List of 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 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 could cross the railway at a shallow angle - a "cover only" tunnel. Where the North Dublin Link Railway passes under the Royal Canal and the Liffey Line, the railway is in essence in two cut-and-cover tunnels.
Railway
Operational
- Bray Head Tunnel No. 1
- Bray Head Tunnel No. 2
- Bray Head Tunnel No. 3
- Bray Head Tunnel No. 4
- Castlerock
- Cork
- Cross Gunns
- Downhill
- Enniscorthy
- Ferrycarrig
- Killurin
- Lisburn Road, Belfast
- Phoenix Park
- Rathdrum No. 1
- Rathdrum No. 2
- Rathdrum No. 3
- Snow Hill
- Sorrento Tunnel, Dalkey
- Whitehead
Proposed
- DART Underground, Dublin. Spencer Dock to Inchicore - dual bored tunnel.
- 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.
Closed
- Barnagh
- Brabazon Tunnel
- Drung Hill No. 1
- Drung Hill No. 2
- Dungannon
- Durrow
- Cork, Albert Quay. )Demolished. aka High street tunnel.
- Cork, Passage West Tunnel
- Corrib Tunnel, Aghoose - Glenagad Co. Mayo. Built for the housing of the offshore Corrib gas pipeline and associated services, backfilled upon completion, ran a locomotive on narrow gauge track,
- Gogginshill
- James's Street, Dublin
- Kilpatrick
- Lisummon
- Loughgilly
- Mount Elliot
- Newport No. 1
- Newport No. 2
- Prospect Hill, Galway
- Queen's Bridge
Other
- Hodgson's Tunnel, Avoca, County Wicklow
- Keady
Canal
- Monaghan
Drainage
Several large diameter drainage tunnels exist:Dublin:
- Dún Laoghaire - Poolbeg
- Drimnagh - Poolbeg, along the Grand Canal
- Sutton - Poolbeg
- Kilkenny Main Drainage Tunnel
Utilities
- Liffey Service Tunnel, Dublin
- Binnian Tunnel, Co. Down
Other
- Ballymore Lower, Donegal - On N56 near Dunfanaghy
- James's Street, Dublin
- Lough Key Forest Park
- Esso N4 at Mullingar, tunnel links two service stations either side of the dual carriageway, now closed due to lack of planning permission.
- Crumlin Road, Belfast