Going to England/Ireland.

I'm envious. I need to go back to Ireland.

Ryanair also flies out of Stansted for Dublin.

The thing to be aware of with Ryanair is luggage limitations (I think 15kg). They charge to check in luggage and charge like demons for anything over the allowance. But - if you can book early enough to get a good price - and price increases the later you book - and you can cope with the luggage allowance, then Ryanair is a good deal. I've flown them a couple of times.

But - if you're at Heathrow already - have a look at some of the airlines that fly from there to Dublin. (Aer Lingus, BMI, British Airways) A slightly more expensive flight may be more convenient, have a more generous luggage allowance.

A friend did the Heathrow to Gatwick trip last year without problems.

I've not done the trip by ferry - slower. Depends on how much time you have.

For me, take the convenient route!

Have fun!

Whichbudget (www.whichbudget.com) suggests Aer Lingus. They were OK the one time I flew with them. Mind you - the flight left Dublin about 4 hours late, but.......

I use to travel with Aer Lingus, they are OK.

You just pay 18 euros for every 20 Kg of luggage, in addition to your ticket, which is not far higher than Ryan's..

I've done the ferry thing twice - once time from Holyhead and once from Liverpool. The ferry from Liverpool, of course is closer to the airport, but a longer ride. We took it for an overnight trip so we slept on the ride there (we paid a few dollars and got to sleep in these comforable reclining chairs) and coming back was during the day. As being young, we had a great time - we partied on the ride over.

Similar to Holyhead - on the ride over, we went on a late night and slept (although I don't remember it being so comfortable - I slept in a chair - but for me it was easy to sleep so no problems).

I don´t know when it starts but you have to buy and print out your ryan air ticket over your computor and it costs Euro 5. If you forget your ticket you have to pay a big fine up to 40 Euro or pounds
Bocking at the counter costs Euro 20.
Luggage up to 15 kilos is free every extra kilo costs Euro 15. If you have 20 kilo it will cost you 75 Euro
If you haven´t "booked" your lugage at the same time as your ticket but first at the check in counter you will have to pay twice the price.
These information I got out of a paper from May 20th 2009
Don´t fly ryan air.

The bus service punctuality is okay - especially, since quite a lot lines connect Heathrow and Gatwick Airports. (There's a regular shuttle to Stansted, too.)

I personally wouldn't fly Ryan. What Francis, margo et. al. said: 'regular' lines are a lot more expensive (if at all, when you consider all the additional costs you may get with budget carriers.)

Good to know. I was pretty sure the whole 8£ thing was too good to be true.
I'll be returning to Canada with my daughter, she'll have made a round trip from London, Amsterdam, Italy, Slovenia, Germany, perhaps Poland, then Ireland.I think I'll fly Aer Lingus to Dublin and take the ferry/train back to London. I'd like to do the train trip during the day, so that I can take photos along the way.
I haven't been since I was twelve. I'm going to be exploring the north of Ireland mainly, that's where my family lives.
I plan on seeing the Giants Causeway but any other ideas would be welcomed.
Thanks

My daughter flew from London to Graz with ryan air. The outbound flight was 12 pounds the return was free - end of ticket price was over 100 pounds

Ryan Air is OK - as long as you're aware of all costs.

Compare total prices with the larger airlines - unless Ryan Air is below your comfort level.