There’s an exciting evening ahead for all the Man United fans out there, as Dublin’s brand new Aviva Stadium plays host to the Premier League stars with a kick-off against Airtricity League XI tonight. Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick and Javier Hernandez are among the players to have been confirmed for tonight’s game, with Waterford native John O’Shea looking likely to captain the squad. This historic encounter is the first soccer clash at the brand new stadium and fans look set to flock to the ground for this evening’s 7.45 KO. The launch of the new Aviva stadium is great news for pubs, hotels and restaurants in Dublin 4, with a stadium seating capacity of 50,000 translating into a fair few pre and post match pints! And, no rest for the publicans this week, as another Dublin 4 sporting event takes place today. That’s right folks; the five-day Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show has opened this morning at the RDS, Ballsbridge. This annual international event is an absolute must for equine enthusiasts, so get your glad rags on and try your luck at Ladies Day tomorrow, or drop in on Friday to watch top international show jumpers compete at the Nations Cup competition. If you haven’t managed to nab yourself tickets for tonight’s game in Aviva, you’ve got a week to beg, steal or borrow your way into the grounds for Ireland’s inaugural game at the stadium against Argentina. Tickets are still available for the 11 August clash, so why not make an evening of it and gather a few friends to watch the friendly against Carlos Bilardo's side?  Grab a bite to eat and a few pints in one of the local pubs and let Budget Bus be the Designated Dessie! Fill out a contact form or give us a call us today for the best Dublin coach hire rates!

With the last bank holiday of the summer coming up this weekend (I know, very depressing), we’re determined to make the most of the three day break come hail, rain or shine! The choices are endless really. You could kick off your shoes, put the feet up and enjoy the mini-break from the comfort of your own sofa (back to back episodes of The Wire, anyone?), enjoy a few bevvies in the local with your nearest and dearest or indulge in a spot of retail therapy if you’ve got the bottle to brave the Dundrum Centre crowds on a Saturday. Although all of these options sound tempting, we’re going to make the most of the banker and leave the big smoke behind for a few days at one of the many festivals taking place across Ireland. There are literally dozens to choose from, so whether you’re after a family day out, a trip to the races or a feast of music and art, you’ll definitely find something to whet your appetite! 

Here’s our pick of the bunch:

Castlepalooza: 31 July – 1 August

Killarney Summerfest: 16 July – 1 August

The 3 Irish Open Killarney: 19 July – 1 August

Waterford Spraoi Festival: 30 July – 1 August

Ballyshannon Folk Festival: 30 July – 1 August

For a full list of festivals and events taking place across our fair isle this weekend, point your mouse in this direction. And, if you’re looking for great value travel to your chosen festival, then Budget Bus is your only man! We’ve got budget coach hire and mini bus hire in Dublin so fill out a contact form, email hello@budgetbus.ie or call 01-8227265 for your budget coach hire quotation today!

So, the beautiful game’s biggest competition has finally reached its conclusion, with jubilant scenes across Spain as the team enjoyed a hero’s welcome in Madrid following their victory over The Netherlands on Sunday night. It’s been an exciting competition, with lots of thrills, spills and a nice dollop of controversy to top it all off. Although it will be hard to bid a fond farewell to the endless evenings of football (anyone sensing the sarcasm?), for me, parting with Paul the Octopus will be the hardest part of it all. Was anyone else developing a worrying affection for the instinctive invertebrate? Didn’t you all watch in amazement as he correctly predicted no less than eight World Cup match results? And aren’t you all as upset as I am to hear that his spokesperson has announced his retirement after an unbeaten record that has baffled us all? Although it’s good to see Paul go out in a blaze of glory, I frankly had high hopes for his future career as a tipster and it is with great disappointment that I say goodbye to my tentacled friend. I’ll really miss that guy. However, we must now put the World Cup behind us for another four years and look ahead to the next sporting events on this summer’s calendar! Galway Races, anyone? Although we won’t have Paul to give us a helping hand with the winners (sob!), I’m going to muddle along without him and enjoy one of the best racing festivals in Ireland from 28-30 August and you'll also find me trying my luck at this year’s Listowel Races! Punters will be travelling to Kerry to enjoy this festival from 12-18 September and it might just be our last chance to soak up that festival feeling before we have to bid our summer adieu, so let’s make the most of it! Why not get a group of your mates together and consider coach hire or minibus hire with Budget Bus? It’s a long ol’ drive from Dublin to Galway or Kerry, so let someone else worry about navigating those bends! If you’ve got a small group, we’ve got 16 seater minibuses to rent or if you’re one of those popular types with 800 friends on Facebook, we’ve got lots of 49 seater coaches to cater for larger groups! If you’d like a quote for coach hire, simply fill out a contact form, email hello@budgetbus.ie or just call us on 01-8227265 and we’ll get right back to you.

World famous golfers, well-known celebrities and prominent businessmen have all teamed up this week for a charity golf tournament hosted by Irish billionaire JP McManus. The Pro-Am, which teed off at Adare Manor earlier this week was founded in 1990 and has raised a massive 55 million Euro for charity since its inception! The Pro-Am always attracts the crème de la crème of the rich and famous, and this year is no exception, as legendary golfer Tiger Woods makes his first public appearance outside the United States since his spectacular fall from grace last December.  Whatever your thoughts on the disgraced golfer, there’s no denying that his success in the sport is unrivalled. This success, however, has been eclipsed by the scandal surrounding his personal life and Tiger growled his way through a press conference earlier in the week, as he tersely batted away probing questions about his private life and rumoured $100 million divorce from estranged wife Elin. The backlash from his repeated infidelities is proving to be an expensive business for the golfing star, with a costly divorce and millions of dollars in lost endorsement deals putting a significant dent in Woods’ enormous fortune. Not only that, but it appears that personal pressures may be taking their toll on Tiger’s game, as he has failed to show a return to the form of his glory days in the months following his comeback. Despite his apparent fall from public favour, however, Tiger has certainly been shown a warm welcome here in Ireland as a massive 20,000 supporters lined the course five-deep to watch his every shot at Adare Manor Golf Club earlier this week.  At Budget Bus, we think that there’s life in the big cat yet! As the dust settles and the scandal becomes yesterday’s news, we think everyone will see a re-emergence of the focused, driven Tiger that we all once knew and loved! For those of you who fancy yourselves as a bit of a Tiger in the making, why not plan a golfing trip with your mates? Some of the world’s best golf courses are right on your doorstep here in Ireland, so pack up your clubs and hop on one of our purpose designed Mercedes Euro LX golf coaches. We’ll take you to the golf course (or courses) of your choice and get you back home again in the comfort of one of our luxury minibuses. So, if you’d like to hire a coach with us for your golfing trip, just fill out a contact form or call us on 01-8227265! 

If reports that have surfaced this week are to be understood, Ireland has finally moved out of recession and good times lay ahead! The reality is a little less rosy. While the figures do indeed point to a move away from the current downturn, with a 2.7% growth in the economy, we’re not exactly running out of the woods with wallets bursting at the seams just yet. Although this growth is undoubtedly welcome news to all and sundry, the figures for unemployment in this country remain alarmingly high and it will take time for the general public to feel the effects of any growth as we are still reeling from the recession that has knocked us sideways over the last couple of years. Here at Budget Bus HQ, we are thrilled with the news of our baby steps towards economic recovery. If there’s one good thing to be said about the recession though, it’s the emergence of better deals for consumers. Rip off Ireland is dead and buried now as companies everywhere are lowering their prices to make goods and services more affordable to the Irish public. This is exactly what we’ve done at Budget Bus with our low cost coach hire service in Dublin. We know that everybody is feeling the pinch these days, so we’re doing what we can to offer you coach hire and mini bus hire without the hefty price tag. With Oxegen just around the corner now, we’re offering cheap minibus and coach hire for your festival group, so get in touch with us today for our best rates. You know you want to!  

Well, we’re one week in to the World Cup and despite Ireland’s failure to qualify at the hands of Les Bleus, we’re still getting into the spirit of things! Irish fans all over the country are feeling more than a little smug today, as France got their just desserts last night in a crashing 2-0 defeat against Mexico. Whatever your opinion on the French and their controversial World Cup qualification, there’s no denying that Mexico were the better team last night and it’s now a near certainty that we’ll be saying Au Revoir to France and donning our sombreros as we cheer our new favourite country into the next round! Here at Budget Bus, we think the first week of games was a little slow and teams were playing it safe, but the pace certainly seems to be picking up as the competition progresses. Tonight sees England face Algeria and Capello’s men will definitely need to up their game following their underwhelming performance against the USA last week. With another three weeks of World Cup action to go, we’re looking forward to seeing some magic football from some of the best teams on the planet, so vuvuzelas at the ready folks! Don’t forget, if you’re looking for low cost coach hire for your sports club or team, contact Budget Bus for your quotation today! 

Yesterday might have been a bit of a washout in Dublin, but here at Budget Bus we’re feeling more than a little summery! Festival fever has well and truly set in and, with so many brilliant events to look forward to this summer, there’s really no need to leave the country this year! Ireland plays host to some of Europe’s biggest and best music festivals, not least the mammoth Oxegen Festival, which kicks off in Punchestown from 8-11 July. Revellers are in for a treat this year, as some of the world’s biggest artists hit the stage. For those of you seeking something a little different, Ireland has some amazing boutique festivals, including the Sea Sessions in Donegal which takes place from 25-27 June. Finally, Electric Picnic, which is arguably one of the best festivals on the circuit, gets underway on 3^rd September. This three day extravaganza of music, food, comedy and drama is a real favourite and we’re counting down the days, so pack your willies and get involved this year! If you’re looking for a stress-free way to travel to your chosen festival, why not consider coach hire or mini bus hire with Budget Bus? We’ve got coaches ranging in size from 16-49 seats, so we can cater for groups of any size. Sit back, relax and enjoy the trip with your mates without the stress of driving!