The N25 road is a

national primary road A national primary road () is a road classification in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. National primary roads form the major routes between the major urban centres. There are 2649 km of national primary roads. This category of road has the pr ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, forming the route from

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

Rosslare Europort Rosslare Europort () is a modern seaport located at Rosslare Harbour in County Wexford, Ireland, near the southeasternmost point of the island of Ireland. The port is the primary Irish port serving the European Continent with 36 direct servi ...

via

Waterford City Waterford ( ) is a city in County Waterford in the south-east of Ireland. It is located within the province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford Harbour. It is the oldestE30

European route The international E-road network is a numbering system for roads in Europe developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). The network is numbered from E1 up and its roads cross national borders. It also reaches Central ...

and a short section is also part of the E01 European route. It forms part of the proposed

Atlantic Corridor The Atlantic corridor or Atlantic motorway is a proposed road project in Ireland. The scheme, announced in 2005, was intended to link Waterford in the South-East to Letterkenny in the North-West via motorway or dual carriageway by 2015. Howev ...

route.

Route

Up to 22 February 2012, the Cork South Ring Road was designated as part of the N25. However, on 23 February, this section of road was redesignated as N40 and hence from this date, the N25 now commences at the

Dunkettle Interchange The Dunkettle Interchange () is a major road junction in Cork City, Ireland. It forms a junction between the M8 motorway (Ireland), M8, N25 road (Ireland), N25 and the N40 road (Ireland), N40, and further serves the R623 road (Ireland), R623 and ...

. From the Dunkettle Interchange the N25 commences east as the ''East Cork Parkway'' dual-carriageway, with interchanges for

Fota Island Fota (statutory spelling Foaty; ) is an island in Cork Harbour, County Cork, Ireland, just north of the larger island of Great Island. It is the home of Fota Wildlife Park—the only such zoo or animal park (besides Dublin Zoo) in the country— ...

and

Cobh Cobh ( ,), known from 1849 until 1920 as Queenstown, is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. With a population of 14,148 inhabitants at the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, Cobh is on the south si ...

, and also

Carrigtwohill Carrigtwohill, officially Carrigtohill (), is a town in County Cork, Ireland with a population of 5,568 (2022). It is 12 kilometres east of Cork city centre. It is connected to Cork Suburban Rail and is bypassed by the N25 road. Carrigtwoh ...

. The next major destination on the route is

Midleton Midleton (; , meaning "monastery at the weir") is a town in south-eastern County Cork, Ireland. It lies approximately 16 km east of Cork City on the Owenacurra River and the N25 road, which connects Cork to the port of Rosslare. A satelli ...

. The dual-carriageway ends after bypassing Midleton with an ordinary two-lane road continuing east to

Youghal Youghal ( ; ) is a seaside resort town in County Cork, Ireland. Located on the estuary of the Munster Blackwater, River Blackwater, the town is a former military and economic centre. Located on the edge of a steep riverbank, the town has a long ...

. At Youghal a single carriageway bypass was completed in 2003, bringing the road around the west of the town to the northern side of Youghal. Here the road crosses the River Blackwater into

County Waterford County Waterford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the city of Waterford. ...

. Northeast of this, the road was widened as part of the N25 Kinsalebeg project. This consisted of widening of 3.5 kilometers of single carriageway to include a hard shoulder on both sides of the road. The route passes

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 of ...

, with a future bypass at preliminary design stage, before meeting the N72 which makes its way to

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

and

County Kerry County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...

via

Mallow, County Cork Mallow (; ) is a town in County Cork, Ireland, approximately thirty-five kilometres north of Cork (city), Cork City. Mallow is in a townland and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish of the same name, in the Fermoy (barony), barony of Fermoy. ...

Fermoy Fermoy () is a town on the Munster Blackwater, River Blackwater in east County Cork, Ireland. As of the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, the town and environs had a population of approximately 6,700 people. It is located in the barony (Ir ...

and

Lismore, County Waterford Lismore () is a historic town in County Waterford, in the province of Munster, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Originally associated with Mo Chutu of Lismore, Saint Mochuda of Lismore, who founded Lismore Abbey in the 6th century, the town develop ...

. The N72 provides an alternative route to Kerry from and north of

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

from

Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

and

Wexford Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...

without going near

Cork City Cork ( ; from , meaning 'marsh') is the second-largest city in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the county town of County Cork, the largest city in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the List of settlements on the island of Ireland ...

and the

. Then reaching

Kilmeaden Kilmeaden or Kilmeadan () is a village in County Waterford, Ireland. It is west of the centre of Waterford, Waterford city on the R680 road (Ireland), R680 road. The village is in a Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish of the same name. Kil ...

west of Waterford city and onto the bypass of the city itself. Beginning at Kilmeaden, it passes the Woodstown historic settlement before crossing the

River Suir The River Suir ( ; or ''Abhainn na Siúire'' ) is a river in Ireland that flows into the Atlantic Ocean through Waterford after a distance of . The catchment area of the Suir is 3,610 km2.

( via a cable stay bridge of about 475m in length) between Gracedieu in County Waterford and Grannagh in

County Kilkenny County Kilkenny () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the City status in Ir ...

. The bypass meets the M9 Motorway which leads to

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had a population of 27,351, the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland, ...

Kilkenny Kilkenny ( , meaning 'church of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech'). is a city in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinst ...

and Mullinavat and N24 which leads to

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

, Tipperary,

Cahir Cahir (; ) is a town in County Tipperary in Ireland. It is also a civil parish in the barony of Iffa and Offa West. Location and access For much of the twentieth century, Cahir stood at an intersection of two busy national roadways: the Dubli ...

Clonmel Clonmel () is the county town and largest settlement of County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, Cromwellian army which sacked the towns of Dro ...

and

Carrick On Suir Carrick-on-Suir () is a town in County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It lies on both banks of the River Suir. The part on the north bank of the Suir lies in the Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish of "Carrick", in the historical B ...

at the Grannagh interchange, before joining the old N25 east of Slieverue. The bypass connects to the Outer Ring Road and the old N25 via a road known as the ''Western Link''. (The bypass as a whole contains of dual carriageway* and of single carriageway.) The bypass is a tolled road. From Waterford, the N25 moves north to cross the

River Barrow The Barrow () is a river in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is one of The Three Sisters (Ireland), The Three Sisters; the other two being the River Suir and the River Nore. The Barrow is the longest of the three rivers and, at 192 km (12 ...

into

County Wexford County Wexford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was ba ...

further up its estuary, bypassing

New Ross New Ross (, formerly ) is a town in southwest County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, on the River Barrow on the border with County Kilkenny, northeast of Waterford. In 2022, it had a population of 8,610, making it the fourth-largest t ...

over Ireland's longest bridge, the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge, since 29 January 2020. The existing N25 into New Ross was redesignated as the R723 at that time. East of the town, the N30 diverges and connects northeast to

Enniscorthy Enniscorthy () is the second-largest town in County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is located on the picturesque River Slaney and in close proximity to the Blackstairs Mountains and Ireland's longest beach, Curracloe. The Plac ...

, Clonroche and the M11 Dublin – Wexford motorway. The N25 continues east to Wexford and meets the end of the N11 road which comes from

and all the towns and villages including

at the New Ross Road Roundabout positioned west of the town. The N25 skirts the edge of the town around to the south and passes west of Tagoat and Rosslare to descend to reach

Rosslare Harbour The village of Rosslare Harbour (), also known as Ballygeary, grew up to serve the needs of the harbour of the same name (now called Rosslare Europort), first developed in 1906 by the Great Western Railway and the Great Southern and Western Rai ...

Proposed developments

Some sections of the route have been proposed for upgrade to motorway standard. Part of the N25 dual carriageway in Midleton is to have all its junctions grade-separated and all direct accesses removed from the route (by the construction of a parallel road), thus making it suitable for upgrade to motorway status. As of the early 21st century, TII was examining the possibility of a new road from Midleton to Youghal, with route options being investigated. As part of the Atlantic Corridor road scheme, the section of road between Waterford and Rosslare Europort was proposed to be built as high quality dual carriageway or motorway standard. In early 2022, it was announced that due to a funding shortfall, the portion from Carrigtwohill to Midleton would not be upgraded.

Light aircraft crash

On 27 March 2017, a light aircraft crashed in a field adjacent to the road, killing the elderly pilot. It was one of three major aviation incidents involving Ireland in March 2017, with the Coastguard and Wales crash.

Junctions

References

External links

Roads Act 1993 (Classification of National Roads) Order 2006
–

Department of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government a ...

{{Roads in Ireland 25 Roads in County Cork Roads in County Waterford Roads in County Wexford Constituent roads of European route E30