Travellers en route to or from the National Ploughing Championships at Screggan, Tullamore, Co. Offaly, have been advised to avoid using traditional satnav or GPS apps.
Standard apps do not account for the extensive temporary diversions and road closures put in place by An Garda Síochána, which will lead visitors straight into heavy gridlock. Instead, you must strictly follow the official colour-coded roadside signs depending on where they are travelling from.
Plan for severe traffic delays and expect the journey to take at least double the normal travel time.
The essentials
- Timing: The exhibition gates are open from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. Entry gates close firmly at 4:00 pmas traffic switches to outbound-only, and entry is not guaranteed past 3:00 pm.
- Road Closures to Avoid: Non-event traffic should entirely avoid the N52 between Tullamore and Birr, as well as all minor roads feeding into Mucklagh village and Screggan, which are completely restricted.
- Parking Trick: When you park in your designated coloured lot, drop a digital pin on your smartphone maps app or take a photo of the nearest parking sector sign (which feature unique numbers or animal symbols). Fields look identical when leaving in the evening dark.
- Tickets & Prep: Have your admission ticket printed out or a screenshot of the barcode saved to your phone photos before arriving at the gate. Mobile coverage can drop significantly on-site due to the high density of crowds. Bring waterproof footwear (wellies) as weather fronts are expected to keep the fields damp.
Official Garda coded routes
Gardaí have established a comprehensive traffic plan dividing the country into specific arrival corridors. Match your starting point to your designated colour: [
- Green Route (West / Galway): Exit the M6 motorway at Junction 6 (Horseleap/Clara), head towards Moate, and follow signs via Ballycumber and Rahan.
- Purple Route (Dublin / East): Travel via the M4/M6 corridors.
- Pink Route (North / Mullingar): Travel via the N52 towards Tyrrellspass, divert through Kilbeggan and Clara, and approach via Coolnahiley.
- Blue Route (Cork / Munster): Exit the M8 motorway at Junction 6 (Horse & Jockey) towards Thurles, then take the N62 through Templemore and Roscrea to Birr, joining the N52 North.
- Grey Route (Kilkenny / Southeast): Travel North on the N77 through Durrow to Portlaoise, take the N80 to Mountmellick, and divert through Rosenallis and Clonaslee.
- Brown Route (Limerick / Kerry): Approach via Junction 26 on the M7.
- Yellow Route (Carlow / Southeast): Travel via the N80 corridor.
- Orange Route (Kildare): Travel via Junction 15 on the M7 (Emo).
Public transport &shuttles
To avoid driving entirely, utilizing the rail network paired with local shuttle buses is highly recommended:
- Trains: Iarnród Éireann services are running but are extremely busy, with many trains already sold out. Online pre-booking is mandatory to guarantee travel on InterCity routes today.
- Shuttle Buses: Bus Éireann is operating dedicated cash/fare shuttle links directly to the Screggan gates from both Tullamore Train Station and Portarlington Train Station. Buses are timed to closely align with arriving and departing trains.
