Gardaí Arrest 56 Drivers and Clock Speeds Over 130km/h in St Patrick's Weekend Crackdown
A driver was clocked at 85km/h in a 50km/h zone on the R617 in Tower, Co. Cork during the Garda St Patrick's Weekend Roads Policing Operation.
An Garda Síochána has reported significant enforcement activity in the opening days of its St Patrick's Bank Holiday Weekend Roads Policing Operation, with 56 people arrested for drink or drug driving and more than 1,450 speeding offences detected in the first 48 hours alone.
The operation, which runs from 7:00am on Thursday, 12 March 2026 until 7:00am on Wednesday, 18 March 2026, involves both Mandatory Intoxicant Testing (MIT) checkpoints and high-visibility policing across the country.
Among the notable speeds recorded on Friday, 13 March were a driver travelling at 85km/h in a 50km/h zone on the R617 in Kilnamucky, Tower, Co. Cork; 91km/h in a 60km/h zone on the Rathdown Road in Greystones, Co. Wicklow; 124km/h in an 80km/h zone on the R178 in Redbog, Dundalk, Co. Louth; and 138km/h in a 100km/h zone on the N18 at Ballinacurra (Weston), Co. Limerick.
Over 120 drivers were also detected using a mobile phone at the wheel or failing to wear a seatbelt during the same 48-hour period.
Gardaí are urging all road users to plan a safe way home if socialising over the coming days and to give their full attention to driving. The message is simple: slow down, stay sober, and put the phone away.
All figures are provisional, operational, and subject to change.