What Happened to the Railways in Cork?

[@gerardquinn4513]

Very interesting history. Thanks for the wonderful information.

[@kierancomerford7010]

There was a connection from glanmire road to Albert Quay which ran along the road and over the Lee.

[@anoniaino]

That’s right. It also connected to multiple points in the docks. However it was only used for freight at least before CIE. CIE might have run some GAA specials over it.

[@retrocd7991]

@@anoniainothe ONLY passengers to travel over the Cork city railway was on March 17th 1961. Even knock specials and GAA specials had to get off the train at Albert quay and walk across town

[@mariotriforce]

I see this & imagine how less car dependent our city would be if we kept it 😭

[@AlanFogartyIRL]

excellent work here, thank you for teaching me something

[@winterishere9828]

excellent video, thanks.

[@alanburke1893]

Very good presentation. Always fascinated by the extent of railways into West Cork, my grandfather told me of taking the train to Courtmacsherry but how the dilapidated rolling stock made it a quite unpleasant experience experience. Rattling teeth seemed to be a common symptom. The unique Irish gauge meant rolling stock could not be easily replaced. Apparently worse still was the Dingle line where for purposes of stability cattle trucks were placed directly behind the engine, meaning passenger wagons were to the rear (ie downwind). Needless to say most preferred to opt for bus transport when that became available.

[@retrocd7991]

The trains to courtmac were not made for comfert but rather for people! Not o mention the right curves on that line were a nightmare. Meaning the modern rolling stock CIE had at the time like the Park Royal’s, laminates and AEC railcars that were on the bantry runs at the time couldn’t run down the courtmacsherry section That section closed for regular passenger workings in 1947 which meant the track was not well looked after, infact by 1960/61 when the last excursion and beet trains were going down there the track was living on borrowed time

[@peterincork3121]

My sister in law was on the last train to Courtmacsherry ! I'm sure it's only a coincidence though ;)

[@jonathandowling7311]

All going well a major expansion is planned with electrification and the additional of many infill stations, creating a DART for Cork (CART?) Things are going less well for the Cork Luas which Cork City councillors seem to be opposed to, but hopefully the situation will change. Really they should also reopen the Passage railway to Carrigaline (third biggest town in Ireland without railway access) and even convert the N27 back to rail.

[@joshuaW5621]

That would be a brilliant idea. They could also possibly the rapid transit railway extend to Youghal and move the greenway they’re currently building on the old line. I’ve been speaking with railwaymen at Dun Laoghaire recently about reinstating the railway to Bantry. They said they’re talking with Redco about rebuilding it, but they don’t know if it will be under Irish Rail or another railway company. I’m also not sure how they would get it through the city.

[@martinwalsh3228]

All closed railway links including Middleton to Youghal & Mitchelstown should be reopened and restored.

[@martinwalsh3228]

Would cut down on Traffic Jams, Car Accidents, Pollution & Road Deaths we need 24 hour trains in summer & St Stephen's Day trains.

[@ewanduffy]

Kind of difficult to reopen to Youghal now that it is a greenway. Once a greenway, never again a railway.

[@martinwalsh3228]

Greenways should relocated too the seas, rivers, woodlands & lakes etc. The government should have looked into reopening all closed railway lines years ago.@@ewanduffy

[@joshuaW5621]

I’ve suggested moving the greenway to allow the railway to return to Youghal.

[@oisinmtom]

@@ewanduffy As of 8 months ago (3 months after ur comment) Irish Rail havent ruled out its reopening however it was not in the CMATS So its unlikely

[@TwitterBUGGG]

Nice video

[@philipmcdonagh1094]

Ireland the land of undoing things and then putting them back. If you want something undone or pulled down then want it put back 50 years later at a thousand times the cost, and with an inter-generational timeline then by all means give us a call. Don't forget if the Irish lived in the Netherlands we'd be the first humans to redevelop gills and breath under water.

[@LarryLoudini]

Genuinely laughed out loud at that! ’Sure wouldn’t gills be cheaper than polders and dams’

[@retrocd7991]

Albert quay, a mile of the old cork bandon and south coast and the cork city railway remained open until 1976 (freight only)

[@liamfitzpatrick9895]

It would be a good idea to open the line to youghal and build a new line to dungarvan and use the old line from dungarvan to Waterford to have a direct rail service between the two cities.

[@Kulla1berg]

Are there any plans to extend the railway to Youghal again? I have not been able to find anything about it

[@anoniaino]

The greenway is going ahead. In an interview here: www.echolive.ie/corknews/arid-40165005.html Irish Rail explained that they could reopen the railway in the future.

[@Kulla1berg]

@@anoniaino Thanks for the update Even if a reopen railway would have been nice

[@johncoddity1939]

There Was A Great Rail System Back In the Day They Claim Lack Of Use. What A Load Of Boll#x

[@lennonberg]

It’s fucking backwards we are going

[@thegaelicgladiator665]

And all of this was replaced by an 11 lane monstrosity that always gets backed up (n25 at its widest)

[@stevozrepto5558]

See the mess they made of Middleton r r station , fn wow, 😮

[@mdunne96]

Great southern railway wasn’t too great, was it?

[@anoniaino]

Not really. It was a private company that had been given the whole network, it was too big and didn't have enough money to focus on the former small railways.

[@retrocd7991]

The GSR weren’t too bad! They didn’t have the forsite to see how lines like the Cork Blackrock and passage Railway would be so crucial now. Lines like the muskerry and kinsale were doomed anyways