19 Jun 2019
Posted by Aisling Bonner 
Ireland’s first ever full distance IRONMAN event gets underway in Youghal on Sunday 23rd of June. There will be significant disruption to traffic around East Cork over the weekend. If you’re due to travel in the area, read on for road closures, parking arrangements and more.
COURSE ROUTE
The race will begin with a 3.8km swim at Claycastle Beach in Youghal Bay. Following this, athletes will complete a 180km cycle travelling from Youghal through Ballymacoda, Garryvoe, Whitegate, Ballinacurra, Midleton and Dungourney. The final leg will be a 42.2km run around Youghal town centre.
Cycle route around East Cork for IRONMAN Ireland Event
ROAD CLOSURES
The main scheduled road closures are listed below. In addition, a number of local roads around East Cork will close on Sunday. The N25 will remain open all weekend and can be used to avoid disruption. With an estimated crowd of over 10,000 people, it’s likely to be a very busy day on the roads, so make sure to leave plenty of extra time if you’re planning to travel in the region.
From 6am on Saturday 22nd until 6pm on Monday 24th June, Lighthouse Rd (R643) in Youghal will be closed between the Friar St jct and Moll Goggins Corner, near the turn-off for Front Strand.
On Sunday, between 6:30am and 11:45pm, the Lighthouse Rd closure will be extended to include Main St, Tallow St, and the Waterford Rd (R643) (as far as the N25 jct at the Rincrew R/A). During this time, the following routes in Youghal will also be closed: Dolphin Sq, Emmet Place, Ashe St, Windmill Hill, Golf Links Rd, O’Rahilly St and Nealon’s Quay.
From 6:30am until 2pm on Sunday, Upr Strand Rd (R634) will be closed between Moll Goggins Corner and the Ballymacoda turn-off (R633). At the same time, the regional Ladysbridge/Youghal Rd (R633) will be closed between the turn-off for Fr O’Neill’s GAA at Aghavine Cross, and its jct with Upr Strand Rd (R634).
From 7am until 3pm on Sunday, the Ladysbridge/Youghal Rd (R633) closure will extend from the Ballymacoda turn-off to Aghavine Cross. Road closures will be in place on the following routes during the same period: the local road through Ballymacoda Village; the Ladysbridge/Shanagarry Rd (R632) between Shanagarry itself and Garryvoe; and the Cloyne/Ballycotton Rd (R629), between Ballymaloe House and Shanagarry.
Between 7:30am and 4pm on Sunday, the Cloyne/Ballycotton Rd (R629) will close between Cloyne and Ballymaloe House. The following routes will also be closed during these times: the Whitegate/Midleton Rd (R630) between Ballinacurra and the Cloyne turn-off at Whitewell Cross; Ballick Rd and Broderick St in Midleton; Main St in Midleton, between Broderick St and Dungourney Rd/Connolly St; and the Dungourney Rd (R627) itself, between Main St and the Broomfield jct.
From 8am to 5pm on Sunday, the rest of the Midleton/Dungourney Rd (R627) will close between the Broomfield jct and Dungourney itself.
GETTING THERE
There will be parking restrictions in place around Youghal over the weekend. Parking will be available at Youghal Rugby Club from 8am-7:30pm on Saturday and from 4am on Sunday until 1:30am Monday morning. A shuttle bus will operate between there and the swim and run centres.
Youghal is less than an hour’s drive from Cork City via the N25. If you’re travelling from the east, take the M11 or M9 and join the N25 to Youghal. Coming from the west, use the N20 or N22 to Cork City, and then the N25 to the town.
Bus Éireann’s 40 route runs between Rosslare and Tralee, and serves Waterford Cork, Killarney and Youghal. The number 260 runs between Ardmore and Cork City, and also stops at Youghal.
Bus Éireann routes 40, 260 and 261 (serving Cork City, Midleton and Ballinacurra) will see minor diversions in Youghal and Midleton due to road closures.
Make sure to check out the AA Roadwatch Newsroom on the day for live traffic updates.
