Table of contents |
2 Roads in Northern Ireland |
Roads in the Republic of Ireland
Motorways
In the Republic of Ireland, the most important roads are a small number of motorways, indicated by the prefix “M” followed by one or two digits. The motorway network is focused on Dublin.
- M1 Dublin – Newry (several sections)
- M4 Dublin – N4
- M7 Naas – Portlaoise (two sections)
- M9 Portlaoise – N9
- M11 Dublin – Bray
- M50 Dublin bypass
"N" roads
The second category of road has the prefix “N” followed by one or two digits. Roads N1 to N11 radiate anti-clockwise from Dublin:
- N1 Dublin – A1 south of Newry
- N2 Dublin – A5 north of Monaghan
- N3 Dublin – Northern Irish border north of Cavan
- N4 Dublin – Sligo
- N5 Longford – Westport
- N6 Kinnegad – Galway
- N7 Dublin – Limerick
- N8 Portlaoise – Cork
- N9 Kilcullen – Waterford
- N10 Paulstown – Ballyhale via Kilkenny
- N11 Dublin – Wexford
Roads in Northern Ireland
Motorways
Although the roads in the north connect well with the roads in the south, their numbering follows the British system. The most important roads are motorways, many with the same designation as those in the Republic or mainland Britain. The motorway network is focused on Belfast.
- M1 Belfast – Dungannon
- M2 Belfast – Ballymena
- M3 Short spur in Belfast
- M5 Belfast – Newtownabbey
- M22 Antrim – Randalstown
"A" roads
The next most important roads are designated with the prefix “A” and a one-, two- or three-digit number. Some of the most important are: