N80 speed camera has racked up 15,000 fines
The speed camera on the N80 at Graiguenaspiddoge issued the second-highest number of fines in the country
A SPEED camera on the N80 in Carlow has resulted in over 15,000 fines in the first 12 months since its installation.
The static speed camera on the N80 at Graiguenaspiddoge was first installed in May 2025, and during its first year 15,880 fines were issued, resulting in about €2.5 million for the exchequer. The current penalty for being detected driving over the speed limit of 80kph at Graiguenaspiddoge is a fixed-charge notice (FCN), which carries a €160 fine and three penalty points.
The figures were released to Labour TD for Wexford George Lawlor by the Department of Justice following a parliamentary question in the Dáil.
The figures show the speed camera’s detections led to the second-highest number of fines from any speed camera in the country. The camera on the N25 near Glenmore in Kilkenny topped the list with a whopping 30,599 fines, while the next highest after Graiguenaspiddoge was the camera on the N17 in Mayo, resulting in 11,467 fines.
The camera on the N80 was installed on 23 May 2025 near the notorious Leagh Bends stretch of the road, which has been the location of a number of fatal accidents in recent years. Since its installation, hundreds of motorists have appeared in Carlow District Court for failing to pay their FCN within the required timeframe of 56 days, or for contesting the offence.
At the time of the camera’s installation in May 2025, the speed limit on the N80 was 100kph; however, in November 2025, Carlow Co Council passed a vote to reduce the speed limit on the N80 and N81 to 80kph. The new speed limit came into effect on 18 December 2025.
Static cameras measure a vehicle’s speed passing a fixed point and records the instantaneous speed of the vehicle.
Money was set aside in Budget 2025 for the installation of these cameras, with the wider nationwide initiative of automated enforcement of road traffic offences aimed at reducing speeding and improving road safety.
The locations of the static speed cameras were selected based on fatal and serious injury collision data from the last seven years and speed data, as well as feedback from stakeholders.
