Cork Galway Route

gb153

Have to drive from Cork to Galway this Friday evening around 5 or 6pm. Has anyone tried going up through Mitchelstown and then onto the Cork-Limerick road via Kilmallock? A bit longer than the direct route but I would do anything to avoid Blackpool, Mallow and Charleville. I will be coming from the east side of Cork City. Any other routes people have tried at rush hour?

Justjens

The only way to get from Cork to Limerick IMO is Mitchelstown, Knocklong, Caherconlish, and then get yourself onto the bypass, at the Tipperary Rd, and go through the tunnel heading for Galway.

Keep away from Kilmallock what ever you do!!!

bbsrs

gb153 wrote: »

Have to drive from Cork to Galway this Friday evening around 5 or 6pm. Has anyone tried going up through Mitchelstown and then onto the Cork-Limerick road via Kilmallock? A bit longer than the direct route but I would do anything to avoid Blackpool, Mallow and Charleville. I will be coming from the east side of Cork City. Any other routes people have tried at rush hour?

leave Mitchelstown heading for ballylanders next lnocklong - hospital - caherconlish - limerick follow the signs for shannon airport to avoid limk city which takes you through the new tunnell (toll there but well worth it)

Berty

As said already AVOID using the route through Kilmallock. Up through Ballylanders, Hospital etc and use the Tunnel.

captainwang

Would heading for Mitchelstown instead of Mallow be worthwhile outside of rush hour? I normally leave Cork Saturday evenings around 5.15 and return Tuesday afternoons.

gb153

Cheers for the replies. I will use that Caherconlish route. Thank god I posted here as I would have tried going through Kilmallock otherwise!

BA11YBOY

just for future reference

Blackpool is a bottleneck but if you have patience the N20 route is generally ok at that time. there is no blockages at newtwopothouse and Mallow has minimal delays. as for buttavent that can depend on things like HGVs and busses that pass through the village. you'll breaze through Ballyhea but when you come to Charleville you could turn left at the Council offices (Old Cork Rd), continue down that road pass through the crossroads (powerhouse cross) going straight follow the road for about 2mins maybe 3 and you'll come to a T junction. turn left there onto (Park Rd) and follow the road untill you come to another T junction at St Mary's secondary school. Turn right and continue down Smith's Lane untill you come to Main Street and turn left. you may be cought in a little bottleneck but you are at the limerick side of the town. hope that helps in the future

BA11YBOY

Alternitavly you could head into the town and turn right just before the Graveyard (Holy Cross Graveyard). Follow that road you'll come to a T junction, turn left onto Baker's Rd and continue untill you come to another T junction turn left onto Chapel Street. continue untill you come to a fork in the road, You'll see the GARDA station on the left and Elite furniture on your right. turn right and continue down that road and you'll meet the main N20 road after about 4 mins. again hope that helps

Chuck Stone

Sorry for the hijack OP but I'm doing Cork Galway on Saturday leaving around 10am.

Would the same route Cork --> M'town --> Knocklong be advisable or up the Mallow way seeing as it's Saturday traffic?

BA11YBOY

wouldn't know that route that well but the some of those back ways take a bit longer as you add a few extra km onto your journy. The main road might have traffic but if you weigh it up it could end up being about even. extra traffic or extra km. saturday it depends on the time but there is usually a bottleneck in areas like Blackpool and Charleville but if you take the route(s) i mentioned above you would avoid the bottleneck. the Baker's Rd route would take you past the town completely

Hope this helps

BA11YBOY

if you leave Cork City Centre i.e. the Bus Station at Parnell Place it'd take you around 1hr 5 mins. less in a car to get to charleville. another 45 mins or less to get to limerick and not sure about the route from limerick on. but i think you can go on the motorway from limerick and head towards Shannon Airport and then Galway. or alternativly you could take the old N20 route but that takes you through Ennis Gort and other places to get to galway and i think that's around another 2 hours so i'd advise you take the motorway

hope that helps - Go neiri an ta leat mo chara

corktina

Charleville to Limerick 45 minutes? I can do Kanturk to Limerick in an hour!

Mallow need not be a huge problem (and Charleville isnt either with two alternative routes suggested if necessary). At 1st Mallow roundabout take the right hand turn only lane if busy and use exit 6 (I use exit 5 for Kanturk occasionally:D)

Chuck Stone

Chuck Stone wrote: »

Sorry for the hijack OP but I'm doing Cork Galway on Saturday leaving around 10am.

Would the same route Cork --> M'town --> Knocklong be advisable or up the Mallow way seeing as it's Saturday traffic?

Just go the main road, no bother at all at that time, I worked in Galway for a year (March 09 to March 10, before the tunnel) and at peak times it was less than two and a half hours no bother at all.

gb153

OP here. For me I am coming from the East side of the city so it makes sense to take the Mitchelstown motorway and then Caherconlish to Limerick. If you are coming from West side of city then I would take the usual N20 road. Saturday morning will be fine for traffic also. My initial query was with regards to the route at rush hour times.

I've taken the Mitchelstown route now a couple of times in the last few weeks and I will probably be sticking to it. Usually 2.5 hours door to door and I don't think that will ever vary as so much of the route is motorway. The N20 is much more variable depending on whether it is rush hour or not.

I find the Mitchelstown route much less frustrating also. May not be quicker but much less stressful and probably less fuel used due to more constant speed. Driving between towns with drivers not pulling in to hard shoulders to let you pass or drivers randomly accelerating and decelerating between 40 to 60mph for no reason drives me insane.

-Corkie-

corktina wrote: »

Charleville to Limerick 45 minutes? I can do Kanturk to Limerick in an hour!

Mallow need not be a huge problem (and Charleville isnt either with two alternative routes suggested if necessary). At 1st Mallow roundabout take the right hand turn only lane if busy and use exit 6 (I use exit 5 for Kanturk occasionally:D)

Tut tut...

Chuck Stone

RoverJames wrote: »

Just go the main road, no bother at all at that time, I worked in Galway for a year (March 09 to March 10, before the tunnel) and at peak times it was less than two and a half hours no bother at all.

Going to go thataway. Used to drive to Limerick regularly but haven't been up that way for years.

Looking forward to the Shannon tunnel actually and the new bit of road that goes past Ennis (used to be some curse that place).