Half the country away: How Munster fans can get to Croke Park Oasis gig as Irish Rail puts on extra trains

Fans, particularly those travelling to Dublin by train from other parts of the country, have been advised to plan their journeys in advance

Oasis on stage during the opening night of their Live 25' Tour at Principality Stadium on July 04, in Cardiff, Wales. Picture: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Oasis will grace an Irish stage for the first time in 17 years this weekend, finally fulfilling the hopes of tens of thousands of fans that the most famous rift in rock would somehow be healed.

Tickets for Oasis's Croke Park gigs this Saturday, August 16, and Sunday, August 17, sold out in minutes last August, and some 160,000 rock 'n' roll fans from across Ireland and further afield are expected to pack out the home of the GAA over the two nights.

Doors open at 5pm, with the first support act — Verve front man Richard Ashcroft — due on stage at about 6pm. Once his set concludes, Liverpool rockers Cast will take to the stage.

If Oasis's previous gigs on this tour are anything to go by, Liam and Noel Gallagher, Gem Archer, Andy Bell, Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs, and drummer Joey Waronker should begin their approximately two-hour set about 8.15pm.

Dublin is sure to be extremely busy in the run-up to and aftermath of both gigs, so fans, particularly those travelling into the capital by train from other parts of the country, have been advised to plan their journeys in advance.

Iarnród Éireann will be running additional services both nights.

These are:

• 07.45am Cork to Dublin Heuston (Sunday only);
• 8am Cork to Mallow will operate to Dublin Heuston (Saturday only);
• 10.15am Waterford to Dublin Heuston (Saturday only);
• 10.45am Waterford to Dublin Heuston (Sunday only);
• 23.59pm Dublin Connolly to Belfast (both nights);
• 12.30am Heuston to Galway* (Saturday night only);
• 12.40am Heuston to Cork* with connection to Limerick Colbert (both nights).

The final two trains on this list will appear on Iarnród Éireann's Journey Planner for the following day, ie the 12.40am services will appear on the schedule for Sunday, August 17, and Monday, August 18, respectively.

A spokesperson for the company said intercity trains were likely to sell out "very quickly", and tickets would not be available at stations on the day.

Indeed, at time of writing, the 8am, 9.25am, 10.25am, 11.25am, and 12.25pm trains from Cork (Kent) to Dublin (Heuston) this Saturday are sold out, though there are still some spots available on the 1.25pm, 2.25pm and 3.25pm services.

The 12.40am service from Dublin back to Cork in the early hours on Sunday morning is also almost at capacity.

It's a similar picture for Sunday, with the 8.25am, 10.25am, 12.25pm, 12.50pm, and 2.50pm services from Kent to Heuston fully booked at time of writing.

There is some availability on the 2.25pm and 3.25pm services, however. A small number of tickets are also still available on the 12.40am service from Heuston to Kent on Monday, August 18 also.