The N72 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 ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

that runs east-west from its junction with the N25 near

Dungarvan Dungarvan () is a coastal town and harbour in County Waterford, on the south-east coast of Ireland. Prior to the merger of Waterford County Council with Waterford City Council in 2014, Dungarvan was the county town and administrative centre ...

County Waterford County Waterford ( ga, Contae Phort Láirge) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and is part of the South-East Region. It is named after the city of Waterford. Waterford City and County Council is the local authority for t ...

to the N70 in

Killorglin Killorglin () is a town in County Kerry, Ireland. As of the 2016 CSO census, the town's population was 2,199. Killorglin is on the Ring of Kerry tourist route, and annual events include the August Puck Fair festival, which starts with the crow ...

County Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...

. The road passes through Lismore –

Fermoy Fermoy () is a town on the River Blackwater in east County Cork, Ireland. As of the 2016 census, the town and environs had a population of approximately 6,500 people. It is located in the barony of Condons and Clangibbon, and is in the Dá ...

( M8) – Mallow ( N20) – Rathmore –

Killarney Killarney ( ; ga, Cill Airne , meaning 'church of sloes') is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is on the northeastern shore of Lough Leane, part of Killarney National Park, and is home to St Mary's Cathedral, Ross Cast ...

( N22) –

. The N72 is 165.923 km long.

Route

Like most

s, the N72 is mainly a single carriageway two-lane road. Some stretches are narrow with sharp bends. The N72 begins in

at the N25 near

. Travelling west from there to

Cappoquin Cappoquin, also spelt Cappaquin or Capaquin (), is a town in west County Waterford, Ireland. It is on the Blackwater river at the junction of the N72 national secondary road and the R669 regional road. It is positioned on a sharp 90-degree ...

the road is single carriageway. From Cappoquin to Lismore the road is of good quality, with hard shoulders and a good surface. Past Lismore the road is of poorer quality, travelling via Tallowbridge and

to Mallow in

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns a ...

. Some sections between Fermoy and Mallow are narrow with sharp bends and few hard shoulders. The section from Mallow to the R579 junction (

Banteer Banteer () is a village in north County Cork, Ireland located in the Civic Parish of Clonmeen in the Barony of Duhallow. It is near the town of Mallow. Banteer is within the Cork North-West Dáil constituency. History In 1651, the Battle of Kn ...

) has hard shoulders. After the R579 junction, this section of the N72 has no hard shoulders until it joins the N22 in

, east of

. Further west, after bypassing Killarney, the N72 leaves the N22 again, becoming part of the

Ring of Kerry The Ring of Kerry ( ga, Mórchuaird Chiarraí) is a circular tourist route in County Kerry, south-western Ireland. Clockwise from Killarney it follows the N71 to Kenmare, then the N70 around the Iveragh Peninsula to Killorglin – passi ...

route to

, where the road terminates at the N70. When the N72 leaves the N22, it reaches its roundabout with the N71 which goes to

Kenmare Kenmare () is a small town in the south of County Kerry, Ireland. The name Kenmare is the anglicised form of ''Ceann Mara'', meaning "head of the sea", referring to the head of Kenmare Bay. Location Kenmare is located at the head of Kenmare Ba ...

Proposed upgrades

Funding of €2.4 million has been secured in 2011 for realignment of a particularly accident-prone stretch of the N72. Funding secured to upgrade lethal section of N72
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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 ...

Image:N72roadCastletownrocheCork.JPG, N72 entering

Castletownroche Castletownroche () is a townland, village, and civil parish in the barony of Fermoy, County Cork, Ireland. It is located on the N72 national secondary road. In ancient times, it was known in Irish as ''Dún Chruadha'', meaning Cruadha's Fort. ...

from the east Image:N72Flood.jpeg, Floods on the N72 near Killavullen Image:N72_rcs_IE.png {{Roads in Ireland National secondary roads in the Republic of Ireland Roads in County Cork Roads in County Kerry

Route

Proposed upgrades

See also

References