N30

Coolamurray townland, County Wexford

The N30 is an important link road between Enniscorthy and New Ross in County Wexford in the south-east of Ireland. While it originally ran between the centres of these two towns to connect the N11 with the N25, the opening of new dualled bypasses at each end have seen it extended to reach the recent M11 at its eastern extreme, and the even-more-recent New Ross Bypass at its western terminus. Throughout its existence, the N30 has enabled traffic between these two major routes to avoid Wexford.

Route

The N30 begins on the M11 at Junction 11, a traditional roundabout interchange above the motorway. It bypasses the town of Enniscorthy by crossing the River Slaney and initially pursuing a northerly course, to meet the N80 and the former N11 (now numbered R772) at a kind of 'double roundabout'. This first section of the road is a brand-new dual carriageway, opened in July 2019. From the 'double roundabout', through which the N30 passes via an extremely short section of S4, the route turns abruptly towards the south-west, almost doubling back on itself to skirt around the town. From this point onwards it is a new but conventional Irish S2 carriageway with hard shoulders. At a roundabout towards the end of the bypass it meets the R702, which heads cross-country towards Kilkenny. The N30 then bridges the River Urrin via a new crossing, before rejoining its old course at a roundabout.

The N30 heads westwards, continuing as a wide S2, past The Leap and Ballybane towards the River Boro. By the time it reaches the R730, which multiplexes with our route for a very short distance, the road has slimmed down to lose its hard shoulders. To the north the R730 heads to Kiltealy, while to the south it follows the Urrin to reach Wexford. The N30 continues across the Boro, releasing the R735 from a T-junction to left to head south through Adamstown to the N25.

Our route then passes through Clonroche, a sprawling village of the kind often found in Ireland, featuring a very long main street with a variety of services dotted along it. Beyond Clonroche the N30 is lined by trees for a while, and crosses the River Aughnacrow, before arriving near New Ross. On approaching the town, the road widens to take on hard shoulders again, and it diverges from its original route onto the New Ross Bypass. This is a wide S2 as far as the Corcoran's Cross Roundabout, from which the former N30 continues into New Ross along what is now the R729. The N30 has been diverted away from the town along a brand-new dual-carriageway, very similar to that at the start of its itinerary, heading south to meet the N25.

History

What is now the N30 was originally mostly part of the T7 route from Dublin to Waterford (which also used parts of the N11 and N25). Upon the classification of N roads in 1977, it became the N79 until upgraded to National Primary status in 1994.

The route in Enniscorthy originally started in the characterful town centre, where the old N11 ran through an interesting one-way system straddling the River Slaney. The N30 began by running directly off the N11 after the Seamus Rafter Bridge, and through Abbey Square before turning left and following the west bank of the river, along Mill Park Road and Saint Johns Road. The route bridged the River Urrin close to its convergence with the Slaney, and headed for the country along Mill Road. This route is now numbered R744.

At the other end, the N30 originally ran into New Ross on what's now the R729, the R714, and the R700. On its approach to the town centre, the N30 ran alongside the east bank of the river along Craywell Road, before terminating on the old route of the N25 via a 'reverse one-way system', next to the O'Hanrahan Bridge.