N8 road (Ireland)

N8 road shield}}
N8 road
Bóthar N8
Route information
Part of E201
Length177 km (110 mi)
Location
CountryIreland
Primary
destinations
(bypassed routes in italics)
Highway system

The N8 road is a national primary road in Ireland, connecting Cork with Dublin via the M7. The N8 is further classified by the United Nations as the entirety of the (partially signed) European route E 201 (formerly E200), part of the trans-Europe International E-road network.[1] The road is motorway standard from junction 19 on the M7 to the Dunkettle interchange in Cork City and is designated as the M8 motorway. From here the route continues into Cork city centre and terminates at the N22 road at St. Patrick's Street. The M8 motorway was completed in May 2010, replacing the single carriageway sections of the old N8 and bypassing towns on the main Cork to Dublin road. It is now possible to travel from Cork to Dublin on the M/N8 in about 2 hours 30 minutes. The route commences just south of Portlaoise, and reaches Cork via the midlands and the Golden Vale, through counties Laois, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Limerick and Cork.