Which route Dublin-Castlebar through Galway on motorway?

bdo

travelling from Dublin to Castlebar today. Would you take the new motroway to galway and then go up ... or go to Athlone and urn off from there?

Thanks

s_carnage

My guess would be head straight for Castlebar when ya get to Athlone. Can't see you saving any time by heading to Galway. I'd actually imagine it would take a bit longer.

bdo

thanks s carnage

happyoutscan

AA Route Planner might help you decide.

http://www.aaireland.ie/routes_beta/

stellarartois

Not really relevent on this forum as you wont even be near galway. :mad::rolleyes:

happyoutscan

You can go either through Athlone, Roscommon, Castlerea, Ballyhaunis, Claremorris into Castlebar or take the M4 Sligo bound and go through Mullingar, Longford, Ballaghadereen, Swinford into Castlebar. The Athlone route is better if memory serves me correctly.

biko

stellarartois wrote: »

Not really relevent on this forum as you wont even be near galway. :mad::rolleyes:

Moving to Driving around forum from Galway city.

StephenM_smc

happyoutscan wrote: »

AA Route Planner might help you decide.

http://www.aaireland.ie/routes_beta/

Interesting that the route planner sends you through Athlone, to the south of the town centre on Dublin - Athlone - Castlebar. I wonder why doesn't it send people out the entire length of the bypass then up the N61?

Scottie99

happyoutscan wrote: »

You can go either through Athlone, Roscommon, Castlerea, Ballyhaunis, Claremorris into Castlebar or take the M4 Sligo bound and go through Mullingar, Longford, Ballaghadereen, Swinford into Castlebar. The Athlone route is better if memory serves me correctly.

I'd stay well away from the N61 at the moment, the road after the frost is in a terrible condition. As a trucker who often does Dublin/Castlebar, I head via Ballaghadereen, the road is 100 times better than it used to be.

KenHy

Why wouldn't you go on the M4-N4-N6, it is after all the main road from Dublin to Castlebar?

-Corkie-

I always thought the main n5 was the most direct route. I thought athlone was miles out of the way?????

Ham'nd'egger

The last time I headed west, I did Dublin to Roscommon in about 80 minutes with the foot down as you have no towns until Knockcroghery which is no shakes to pass through unless there is a train passing through. I'd head to Ballymoe and hit the R 360 and R 327; these cut off a few miles whilst avoiding Castlerea and Ballyhaunis and while they are narrow enough they are not much worse than the N 60 surface wise.

veryangryman

KenHy wrote: »

Why wouldn't you go on the M4-N4-N6, it is after all the main road from Dublin to Castlebar?

Your opinion is foolish :rolleyes:

SeanW

I think he meant N5.

Victor

I wonder will via Galway be meaningful. I realise the N84 isn't great, but you get to use the full M6. googlemaps doesn't know about the full M6 yet.

StephenM_smc wrote: »

Interesting that the route planner sends you through Athlone, to the south of the town centre on Dublin - Athlone - Castlebar. I wonder why doesn't it send people out the entire length of the bypass then up the N61?

Did you add Athlone as a "via"?


Via Roscommon
From: Dublin, Dublin
To: Castlebar, Mayo
Distance: 249.29 km (Show in Miles)
Time: 3 hr 21 min

Via Knockcroghery
From: Dublin, Dublin
To: Castlebar, Mayo
Distance: 249.45 km (Show in Miles)
Time: 3 hr 21 min

Via Athlone
From: Dublin, Dublin
To: Castlebar, Mayo
Distance: 249.29 km (Show in Miles)
Time: 3 hr 24 min

Via Termonbarry (N5)
From: Dublin, Dublin
To: Castlebar, Mayo
Distance: 235.77 km (Show in Miles)
Time: 3 hr 16 min

-Corkie-

I was correct in saying use the n5, stop for a lovley dinner in keenans in tarmonbarry too..:p

Victor

Note that those times don't account for congestion - on the N5 you are likely to deal with a lot more villages (and Longford). Fuel efficiency is also likely to suffer as you will change speed more often and there will be more wear and tear on the vehicle as, on average, you are probably dealing with more older roads.

L1011

I've never tried via Athlone but the worst bits of the N5 don't add up to enough to cancel out taking the N84 plus the extra distance. There are some fantastic realigned sections of the N5 (Longford-Strokestown, Charlestown and Swinford bypasses, etc). Longford is only a problem if you hit it at the wrong time, or get stuck behind a tractor through the town as recently happened to me.

-Corkie-

Yes longford i forgot about. I got stuck in it the time of the floods the n5 was blocked at that new roundabout on the tarmonbarry road. The town was mental so ill retract my post about the n5 being best route.

benbulbin

M4 - N5 is the main road to Castlebar/Westport. Motorway most of the way to Longford, a poor stretch through parts of Roscommon but good quality new road in Mayo all the way from Charlestown bypass to Castlebar. You'll do it in 3 hours in good weather.

Can't imaging Galway being shorter, N84 is a death trap for most of the Galway side. The Athlone/Claremorris route is a mix of OK and poor secondary roads and takes longer.

StephenM_smc

benbulbin wrote: »

Motorway most of the way to Longford

The Motorway ends well before Mullingar, with Type 2 and Type 1 Dual-carriage way until just outside Mullingar.

JHMEG

Go the N5 and you can take in all the ghost estates

-Corkie-

JHMEG wrote: »

Go the N5 and you can take in all the ghost estates

It will take him/her all day then!! I was in tarmonbarry and area at xmas and their is loads of them. I thought it might make a nice place to buy for weekends and holidays but every place is just thrown together. Sorry for going of thread though.