Categories
Events

Scariff Chipboard factory

An exhibition to commemorate the former chipboard factory in Scariff, Co. Clare, will be held on Saturday and Sunday 5th/6th August 2023.

Categories
Events

Greenore Architectural Print Exhibition

Greenore, Co. Louth, is something of an architectural anomaly in Ireland. If you have never visited the town, I’d suggest you do. Not only because it is the only discrete railway town in Ireland,* but because the architecture is straight out of northern England.

The reason for this is that the town was built as a company town by the Dundalk Newry & Greenore Railway (DN&GR) which was financed by the London & North Western Railway.

In recognition of this architectural heritage, there is currently an exhibition in the town which celebrates this.

The exhibition is in the Assembly Rooms on the first floor of the former Greenore Co-operative Society Building on Euston Street, Greenore and runs until 20th August 2023.

* Whilst there are concentrations of railway company provided housing in Ireland, including at Rosslare, Co. Wexford (co-incidentally, previously known as Greenore) and Inchicore in Dublin, both areas have expanded beyond the original development and can no longer be architecturally identified as a discrete development.

Categories
IH News 2023

Sion Stables, Sion Mills

I am happy to bring the existence of this venue to the attention of others – being a museum devoted to the history of Sion Mills, Co. Tyrone, the former mill village established by the Herdman family.

Categories
General

Bard

Say wha?

Bard is Google’s AI chatbot and has just launched in the European Economic Area (including Ireland). AI chatbots are at an early stage of development and it could be argued that they are nothing more than enhanced predictive text engines at this point in time.

I asked Bard about the industrial heritage of Ireland and the following is what it told me:

Ireland’s industrial heritage is a rich and diverse one, dating back to the late 18th century. The country’s industrial development was shaped by a number of factors, including its natural resources, its location, and its political history.

Some of the most important industries in Ireland’s history include:

Textiles: The linen industry was one of the most important industries in Ireland for centuries. Linen was grown and processed in many parts of the country, and the industry reached its peak in the 19th century.

Glassmaking: The glassmaking industry was also important in Ireland, with major centers in Waterford and Cork. The industry began in the 17th century, and it continued to thrive until the 20th century.

Engineering: The engineering industry in Ireland grew rapidly in the 19th century, with the development of railways, canals, and bridges. The industry continued to grow in the 20th century, and it is still an important sector of the Irish economy today.

Food processing: The food processing industry is another important sector of the Irish economy. The industry began in the 19th century, and it has grown rapidly in recent years.

In addition to these major industries, Ireland also had a number of smaller industries, such as mining, brewing, and distilling. These industries played an important role in the country’s economic development, and they helped to shape the landscape and culture of Ireland.

Today, Ireland’s industrial heritage is still visible in many parts of the country. There are a number of museums and historical sites that tell the story of Ireland’s industrial past. These sites are popular tourist attractions, and they help to raise awareness of the importance of Ireland’s industrial heritage.

The Industrial Heritage Association of Ireland (IHAI) is a non-profit organization that works to promote and protect Ireland’s industrial heritage. The IHAI organizes events, publishes books and articles, and provides advice and assistance to those who are interested in preserving Ireland’s industrial heritage.

The IHAI is committed to ensuring that Ireland’s industrial heritage is preserved for future generations. The organization believes that Ireland’s industrial heritage is a valuable asset that can help to boost the economy, create jobs, and promote tourism.

As a first attempt, it is middling.

Categories
Greenways IH News 2023

Proposed greenway in Cork

The Irish Examiner (soft paywall) reports that Cork City Councillors have approved Part 8 planning (process for a local authority to grant itself planning permission) for a greenway on part of the former CB&SCR trackbed between the Kinsale Road roundabout and Chetwynd Reservoir (east of the former, the trackbed is now a road).

The map below (extract from Openstreetmap and licensed under the Open Data Commons Open Database License) shows the location, to which I have added a rough line of the route in red.

Proposed greenway – Kinsale Road roundabout to Chetwynd Reservoir, Cork City
Categories
Events

The County Donegal Remembered – A forgotten Irish Railway

The above titled talk will take place in the Tara Hotel in Killybegs on 15th August 2023 at 19:00.

Categories
Events

Lough Swilly Remembered A forgotten Irish Railway

The above titled event will be held in St. Columbas community centre, Burtonport on 28th July 2023 at 19:00. There is an entrance charge of €5.

Categories
General

Disused Stations website

My attention was brought to the website http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/ – not having a specific interest in the railways of Britain, I didn’t reckon that there would anything of interest thereon but I always wondered how you would go about doing something similar to my Gazetteer for Britain (the concentration of railways was greater than Ireland and the larger landmass results in a massive number of current and former railway stations). The site has a small number of Irish stations (both NI and RoI) but nothing compared to my own Gazetteer.

One I did note was Foynes – what drew my attention to it was the un-permissioned use of one of my photos on their site. Given the paucity of Irish stations on their site, I don’t see the point in following up on this – however, I do have issues with my intellectual property being used elsewhere without my consent.

The majority of photos on this site are taken by me. For the small number of exceptions (Castlecaldwell being the standout as well as some of the photos of Castleconnell and other stations in that area being taken by the late Brian J Goggin), these photos are reused here with the express consent of the takers/owners of said photos.

Categories
Events

Ardnacrusha Tours

The ESB are running tours of Ardnacrusha power station outside Limerick from 3rd July to 8th September 2023.

Prebooking is required.

Categories
Events

Heritage Week 2023

I have reviewed the listing of Heritage Week events for 2023 and the list of IH related events can be found here.

Some counties have no events of any nature on the Heritage Week site – I may do an update to the list at the start of August to see if any late events of interest are added.