O’Hanrahan Bridge in New Ross crosses the River Barrow near the border between County Kilkenny and County Wexford. It is named after Michael O’Hanrahan, an Irish rebel executed for his role in the 1916 Easter Rising.
The bridge formerly carried the N25 route between Cork and Rosslare Europort. Following the opening of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge in 2020, it was downgraded and reclassified as part of the R723 regional road.
Several bridges have served this crossing since the establishment of New Ross in the 13th century. Anglo-Norman statesman William Marshal built the first around 1207. A bridge constructed in 1460 was destroyed in 1643, and Cromwell’s forces built a pontoon bridge in 1649.
Lemuel Cox built a wooden bridge in 1796. A flood and a great flow of ice washed it away on 19 January 1867.
Samuel Roberts designed a cast-iron bridge that replaced it, opening in 1869 at a cost of £37,000.
By the 1950s, concerns had emerged about the bridge’s condition. Wexford County Council had previously decided to temporarily increase the maximum weight per vehicle from 10 tonnes to 15 tonnes. After the trial period ended, a consultant engineer discovered that the bridge was in poor condition and needed reconstruction. The council immediately forwarded the engineer’s report to the Department of Local Government. At a meeting on 7 September 1959, councillors heard that the existing cast-iron bridge was suffering from significant corrosion.
O’Hanrahan Bridge replaced Roberts’ bridge in 1967. It opened on 27 February 1967 and originally formed part of the N25 national primary road from County Cork to Rosslare Europort.
The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge, which opened on 30 January 2020, is the most recent addition to the area. At 887 metres, it is Ireland’s longest bridge and now carries the N25, bypassing New Ross.
The new bridge crosses the River Barrow approximately 7 km south of the town centre.
Map
A map highlighting the two bridges: