Motorists in Cork lodged almost three times more pothole-related complaints than drivers in any other Irish county over the past three years, reports Breaking News.
According to newly released data obtained by Newstalk through the Freedom of Information Act, Cork City and County Councils received over 14,000 complaints about potholes in the past three years.
Dublin ranks second, with its four local authorities handling more than 5,000 complaints from frustrated road users, reports Breaking News.
Kerry follows in third with nearly 4,500 reports, Limerick is fourth with 4,232, and Meath completes the top five with 3,366 complaints.
The data shows a significant rise in pothole complaints nationwide over the three years, with numbers increasing by over 92 per cent—from 10,212 in 2022 to 19,618 in 2024, reports Breaking News.
Speaking to Newstalk, Cork City Councillor John Maher described some of the county’s roads as “like walking on the moon”.
“That’s how bad it is,” he said. “Number one, the problem is that the local authorities across the country are not funded adequately to address the issues that we face in 2025, reports Breaking News.
“Secondly, the amount of work being carried out by utility companies and the roads not being restored to a proper standard, in my experience in Cork City Council has been another factor that has led to the bad quality and the potholes on our roads.”
The statistics reveal that Cork saw just over 24 complaints per 1,000 residents during the period—seven times the figure for Dublin and more than double the national average, reports Breaking News.
However, on a per capita basis, two counties reported even higher levels of complaints than Cork.
Kerry came in second with slightly more than 28 complaints per 1,000 people, while Roscommon topped the list with 33.6 complaints per 1,000, reports Breaking News.
Kildare residents were the least likely to file complaints, registering just 0.4 per 1,000—26.5 times below the national average.
The bottom five also included Donegal, despite the fact that it has the third-longest road network in Ireland, reports Breaking News.
Donegal had only 3.12 complaints per 1,000 people, even though its road system spans around 6,500km—trailing only Cork (over 12,000km) and Galway (nearly 7,000km).
Cork drivers also received significantly more in compensation for pothole damage than motorists in any other county between 2022 and 2024, reports Breaking News.
Over the three years, 1,283 drivers in Cork were awarded a combined €283,465—more than double the €116,222 received by 469 claimants in Meath, which was in second place.
That amount is also 2.75 times higher than the €102,722 paid to 286 drivers in Dublin, reports Breaking News.
This equates to about €485 in compensation for every 1,000 people in Cork during the period—almost seven times the €70 per 1,000 people paid out in Dublin.
Nationwide, pothole damage payouts more than doubled between 2022 and 2024—rising by 105 per cent from €191,038 to €392,572.
At the same time, the number of claims settled rose by 125 per cent, increasing from 839 to 1,890, reports Breaking News.
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