I am traveling from Canada to Castlebar in Ireland during April. I see that I have a few options for routes. Which of the following would be the best?
1) Fly from Canada to Shannon, then take a bus to Castlebar 2) Fly from Canada to Dublin, then take a bus or rail to Castlebar 3) Fly from Canada to London (Heathrow), then connect to other London airports with Ryanair and fly to Knock, then take bus/taxi to Castlebar
I don't know how involved it is to transfer from Heathrow to one of the other London airports.
Welcome to the forum. I would choose either one or two. From Dublin you can get a train to Castlebar. From Shannon it will be a bus. Look at my "Transport" page to click through to Irish Rail and bus to check their schedules.
Going through London adds a lot more time to your trip. You have to leave plenty of time for connections, the airports are zoos, there are buses, etc. to the other airports but it is a hassle and more time is needed.
Just a couple of little points. When I have flown from Toronto to Ireland (Air Transat) the flight has stopped first in Dublin then to Shannon, so it takes a little longer to Shannon. I would still choose Shannon as it is a MUCH more convenient airport to deal with - quick and easy. Also, Shannon is quite a bit closer to Castlebar than is Dublin.
If you fly into Dublin you have to get into the city to the train station either by bus or taxi. From Shannon you can get an express bus to Galway, where you can transfer to a bus to Castlebar. http://www.citylink.ie/
Dublin is a lot busier than Shannon and traffic around Dublin can be gridlocked. I would try for Shannon if possible.