Reserving intercity seats on a family ticket

[TomB]

Hi everyone,

Relations of mine want to come up and visit from Cork just before Christmas. One adult three kids. They rang up woman in Kent Station who said

'it'll be 11 euro extra each to book seats and sure why would you want to as the trains from dublin will be really quiet the saturday before christmas'

(I kid you not)

Anyway, surely if I get on to IE Abbey St. they can reserve standard class seats for a family ticket, without getting 1st class? Just thought I'd ask here first as ringing Abbey St. always makes me want to cry, they're so feckin useless.