Two of top five 2011 traffic incidents were in Offaly

Offaly has taken two spots in a list of five noteworthy traffic incidents in 2011 released by the AA Roadwatch Team this week. Taking the top spot, unsurprisingly, was the visit of US President Barack Obama last May, while a mayonnaise spillage in Birr last August also made the list. "Thousands of extra motorists descended on Dublin and Moneygall at the time and we were hot on the heels of The Beast, keeping motorists up to date on the movements of the President," the AA's Aoife Carragher said of Obama's visit to his ancestral home town. The visit was ranked number one traffic incident of last year along with a visit by Britain's Queen Elizabeth. A mayonnaise spillage at a busy junction in Birr last August also made the list at number four, in an entry entitled "Not so easy on the Mayo!". "It's not unusual to hear county Mayo mentioned in a traffic report," Ms Carragher commented. "However on the morning of Thursday, August 18 we were reporting on a different Mayo. Gallons of the stuff were literally slathered all over the road causing treacherous conditions after a truck shed a pallet." Other traffic incidents making the list included a goose that brought traffic to a standstill at the Red Cow interchange in Dublin and a naked bike ride in Dublin city centre.