Irish rail ,Midland branchlines

The railway line from Clara to Banagher in Co. Offaly ,Ireland , was" twenty years a-growing".
When this railway started it had the name"The Midland Counties and Shannon Junction Railway"-what a mouthful!
The line passed through Ballycumber ,Ferbane ,Belmont ,near Cloghan ,Shannon Harbour ,and on to Banagher. The original plans were to extend the line on through Lusmagh and across the river Shannon at Meelick but this did not happen. It took just over twenty years to finish the line as far as Banagher.

The work started very well with over 500 men employed. The contractors had little experience of railway building and soon became bankrupt so the tracks lay unfinished for fifteen years.

In 1880 the name of the line was changed to the Clara and Banagher Railway and the line was finally finished in 1884. Traffic was light and the line was in danger of closing.
Then-happily the largest railway company in Ireland bought the line. This was the famous Great Southern and Western Railway Company. It paid about £12,000 for the line or less than £400 per kilometre. This was a good bargain considering the line remained open for almost eighty years and it gave a valuable service to the towns and villages along the way.

When the line finally closed in the 1960's no more care was taken of the buildings. Many were dismantled and sold.Others now lie in ruins.

The viaduct over the river Brosna near Ferbane was built from cut stone and still survives. In many places embankments are still to be seen.These show where the tracks lay.

The information above was taken from"Looking Around" by James Scully.

When I came to Ferbanein 1966 the railway line had already closed but it was still fresh in peoples memories. Children used to bring in pieces of metal picked up near the line and I had many a chat concerning the railway with Tommy Corcoran(R.I.P.)who had vivid memories of the line which ran close to his house.


Old Number Nine

The Autumn winds play tunes among the leaves beyond the Railway Hill
The Hollow of the Parson keeps me from their chill
As I sit to take my rest
From far away I hear again the rumble of an old goods train
Sparks are flying on the track in the evening rain
That's her coming from the west

Freight train-I hear your whistle on the evening breeze
Freight train-Calling to me from across the years

Barefoot lads,go running down along the track with screams of joy
A penny laid upon the rail by a laughing boy
Comes out squashed and paper thin
He holds it high.Billy Feelan blows his whistle,it rings in his ears
He's heading on for home now with his souvenir
He'll not see this sight again

She's fading now.Her noise is drifting back across the Clara Bog
Her headlights are swallowed by the evening fog
He can't hear her mighty roar
Her day is done.Trucks are pounding tarmac with their heavy loads
There's no one left to ride along the Iron Road
Old Number Nine will roll no more


This song is on "Life Lines" by Fartulla Ramblers