Transport Rail North Offaly is well served by rail transport. Railway stations are located at
Tullamore and
Clara. With 539,240 passengers using the two Offaly-based stations in 2024, the county comprises over 1% of Ireland's total rail passenger numbers, which were 50.7m that year. Both stations are on the main
Dublin–Westport/Galway railway line with regular trains serving the area, especially for
Dublin commuters.
Portarlington railway station is located just over the
County Laois border and is in a catchment area for the southeast of the county. Portarlington railway station is on the main
Dublin–Cork railway line with regular commuter services to
Heuston Station, Dublin and intercity services to
Cork,
Limerick,
Killarney and
Tralee. The southern and western baronies of Garrycastle, Ballyboy, Eglish, Ballybritt, and Clonlisk have no train stations. The majority of the baronies of Eglish and Ballybritt have a more than 25-minute drive to the nearest train station, be it Clara, Tullamore, or Ballybrophy in neighbouring Laois. The
Limerick-Ballybrophy railway line travels through the south of the county, which has no railway stations. The nearest are at
Cloughjordan and
Roscrea, both just outside the county boundary. A railway line from Birr connected to the line at Roscrea until it was closed in the 1960s. A controversial railway line also connected Birr to
Portumna between 1868 and 1878 and became something of a folk legend.
Road Three main national secondary routes pass through the county. The
N52 road passes from
Kilbeggan to Tullamore and Birr which then continues to
Nenagh where it intersects with the
M7. The
N62 from
Athlone passes through
Ferbane and Birr and continues onto
Roscrea and
Thurles. The
N80 route starts in Tullamore and continues to the southeast passing through
Portlaoise and
Carlow. There are no main national primary routes in the county; the
M6 skirts it to the north and the M7 to the south through
Moneygall. Road infrastructure has improved with the completion of the Tullamore bypass in 2009 and improved access to regional cities following the completion of the intercity motorway network.
Bus Bus Éireann provide public transport services throughout the county with regular bus services to
Limerick and
Waterford from Athlone bus station. Other private bus coach services provide direct bus services from Birr to
Dublin such as Kearns bus service which run several services daily. Slieve Bloom Coaches run services from Tullamore and Portarlington to Dublin.
Waterway The
Grand Canal connecting Dublin to the river Shannon was constructed through the towns of Edenderry and Tullamore and joins the Shannon at
Shannon Harbour. Traditionally this was an important route for transport, communication and trade between Dublin, Limerick and the midlands of Ireland. The route fell into decline as road transport became more popular. Much of the route is now used for
boating and leisure activities.
Media Radio Midlands 103 (originally Midlands Radio 3) which broadcasts to Laois, Offaly, and Westmeath is based in Tullamore and has studios across the Midlands. RTÉ's medium-wave
transmitter broadcasting
RTÉ Radio 1 was also located in Tullamore but transmission stopped in 2008.
Print A number of local newspapers are published in Offaly. The
Offaly Independent and
Tullamore Tribune are based in Tullamore. The
Midland Tribune, based in Birr, covers local news in the west and south of the county as well as parts of northern Tipperary including the towns of Birr,
Roscrea and
Nenagh and surrounding areas. The
Offaly Express was a former newspaper based in Tullamore. It closed down in July 2012 after 29 years in operation. It is now an online news platform for the county. ==Sport==