Minister Eamon Ryan has told Shannonside Northern Sound this week that there is no part of the national development plan that has "been given up" when asked about the N2 .
The Minister for Transport was in Monaghan as part of his countrywide tour of local authorities, and met privately with a selection of Monaghan County Councillors.
Before the private meeting, various local councillors said they would raise the issues of the N2, the need for park and ride facilities on the N3 to Dublin and the north-south interconnector.
In an exclusive interview with this station, Minister Ryan was asked when "enough is enough" in reference to the campaign being run in the North over the number of fatalities on the A5 road which links onto the N2 on this side of the border.
Describing himself as someone who comes from a "nationalist tradition", Minister Ryan said the north-west of the country "has lost out historically" but that he would like to see an "all-island approach" in the event of the "likely upgrade of the A5."
He also raised the planned upgrade of the Castleblayney-Clontibret section of road and other local projects. While he said all the plans were still on the table, his department is constrained by budget priorities.
