Irish Rural Road Speed Changes

The speed limit for local roads in Ireland were changed from 80 km/h to 60 km/h in 2025. This impacted an estimated 73,000 km of roads. Gov.ie

For many of these roads 80 km/h was certainly a limit, rather than an actual expected driving speed. Especially those that were single lane with poor visibility.

Example 80km rural local road

These roads are now designated with a Rural Speed Limit sign.

Rural Speed Limit sign

Rural local roads were impacted, which is the largest class of roads in Ireland, with an estimated 60% of all roads in Ireland changing their speed limit.

Interactive map of Local Rural Roads in Ireland:

Cork, Mayo and Galway having the most kilometers of impacted local roads, with 0ver 9000 km of roads in Cork alone impacted.

But from a % of roads perspective Roscommon, Longford, Sligo, Mayo, Monaghan and Cavan all see around 70% of their roads impacted.

County Local Roads Non Urban, km Total Roads, km Estimated % Impacted
Carlow 972 1,622 60%
Cavan 2,401 3,392 71%
Clare 3,214 5,384 60%
Cork 9,902 15,257 65%
Donegal 5,043 8,506 59%
Dublin 550 4,990 11%
Galway 5,418 8,219 66%
Kerry 3,709 5,648 66%
Kildare 1,585 3,989 40%
Kilkenny 2,449 4,049 60%
Laois 1,697 3,045 56%
Leitrim 1,719 2,522 68%
Limerick 2,883 5,156 56%
Longford 1,311 1,739 75%
Louth 945 2,349 40%
Mayo 5,449 7,345 74%
Meath 2,453 4,692 52%
Monaghan 2,065 2,890 71%
Offaly 1,577 2,767 57%
Roscommon 3,303 4,305 77%
Sligo 2,297 3,079 75%
Tipperary 4,406 7,275 61%
Waterford 2,031 3,352 61%
Westmeath 1,738 2,975 58%
Wexford 2,747 4,780 57%
Wicklow 1,485 3,255 46%
Total7334912258160%