Road Network Seanad Éireann — 2026-01-20 ============================================================ Seán Kyne (FG), Cultural and Educational Panel The Minister of State is welcome. I thank the Cathaoirleach's office for choosing this Commencement matter, which relates to the N59 in Connemara, County Galway. The Minister of State is very fond of Connemara, Clifden and Ballyconneely. It is a very special place but it is obviously also a place where people live. It is not just for tourists or visitors. It is a community for people in the area and we are very proud of that area. We have seen some very welcome progress on the N59 over the last number of years. They Moycullen bypass, which was opened by the then Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, in 2023, has reduced journey times, especially in the evenings, from Galway city out to the far side of Moycullen through Oughterard, Roscahill and on to Clifden. The section from Maam Cross to Bunnakill was carried out in 2020 to 2021 and I was hugely involved in advocating for the funding to be delivered for this 5 km section of road. This project was progressed during that period and is now complete. It is of a very high standard. It is very driveable, if I can use that phrase, and there has been a great improvement in sight-lines, safety and overtaking opportunities. It is a very much improved section of road. We would like to see the whole N59 brought to that standard. The next stage for which planning permission has been received is the section from Bunnakill to Claremount towards Oughterard. This section needs to be progressed. There has been a lot of back-and-forth with the National Parks and Wildlife Service over the original planning application, which required the NPWS to have input in relation to approving different stages and method statements. Galway County Council wrote to the NPWS in 2024, basically confirming its support for an amendment from the county council in relation to these method statements. That has been welcomed and allows matters to progress. We are at the stage where funding is needed to allow this project to progress. We need to see funding to do at least the next 5 km and, after that, for another 5 km into Oughterard. Does the Minister of State have an update on progress from his Department and Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII? Is é an N59 an príomhbhóthar ó chathair na Gaillimhe go dtí an Clochán trí Uachtar Aird. Rinneadh obair in 2020 agus 2021 ar chuid den bhóthar idir an Teach Dóite agus Bun an Choill. Táimid ag iarraidh, mar atá muintir na háite, ar an Roinn Iompair agus ar Bonneagar Iompair Éireann an chéad phíosa eile a dhéanamh ar an N59 idir Bun an Choill agus Claremont, Uachtar Aird. Tá an bóthair seo go dona. Tá sé cúng, casta agus tá deacrachtaí ag caranna dul thar a chéile. The Minister of State has a huge interest in road safety. As we know, road improvements are not just about getting people from one place to another faster. Actually, that is not one of the most important things. The safety of all road users, the driveability of the road and comfort are as important as getting people from A to B quickly. I hope the Minister of State has good news regarding the N59. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-01-20/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:31+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-01-20