Site Description
Head Office of Irish Rail, the station building proper - designed by William Deane Butler and built in an Italinate style out of Wicklow granite - was opened as the head office of the D&DR in 1846. The centrepiece of this is the tower straddling the entrance, originally intended as a lookout tower. At the foot of this are two shields, one either side of the tower. That on the right bears the Dublin City shield of three castles while that on the left bears the shield of Drogheda. The station crosses Sherriff Street on 22 cast iron Pillars. In GNR(I) days, there was a sign on the wall on each side of the underpass which stated "GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY TO THE GOODS AND CATTLE DEPOT". The red brick section of the building was added in 1879. Over the entrance to this from Sherriff Street, the GNR(I) crest can be seen. There are four terminal platforms here. On platform 4, which is the only electrified platform in this section of the station, there is a plaque listing the names and rank of the 87 members of the GNR(I) staff who lost their lives in WW1 and those of the 7 who lost their lives in WW2. A similar plaque is to be found in Lanyon Place station in Belfast. There is a car park on the Up side, beyond the carriage shed that was built on the site of the former mails depot. The former GNR(I) goods and cattle yard, also on this side, is now in use as stabling sidings, part of the site being occupied by the Central Traffic Control (CTC) building, the yellow ribbed section of which housing the suburban control section. The signal interlocking is contained in this building and there is a radio aerial beside it. There is access from platform 4 to the suburban section of the station. This is due for demolition with the signalling functions relocated to Heuston Station. The facing of a former bay platform can be seen on platform 4. Platforms 2 to 4 are partially covered by the overall roof and there is a canopy over part of platforms 4 & 5 and another on island platform 6 & 7, platforms 5, 6 & 7 comprising the suburban section of the station. This area (formerly the CDJR station) had its own entrance from Amiens Street, which is now closed with both mainline and suburban ticket offices consolidated in the main building. Until 2003, there was ramp access from the junction of Beresford Place and Store Street to the station building. This was needlessly destroyed by the Railway Procurement Authority as part of the LUAS construction works. Beside the station is the IFSC, Dublin's financial services centre, part of which includes a modern office complex integrated into the original station on the eastern side. The arches of the station building contain the Occupation Health facilities for CIE, which relocated here in 2023 from Inchicore. The suburban section opened in 1891 as the northern terminus of the CDJR, a joint project between, principally, the GNR(I), DW&WR and CDSPCo. As part of the renovation of Connolly Station, the separate entrance to this section, which included a ticket office and shop fronting onto Amiens Street, was closed. There are plans to instate a new access point to this section of the station. All three lines are through lines and all are electrified. The island platform is connected to platform 5 and the mainline station via a subway, through which wheelchair access is available. At the northern end of platform 7, on the Down side are a disconned turntable and water tank. Beyond this on the same side, two raised carriage sidings and the steeply graded line to Newcomen Junction diverge. These were built by the GS&WR for the D&SER as part of the price for gaining access to Amiens Street station, the latter having claimed that the proposed connection from North Strand Junction would obliterate their pre-existing sidings. On the Up side after the platforms is the former locomotive shed - closed on 31st December 2010 - on the eastern side of which is a further stabling area which contains a turntable. On the roof at the north end of the locomotive shed, there is a disused water tank, after which, the line crosses Spencer Dock on the Royal Canal and the Liffey Line. There is a third road on the same side from here to East Wall Road Junction.Photographs
Photo Gallery - Connolly Station
Google Street View - Connolly Station
Geograph.ie - Connolly Station platform 3 (Link checked 27072021)
Geograph.ie - Connolly Station (Link checked 27072021)
Geograph.ie - Connolly Station (Link checked 27072021)
Geograph.ie - Connolly Station (Link checked 27072021)
Geograph.ie - Connolly Station (Link checked 27072021)
Geograph.ie - Connolly Station platform 5 (Link checked 27072021)
Geograph.ie - Connolly Station (Link checked 27072021)
Geograph.ie - Connolly Station (Link checked 27072021)
Links
Archiseek.com - Connolly Station (Link checked 27072021)
Irish Rail Station Information - Connolly Station (Link checked 27072021)
Chronological Details
| Opened | Closed | Company | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01/05/1891 | 09/04/1966 | CDJR | Amiens Street Station | Amiens Street Station |
| 10/04/1966 | / /Open | CIE | Entrance closed 2000 |
Geographical Details
| Section Start | Section Finish | Distance | Units | Milepost | Measured from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connolly Station | Rosslare Europort | 0 | Miles | 1 | Pearse Station |
| Connolly Station | Sligo | 0 | KM | 0 | Connolly Station |
| Connolly Station | Belfast | 0 | Miles | 0 | Connolly Station |