Hi Mark, to best help you we'd need to know how you are using CT - on a phone (Apple or Android), app (i-Phone) or on the website.

Assuming you have access to the website (and the interface isn't that different on a phone browser, simply put in Rosslare as the start point and Cork as the finish. CT will calculate the route.

Then to get it to follow the ACR, simply add viapoints and drag them on to the route you want to follow (the red dots).

To create a viapoint just click once on the route (left click) and a menu should open. Select "add viapoint" and that's the first step done. To move it to where you want to go, simply hover over it, (left) click and hold, while dragging it to the correct location. (You may want to zoom in a bit to make sure that you don't put it in the wrong place.

You should see the route jumping around to go through this viapoint.

My suggestion is to start at the end and work backwards. 

There is an example of someone else's route here: https://cycle.travel/map/journey/254353

You can check (where available) by clicking any point on your route and selecting "streetview" or even "find photos" to get an idea of what the road is like. 

You can select "paved " "any" or "gravel" according to your tastes. 

I'd suggest you save it on a regular basis.

However, a word of warning about routes like the Atlantic Coast Route, an EV route. EV routes use local infrastructure, effectively linking lots of local bike routes into one long one. The problem lies in the inconsistency of the local routes in terms of surfaces and signage. And sometimes the gaps between them can be a problem. Experience has taught me that, at times, an EV route can be little more than a line on a map. 

I'd suggest picking out the places you'd like to see, adding them as viapoints and letting CT pick out the best routes between them. My experience is that if CT takes me away from an EV route there's normally a good reason for it and I won't be disappointed. But that may just be me.

Having said all that, the full route for Ireland is available here: 

https://cycle.travel/map/journey/150702

Be warned, it's in reverse and is for the whole Atlantic Coast so will need dome editing. Easily done on CT. My suggestion would be to dive in and learn all you can about this great tool for bike adventures.

Just a little postscript to Hobbes’ very comprehensive answer – if you want to pull out a section from a longer route, so in this case the Rosslare–Cork section from https://cycle.travel/map/journey/150702, then you can do it with the little “Extra features” button on a via point.

Open up the route; click a via point near Cork (number 200 or so); click the little grey ‘…’ button in the bottom right; and click ‘Delete before’.

This will delete all the via points before that one, leaving you with just the Cork–Rosslare section.

You can then use the ‘Reverse’ button in the orange buttons on the left to make it into Rosslare–Cork instead.

There are lots of pre-made routes like this on the Browse map – you can find this under ‘Route guides’ and then ‘Browse all routes on a map’.

Thanks for your comprehensive replies guys, I'll get started with the suggestions you've made. 

Hi,

Maybe I'll chime in with some recent -spring 2023- "on the ground" experience ;-)

1) Rosslare (harbour?) to Passage East ferry: backcountry roads are traffic-free, but many have poor surface, and if unboarding a ferry very early in the morning, the only open shop on C.T route will be in Wellingtonbridge. Following the coast as the EV does is much longer, but the scenery is more interesting. We did so from Carrick to Saltmills and it was worth it. Passage East ferry is a breeze, but does not operate in the evening.

2) Waterford to Dungarvan: the Waterford greenway, an old railway turned cycleway, is a must: good tarmac, underpasses, and on a clear day, plenty of views of the Comeragh mountains. Going west is the right way to do it. Shop in Kilmacthomas.

3) after Dungarvan: C.T offers an inland route, but going along the coast to Ardmore is very nice as well. Some shops in Ardmore, supermarkets & all in Youghal. The Youghal bridge has no cycling infrastructure, but is straight & flat.

4) arriving into Cork from the east: unless you are going to Glanmire, following the EV into Cobh for beautiful views on the harbor and a bit of history is strongly suggested (you won't thank me for the hill-climb arriving in Cobh, though). The R624 is busy but there are no alternatives. Then the Passage West ferry, and turn right to a well used greenway to reach the city center, or left along the coast for 8km if you catch a car-ferry in Ringaskiddy.

Just a last word of warning: even though altitudes in Ireland are moderate, it can be surprisingly hilly, and sometimes fairly steep as well, particularly along the coast. Make sure you have low enough gearing for your load, and don't overestimate how much you can cover in a day. With camping gear, this is a 4 day journey if going straight Rosslare to Waterford, 5 if following the EV.

Enjoy the green isle.

PS: is it better to post here or as a travelogue for people to find this info ?