![](\\" content/themes/factcheckni/assets/img/factcheck-logo.png\\"/) ![](\\" check-white-logo.png\\"/) Search ![](\\" content/themes/factcheckni/assets/img/factcheck-logo-black.svg\\"/) ![](\\" check-white-logo.png\\"/) * Fact Checks * #### Economy Includes home ownership, poverty, and how takes are spent. * #### Education Includes child-care, primary, secondary and tertiary education. * #### Elections Includes party manifestos, hustings, and election processes * #### Environment Includes agriculture, animals, climate change and recycling * #### Europe Includes Brexit, the Irish border, passports, Good Friday Agreement. * #### Health Includes reproductive rights, mental health, nutrition and COVID-19. * #### Law Includes crime statistics, cultural and religious matters. * #### Peace Includes paramilitaries, peace lines, and life after “the Troubles”. View Latest * About Us * Who We Are * Funding * Code of Principles * FAQ * Feedback and Corrections * Independence * Policies * Data Protection Policy * Privacy Policy * Code of Conduct * Process * Researchers * Toolkit * Training * Contact * Request a Fact Check Search Submit a Topic Lights off Lights on Home / **Are there 208 Ireland-Northern Ireland border crossings?** > **Are there 208 Ireland-Northern Ireland border crossings?** # Are there 208 Ireland-Northern Ireland border crossings? 8 June 2018 3 minute read ###### Subject CLAIM: There are 208 border crossings between Ireland and Northern Ireland. ###### Rating UNSUBSTANTIATED It is extremely difficult to accurately establish the exact number of border crossings, as many informal routes have been established since border infrastructure was removed and many are on private land, but the official number of main routes so far identified by the Irish and Northern Ireland governments is 208. UPDATED 11/9/2018 ![\\"\\"](\\" content/uploads/2018/06/crossing-1024x538.png\\") On 26 April 2018, The Irish Times published an article about a joint mapping exercise carried out by the governments on both sides of the Irish border, in an attempt to agree on the numbers of crossings. It reported that officials had identified 208 “roads, paths and dirt tracks”. In March 2018, the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee of the UK government published a report into the land border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. It states: “The land border is 310 miles long with over 200 formal crossing points and probably the same number again of informal crossing points”. The Irish Central Border Area Network (ICBAN) is a partnership of local authorities from both sides of the border. It was established in 1995 to promote cross-border co-operation and communication at a local government level on common regional development concerns. Joanne Breen, executive assistant at ICBAN, said they have previously referenced around 300 crossing points in media and discussions on the subject. A project called Border Roads to Memories and Reconciliation has an interactive website that shows 275 border crossings. The project has been interviewing people on both sides of the border since 2012. It is managed by Latton Resource Centre in Castleblayney in County Monaghan and funded by the European Union’s PEACE III Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body. In 2017, Dr Garrett Carr, a lecturer in the School of Arts, English and Languages at Queen’s University, Belfast, published The Rule of the Land. He wrote this memoir after walking and canoeing the entire border. He also drew maps of the areas he passed through. He was primarily interested in the unofficial improvised crossings. His Map of Connections shows 77 such crossings. He says: “During many surveys I discovered that the Irish border is often perforated. Gates are set in hedgerows for the convenience of farmers, stepping stones and community-built bridges span rivers, walkers’ routes and muddy by-ways go wherever they please. These kinds of connections have always been there, although I think it’s fair to say that their numbers have increased during the peace process.” In response to a question from FactCheckNI, a spokesperson for the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland said: “The Department for Infrastructure has been working with the Department for Transport, Tourism and Sport to carry out a mapping exercise to map exactly where the Northern Ireland road network crosses the border. This work is nearing completion and it is hoped the final report will be published soon. We have identified 208 border crossing points.” NOTES A previous version of this article stated that the Border Roads to Memories and Reconciliation has an interactive website that shows 275 border crossings; the correct figure is 205. Image: Crossing on the ‘back castle road’ near Moiry Castle on the Kilnasaggart Road. (c) Border Roads to Memories and Reconciliation. FactCheckNI is Northern Ireland’s first and only dedicated independent fact- checking service and a verified signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network’s Code of Principles. You can learn more about about FactCheckNI, our personnel, what our article verdicts mean, and how to submit a claim. Back to top Share Tags * agriculture * Brexit * immigration * travel ## Read next ![\\"\\"](\\" excess-260x160.png\\") Articles | Economy | Europe | Health ##### Are a significant number of health workers in Northern Ireland not originally from here? 5 September 2024 CLAIM: Almost 12,000 immigrants work in the NI health and social care system. In the two years prior to 2023, over 40% of the nurse graduates recruited by the Belfast Trust were from abroad. ###### Rating ACCURATE On 12 August, the Alliance Party published an “evidence paper” around immigration into Northern Ireland, which claimed: “…nearly 12,000 [immigrants] work in the Health and ![\\"\\"](\\" content/uploads/2022/05/Untitled-1200-×-630px-12-260x160.png\\") Articles | Economy | Law ##### Has the Justice budget grown much less than broader public spending? 30 August 2024 CLAIM: The Northern Ireland block grant has increased by 53% in the past 13 years, but the Department of Justice’s budget has only grown by 13% in that time. ###### Rating ACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION On 8 August during an emergency recall debate about racism and violent protests, Justice Minister Naomi Long claimed: “As I have said many times, policing ![\\"\\"](\\" Lockdown-260x160.png\\") Articles | Economy | Law | Peace ##### What is the scale of immigration into NI? 20 August 2024 CLAIMS: TUV MLA Timothy Gaston claimed that, in the year ending mid-2022, Northern Ireland had a net inward international migration of over 5,000 people. The Alliance Party claimed that, in the same period, net migration was just over 2,300 people. ###### Rating BOTH ACCURATE On 8 August during an emergency recall debate about racism and violent protests, TUV MLA Timothy Gaston claimed: “I have repeatedly heard it claimed that ### Newsletter sign up Keep up with the latest from FactCheckNI with our email newsletter. We’ll only send you the good stuff. We’ll never spam you. We’ll never share you email address. Full name Email I agree to the terms and conditions outlined in the privacy policy I agree to the terms and conditions outlined in the privacy policy CAPTCHA Phone This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. #### Topics * Economy * Education * Elections * Environment * Europe * Health * Law * Peace #### FactCheck NI * About Us * The Team * Funding * Contact Us * News #### Governance * Code of Principles * Process © 2024 FactCheckNI. All rights reserved * Data Protection * Privacy Policy * Cookies * Sitemap ![](\\" check-white-logo.png\\"/) ![](\\" content/themes/factcheckni/assets/img/ifcn-logo.svg\\"/) ![](\\" content/themes/factcheckni/assets/img/twitter-red.svg\\"/) ![](\\" content/themes/factcheckni/assets/img/linkedin-red.svg\\"/) ![](\\" content/themes/factcheckni/assets/img/facebook-red.svg\\"/) ![](\\" content/themes/factcheckni/assets/img/instagram.svg\\"/) web design and web development by We Are Wibble Notifications
There are 208 border crossings between Ireland and Northern Ireland