Discover The Roads Of Ireland

Driving in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland is a delight with it’s abundance of well maintained motorways, lonely country lanes and scenic coastal roads.    

Map courtesy of causewaypress.com

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Car hire is provided at all of Ireland's international airports, of which there are nine in the republic located in the cities of Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Killarney, Knock, Shannon, Sligo and Waterford and four located in Northern Ireland in the cities of Belfast (2), Derry and Newtownards. 
Visitors can bring their own cars into Ireland by way of four ferry ports in the republic located in Cork, Dublin, Dun Loaghaire and Rosslare and two in Northern Ireland located in Belfast and Larne.  

Road signs in Northern Ireland are in English and road signs in the Republic of Ireland are in both Irish and English. 

The border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is 360 kilometers / 223 miles long and passes through thirty nine settlements between Lough Foyle in the north west of the island and Carlingford Lough in the north east of the island. The border passes through the city of Derry and the towns of Belleek, Castlederg, Clones, Lifford, Strabane and Warrenpoint. 

The border does not include any customs or international border control points.   

All vehicles drive on the left hand side of the road, both in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, although the speed limits are set in miles per hour in Northern Ireland and in kilometers an hour in the Republic of Ireland. 

National speed limits in the Republic of Ireland are set at - 

120 km/h (75 mph) for motorways

100 km/h (62 mph) for national routes. 
80 km/h (50 mph) for local and regional roads.

50 km/h (31 mph) in built up areas.  

National speed limits in Northern Ireland are set at -

70 mph on dual carriageways and motorways.

60 mph on single carriageways.

30 mph in built up areas.  

                                                                                                           

                                      MOTORWAYS IN THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND 

The Republic of Ireland has a 1,110 kilometer motorway network made up of twelve motorways. These motorways are - 

M1 - 90.7 km - Dublin – Dundalk

M2 - 13 km - Dublin – Ashbourne

M3 - 51.4 km - Dublin – Kells - Toll fees are in place.

M4 - 61.9 km - Lucan – Mullingar - Toll fees are in place.

M6 - 144 km - Kinnegad – Galway - Toll fees are in place.

M7 - 185 km - Dublin – Limerick - Toll fees are in place.

M8 - 143 km - Portlaoise – Cork

M9 - 116.75 km - Naas -Waterford

M11 - 62.5 km - Dublin – Wexford

M17 - 25.5 km - Galway – Tuam

M18 - 70.8 km - Shannon – Galway

M20 - 90 km - Cork – Limerick

M50 - 49.25 km - Dublin Orbital - Toll fees are in place.  

                                             MOTORWAYS IN NORTHERN IRELAND

 

Northern Ireland has a 111 kilometer motorway network made up of six motorways. These motorways are - 

M1 - 38 miles - Belfast to Dungannon via Lisburn, Craigavon and South Tyrone 
M2 - 22 miles - Belfast to Antrim via Newtownabbey and Ballymena                                                              
M3 - An urban motorway less then one mile / kilometer in length linking the M2 in north Belfast with the A2 Sydenham Bypass in east Belfast. 

M5 - 1.4 miles - Belfast to Newtownabbey. 

M12 - 1.5miles - Derrymacash to Portadown via Craigavon. 

M22 - 1.5 miles - Antrim to Randalstown. 

                     SOME OF IRELAND'S BEST DRIVING ROADS

The Old Head Of Kinsale Golf Links

A 2 Road, Northern Ireland – Also known as the Antrim Coast Road, this 385 kilometer long coastal road is located between Newry in County Down and Letterkenny in County Donegal. This scenic coastal road passes through several quaint fishing villages and coastal resorts as well as the main tourist attractions of the Mourne Mountains, Strangford Lough, Carrickfergus Castle, the Glens of Antrim, Ballycastle, Bushmills, Dunluce Castle, Carrick a Rede Rope Bridge and Portrush and the Giant’s Causeway before finally terminating at the beautiful walled city of Derry, located near the banks of Lough Foyle, a 160 square kilometer lake which separates Northern Ireland from the Republic of Ireland.

   

The Ring Of Kerry, Republic of Ireland – This 179 kilometer long tourist trail along County Kerry's Iveragh Peninsula incorporates the N70, N71 and N72 roads where they form a horseshoe route which starts and finishes in the coastal town of Killarney. 
The roads pass through the Killarney National Park, the Muckross Estate and the traditional towns and villages of Caherciveen, Glenbeigh, Killorgin, Sneem and Waterville as they make their way along the peninsula's rugged Atlantic Sea coast.  

The Wild Atlantic Way, Republic of Ireland - This long distance touring route covers 2,500 kilometers of Ireland's western seaboard between Malin Head in County Donegal in the north of the island all the way to Kinsale in County Cork on the island's south coast.

The road incorporates the island's unspoilt and rugged west coast, passing through great swathes of isolated coastline, fifty three blue flag beaches, dramatic cliff formations, traditional coastal villages, seaside towns, one hundred and twenty prestigious golf links, hiking paths, historic sites, the enormous bays at Donegal and Galway, seven national forests, the beautiful Beara, Mizen, Dingle and Inishowen Peninsulas, Ireland's longest promenade located at Salthill and Ireland's highest mountain range, the McGillycuddy Reeks.   

The road travels through the nine Irish counties of Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Galway, Clare, Limerick, Kerry and Cork and the five cities of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford as it makes it's way along breathtaking coves, bays and rocky peninsulas all of which are surrounded by the crashing waves of the Atlantic Ocean, several offshore islands and at least fifty lighthouses.  

                      Check out the geography of  Ireland by visiting - Facts about Ireland

                        FIND HOTELS IN THE REPUBLIC AND NORTHERN IRELAND