Direction
M50
Dublin
Airport
Direction
Green signs for motorways and national roads. They give the destinations and the distance.
Signage
Road signs: how to read them
Ireland's system of signage is based on international signs, with some local variations. You can tell at a glance what is being said if you understand the categories.
Guide
Published 2 June 2026
Updated 27 September 2026
≈ 3 minute read
Signs at a junction. Amakuru (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Four kinds
The kind of sign is the first thing you look at, before you read the text. Colour and shape tell you something even before you are able to read the word.
Warning
▲
50
—
Warning
Warning signs for hazards: speed, a bend, a bridge or a change in the road.
Control
STOP
⨯
—
Control
Control signs that impose an obligation or a prohibition.
Information
i
P
→
Information
Information signs for amenities, parking or services near the road.
These are schematic examples, given to explain the category. They should not be used as signs in themselves.
What most often goes wrong is that people try to read the whole sign. It is better to look first at the nearest destination, and then at the category. The rest of the signs are there to help other people.
On a motorway, the first sign comes before the junction and then another comes at the junction itself. You will often have to use the first one to choose your lane.
How the signs reach you
A single sign does not arrive on its own. Signs come in a sequence, and every stage of that sequence has a purpose. If you understand the sequence, you will not need to read the first one in full.
Stage 1
The advance warning
A sign arrives telling you that the junction is coming. This is the one you should look at properly, because you still have time.
Stage 2
The decision
A nearer sign arrives showing the lanes. This is the point at which you choose your lane and stop thinking about the other options.
Stage 3
The confirmation
A sign arrives at the junction itself confirming the choice. If you have got it right, there is little to do but carry on.
The most important thing about the sequence is that the decision is made before you reach the junction. If you are still weighing up the choice at the junction itself, you are late. That is why the first sign is there.
On roads that are not motorways, the sequences are shorter and less regular. It becomes all the more important to look early.
Three things to practise
Read the shape
A circle with a red border — prohibition. A triangle — warning. A rectangle — information.
Read the destination
You need not read every line. Find the destination nearest to you.
Check the distance
If there is a distance on the sign, use it to plan your speed.
This is not driving advice
The aim of this page is to describe the kinds of signage that exist. Always follow the signs themselves and the official instructions.
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