Category: IH News 2024

The Irish Examiner reports that Waterford City and County Council are to convert the former station building at Kilmacthomas on the Waterford – Dungarvan Greenway to tourist accommodation.

The plans (part of a bigger scheme to do likewise with a former bank building in Lismore) will see the station building have 2 units capable of hosting 4 people. A separate unit will also be built to house a model railway based on the former railway line. The ongoing management of the venture will be managed by third parties.

industrialheritageireland.info commends WCCC on these initiatives.

I was up in Belfast today, taking photographs of Yorkgate station building and Great Victoria Street station. The specific reason for an urgent trip to Belfast was the impending demolition of both.

In the case of the latter, Translink are developing a new bus/rail interchange station, to be called “Grand Central Station” and due to the layout of this, Great Victoria Street station (which only reopened in 1995) is to close on 10 May 2024, after which it will be demolished. Its replacement is not due to open until 2025.

Separately, Translink have built a new station building at the renamed Yorkgate Station (now York Street, although the platform signs as of today still said Yorkgate) and the old (1992) building and footbridge are to be demolished on 6 May 2024.

I also took the opportunity to take a photograph of the site of Queen’s Quay station and visit Magheramorne – the latter was the last open station in Ireland that I had never visited, a status it lost today.

It is with regret that I post to note the passing of William Hogg, author of Millers & the Mills of Ireland of about 1850 and other works and leading light in the Mills and Millers of Ireland society.

At first glance, this news article, flagging a planning permission notice looks interesting. Upon digging deeper, it just becomes confusing.

The planning permission notice is No. 2450084 in Donegal Co. Council. What is being sought is, in fact, retention permission – i.e., the work is already done.

The permission notice suggests that the land on either side of the original railway line has been lowered, bringing the line’s route back to being on an embankment and the land owner is seeking permission to retain this arrangement.

RTE have an article about the demolition of the former R&H Hall grain silos in Cork Docks.

Ballinamore station in Co. Leitrim was a junction station on the Cavan & Leitrim Railway, where the branch line to Arigna headed west. Both lines closed in 1959.

The station building was subsequently used as a secondary school until 2014. It and the wider site have been redeveloped as a community hub, known as “The Junction” which RTE reports has now opened for business.

The Barrow Bridge on the mothballed Waterford to Rosslare Strand railway is an opening bridge, allowing for shipping access to/from New Ross.

The bridge is currently inoperable (academic due to the mothballing of the line) due to a maritime bridge strike. Irish Rail have stated that as part of the repair/re-opening of the bridge, they plan to automate the opening of the bridge, allowing for control to switch to the National Train Control Centre in Dublin.

One wonders why there are not similar plans for the canal lifting bridge at Newcomen Junction in Dublin.

The BBC has reported on the successful prosecution of a landowner in Northern Ireland, for the demolition of a protected historic monument – 19th Century limekilns at Moneybroom. The verdict came with a £50,000 fine.

Republic of Ireland, take note.