The Saw Doctors lament the saddest thing about the opening of Ireland’s newest motorway

The end of an era...

In the words of the band themselves, one of the most famous Irish songs was made redundant on Wednesday with the opening of the new M17/M18 motorway between Gort and Tuam in Galway. The lyrics to N17, the famous tune by the Saw Doctors, are no longer applicable with the opening of the new road.

"Well the ould fella left me to Shannon Was the last time I travelled that road and as I turned left at Claregalway I could feel a lump in my throat As I pictured the thousands of times That I travelled that well worn track And I know that things would be different If I ever decide to go back"

Yes, there's now no need to travel into Claregalway on the route from Tuam to Shannon as the brand new 57km stretch of motorway opens for cars on Wednesday. For motorists going to and from the northwest, it will remove the need to pass through the congested and bottleneck towns and villages of Tuam, Claregalway and Clarinbridge. It's expected to vastly reduce journey times in Galway by avoiding these areas. But don't worry at all folks, the Saw Doctors aren't planning to change the lyrics to M17 anytime soon. It doesn't sound quite the same after all.

"The words of the famous Saw Doctors song N17 will become redundant tomorrow when the M17 motorway between Tuam and Gort will be officially opened by the Minister for Transport Shane Ross. No more will Davy Carton be able to sing "Well the ould fella left me to Shannon, Was the last time I travelled that road, And as I turned left at Claregalway, I could feel a lump in my throat". From tomorrow Davy will be able to drive straight from Tuam to Shannon Airport on the M17 / M18-- there'll be no turning left at Claregalway-- and somehow the M17 doesn't doesn't seem as inviting "And I wish I was on the M17”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32-WdYOeJLk Video via sawdoctorsofficial