Hello and thanks for joining me. It's Saturday the 29th of May and here's the latest on travel and destinations from the Green List and the travel desk of the Independent.

Today Ireland opens up but with a Brexit fight. Could the Green List editions be limited by the length of queues at Heathrow Airport and why it pays to book ahead for train travel.

Of course, this podcast is completely free, as is my weekly travel email.

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Friday was a busy day for people like me who love the island of

Ireland. Here's what happened in the morning. The Northern Ireland executive announced that they

were opening up immediately to holidaymakers from Great Britain. I wish I'd known just a little way in advance,

because I would have actually planned to be there. It's a wonderful country, and I can't wait

to get back. But much more of a tourist attraction for many of us is the Republic of Ireland,

which has been effectively closed for, well, over a year.

Finally, after 6pm last night, the Irish government announced plans to open up to

international travel from the 19th of July. The good news is that that is going to be a straightforward matter for people who are

members of the European Union because they will be able to get the EU's digital COVID certificate.

And that, remember, has evidence of vaccination or recovery from a COVID infection or a recent

negative coronavirus test.

But if you're coming from Great Britain, for that matter, any other country outside the EU, such as the US,

you are going to find that there are more onerous procedures.

And here's what the official announcement says. If passengers have valid proof of vaccination,

no travel-related testing or quarantine will be necessary. So anybody, and that will include by

the 19th of July, I believe the significant majority of the UK adult population, those people will be able to go in

without any fuss. But otherwise, if you haven't been vaccinated, well, effectively, there is a

travel bar. You'll need to present a negative PCR taken within 72 hours prior to arrival. That's

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