In this episode, we bring you a first-of-its-kind story for us—a video report filmed entirely at night. It follows Roadstone crews as they carry out resurfacing works on the N4 Longford By-Pass.
RESURFACING THE N4
Damien Ginnitty, Contracts Manager at Roadstone (CRH), walked us through the resurfacing process we filmed. The work was carried out in July 2023 between the Red Cow and Charlotte Brooke roundabouts, taking place overnight from 7:00 pm to 4:00 am to minimise traffic disruption.
The nighttime works involved a carefully coordinated process using several specialised machines. The first step was to remove approximately 2 inches (50 mm) of the existing road surface using a method called “cold milling”. A road cleaner followed to sweep away the loose material.
Once the surface was cleared, a separate machine power-washed the road to prepare it for the next stage. A bond coating was then sprayed to help the new surface layer adhere properly.
The final surface—Hot Rolled Asphalt (HRA) with pre-coated chips—was laid down to complete the job.
More than twenty crew members from Roadstone were involved in the operation each evening. Five to six operated the milling and cleaning equipment, fourteen crew members handled the laying of the HRA and chip surfacing. While another five managed traffic at both ends of the work zone, taking extra care during the night-time work.
ROADSTONE HISTORY
The Roadstone company began in the early 1930s when Dublin brothers Tom and Donal Roche started a sand and gravel haulage business from a small yard in Inchicore, using a single Bedford truck. Originally called Roche Brothers, the business later became the Castle Sand Company and grew steadily through the 1930s and 1940s.
In 1949, the brothers launched Roadstone on the Irish Stock Exchange, with support from John A. Wood, a Cork-based quarry operator whose business later joined the group.
Despite challenges in the 1950s, Roadstone continued to expand, gaining momentum during Ireland’s economic growth in the 1960s. At the same time, the state-run Irish cement industry was also thriving. By the end of the decade, Irish Cement was the largest company on the Irish Stock Exchange, with Roadstone third.
In 1970, the two companies merged to form Cement-Roadstone Holdings—now known as CRH plc—which is regularly listed as Ireland’s largest company.
DID YOU KNOW?
While the Roadstone crew were busy laying what’s now commonly known as “tar macadam,” just 14 kilometres west along the N4 lies Edgeworthstown—the birthplace of Richard Lovell Edgeworth (1744–1817), widely regarded as the true inventor of tarred roads.
As Matt Farrell, Volunteer Manager at the Maria Edgeworth Centre in Edgeworthstown, explained, by 1813 Edgeworth had already developed and published an innovative method for resurfacing roads. In An Essay on the Construction of Roads and Carriages, he described a technique involving compacted layers of stone and gravel to create a durable and efficient road surface. This was a remarkably forward-thinking approach—practical, effective, and well ahead of its time—predating the widespread recognition of John McAdam’s “tar macadam” system in the 1820s. As Matt puts it, if things were fair, we’d be calling it “Edgeworth” instead of “macadam.”
Edgeworth’s interest in transportation didn’t stop at roads. He also developed several transport innovations, including a type of early bicycle (velocipede), a land-measuring tool (perambulator), a one-wheeled chaise, and a four-wheeled open carriage known as a phaeton. We covered these remarkable inventions in a previous video-story “Transportation Inventions of Longford Man Richard Lovell Edgeworth (1744–1817) | Season 4 – Episode 54” https://fb.watch/z_Qxw7SYRW/
This summer, plan your visit to the Maria Edgeworth Centre, Edgeworthstown, County Longford where you will receive a warm welcome and find out all about the unique transport inventions of Richard Lovell Edgeworth.
If you have an idea for a story, email Kevin Reid [email protected]
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