15 routes around the Dundalk test centre in Co. Louth, 10 of them recorded on real driving tests. Drive them with spoken turn-by-turn guidance, and hear the tricky spots before you reach them.
Free to download. A Centre Pass unlocks every Dundalk route from €9.99: a one-time payment that runs from the day you buy it, so buy it close to your test. Independent app, not run or approved by the RSA.
The places learners who tested here talk about most, and what they advise. Advice sometimes differs: road markings and your instructor have the final word.
One learner who failed in Dundalk was marked for waiting too long instead of moving into a yellow box to turn right out of a housing estate onto a busy road. Replies, including an instructor, explain that you may wait in a yellow box when turning right as long as you do not block the junction, and two others say a similar situation cost them their test. Another learner says they stopped in a yellow box by mistake.
Learners often name a housing estate beside the fire station as the place they did the turnabout, and one did the reverse around the corner there too. These accounts are from mid 2025 to October 2026.
Learners name the town centre streets as the hardest part: Clanbrassil Street, Roden Place and the Long Walk are busy, with pedestrians stepping out and two lanes where you may need to change lane. They advise spotting pedestrians early and reacting calmly. One learner also asks how to handle the pedestrian lights off Clanbrassil Street towards Roden Place.
Roadworks around Bridge Street and Hill Street come up repeatedly, and one learner advises knowing how the current layout works because you may pass through more than once. In mid 2026 learners mention a closure and extra traffic there. Another learner names the junction off the Newry Bridge as their biggest worry.
Several learners did the reverse around the corner in the Greenacres estate, and one did the turnabout there as well. One reached it straight after the busy town centre streets of Clanbrassil Street and Roden Place.
Two learners describe faults straight out of the centre: one was marked for waiting on a slow, distant car before turning left, and another warns that several candidates often leave at the same time, so watch for others pulling out. These posts are from late 2024 and early 2025.
Learners say Dundalk routes vary between the busy town centre and the outskirts, such as the Racecourse Road, the Marshes and the bypass, with most driving at 50 to 60 km/h. In town they stress watching for pedestrians and cyclists.
How many of the 15 routes use each road. The roads near the top are the ones to know well.
Distinct places across all 15 routes, and what the tester watches for at each.
Scan the footpaths early and be ready to stop.
Filter arrows and yellow boxes: never enter a box you cannot clear.
A full stop at the line every time, even when the road is clear.
Testers mark speeding and driving too slowly for the road.
Lane choice by exit, a signal on approach where needed, and a left signal after the exit before yours.
Slow, look, and go only when it is safe: no rolling guess.
Treat it like a full roundabout: observation, yield to the right, signal.
30, 50, 60, 80, 100 km/h. Know the default for each road type in speed limits, and every sign in Irish road signs.
Worked out from the Dundalk routes themselves.
The Dundalk routes pass 19 different roundabouts. Know which lane each exit needs before you get there; signs and road markings beat the shape of the roundabout.
Read the guideSome Dundalk routes reach 80 and 100 km/h roads. Build up to a safe speed that suits the road: hesitancy and holding back are marked too.
Read the guideThere are 30 places where the limit changes. Watch for the signs, and settle at the new limit promptly.
41 sets of traffic lights across the routes. Practise right turns at lights and the yellow box rule.
Read the guide37 STOP signs across the routes. Rolling through one is a common fault; stop at the line, then creep and look.
Turas marks the likely spot for each manoeuvre on every route: quiet side roads, straight stretches and hills. Across the Dundalk routes:
Works with CarPlay. Mount your phone; never hold it while driving.
10 of the 15 Dundalk routes were recorded on real driving tests; the rest are practice routes on the same roads. Each is matched to the OpenStreetMap road network, and learners' shared drives are checked every week for changes. Last updated 30 October 2026. The tester still chooses the route on the day. How test routes work.
Pass rate: 56.9% in 2022 (national 53.2%). That is the RSA's latest table by centre, so treat it as a rough guide. Most fails come from things you can practise: observation, progress and lane choice. All centres.
Waiting time: about 11 weeks until you are invited to book a test, at the end of September 2026 (national average 11.9 weeks). All centres.
Addresses from the RSA's list of test centres; waiting time from RSA figures published by the CSO. Your appointment letter has the final word.
With about 11 weeks to wait at Dundalk, apply on MyRoadSafety as soon as your EDT lessons are uploaded, and use the wait: learn the road signs and Rules of the Road questions the tester asks first, and drive with your accompanying driver.
Turas: Driving Test Routes for iPhone. Spoken turn-by-turn guidance on the routes around your centre, with the tricky spots called out before you reach them.
