The route for the 71st edition of Rás Tailteann has been confirmed.
The race will take place from 20-24 May and will start in Portlaoise. It will head south-west to finish in the Limerick town of Kilmallock.
Stage two will see a transfer to Rathmore, County Kerry, taking in Kenmare, West Cork, the Tunnel Road / Caha Pass, Glengarriff and Gougane Gap before finishing in the Rás stronghold of Banteer in the rebel county.
Another transfer brings the race to Mitchelstown for the start of stage three.
A fast and technical stage will traverse into Wexford, finishing with an uphill drag into Enniscorthy.
Stage four sees Rás Tailteann return to the Wicklow Mountains for the first time in eight years, starting in Carlow and finishing in Baltinglass.
The final stage will again start in Carlow, before crossing the plains of Carlow and Kildare, including the Category 3 Hill of Allen, and finishing in Dunboyne, Co Meath, where three laps of a testing finishing circuit will decide both the stage winner and the overall champion.
The 2026 edition of the race is again five stages and will cover 785 kilometres along the roads of Ireland, including 21 categorised climbs.
Race director Ger Campbell said: "We are really excited to release the route for the 71st edition of Rás Tailteann.
"Each year we try to strike a balance between tradition and innovation and I feel the 2026 route does that very well. We are returning to some great Rás towns while also bringing the race back to areas that have produced unforgettable stages in the past, particularly in Wicklow.
"Rás Tailteann is a very special event in Irish sport and we look forward to welcoming teams, supporters and communities from all over Ireland and beyond."
