List of heritage railways in the Republic of Ireland
Encyclopedia
There are a number of heritage railway
s in the Republic of Ireland
, reflecting Ireland
's long history of rail transport
.
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
s in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, reflecting Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
's long history of rail transport
History of rail transport in Ireland
The history of rail transport in Ireland began only a decade later than that of Great Britain. By its peak in 1920, Ireland counted 5,500 route kilometers...
.
Heritage railways
Some of the main sites include:- County Donegal Railways Joint CommitteeCounty Donegal Railways Joint CommitteeThe County Donegal Railways Joint Committee operated an extensive 3 foot gauge railway system serving county Donegal, Ireland,from 1906 until 1960...
, commemorated by the Donegal Railway CentreDonegal Railway CentreThe Donegal Railway Heritage Centre commemorates the operations of the County Donegal Railways Committee which operated two narrow gauge railways in County Donegal from 1863 until 1959. The centre, opened in 1995 and housed in the old station house in Donegal Town, was restored by the County...
in County DonegalCounty DonegalCounty Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
, which once had two narrow gauge railway systems. - Dromod railway stationDromod railway stationDromod railway station serves the village of Dromod in County Leitrim. The station is shared with the short preserved section of the Cavan and Leitrim Railway....
, County LeitrimCounty LeitrimCounty Leitrim is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the county...
, former station on the original Cavan and Leitrim RailwayCavan and Leitrim RailwayThe Cavan & Leitrim Railway was a narrow-gauge railway in the counties of Leitrim and Cavan in the north-west of Ireland, which ran from 1887 until 1959.Unusually for Ireland, this 914mm -gauge line survived on coal traffic, from the mine at Arigna...
. - Waterford and Suir Valley Railway, running a short narrow gauge railway for several miles, along the former mainline route from WaterfordWaterfordWaterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...
to MallowMallow, County CorkMallow is the "Crossroads of Munster" and the administrative capital of north County Cork, in Ireland. The Northern Divisional Offices of Cork County Council are located in the town....
. - Clonmacnoise and West Offaly RailwayClonmacnoise and West Offaly RailwayThe Clonmacnoise and West Offaly Railway is a narrow gauge railway and former tourist attraction in Ireland. Primarily built as an industrial line for hauling newly-cut peat, this 3 ft gauge railway was operated by Bord na Móna and conveys visitors over a 9 km rail journey through Blackwater Bog,...
in County OffalyCounty OffalyCounty Offaly is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe and was formerly known as King's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. Offaly County Council is...
, run by Bord na MónaBord na MónaBord na Móna , abbreviated BNM, is a semi-state company in Ireland, created in 1946 by the Turf Development Act 1946. The company is responsible for the mechanised harvesting of peat, primarily in the Midlands of Ireland...
, near ShannonbridgeShannonbridgeShannonbridge is a village located on the River Shannon, at the junction of the R444 and R357 regional roads in County Offaly, Ireland. It lies within the townland of Raghra , at the borders of counties Offaly, Galway and Roscommon, with the majority of the population living east of the bridge in...
. - Cumann Traenach na Gaeltachta Láir, based in FintownFintownBaile na Finne is a small village and townland on the banks of Lough Finn in County Donegal, Ireland. It is within the Gaeltacht, an Irish-speaking area, in the west of the county...
, it runs along the length of Lough FinnLough FinnLough Finn is a freshwater lough in County Donegal, Ireland. The lough, along with its neighbouring village of Fintown, was named after a mythological woman, Finngeal, who drowned in the lake after attempting to save her wounded brother Feargamhain....
to GlentiesGlentiesGlenties is a village in the northwest of Ireland in central County Donegal. It is situated where two glens meet, northwest of the Blue Stack Mountains, near the confluence of two rivers. Glenties is the largest centre of population in the parish of Iniskeel...
Line for about a mile. - West Clare RailwayWest Clare RailwayThe West Clare Railway originally operated in County Clare, Ireland between 1887 and 1961, and has partially re-opened. This gauge narrow gauge railway ran from the county town of Ennis, via numerous stopping-points along the West Clare coast to two termini, at Kilrush and Kilkee...
, beginning in EnnisEnnisEnnis is the county town of Clare in Ireland. Situated on the River Fergus, it lies north of Limerick and south of Galway. Its name is a shortening of the original ....
. - Tralee and Dingle Light RailwayTralee and Dingle Light RailwayThe Tralee and Dingle Light Railway and Tramway was a , 914 mm gauge narrow gauge railway running between Tralee and Dingle, with a branch from Castlegregory Junction to Castlegregory, in County Kerry on the west coast of Ireland. It operated between 1891 and 1953, the Castlegregory branch...
, between Tralee and DingleDingleDingle is a town in County Kerry, Ireland. The only town on the Dingle Peninsula, it sits on the Atlantic coast, about 49 kilometres southwest of Tralee and 71 kilometres northwest of Killarney....
. - Listowel and Ballybunion Railway, a section of the Lartigue MonorailLartigue MonorailThe Lartigue Monorail system was developed by the French engineer Charles Lartigue . He developed a horse drawn monorail system invented by Henry Robinson Palmer in 1821 further....
system has been restored for visitors in Listowel.
Preservation groups
Preservation groups in Ireland include:- Railway Preservation Society of IrelandRailway Preservation Society of IrelandThe Railway Preservation Society of Ireland is an Irish railway preservation group operating in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1964. The Society has its headquarters at Whitehead, County Antrim, Northern Ireland and a base at Mullingar, County Westmeath...
, based in WhiteheadWhitehead, County AntrimWhitehead is a small seaside town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, lying almost midway between the towns of Carrickfergus and Larne. It lies within the civil parishes of Island Magee and Templecorran, the barony of Belfast Lower, and is part of Carrickfergus Borough Council...
, County AntrimCounty AntrimCounty Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
in Northern IrelandNorthern IrelandNorthern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, runs railtours on the Dublin-Rosslare railway lineDublin-Rosslare railway lineThe Dublin-Rosslare railway line is a main rail route between Dublin Connolly station and Rosslare Europort, where it theoretically connects with ferry services to the United Kingdom and mainland Europe. The line between Dublin and Greystones is electrified and forms the southern part of the DART...
with "Sea-Breeze" trains, along with Santa specials between Dublin and Maynooth in December. Some restoration work is carried out in the Dublin area and at MullingarMullingarMullingar is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act of 1542, proclaimed Westmeath a county, separating it from Meath. Mullingar became the administrative centre for County Westmeath...
. - Irish Traction GroupIrish Traction GroupThe Irish Traction Group is a railway preservation society dedicated to preserving diesel locomotives from Irish Railways. It was formed in 1989, with the intention of attempting to preserve at least one example of every type of diesel locomotive to have operated on Irish Rail.They currently own 13...
, based in Carrick-on-SuirCarrick-on-SuirCarrick-on-Suir is a town in South Tipperary in Ireland. As the name – meaning "the rock of the Suir" – suggests, the town is situated on the River Suir. The of the town gives the population as 5,906 and shows that it has grown by 5.7% since 2002...
, County TipperaryCounty TipperaryCounty Tipperary is a county of Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster and is named after the town of Tipperary. The area of the county does not have a single local authority; local government is split between two authorities. In North Tipperary, part of the Mid-West Region, local...
, has a diesel locomotive collection at the site by the LimerickLimerickLimerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
–WaterfordWaterfordWaterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...
railway routeRail transport in IrelandRail services in Ireland are provided by Iarnród Éireann in the Republic of Ireland and by Northern Ireland Railways in Northern Ireland.Most routes in the Republic radiate from Dublin...
. ITG also run regular railtours around the country, sometimes with older (but still in regular use), Iarnród ÉireannIarnród ÉireannIarnród Éireann is the national railway system operator of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann . It operates all internal intercity, commuter and freight railway services in the Republic of Ireland, and, jointly with Northern Ireland Railways, the...
locomotives and rolling stock. - Irish Steam Preservation SocietyIrish Steam Preservation SocietyThe Irish Steam Preservation Society was formed in 1965 in Stradbally, in Ireland. Under the auspices of Colonel Kidd, it held the first steam fair in Ireland on St Stephen's Day that year....
, based in Stradbally, County LaoisCounty LaoisCounty Laois is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It was formerly known as Queen's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. The county's name was formerly spelt as Laoighis and Leix. Laois County Council...
. Operates a 3ft narrow gauge railway with vinatge steam and diesel locomotives.
See also
- Conservation in the Republic of IrelandConservation in the Republic of IrelandThis article lists topics of Conservation in the Republic of Ireland.-Areas:* Development and preservation in Dublin* Fota Island* Gurteen Beach* Lighthouses in Ireland* List of heritage railways in the Republic of Ireland...
- List of heritage railways
- List of narrow gauge railways in Ireland
- List of heritage railways in Northern Ireland
- mountain railwayMountain railwayA mountain railway is a railway that ascends and descends a mountain slope that has a steep grade. Such railways can use a number of different technologies to overcome the steepness of the grade...