The 2023 National Ploughing championships get underway tomorrow (Tuesday, September 19) in Ratheniska, Co. Laois and, as in previous years, An Garda Síochána has outlined a traffic management plan.
With over 200,000 people set to attend, a traffic management plan is required to ensure that attendees can navigate the local roads around the site safely and without undue traffic delays.
The plan has six colour-coded routes as follows:
- Traffic from the southeast/Co. Carlow – yellow route;
- Traffic from Dublin/Leinster/the north – purple route;
- Traffic from the southeast/Co. Kilkenny – grey route;
- Traffic from the west/northwest – green route;
- Traffic from counties Limerick and Kerry/the southwest – brown route;
- Traffic from Co. Cork/Munster – blue route.
Gardaí are requesting that all road users avoid the N80 at Stradbally and all approach roads to Ratheniska village from 6:00a.m tomorrow until Thursday (September 21) at 8:00p.m.
Gardaí are urging road users to avail of alternative routes during these times.
Those travelling to the Ploughing are advised to allow additional journey time.
The map below shows each of the different routes:
Drivers on the yellow route from Co. Carlow and the southeast will travel through Simmons Mill Crossroads on the N80 and continue towards Stradbally via the Windy Gap.
At Court Square, Stradbally, traffic will turn left on the L3857 (Timahoe Road) and go to Timogue Crossroads where it will turn right onto the L7835 (one-way system). Traffic will then proceed to parking beside the event grounds.
Those travelling this route will park in the designated ‘yellow’ car parks on the left of the L7835.
For traffic on the purple route from Dublin, the wider Leinster region, and the north, those travelling southbound/westbound on the M7 will exit at junction 15 Cappakeel, and proceed left on to the L3930 where it will travel to Vicarstown.
In Vicarstown, it will turn right onto the R427 and travel to Stradbally. In Stradbally, traffic will turn right onto the N80 and then turn left at Abel’s Corner back onto the R427. Traffic will proceed to parking beside the event grounds.
Those travelling this route will park in the designated purple car parks on the left and right of the R427.
Traffic on the grey route, travelling from the southeast region in and around Co. Kilkenny, will take the N78 through Castlecomer before turning left at Newtown crossroads and continuing along the R430 to The Swan.
Just outside The Swan village, traffic will turn right onto the R426 and continue to Timahoe village. Traffic will continue through Timahoe village on the R426 towards Money Cross.
At Loughteague Lane, traffic will turn right onto the L78354. Traffic will proceed to parking by turning right off the L7837 and proceeding to the car park.
Visitors on this route will park in the grey car park, on the right of the R427.
For the green route, traffic travelling from the west and northwest will move west on the N80 to Mountmellick town. Approaching the town, traffic will take a left onto the L20972 at Bay Road.
Continuing on this road, traffic will take a right onto the R423. Traffic will join the R422 and travel as far as Kennels Cross, Emo. At Kennels Cross, traffic will turn right onto the R419 and travel on to the R445 (old Dublin road), turning right and proceeding to Portlaoise.
In Kilminchy, Portlaoise traffic will turn left for approximately 200m and turn right at Rathbrennan onto the R425, travelling towards Bloomfield Cross. At Bloomfield Cross, traffic will turn left onto the N80 and proceed to Dysart, where it will turn right onto a one-way system along the L6772 as far as Ratheniska village. Traffic will proceed to parking.
Those travelling this route will park in the designated green car park just beside the event grounds.
The brown route, for traffic from counties Limerick and Kerry and the wider southwest region, will take travellers northbound/eastbound on the M7 to exit at junction 17 Togher/Portlaoise. Traffic will then proceed left onto the N77 towards Portlaoise town.
Traffic will be diverted right at Meelick onto the L6310 where it will turn right onto the R426 and onto Sheffield Cross. At Sheffield Cross, traffic will turn right again and proceed onto Money Cross to parking beside the event grounds.
Traffic travelling northbound on the R445, through Mountrath, will be diverted back onto the M7 at junction 18 where it will proceed to parking with the rest of the traffic on the brown route.
Vehicles on this route will park in the designated brown car park on the left of the R426, just beside the event grounds at Ratheniska.
Finally, traffic from Co. Cork and adjacent areas of Munster will travel along the blue route northbound on the M8 and exit at junction 4 for Johnstown/Urlingford, proceeding onto the R439 (old N8), where it will travel to Durrow.
From Durrow, traffic will continue along the N77 (old N8) to Abbeyleix. In Abbeyleix, traffic will turn right onto the R425 to Ballyroan village, continuing forward to Cashel Cross bearing right onto the R427 to Money Cross and will proceed to parking beside the event grounds.
Those travelling on this route will park in the designated blue car parks on the left and right of the R427.