Irish road racing 2026: every date and event on the calendar
After years of insurance headaches, cancelled meetings and empty hedgerows, Irish road racing is back in a big way. The 2026 season is one of the most stacked calendars in years – here’s every date you need.
Let’s be honest. The past few years have been rough for Irish road racing. Insurance costs crippled the sport in the Republic, and even north of the border the calendar felt thinner than anyone wanted. But 2026 is different. Eight confirmed national road races, road racing back in the Republic for the first time since 2022, and the Mid Antrim 150 returning to Clough after a four-year absence. This is the season Irish road racing fans have been waiting for.
Here’s the full rundown – every event, every date, no fluff.
Cookstown 100 – 24–25 April 2026
The season opener. The Bear Competitions Cookstown 100 fires things off around the 2.1-mile Orritor course in Co Tyrone, and it’s a fitting way to kick off a big year. The Cookstown has been the traditional curtain-raiser for Irish roads fans for decades, and the 104th anniversary running in 2026 comes with an eighteen-race schedule including the Grand Final Open A race. If you’ve never been, the Orritor circuit is tight, technical, and absolutely unforgiving, exactly how it should be.
Location: Orritor, Cookstown, Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland
North West 200 – 4–9 May 2026
Northern Ireland’s biggest outdoor sporting event. The Triangle circuit between Portrush, Portstewart, and Coleraine is where superbikes hit over 200mph on public roads, and where the crowds come out in their tens of thousands regardless of what the weather decides to do. Race week runs from Monday 4 May through to Saturday 9 May, with practice and qualifying earlier in the week building to the main race days. Alastair Seeley is gunning for a landmark 30th win. Worth being there for that alone.
Location: Triangle Circuit, Portrush/Portstewart/Coleraine, Northern Ireland
Kells Road Races – 20–21 June 2026
Road racing returns to the Republic of Ireland. The Kells club confirmed their dates at Crossakiel in Co Meath, and the significance of that shouldn’t be understated, after three years without a single road race in the south due to insurance problems, having bikes back on those roads matters. The Kells meeting is one of the most popular events on the Irish national circuit, and 2026’s return is going to feel very different from a normal weekend. Expect a serious atmosphere.
Location: Crossakiel, Kells, Co Meath, Republic of Ireland
Tandragee 100 – 26–27 June 2026
Organised by the North Armagh Motorcycle and Car Club, the Tandragee 100 made a successful return in 2025 after a three-year absence and is firmly back on the calendar for 2026. The Statutory Rule from the Department for Infrastructure confirms road closures from Friday 26 June through to Saturday 27 June, with racing on both days. The Tandragee course is fast, flowing, and genuinely spectacular, one of the great spectating venues in Irish road racing. Around A Pound continue as title sponsors for the event.
Location: Tandragee, Co Armagh, Northern Ireland
Skerries 100 – 4–5 July 2026
The Skerries 100 is back. Running on 4–5 July in Co Dublin, the Skerries meeting is one of the most beloved events in the Republic’s road racing calendar, fast, atmospheric, and set against the backdrop of the Co Dublin coastline. Like Kells, it hasn’t run since 2022, and the return is a significant moment for the sport south of the border. Keep an eye on the Loughshinny club for further information as race week approaches.
Location: Skerries, Co Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Faugheen 50 Sprint Weekend – 11–12 July 2026
A word on Faugheen. The Co Tipperary club was planning a full road race in 2026, but after their July dates were taken up by the Walderstown meeting and with the All-Ireland hurling final and World Cup final landing on the same weekend, the club made the call to run a two-day motorcycle sprint instead. It’s not the full road race, but it’s bikes on the roads in Tipperary, and the club has confirmed their commitment to running the full Faugheen 50 in 2027 and beyond, with the 25th anniversary edition planned for 2028. Respect to them for making something happen rather than nothing.
Location: Faugheen, Co Tipperary, Republic of Ireland
Walderstown Road Races – 18–19 July 2026
The ‘Race of the South’ is back. The Fore Club’s Walderstown event in Co Westmeath returns on 18–19 July, taking the dates originally held by the Faugheen 50, which stepped aside to let Walderstown get a slot in the calendar. This is one of the most fondly regarded road races in the Republic – tight, challenging, and with a crowd that knows its bikes. The fact it’s running at all in 2026 is down to some serious work by the Fore Club and Motorcycling Ireland’s efforts to secure insurance coverage. Don’t miss it.
Location: Walderstown, Co Westmeath, Republic of Ireland
Armoy Road Races – 24–25 July 2026
The Race of Legends. Armoy is held in tribute to the Armoy Armada – Joey Dunlop, Mervyn Robinson, Frank Kennedy, and Jim Dunlop — and it carries that history on its sleeve every single year. The 24–25 July dates are confirmed, a title sponsor is in place, and the club is gearing up for what they’re calling one of the best editions yet. The Armoy course is fast but narrow, with the kind of hedgerow-close action that makes Irish road racing what it is. If you haven’t been, this is the one to put on the list.
Location: Armoy, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland
Mid Antrim 150 – 31 July–1 August 2026
One of the most welcome returns of the entire season. The Mid Antrim 150 at Clough is back after its absence since 2022, and after a successful course inspection it’s been cleared to go. The Clough circuit is one of the fastest on the Irish roads calendar – wide, sweeping, and genuinely spectacular at full chat. The fact it’s back on 31 July to 1 August gives the summer an excellent bookend after Armoy the week before. Two massive weekends back-to-back in July and August. Clear the diary.
Location: Clough, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland
South West Road Races – 12–13 September 2026
The season closer. The South West Road Races at Athea in Co Limerick round out the 2026 calendar on 12–13 September. Like Kells, Skerries, and Walderstown, Athea is making a comeback in the Republic after the insurance situation was finally resolved. It’s a proper send-off to the season – September road racing in the south, on roads that have been quiet for too long. The Athea meeting is a local institution and its return is something the whole community has been pushing for.
Location: Athea, Co Limerick, Republic of Ireland
The bigger picture
What makes 2026 genuinely special isn’t just the number of races, it’s what they represent. Road racing in the Republic of Ireland was on its knees. Three years without a single meeting, insurance costs that no club could cover, a sport that risked losing an entire generation of fans and riders south of the border. Motorcycling Ireland securing an insurance policy covering all disciplines in 2026 changed everything.
Eight national road races. Four in Northern Ireland, four in the Republic. The North West 200 as the headline international. And a government-backed effort underway to revive the Ulster Grand Prix at Dundrod in 2027. The trajectory is pointing upward, and fast.
Get the dates in the calendar. Sort the accommodation early, anywhere near the Triangle in NW200 week fills up months out. And if you’ve never been to an Irish road race, 2026 is the year to fix that.
Find every event in one place
Irish road racing is just the start. If you want to keep on top of track days, rallies, rideouts, shows, and everything else happening on two wheels across the UK and beyond, the Lid Life Events Finder App has you covered. It’s free, it’s searchable, and it lists everything from major internationals to small club meets in pub car parks – because both matter. Get it bookmarked before the season gets away from you.
Dates are correct at time of publication and subject to change. Always check with individual event organisers before travelling.
