What do the letters on an Irish plate mean?
An Irish registration plate in the format 261-D-12345 breaks down as: 26 = year (2026), 1 = first half of year, D = Dublin, 12345 = sequential number.
The county code is assigned by the licensing authority in each county or city. Where there are two codes for one county (e.g. Cork City = C, Cork County = CC), the same county has separate licensing records for urban and rural areas.
Complete county code table
| Code | County / City | Province |
|---|---|---|
| C | Cork City | Munster |
| CC | Cork County | Munster |
| CE | Clare | Munster |
| CN | Cavan | Ulster |
| CW | Carlow | Leinster |
| D | Dublin | Leinster |
| DL | Donegal | Ulster |
| G | Galway City | Connacht |
| GY | Galway County | Connacht |
| KE | Kildare | Leinster |
| KK | Kilkenny | Leinster |
| KY | Kerry | Munster |
| L | Limerick City | Munster |
| LD | Longford | Leinster |
| LH | Louth | Leinster |
| LK | Limerick County | Munster |
| LM | Leitrim | Connacht |
| LS | Laois | Leinster |
| MH | Meath | Leinster |
| MN | Monaghan | Ulster |
| MO | Mayo | Connacht |
| OY | Offaly | Leinster |
| RN | Roscommon | Connacht |
| SO | Sligo | Connacht |
| TN | North Tipperary | Munster |
| TS | South Tipperary | Munster |
| W | Waterford City | Munster |
| WD | Waterford County | Munster |
| WH | Westmeath | Leinster |
| WW | Wicklow | Leinster |
| WX | Wexford | Leinster |
Frequently asked questions
Cork City (C) and Cork County (CC) are separate licensing authorities. Vehicles first registered in Cork City get a C plate; vehicles registered in the county area outside the city get CC. The same applies to Galway (G and GY) and other split county/city areas.
TN = North Tipperary and TS = South Tipperary. These were separate licensing authorities before county reorganisation. Plates with TN or TS were issued before the changes; both remain valid today.
No. A replacement plate must show the same registration as already recorded with the RSA/NVDF. You cannot change the county code on a replacement plate — it must match your existing registration exactly.