I'm not a regular user of Irish Rail, so feel bad about slagging them off, but making special fares available only online is another headache. Effectively penalising people who don't have regular access to the internet.
Even in the mess of fares over here, "Advance" tickets can be bought online or at the station (this system is far from perfect, as the quota system is heavily biased towards railcard holders) and I think it's churlish of Irish Rail to restrict their cheapest fares to online booking.
I suppose the reasoning behind it is fair - they probably don't need more people at stations queueing for tickets in advance. But if that is the case, then er, get more staff.
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