Thinking of touring Ireland on your bike? You’d better make sure you're fully fuelled in every sense, as one of Ireland's major motorways lacks any form of service station, due to a lack of Government funds.Citing a lack of money for the reason no new services will be built along the 155-mile stretch that connects Dublin and Cork, the National Roads Authority (NRA) is now putting up the signs warning of no 'online' services ahead, and instead directing motorists to petrol stations in nearby towns.   'It's important to let people know what's there and what is not there,' a spokesman for the NRA told the Irish Independent newspaper.The AA motoring group has branded the situation 'unacceptable'. Conor Faughnan, AA director of policy, told RTE radio: 'It's a pretty poor half measure in all honesty, it does rather devalue the motorway network.'I guess sign of the times; they are pleading that they simply don't have the money.'   How long until they make it a toll road?                                                                                                                                                                               

Ireland's motorways are toll roads but you can use bits of them free of charge depending where you get on or off.   Most of Ireland's motorways are what we would class as dual carriageways.                                                                                                                                                                               

  I didn't know that Roachy, ta for the info, I've never been to Ireland.                                                                                                                                                                              

And their motorways do generally have services, although part of the experience is that you drop your trousers, bend over and take one lol!!

Erm ... that's thug talk for they're expensive.                                                                                                                                                                             

Actually, Roachy has just reminded me that where we stopped wasn't a motorway lol!                                                                                                                                                                             

According to Wikipedia, Ireland opened its first services on the M1 on 8th Sept this year with two more under construction.   By 2015, there may be approximately 1090 km of motorway in Ireland, comprising the M50 (49 km), M20 (90 km approx), M18 (70 km approx), M17 (25.5 km), M11 (62 km), M9 (116.5 km), M8 (143 km), M7 (185 km), M6 (144 km), M4 (62 km), M3 (57 km), M2 (13 km), and M1 (83 km).   Ireland doesn't have anywhere near the volume of traffic hence them building mainly 2 lane motorways even in this day - not really sure there's much need for them to be honest.                                                                                                                                                                              

Why would the Government fund a motorway service station? I thought they were all private enterprises?