Tunnels in Ireland

Most of Ireland's tunnels date from the 19th century in the building of the railways, typically excavated through rock by blasting and then hand excavation.

The more modern tunnels include the longer road tunnels and utility tunnels, constructed from approximately 1940 to date, using a variety of tunnelling methods.

Historically, a number of country estates had tunnels, both to provide privacy (and means of escape!) and to keep the views from the house clear of servants and labourers. Stone and brick built sewers are often mistaken for "tunnels", in particular in central Dublin.

There are a number of pseudo tunnels. For example, at Dunkettle in Cork, to construct the interchange at the north end of the Jack Lynch Tunnel, a section of railway approximately 100 m long was covered so that the N25 (now part of the N8) could cross the railway at a shallow angle - a "cover only" tunnel. Where the North Dublin Link Railway (Great Southern & Western Railway) passes under the Royal Canal and the Liffey Line (Midland and Great Western Railway), the railway is in essence in two cut-and-cover tunnels.

Canal

*Monaghan

Railway (Operational)

*Bray Head Tunnel No. 1 (Connolly Station, Dublin to Rosslare Europort - 300 yards)
*Bray Head Tunnel No. 2 (Connolly Station, Dublin to Rosslare Europort - 143 yards)
*Bray Head Tunnel No. 3 (Connolly Station, Dublin to Rosslare Europort - 210 yards)
*Bray Head Tunnel No. 4 (Connolly Station, Dublin to Rosslare Europort - 1,084 yards)
*Castlerock (Coleraine to Derry - 667 yards)
*Cork (Heuston Station, Dublin to Cork Kent Station - 1,355 yards)
*Cross Gunns (Liffey Junction to North Wall (MGWR) - 177 yards)
*Downhill (Coleraine to Derry - 301 yards)
*Enniscorthy (Connolly Station, Dublin to Rosslare Europort - 405 yards)
*Ferrycarrig (Connolly Station, Dublin to Rosslare Europort - 296 yards)
*Killurin (Connolly Station, Dublin to Rosslare Europort - 89 yards)
*Lisburn Road, Belfast (Belfast Central Junction to Belfast Central - 107 yards)
*Phoenix Park (Islandbridge Junction to Glasnevin Junction - 757 yards)
*Rathdrum No. 1 (Connolly Station, Dublin to Rosslare Europort - 190 yards)
*Rathdrum No. 2 (Connolly Station, Dublin to Rosslare Europort - 25 yards)
*Rathdrum No. 3 (Connolly Station, Dublin to Rosslare Europort - 50 yards)
*Snow Hill (Waterford to Rosslare Strand - 217 yards)
*Sorrento Tunnel, Dalkey (Connolly Station, Dublin to Rosslare Europort - 160 yards)
* Whitehead (Belfast Central to Larne Harbour - 157 yards (Down line only))

Railway (Proposed)

*Interconnector, Dublin - DART underground. Spencer Dock to Islandbridge - dual bored tunel.
*Metro North, Dublin. St. Stephen's Green to Ballymun dual bored and twin cut and cover tunnel.
*Metro North, Dublin. Dublin Airport - dual bored tunnel.
*Metro North, Dublin. Fosterstown Underpass - short twin cut and cover tunnel.
*Irish Sea Tunnel - hypothetical.

Railway (Closed)

*Barnagh (Ballingrane Junction to Tralee - 100 yards)
*Brabazon Tunnel (Connolly Station, Dublin to Rosslare Europort - ?? yards, bypassed by Bray Head No. 1)
*Drung Hill No. 1 (Farranfore to Valentia Harbour - 120 yards)
*Drung Hill No. 2 (Farranfore to Valentia Harbour - 91 yards)
*Dungannon (Portadown to Dungannon - 814 yards)
*Durrow (Waterford to Dungarvan - 434 yards)
*Gogginshill (Ballinhassig) (Cork to Bandon - 906 yards)
*James Street, Dublin (Guinness internal railway)
*Kilpatrick (Innishannon) (Cork to Bandon - 133 yards)
*Lisummon (Newry to Armagh - 1759 yards)
*Loughgilly (Newry to Armagh - 365 yards)
*Mount Elliot (Macmine Junction to New Ross - 748 yards)
*Newport No. 1 (Westport to Achill - 88 yards)
*Newport No. 2 (Westport to Achill - 133 yards)
*Passage (Cork to Passage - convert|535|yd - only narrow gauge rail tunnel)
*Prospect Hill, Galway (Galway to Clifden - 89 yards)
*Queen's Bridge (Belfast East Bridge Street Junction to Dufferin Dock Junction - 131 yards)

Railway (Other)

*Hodgson's Tunnel, Avoca, Co. Wicklow (Mineral tramway)
*Keady (Never used, built for Ulster & Connaught Light Railway)

Road

*Jack Lynch Tunnel, Cork
*Dublin Port Tunnel
*Limerick Tunnel, N18 Limerick (under construction)
*Moll's Gap Tunnel, N71 Kerry
*Turners Rock Tunnels (4 - No.1 main, No. 2 & 3 twin short tunnels and short No. 4 tunnel), N71 Cork-Kerry border (Glengarriff - Kenmare)
*Carrignamuck Tunnel, Cork-Kerry border (Bantry - Kilgarvan)
*Drummartin Tunnel, Eastern Bypass Dublin (proposed)

Drainage

Several large diameter drainage tunnels exist:

Dublin:
*Dun Laoghaire - Poolbeg
*Drimnagh - Poolbeg, along the Grand Canal
*Sutton - Poolbeg

Utilities

*Liffey Service Tunnel, Dublin

Other

* Ballymore Lower, Donegal (access tunnel to house) - On N56 near Dunfanaghy
* James Street, Dublin (pedestrian tunnel connecting Guinness plant on either side of street)
* Lough Key Forest Park (tunnel previously part of landed estate)

External links

[http://www.industrialheritageireland.info/railways/interest/keady.htm Keady Tunnel and Viaduct]

[http://www.dublinmetronorth.ie/ Dublin Metro North]