regional road The term regional road (or route) is used in a number of places to designate roads of more than purely ''local'' but less than ''national'' strategic importance in a country's highway network.
It is used formally and officially in reference to:
*R ...
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 ...
which runs southwest-northeast from Junction 27 of the M7 at
Birdhill
Birdhill ()Placenames Database of Ireland (see archival records) is a village in
County Tipperary
County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named afte ...
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 ...
- all in
County Tipperary
County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named afte ...
. It leaves the M7 and loops around the
Arra Mountains
The Arra Mountains or Arra Hills (Irish: ''Sliabh an Ara'') are situated in County Tipperary in Ireland, between the towns of Nenagh and Ballina, south east of Lough Derg (Shannon) and north of the M7 Motorway.
The highest summit is Tountinna (' ...
between the hills and Lough Derg returning to what was the N7 in
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 ...
.
After leaving the N7 at Birdhill it heads north to meet the
River Shannon
The River Shannon ( ga, Abhainn na Sionainne, ', '), at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of the island of Ireland.
The Sha ...
at Ballina, where the single lane signal controlled
Killaloe Bridge
Killaloe Bridge is a road bridge over the River Shannon between Ballina in County Tipperary and Killaloe, County Clare in Ireland. Built on the site of an earlier structure (dating to c.1650), the eighteenth-century bridge has thirteen arches a ...
connects it to Killaloe and the R463 on the western bank of the river in
County Clare
County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...
. It continues north for a further 10 km close to the eastern shore of Lough Derg reaching a point several hundred metres from the lake shore but 100 m above it. There is a 'Lookout' point here with extensive views of the lake and the eastern hills of County Clare.
The road next turns eastwards through the villages of
Portroe
Portroe () is a village in County Tipperary, Ireland. The village is located on the R494 regional road, 3 km from the eastern shore of Lough Derg and 10 km west of the town of Nenagh. Portroe spans the townlands of Garrykennedy, Glenc ...
and
Newtown Newtown may refer to:
Places
Australia
*Newtown, New South Wales
*Newtown, Queensland (Ipswich)
*Newtown, Queensland (Toowoomba)
*Newtown, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong
*Newtown, Victoria (Golden Plains Shire), a locality near Ballarat
Canada
* ...
before joining the N52 Nenagh bypass as a roundabout junction. It continues into the centre of Nenagh and terminates at the
R445
The R445 road is a regional road in Ireland. The route is a non-motorway alternative route to the N7/ M7 motorway between Naas and Limerick, and at 170 km it is one of the longest regional roads in Ireland (longer than most national roads). ...
(the former N7 main
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...
-
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
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 ...
*
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 ...
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 ...