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The N52 road is a
national secondary road A national secondary road ( ga, Bóthar Náisiúnta den Dara Grád) is a category of road in Ireland. These roads form an important part of the national route network but are secondary to the main arterial routes which are classified as national ...
in
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. It links the M7 motorway from just south of
Nenagh Nenagh (, ; or simply ''An tAonach'') meaning “The Fair of Ormond” or simply "The Fair", is the county town and second largest town in County Tipperary in Ireland. Nenagh used to be a market town, and the site of the East Munster Ormond ...
,
County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after t ...
to the
M1 motorway The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the country was the Preston By-pass, which ...
north of
Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...
in County Louth. The route forms a connection between the north east of Ireland and the mid west traversing the midlands. It interchanges with the M6 at Kilbeggan and at Tyrrellspass, the N4 at
Mullingar Mullingar ( ; ) is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most populous town in the Midland Region, with a population of 20,928 in the 2016 census. The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act 1543 proclaimed Westmeath ...
, the N3 at Kells, and the N2 at
Ardee Ardee (; , ) is a town and townland in County Louth, Ireland. It is located at the intersection of the N2, N52, and N33 roads. The town shows evidence of development from the thirteenth century onward but as a result of the continued deve ...
before continuing towards
Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...
. The road is long.


Quality of Road

The road is mainly single carriageway two-lane throughout. It has some upgraded sections, but generally the standard is poor or very poor. It starts (from the southwest) at a grade separated junction with the M7 motorway and bypasses
Nenagh Nenagh (, ; or simply ''An tAonach'') meaning “The Fair of Ormond” or simply "The Fair", is the county town and second largest town in County Tipperary in Ireland. Nenagh used to be a market town, and the site of the East Munster Ormond ...
on its western side as single carriageway. Past Nenagh, it is generally a single carriageway road with no hard shoulders all the way to Birr. Many sections of this part of the route are very poor through
County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after t ...
with sharp bends. The route from Birr to
Tullamore Tullamore (; ) is the county town of County Offaly in Ireland. It is on the Grand Canal, in the middle of the county, and is the fourth most populous town in the midlands region with 14,607 inhabitants at the 2016 census. The town retained ...
was upgraded in recent years and has good alignment, hard shoulders and a good surface as has the section from Tullamore to Kilbeggan which was upgraded in the 1970s. At Tullamore the route forms a bypass of
Mucklagh Mucklagh is a townland in the Parish of Tomregan, Barony of Tullyhaw, County Cavan, Ireland. Etymology The townland name is an anglicisation of the Gaelic placename ''Muclach'' which means 'A place where pigs feed'. The oldest surviving menti ...
and Tullamore. The road forms an interchange on the
M6 motorway The M6 motorway is the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. It is located entirely within England, running for just over from the Midlands to the border with Scotland. It begins at Junction 19 of the M1 and the western end of the A14 at ...
south of Kilbeggan and follows it eastwards to the Tyrrellspass exit. (Prior to the opening of the M6 the route went through Kilbeggan town and went past the racecourse via Ballinagore). From the Tyrrellspass junction it heads north to
Mullingar Mullingar ( ; ) is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most populous town in the Midland Region, with a population of 20,928 in the 2016 census. The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act 1543 proclaimed Westmeath ...
as the Tyrrellspass eastern bypass and the eastern bypass of Mullingar (opened May 2007). It briefly joins the N4 dual-carriageway just outside Mullingar before leaving to head 5 kilometres east over what was once a notoriously dangerous road to Cloughan, which has since been upgraded. Past Cloughan the route continues on a very poor road to
Delvin Delvin () is a village in County Westmeath, Ireland; it is located on the N52 road at a junction with the N51 to Navan. The town is from Mullingar (along the N52). The word Delvin comes from Delbhna. That tribe settled in what is present-d ...
and Clonmellon. The poor road quality continues to Kells, where it meats the N3 to Cavan, and
Ardee Ardee (; , ) is a town and townland in County Louth, Ireland. It is located at the intersection of the N2, N52, and N33 roads. The town shows evidence of development from the thirteenth century onward but as a result of the continued deve ...
, where it meets the N2 to Derry, before reaching the M1 south of
Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...
. Prior to 2009, the Mullingar to Delvin stretch was an extremely dangerous road, and as of 2016, half of it has been upgraded to wide shouldered road. Eventually the route will be upgraded with the old road used for local access only. Two kilometers of dual-carriageway take it to the R132 (the old N1) from where it becomes the Dundalk eastern inner relief route, over a new bridge near the harbour and north to the N1.


Tullamore bypass

The
Tullamore Tullamore (; ) is the county town of County Offaly in Ireland. It is on the Grand Canal, in the middle of the county, and is the fourth most populous town in the midlands region with 14,607 inhabitants at the 2016 census. The town retained ...
bypassN52 Tullamore Bypass Scheme

www.nra.ie
is a new single carriageway upgrade to the N52. The route leaves the existing N52 approximately southwest of Tullamore town, intersecting with the N80 road, crossing over the Grand Canal, before rejoining the N52 again north of the town. The scheme began construction in April 2008, and was completed in October 2009. Four metal figures by
sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
Maurice Harron Maurice Harron (born 1946) is a sculptor from Derry, Northern Ireland. Harron was educated at St Columb's College. At the Ulster College of Art and Design in Belfast, he studied sculpture. Much of his work is public art sculpture and he has w ...
are located where the new roadway cuts through
esker An esker, eskar, eschar, or os, sometimes called an ''asar'', ''osar'', or ''serpent kame'', is a long, winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel, examples of which occur in glaciated and formerly glaciated regions of Europe and North Ame ...
ridges. The figures represent symbols of learning and sanctity. Approaching from the north the 1st figure holds up a
chalice A chalice (from Latin 'mug', borrowed from Ancient Greek () 'cup') or goblet is a footed cup intended to hold a drink. In religious practice, a chalice is often used for drinking during a ceremony or may carry a certain symbolic meaning. R ...
, the 2nd a
book A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physi ...
, the 3rd a
crosier A crosier or crozier (also known as a paterissa, pastoral staff, or bishop's staff) is a stylized staff that is a symbol of the governing office of a bishop or abbot and is carried by high-ranking prelates of Roman Catholic, Eastern Cathol ...
and the 4th shows the release of a flock of birds representing souls. The installation was funded by the percentage for arts scheme where 1% of the budget is allocated to roadside art.


Lack of priority

*At the N52 junction with the R162 in County Meath the N52 stops and joins the R162 regional road and then leaves it again 100m further south. At this junction the regional road is the main road and is of a higher quality than the National route which crosses it.


See also

*
Roads in Ireland The island of Ireland, comprising Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, has an extensive network of tens of thousands of kilometres of public roads, usually surfaced. These roads have been developed and modernised over centuries, from tr ...
*
National primary road A national primary road ( ga, Bóthar príomha náisiúnta) is a road classification in Ireland. National primary roads form the major routes between the major urban centres. There are 2649  km of national primary roads. This category of ro ...
*
Motorways in Ireland In Ireland, the highest category of road is a motorway (''mótarbhealach'', plural: ''mótarbhealaí''), indicated by the prefix M followed by a one- or two-digit number (the number of the national route of which each motorway forms a part). Th ...
* Regional road


References


Roads Act 1993 (Classification of National Roads) Order 2006
Department of Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The d ...
{{Roads in Ireland National secondary roads in the Republic of Ireland Roads in County Westmeath Roads in County Meath Roads in County Offaly Roads in County Tipperary