The M1 motorway () is a

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

in Ireland. It forms the large majority of the N1

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 ...

connecting

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 ...

towards

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

along the east of the

island of Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially named Irelanda sovereign state covering five-sixths of th ...

. The route heads north via

Swords A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...

Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...

and

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ) is the county town of County Louth, Ireland. The town is situated on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the north-east coast of Ireland, and is halfway between Dublin and Belfast, close to and south of the bor ...

to the Northern Irish border just south of

Newry Newry (; ) is a City status in Ireland, city in Northern Ireland, standing on the Newry River, Clanrye river in counties County Down, Down and County Armagh, Armagh. It is near Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border, the border with the ...

County Armagh County Armagh ( ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It is located in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and adjoins the southern shore of Lough Neagh. It borders t ...

, where it joins the A1 road and further on, the

M1 motorway The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) motorway, A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the count ...

in Northern Ireland. It also forms a significant part of the road connection between Dublin and the Northern Irish cities of

, and

Lisburn Lisburn ( ; ) is a city in Northern Ireland. It is southwest of Belfast city centre, on the River Lagan, which forms the boundary between County Antrim and County Down. First laid out in the 17th century by English and Welsh settlers, with t ...

. The route is part of

European route E01 European route E1 is a series of roads in Europe, part of the United Nations International E-road network, running from Larne, United Kingdom to Seville, Spain. There is a sea crossing between Rosslare Harbour in Ireland, and Ferrol, Spain, bu ...

Route

Almost the entire length of the N1 has been upgraded to motorway standard and is designated the M1 motorway. It runs from the Junction 3 of the M50 ring road in Dublin, past Cloghran,

, Balbriggan, Stamullen,

, Dunleer, Castlebellingham and

before ending at Ballymascanlon north of Dundalk. It by-passes many towns and villages through which the N1 travelled. The original N1 route now forms the R132. At Ballymascanlon, it becomes the N1 dual carriageway and continues to the border with Northern Ireland. The motorway section of the N1 uses the M1 designation. Small yellow route markers along the motorway route also read N1. The motorway was built in several stages as short disconnected bypasses, replacing the original N1 route. The first section opened (in 1983) was from Whitehall to Coolock Lane followed (in 1985) by the ''Airport Motorway'' between Whitehall and Dublin Airport, only the third section of motorway opened in the Republic. 1980s style direction signs were still intact on this route up until 2006. Part of this original M1 is now a spur to Dublin Airport, while another part between Whitehall to the Port Tunnel portals is now narrowed to two+one lanes (although still grade-separated) as a result of the Dublin Port Tunnel work. There are toll fees for use of the motorway between junctions 7 and 10, the section which forms the

bypass. Work began in 2004 on a bypass of Dundalk, and was completed three months ahead of schedule in 2005, extending the motorway to just south of the border. Construction finished in 2007 on a cross-border stretch of

grade-separated In civil engineering (more specifically highway engineering), grade separation is a method of aligning a junction of two or more surface transport axes at different heights ( grades) so that they will not disrupt the traffic flow on other tr ...

dual-carriageway linking the northern end of the M1 with the A1 near

. This was opened to traffic on 2 August 2007. Its length is , north of the border and south of the border. This allows traffic to flow freely from

Dublin Port Dublin Port () is the seaport of Dublin, Ireland, of both historical and contemporary economic importance. Approximately two-thirds of Ireland's port traffic travels via the port, which is by far the busiest on the island of Ireland. Locatio ...

on motorway/dual-carriageway standard road to the Hillsborough Roundabout, located south of Lisburn. A speed limit applies on most of the M1, the exception being a limit between Junction 1 and Junction 2 at Dublin Airport. The lower speed limit is credited to the much higher volumes of traffic on this stretch. Fingal County Council raised the limit on this section to in June 2022.

Junctions

all junctions feature their number on road signs. {, class="plainrowheaders wikitable" , - !scope=col, County !scope-col, km !scope-col, mi !scope=col, Junction !scope=col, Destinations !scope=col, Notes , - , rowspan="7",

County Dublin County Dublin ( or ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, and holds its capital city, Dublin. It is located on the island's east coast, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Until 1994, County Dubli ...

, , , 1 , –

Malahide Malahide ( ; ) is an affluent coastal settlement in Fingal, County Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, situated north of Dublin city. It has a village centre surrounded by suburban housing estates, with a population of 18,608 as per the 2022 ...

– Southbound , Continues as M50 towards

and city centre. , - , , , 2 , –

Airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

, , - , , , bgcolor="ffdddd", 3 , bgcolor="ffdddd", – Ashbourne,

, bgcolor="ffdddd", Northbound exit and southbound entrance only. , - , , , 4 , – Skerries, Rush,

Donabate Donabate () is an outer suburb of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, about north-northeast of Dublin, within the Local government in the Republic of Ireland, local government area of Fingal. The town is on a peninsula on Ireland's east coast ...

(northbound)
Swords, Malahide, Donabate (southbound) , , - , , , colspan="3" align="center", Motorway Services Ireland

Lusk Service Area , - , , , 5 , – Balbriggan South (northbound)
Rush, Lusk (southbound) , , - , , , 6 , – Balbriggan, Naul (northbound)
Balbriggan, Skerries, Naul (southbound) , , - , rowspan="4",

County Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...

, , , 7 , – Julianstown,

(South) (northbound)
Julianstown, Balbriggan (North) (southbound) , Stamullen , - , , , bgcolor="dcdcfe" colspan="3" align="center", IE road sign symbol F-060

M1 Toll , - , , , bgcolor="ffdddd", 8 , bgcolor="ffdddd", –

Duleek Duleek (; ) is a small town in County Meath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Duleek takes its name from the Irish language, Irish words ''daimh'' and ''liag'', meaning house of stones, referring to an early stone-built church, St. Cianán's Churc ...

, bgcolor="ffdddd", Northbound exit and southbound entrance only. , - , , , 9 , – Drogheda, Donore (northbound)
Drogheda, Donore, Duleek (southbound) , Toll at northbound entrance and southbound exit. , - , align="center",

River Boyne The River Boyne ( or ''Abhainn na Bóinne'') is a river in Leinster, Ireland, the course of which is about long. It rises at Trinity Well, Newberry Hall, near Carbury, County Kildare, and flows north-east through County Meath to reach the ...

, , , colspan="3" align="center", Mary McAleese Boyne Valley Bridge , - , rowspan="12",

County Louth County Louth ( ; ) is a coastal Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of County Meath, Meath to the ...

, , , 10 , –

Navan Navan ( ; , meaning "the Cave") is the county town and largest town of County Meath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is at the confluence of the River Boyne and Leinster Blackwater, Blackwater, around 50 km northwest of Dublin. At the ...

, Collon , Drogheda Hospital, Slane , - , , , bgcolor="ffdddd", 11 , bgcolor="ffdddd", – Monasterboice , bgcolor="ffdddd", Northbound entrance and southbound exit only. , - , , , 12 , – Dunleer, Collon , , - , , , bgcolor="ffdddd", 13 , bgcolor="ffdddd", – Dunleer , bgcolor="ffdddd", Northbound exit and southbound entrance only. , - , , , 14 , – Ardee,

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...

( N2) ,

Letterkenny Letterkenny ( , meaning "hillside of the O'Cannons"), nicknamed the Cathedral Town, is a large town in County Donegal, Ireland, on the River Swilly in the north-west of Ulster. Along with the nearby city of Derry, Letterkenny is a regional eco ...

, - , , , 15 , – Castlebellingham, Tallanstown , , - , , , colspan="3" align="center", Motorway Services Ireland

Castlebellingham Service Area , - , , , 16 , –

(South),

Mullingar Mullingar ( ; ) is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most populous town in the Midland Region, Ireland, Midland Region, with a population of 22,667 in the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census. The Counties of M ...

, Ardee,

Blackrock BlackRock, Inc. is an American Multinational corporation, multinational investment company. Founded in 1988, initially as an enterprise risk management and fixed income institutional asset manager, BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager ...

, - , , , 17 , – Dundalk (Centre), Castleblayney , Crossmaglen , - , , , bgcolor="dff9f9", 18 , bgcolor="dff9f9", Dundalk (North), Carlingford ( R173) , bgcolor="dff9f9", Greenore, Ravensdale ( R132). End of motorway, continues as N1. , - , , , bgcolor="ffdddd", 19 , bgcolor="ffdddd", – Ravensdale , bgcolor="ffdddd", Northbound entrance and southbound exit only. , - , , , bgcolor="ffdddd", 20 , bgcolor="ffdddd", Carrickcarnan, Jonesborough (B113) , bgcolor="ffdddd", Northbound exit and southbound entrance only. Exit sliproad crosses

border Borders are generally defined as geography, geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by polity, political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other administrative divisio ...

.
Continues as A1 into

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

All-Ireland route

The upgrade of the N1 is now complete in the Republic of Ireland, the first major route to be completely upgraded to motorway/dual carriageway standard (outside of Dublin city centre) as per the

National Development Plan National Development Plan (NDP, ) is the title given by the Irish Government to a scheme of organised large-scale expenditure on (mainly) national infrastructure. The first five-year plan ran from 1988 to 1993, the second was a six-year plan f ...

. The

Northern Irish The people of Northern Ireland are all people born in Northern Ireland and having, at the time of their birth, at least one parent who is a British Nationality Law, British citizen, an Irish nationality law, Irish citizen or is otherwis ...

authorities have no plans to replace the A1 route (currently dual carriageway) with a motorway, although many junctions have now been grade separated. Currently, to drive from Dublin city centre to

, one travels along the M1 (Republic of Ireland), N1, A1 and M1 (Northern Ireland).

Motorway service areas

The first official on-line

motorway service area Motorway service areas (MSA) also known as services or service stations, are rest areas in the UK and Ireland where drivers can leave a motorway to refuel/recharge, rest, eat and drink, shop, use the toilet or stay in an on-site overnight hotel ...

in Ireland opened on the M1 on 8 September 2010, located near Lusk. A second near Castlebellingham (M1 North service area) opened on 29 September 2010. Each location has northbound and southbound facilities, with no connection across the motorway between each side. Open 24 hours a day, they provide fuel and food and are of a design similar to those found in other European countries. The service areas are run by a consortium of companies known as Superstop.

ITS on the M1

As with other sections of Irish motorways which feature

variable-message sign A variable- (also changeable-, electronic-, or dynamic-) message sign or message board, often abbreviated VMS, VMB, CMS, or DMS, and in the UK known as a matrix sign, is an electronic traffic sign often used on roadways to give travelers info ...

s, the M1 is also connected to an

intelligent transportation system An intelligent transportation system (ITS) is an advanced application that aims to provide services relating to different modes of transport and traffic management and enable users to be better informed and make safer, more coordinated, and 's ...

(ITS) providing real-time journey time information for motorists. The system works by recognising vehicle number plates at intervals along the motorway, and uses this information to calculate average vehicle speeds and hence travel times. Northbound, VMSs near Malahide and Balbriggan provide information on the journey times to the Drogheda (J7) and Dundalk (J16) exits. Similar signs southbound provide information on the travel time to Dublin Airport and the Dublin Port Tunnel.

Roadside art on the M1

Roadside art is funded under the Percentage For Arts Scheme where 1% of the scheme budget is allocated to roadside art with a cap of €63,000. The local authorities decide on a theme and are responsible for commissioning the work, usually by open competition. There are several examples along the M1 * The Beehives. Three corbelled beehives on the Balbriggan bypass by artists Robert McColgan and Irene Benner made of cut stone in 2001 – Inspired by the tale of St. Molach, a beekeeper. * An Tarbh Donn, a bull on the

bypass by artist Micheál McKeown. Of metal mesh on a concrete base. Inspired by the Bull in the

Táin Bó Cúailnge (Modern ; "the driving-off of the cows of Cooley"), commonly known as ''The Táin'' or less commonly as ''The Cattle Raid of Cooley'', is an epic from Irish mythology. It is often called "the Irish ''Iliad''", although like most other earl ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:M1 Motorway (Republic Of Ireland) M01 Roads in Fingal Roads in County Louth Roads in County Meath Roads in Swords, County Dublin