lap or the floor, and larger dogs on a lead and muzzled. Until an operator changes its own conditions, the rules above stand.Source: National Transport Authority, Carriage of pets on Transport for Ireland services, checked
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