Travel to Ireland

This may have been posted before, so I apologize if I am repeating a question.  I am thinking about traveling to Dublin from the UK.  I have read that there is a free travel agreement between Ireland and the UK and that there are no passport control between the two countries.  Can anyone verify this?  Also is that just if you drive, or would you not go through passport control at the airports as well?  My partner was told when we got back from Spain last year that he was technically not allowed to leave the UK while on job seekers benefits and we want to take a holiday without getting into any trouble. 

The Common Travel Area is between Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. Passengers between these places do not need to carry a passport. I believe it's been said that you need some form of ID for air travel though.

Technically, that is true. However, you will have to go through passport control when you arrive in Dublin. Unlike the UK, they don't have a special entrance for flights from the UK. If you can't leave the UK, you could go to Belfast/Northern Ireland for vacation. Also, there are no checkpoints between Northern Ireland and the Republic.