The Line of the West Clare Railway from Moyasta to Kilkee

Moyasta was a junction station. The two lines which left to the south and to the west served Kilrush and Kilkee respectively. The two routes feature on the adjacent map. We will focus first on the line to Kilkee on the Atlantic coast.Before we set off, we note two things about the station. First, the presence, in the 21st century, of a preservation line based at the station; and second, the layout of the junction at Moyasta. Although a direct line was provided to allow trains to travel between Kilkee and Kilrush. In practice it was little used in later years as trains tended to enter Moyasta station from either of the two villages and the set off from the station for the other village. This required some manoeuvrings in the station area!

However, when the pier was in use at Cappagh, “the Loop … was extremely useful for allowing a direct passage to through traffic, especially from Cappagh to Kilkee.” [7]

We will spend a little time looking at the preservation line and then move on out of the station and its environs and on to Kilkee. The journey will start by looking at the loop line.

The West Clare Railway [3]

It was not until the mid 1990’s that a local committee attempted to revive this treasured historical railway.

Jackie Whelan became involved when a committee for the Restoration of the West Clare Railway was created in the mid 1990’s. He initially carried out all the preparatory works for the tracks of this railway line, including all excavation works, track laying & fencing on a voluntary basis for this committee.

One objective of the committee was to include the “Slieve Callan” steam engine as part of the proposed West Clare Railway restoration project. At that time this steam engine lay dormant and on display at Ennis Railway Station. This project presented an excellent opportunity to preserve and restore this unique locomotive.

A proposal was made to C.I.E. to remove the engine from its plinth in Ennis. For any proposal to be considered it required proving a commitment to the West Clare Railway restoration, and this was obvious by the substantial preparatory work carried out in Moyasta. An agreement for the removal of the “Slieve Callan” steam engine from Ennis to Moyasta was granted to the West Clare Railway company, amid much consternation in Ennis at the time.

Unsurprisingly, the agreement had conditions, including that the engine be substantially improved or rebuilt within 3 years. This would require enormous funding. At this stage the committee involvement ceased. Jackie then became directly responsible for carrying forward and persevering with raising funds to continually update and improve this unique venture to bring to where it is today.

In 2009 the “Slieve Callan” returned, rebuilt and running smoothly, to Moyasta Junction. It now provides visitors and enthusiasts alike with a look into, and experience of, the fascinating railway history of Ireland, and is a fitting tribute to our heritage and to the hard work and efforts of all involved in bringing a steam locomotive back to Moyasta.

Just a few pictures to whet the appetite for more. The first few come from the West Clare Railway website. [3]

The Loop Line

Moyasta has been referred to as, “this railway ‘republic’, this ‘island state of the narrow-. gauge'” [5] Lenihan sought an opportunity, first, to look at the avoiding loop and headed from the station down a little laneway towards  the shore. “Almost at once we came to another lane at right angles to it, where stands the last of a row of twelve thatched houses that can be seen in many of the old photographs and which have vanished within the past thirty years. A sign of changing times and improvements in housing, perhaps, but also an indication of the decline in population Moyasta has suffered through the ruin first of its turf trade and finally of the railway. Beyond this lane is the only level crossing on the Loop, called in the railway manuals Moyasta no. 3. The cottage is still in use, but the little platform, on the up side, where so many thousands of Kilkee-bound passengers entrained, looks neglected and forgotten.” [2] The small platform close to Moyasta No. 3 Crossing which is mentioned by Lenihan above. [1]

A sizeable triangular-shaped inlet of the Shannon, 2 miles long by 1.5 wide, it is bounded by Moyasta on the east, Blackweir on the west and Cammoge Point to the south. “Looked at on the 6-inch map, all its shores appear to be bounded by railway, but that appearing on the southern shore is merely the trace of the ill-fated 1860s line on which rails were never laid.” [4]

Lenihan found walking along the loop line in the late 1980s impractical however as soon as they reached the main line, there “was no further difficulty. The way is clear right to Moyasta river bridge — the ‘Red Bridge’ — and beyond.” [7]

Within the Loop, around one hundred yards from the junction with the Kilrush branch Lenihan “noted traces of a second, parallel, line immediately to [the] left. Here also lay a mound of solidified tar, the sole remnant of the sleeper-tarring plant that was once sited here. In all, the Loop is approximately 600 yards in length and was extremely useful for allowing a direct passage to through traffic, especially from Cappagh to Kilkee.” [7] 

There were four road-crossings at Moyasta, all within a radius of 200 yards of the station-house. By the late 1980s, Lenihan observed that, “as at most other such places, there was nothing, for at Moyasta, just as at Knockdrumniagh, near Ennistymon, road widening has changed utterly the lie of the land.” [7] The plan is taken from Patrick Taylor’s book. [8] 

The presence of the preservation railway means that the locations of these crossings are easier to define in the early 21st century.Moyasta No. 1 Crossing (above).

The adjacent image is taken at Moyasta No. 2 Crossing looking back towards No. 1.

The picture below is also taken  at the No. 2 Crossing looking towards Kilrush. The Shannon estuary can be seen in the distance.Moyasta No. 4 Crossing was on the arm of the railway heading for Kilkee. The preservation railway has installed gates cat tyev approximate location of the crossing in the past. This image shows can view back up the Killee arm of the junction to the station house.Looking towards Kilkee in the 21st century.Moyasta junction with the Kilkee/Kilrush loop on the left. The railcar has left Moyasta Station which is of the extreme right of the picture with a service to Kilrush. As we have already noted, there were few non-stop workings between Kilrush and Kilkee. Trains from one or other village used to enter the relevant platform at Myasta and then propel backwards before using the loop to head on to the other village.

The Line to Kilkee

The most significant structure on the line to Kilkee is the ‘Red Bridge’. Its location was chosen in 1884 because the engineer, Mr. Barrington, was convinced that the foundations would be firm. [10][11] “The understanding at that time was that W.M. Murphy would build the 81/2 miles of line from Kilrush to Kilkee for £40,000 and of that sum £1,800 was to be allocated to Moyasta Bridge. Even today, it seems a ludicrously small sum for such a fine piece of work.” [12]The line of the old railway from Moyasta across the ‘Red Bridge’ is shown in blue. The route of the line to Kilkee will be shown in blue rather than red as I have found a site which shows the route superimposed onto Google Satellite images. [13]

The red bridge appears below in the early in the 21st century. [3]After the bridge, the journey to Kilkee from Moyasta “may fairly be said to divide neatly into two sections: the first, to Blackweir, being almost totally along the northern shore of Poulnasherry Bay, while the second is more inland. On neither part are there any insurmountable obstacles, though all the usual inconveniences and unpleasantnesses are plentiful. But perhaps the most singular fact about this area is the narrowness of the neck of land that separates Kilkee from the upper reaches of Poulnasherry — no more than a mile and a half at most. Without doubt, a time will come when all of the peninsula from Kilkee westwards will be an island.” [9]

The line ran on a causeway from the bridge to firmer ground and the line then curved gradually southward before settling into a westerly trajectory for its 2 mile run to Blackweir.

Patrick Taylor is as succinct as usual in his description of the line to Kilkee. He points out station layout and various items therein and goes on to say: “The line then passed over a culvert adjacent to the level crossing gates, and continued past the loop before crossing over Moyasta or the ‘Red Bridge’ (No.1) under which flowed the waters of Poulnasherry Bay. The bay was to the left of the line, which now took a semicircular course before turning right after passing Purtills accommodation crossing. In the next stretch of partially straight line three level crossings were situated. Moyasta West (No.5) at 43.75 m.p., Baurnmore at 44 m.p. Currane at 44.75 m.p., before Blackweir station at the 45.25 m.p. was reached. The station and platform here were on the down side with level crossing gates provided at the Kilkee end. In the earlier years all trains stopped at this station but at the turn or the century it was reduced to a halt and trains only stopped if required. On leaving Blackweir there was a small bridge (No.5) beyond the level crossing gates and a cattle pass beside Lisdeen bank. There was an up gradient of 1 in 64/58 for a short stretch at this point. On rounding Garveys bend the line continued through treeless turfland past two level crossings, Lisdeen adjacent to 46.75 m.p., and Dough beyond 47 m.p., to Kilkee, 48 miles from Ennis.” [14]

We could, I suppose give the last word to Patrick Taylor and save a lot of time for both you and I, but that rather defeats the object of these posts. So we will continue with a more detailed review of the line.The line curved first to the South and then back onto a westerly route. [13]

Lenihan says that, “there is scarcely anything of interest until a little causeway is reached, close to Moyasta West no. 5 crossing. Up to this point, the surface is at first smooth and firm but then deteriorates gradually into quagmire.” [12]The causeway mentioned by Lenihan is just to the right of centre in this satellite image [13]Moyasta No. 5 Crossing is on the right of this image. [13]The Crossing-Keeper’s cottage at Moyasta No. 5 Crossing has been refurbished. The blue line shows the line of the railway.

Lenihan, writing in the late 1980s commented: “The house is certainly the original building, and little changed on the exterior: The roof beams still protrude from under the eaves as they did in all the others we had seen which had not been altered. An unpleasant scene awaited us west of the road though. From a wide gateway, through which trains once passed, we could see that the large field ahead had been levelled, and that for at least 400 yards there would be no distinguishing features to guide us.” [15]

The next crossing is Bawnmore. In the late 1980s the crossing was ramshackle at best and its grounds over grown. By 2008, Lenihan was reporting that the cottage was an almost total ruin, “its remnants as well as the line here inaccessible in a wilderness of whitethorn.” [16]The location of Bawnmore Crossing is at the right side of this image. [13]The next crossing was at Garraun. Its location appears on the left of this satellite image. Its cottage was already abandoned in the late 1980s [17] and has deteriorated since. [16]Garraun Crossing location also appears on this image, this time on the right. [13]This satellite image shows the next station on the line, Blackweir Station. [13]

The station buildings at Blackweir were on the down side with a road-crossing at the west end of the station platform. As Taylor notes above, at one time this was a regular stopping point on the line, but in Later years it became a request stop. At 45.5 miles from Ennis, this was the only halt between Moyasta and Kilkee. Again, in the 1980s, Lenihan comments: “The platform still remains intact, on the down side, and the original station-building, a plain, single-storey structure, also stands, parallel to the line and now restored to its original state with only minor external alterations. A large dwelling house has been added at the Moyasta side, and the two blend together extremely well. The glowing accounts we had been hearing of it along the way were certainly borne out by this very pleasing development. Close by, a handsome five-arched stone bridge spans the upper reaches of the bay, and just off the road at its north-eastern parapet is a small quay, used extensively during the heyday of the turf trade, but now semi-derelict.” [18]Blackweir Station in 1952 (above). Since closure of the railway a house has been built at the end of the old station building closest tomtjhe camera, which enlarges the structure considerably. [19] The colour picture which follows the 1952 image shows the new building from the old crossing location, © C. Cooney. [20]Blackweir Bridge seen from what was the trackbed of the old railway.The trackbed ahead is in use as an access road.

As the journey continues, we can see the location of the halt clearly marked on the next satellite image. Access to the old line beyond this point is sufficiently difficulkt as to mean that I have not been able to find photograph of the next length of the line on the internet.The most striking feature along this length of the old line was its growing proximity to the embankment of what was meant to be the first line in County Clare. Three biue lines appear on the satellite images above. [13] The most northerly of these is the West Clare line on its way to Kilkee. The next line shows the route of one abortive attempt to connect Kilkee and Kilrush in about 1858. These two appear again on the map below, the dotted line on the north side of Poulnasherry Bay is the West Clare route as finally built. The more southerly route is the 1858 scheme.

It is worth reminding ourselves at this point of the shenanigans that took place over the possibility of creating a railway in this part of Co. Clare.

In the years after the Famine, railway fever gripped Ireland, much as it did the whole of the UK at the time. There was a tremendous upsurge in scheme proposals and construction work. In 4 decades, 1845 to 1885, a dozen schemes were promulgated for County Clare. Lenihan says that, “All these plans were similar in some vital respects: they all included as their terminus points Ennis, Kilrush and Kilkee. At that time traffic on the Shannon was considerable, and Cappagh pier had to figure large in any route that hoped to be profitable, but how Cappagh might be made accessible was the subject of widely varying proposals. Essentially, though, there were three routes: from Limerick to Foynes by rail, then to Kilrush by steamer; from Ennis via Kildysart, Kamer and Carrigaholt or Querrin to Kilkee; from Ennis via Ennistymon and Miltown Malbay, then southward.” [21]

Taylor says that, “As well as railways, there were schemes to reclaim land, and build embankments across the Poulnasherry Bay, where the Blackweir and other rivers congregate on their way into the River Shannon, and on towards the Atlantic Ocean. There were also a number of schemes for roadside tramways, as opposed to railways.” [22]

As we have noted already, maps show the most promising of these early lines as a dotted line on the south side of Poulnasherry Bay. The map below is an extract from the Irish OSM Community Map and the older near the or is can be made out to the south side of the West/South Clare Line and running on the south side of the river estuary. [24]

The earthworks associated with the third blue line can be made out curving to the south below the 1858 scheme’s embankment and then entering a narrow north-south band of woodland on the adjacent satellite image. I do not as yet have any details of this line.

Also be noted on the adjacent satellite image are two features: a rod-crossing to the right of the image and a significant cutting to the left of the picture.

The road-crossing was for a minor laneway. The cutting is Lisdeen Cutting and there is a road-crossing towards the West end of the cutting that bears the same name.

Much of the line over which we have travelled to get to Lisdeen crossing is in use in the 21st century as a series of different access tracks. This ceases at the unnamed crossing mentioned above. The three old rail routes meet. Only the most northerly ever carried passengers and goods! Lisdeen Cutting and Crossing can easily be made out with crossing in the top left of the satellite image. [13] The crossing a keeper’s cottage in the 21st Century. The line runs behind it.Looking back from Lisdeen crossing through the cutting towards Moyasta.Looking ahead towards Kilkee from the crossing. Our destination can be seen on the horizon.After the end of the cutting we encounter one more road-crossing before we enter Kilkee. Shown on the satellite image above, this was Dough Crossing, just over 47 miles from Ennis and 700 yards from the terminus. [27]Looking back along the line from Dough Crossing towards Moyasta.Looking forward towards the location of Kilkee Station from Dough Crossing.

These last two satellite images get us to the end of the line in Kilkee. [13]

The adjacent image shows Kilkee Station as it appears fptoday when approached from Moyasta. [25]

The picture below is taken from the West.No. 5, Slieve Callan is shiwn at Kilkee in 1950. No.5 has been restored and runs on the preservation line at Moyasta. [28]

Three further pictures of the station building in the early 21st century follow. [29]

The first monochrome picture below was taken in 1952 and is contained in Lenihan’s book. [30]

Lenihan describes the scene in the late 1980s: “on the up side, was the station-house itself in a well-paved yard, but surrounded by what appeared to be chalets. Old photos show that one siding led to the turntable, which was sited only yards from where we were now standing, in front of the engine shed; a second to a large building (probably the goods’ store) directly east of it; and that the main running road and passing-loop joined near the signal cabin. But, as in every other station, there is nothing to show this today. A quick inspection confirmed for us that of this terminus of the South Clare the only remnants are these two buildings, both constructed in 1891. The water-column, the 3,800-gallon tank, loading-bank, 23-foot-4-inch turntable and goods’ store have gone the way of all the others.” [30] The second and subsequent monochrome pictures of the station in use are taken from Patrick Taylor’s book. [31]

Kilkee Station in 1952, © IRRS. [30]Railcar No. 3387, waiting to leave Kilkee on the 1.45pm to Ennis on 17th June 1954. The train consists of the railcar with a railcar trailer, and one of the ex-Clogher Valley Railway wagon underframes with a Limerick body. This was the standard formation for railcar worked trains, © C.H.A. Townley. [31]Railcar No. 3388, on the turntable outside Kilkee locomotive shed on 17th July 1958, after working the 5.05pm ex Moyasta Junction, © D.F. Russell. [31]A railcar has just arrived at Kilkee in May 1958. The bus connection waits for passengers while the yard is full of wagons. The goods shed, engine shed and water tank are all visible, © A.M. Davies. [31]The East end of the station, looking towards Moyasta with the engine shed on the right and the water tank behind it, © C.L. Fry. [31]An overall view of Kilkee station looking from the East in 1933. This gives a good indication of the length of the platform! © Patrick Taylor. [31] A sketch plan of the station is shown below. [8]To complete this post we have three miscellaneous images of items of motive power or rolling stock from the West Clare Railway. We still have the line from Moyasta to Kilrush to focus on and hopefully too, some more information about rolling stock and motive power on the line.

Motive Power and Rolling Stock on the West Clare Railway (Miscellaneous Images)

Finally, just a very few images of rolling stock

An Inspection Car, taken in 1953, (c) IRRS. [33]Ex-West Clare Railcar above, converted to a coach by BnM is now stored on the Waterford & Suir Valley Railway. [34]

West Clare Drewry Railcar in 3mm Scale made by Mark Fisher. [35]

References

1. Patrick Taylor; The West Clare Railway; Plateway Press, 1994, p44.
2. Edmund Lenihan; In the Tracks if the West Clare Railway; Mercier Press, Dec. 2008, p226-227.
3. http://www.westclarerailway.ie, accessed on 7th May 2019.
4. Edmund Lenihan; op. cit., p227.
5. Irish Times; 1st February 1961.
6. Not used.
7. Edmund Lenihan; op. cit., p228.
8. Patrick Taylor; op. cit., p48.
9. Edmund Lenihan; op. cit., p260.
10. Irish Builder;15th January 1885, p22, quoted by Lenihan; op. cit., p261-262.
11. Lenihan; op. cit., p261-262.
12. Ibid., p 262.
13. http://www.railmaponline.com/UKIEMap.php?fbclid=IwAR1t7uT66nNlgLdQOfpDOP2lKzJqdua7Y8GZVS6kwbYKQ7kVDj99aA_cObM, accessed on 6th May 2019.
14. Not used.
15. Edmund Lenihan; op. cit., p262-263.
16. Ibid., p303.
17. Ibid., p268.
18. Ibid., p272.
19. Ibid., p269.
20. http://eiretrains.com/Photo_Gallery/Railway%20Stations%20B/Blackweir/IrishRailwayStations.html, accessed on 8th May 2019.
21. Edmund Lenihan; op. cit., p17.
22. Patrick Taylor; op. cit., p10.
23. Not used.
24. http://maps.openstreetmap.ie/oocmaps.html?zoom=15&lat=52.66552755081851&lon=-9.611483168775402&layers=B0000TFFFFF, accessed on 8th May 2019.
25. http://www.charleshornsby.com/blog, accessed on 8th May 2019.
26. Not used.
27. Ibid., p277.
28. http://www.skibbereeneagle.ie/ireland/west-clare-railway, accessed on 8th May 2019.
29. http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=images&county=cl&regno=20301006, accessed on 9th May 2019.
30. Edmund Lenihan; op. cit., p279.
31. Patrick Taylor; op. cit., p45-47.
32. Not used.
33. Edmund Lenihan; op. cit., p23.
34. https://www.narrow-gauge.co.uk/gallery/show.php?image_id=4428&cat_id=967, accessed on 9th April 2019.
35. http://www.worsleyworks.co.uk/Image-Pages/Image_NG_Irish_WCR.htm, accessed on 9th April 2019.

The Line of the West Clare Railway from Quilty to Moyasta

Before setting off on the next leg of this journey South along the Atlantic Coast of Co. Clare it seems sensible to have a little look round Quilty village. The adjacent picture shows its Catholic Church and the village tavern is shown below. The village is really quite tiny but is seeing a growthnin holiday trade in the 21st century.In the 2002 census the village had a population of 234. The Co. Clare Library website says: “Quilty is a coastal village in the parish of Kilmurry Ibrickane. The origin of its name is uncertain but it may be a derivation of “coillte”, meaning woods. In this instance the woods referred to would probably have been an underwood of hazel or holly. Local tradition mentions the finding of tree stumps which indicate the existence of large woods here in ancient times. The same word “coillte” could also refer to “ruined or destroyed” and be a reference to a tragedy of long ago. This particular stretch of coast is dangerous for shipping and is constantly being eroded by the sea. Sean Spellissy, historian, believes that the name refers to the devastation caused by the tidal wave that separated Mutton Island from the mainland in 804AD, drowning 1,010 people in the process.  Quilty is set in picturesque surroundings with the Aran Islands on one side, Connemara behind and the Cliffs of Moher on another side. The Kerry mountains are visible in the distance.” [5]Quilty Station in the early 21st century taken from the N67 in Quilty looking South onto the station site.Quilty Station in the late 1950s. The picture was taken from the southern end of the station site. [3]In this 1993 aerial image of the village of Quilty the station is in the centre of the image vans the old railway route can be seen curving away inland to the south (the right side of the picture). [4]

Edmund Lenihan, writing in the late 1980s, gets us moving once again: “In the mile and a quarter to Kilmurry Station the line makes an S-shape through more or less level terrain, first looping west, then gradually east until it comes side by side with the Kilrush road at Kilmurry Bridge, and finally west again to the station gates.” [2]

The line was raised above surrounding land. On one side there was an earthen storm-bank, several feet wide at its base and tapering towards the top. Before it was built, the line was totally exposed to the elements.

The line passed through a cutting which can be seen in the two adjacent satellite images, and just to the south of the obvious rock face in these images it passed under two accommodation bridges which carried access roads before rising above the surrounding land onto a relatively high embankment. The next obstacles in the way of the line were the Ballymackea River and a minor public highway. Lenihan tells us that the river bridge is Kilmurry Bridge road bridge is called Sullivan’s Bridge. [6] In have not been able to find a photograph of Kilmurry Bridge. It is in the location shown on the first image below.The line continued south on embankment. It curved gradually back round to the Southwest as the adjacent satellite image shows.

The land and the old track-bed rise on their way to Kilmurry Station which can be seen two-thirds of the way down the adjacent image.

The first picture below is taken from the minor road close to Kilmurry Station and looks back along the old line towards Quilty.  The second picture shows Kilmurry Station in the 21st century. The third picture below shows the station in 1952, the fourth in 1960.

Kilmurry Station in 1952, © IRRS. [7]Kilmurry in September 1960, © Roger Joanes. [12]

Three hundred yards beyond Kilmurry Station is Kilmurry No. 2 Crossing which was tended from Kilmurry Station. The next two picture are taken from the location of that crossing. The first looks back towards Kilmurry Station which can be seen in the distance. The second looks ahead down the line. A deep cutting through the hill ahead can be seen on the horizon.The line curves South away from the Crossing and across open fields towards Cloonadrum School and railway cottage. The school was to the West of the line and is probably now a holiday cottage. [8] The Crossing-keeper’s cottage to the East of the line is little changed from the days of the railway. Both buildings appear below.

Edmund Lenihan  tells a story: “On 13 August 1955 an unfortunate railway accident occurred at Cloonadrum. The crossing gate, though it had been opened at the train’s approach, was loosened by the vibrations and swung closed as the guard’s van passed, splintering the planks of the little wooden outshot where Peter O’Brien was sitting and injuring him severely. Only when the train reached Craggaknock Station, a mile and a quarter away, was it noticed that anything was amiss. When he did not appear, the van was searched and he was discovered dying at his post. Two circumstances which made his death all the more tragic were that he was shortly to be married, and that he was not supposed to be on duty that week, but was standing in for a friend who was on leave.” [9]

The crossing, school and cottage all appear in the bottom right of the adjacent satellite image.

The old Cloonadrum School building.The Crossing-keeper’s cottage (above) as it is in the early 21st century. The route of the old railway is shown in red.

Cloonadrum crossing appears once again at the top of the adjacent satellite image. The feature marked ‘1’ is the site of what was the Annageragh Bridge (or Lissyneillan Bridge) over the Annageragh River.

Lenihan says that, as he and his son stood on the river bank under what used to be the bridge, “the full extent of the feat that was Annageragh Bridge instantly impressed itself on us as incomparably the most forceful structure we had yet seen on our 33- mile journey. Almost 40-feet high the stonework stands, stark now, yet beautiful. This was one of the few bridges put out of commission in 1961, when the line was being taken up — hardly surprising when one considers its height. Beside it we looked, and felt, insignificant.” [10]

The 400 yards from Annageragh Bridge to Lissyneillan Crossing (marked ‘2’ above) were initially on a high embankment but otherwise unremarkable.Looking back North from Lissyneillan Crossing towards Cloonadrum. The line of the railway has been severed by the outbuildings of the relatively modern bungalow. The Cloonadrum school and railway cottage can be seen on the horizon, to the left of the row of cottages.Looking south (above) from Lissyneillan Crossing, the line travels away into the distance in the centre of the picture. The adjacent satellite image shows its onward course.

Edmund Lenihan noted a substantial road-bridge which was becoming dangerous which had to be crossed cautiously. [11]

The next feature on the line was the Crossing and Station at Craggaknock.The view back towards Quilty from the minor road adjacent to Craggaknock Station.

Patrick Taylor is very  economical in his use of words as he describes this length of the line: On the far side of Cloonadrum, “Anaghgeragh Bridge (No. 60) over the river of the same name was reached, before passing through Lisseyneslon level crossing beyond the 33.75 milepoint and into Craggaknock flag station at 34.5 milepoint. Having passed through another set of crossing gates adjacent to the station. A small goods store and platform was provided here on the up side.” [1] Lenihan and Taylor often use alternative spellings for place names.Craggaknock Station was typical of many on the South Clare section of the network. It was situated close to crossing gates on a minor road, © IRRS. [1]Craggaknock Station in September 1960. A view from an Ennis-bound train, © Roger Joanes. [12]

The Craggaknock Station building remains in the 21st century but the line is overgrown. One of the crossing gateposts is still visible, © C. Cooney [13]

The former platform is shown in the adjacent image and the platform entry point is shown in its early 21st century incarnation in the next image below, © C. Cooney [13]

Edmund Lenihan found the station in a better condition than it is in the 21st century! [14]

Beyond Craggaknock the line headed away into open country. Lenihan comments: “Today [late 1980s] there are few houses within a mile’s radius of it, and only one of these was dignified by being named on our map. This is Craggaknock House, a plain early nineteenth-century dwelling, less than a mile to the east.” [15]

Patrick Taylor describes the route between Craggaknock and Doonbeg succinctly, in one short paragraph: “On the three and a quarter mile journey to Doonbeg the line passed through six level crossings, two situated in the townland of Clohanes and four in the townland of Caherfeenich – they were Clohanes No.1 and No.2, and Caherfeenich Nos. 1-4. Just beyond the last mentioned was Skivileen Bridge (No.63) near the Doughmore sandhills. Less than quarter of a mile on, Doonbeg Station Gates were crossed to enter Doonbeg Station” at the 37.75 mile-point. [1]

The first of a series of Crossings is Clohane crossing No. 1 which can be seen on the satellite image above and in the pictures below.Looking back from Clohanes Crossing No. 1 towards Craggaknock Station.Looking forward from Clohanes Crossing No. 1 towards Doonbeg.

Just 100 yards or so beyond Clohanes Crossing No. 1, Clohanes Crossing No. 2 was encountered. It crossed a lane which at one time was more heavily used than in the 21st Century. It was operated by the crossing keeper at Clohanes No. 1 and can be picked out on the satellite image above to the Southwest of the first crossing.

Beyond that crossing the railway encountered a falling grade as it headed South. Easier on southbound locomotives, this bank – Clahanes Bank – was “a constant trouble spot for laden steam trains from the south. The gradient here is not as obvious as at Willbrook or the Black Hill, yet it was enough to give the place some measure of notoriety.” [16]

Very interestingly on the adjacent satellite image two circles can easily be picked out alongside the line  (one on the East and one on the West) and a fainter larger circle just a little to the East of the line.

These circles are the remains of what appear to be earthen fortifications.

These are Cahers and they are a frequent occurrence in Co. Clare. There appear to have been around 2400 of them in Co. Clare alone. [17] They were homesteads rather than defensive fortifications which were known as Cashels. The name of the village close to these earthworks highlights their status … Caherfeenick. It appears on the adjacent satellite image.

As we have already noted, there are 4 Crossings in the area of Caherfeenick. Caherfeenick Crossing No. 1 was located on a little used lane way northeast of the village. Caherfeenick Crossing No. 2 had a Crossing-Keeper’s Cottage. In the 1980s, when Lenihan walked the route of the line the crossing keeper’s cottage was unaltered since the closure of the line and the last crossing-keeper still lived there. [19] It can be seen above roughly at the centre of the satellite image. In the early 21st century, little has changed. The cottage still stands with only minor changes.Caherfeenick Crossing No. 2. The route of the old line is marked in red and the crossing-keeper’s cottage still stands sentinel at the crossing location. This view looks back towards Crossing No. 1.This picture is taken from the narrow lane at Crossing No. 2 and looks forward along the route of the old line towards Crossing No. 3.Caherfeenick Crossing No. 3, looking back along the line towards Quilty.The N67 is crossed by the old line at Crossing No. 3. This view looks forward towards Doonbeg. The crossing appears at the bottom left of the satellite image above.

Edmund Lenihan describes this crossing which also appears at the top of the adjacent image as follows: “The road at no. 3 is reached through the usual fence of sleepers, and the cottage is 20 yards away, on the down side. It is as though time had stood still here, for the little house is in pristine condition, everything as it was when first it was built.” [20]

The cottage is much changed in the early 21st century. Lenihan goes on to point out that “Caherfeenick no. 3 has a more recent and cheering claim to fame: it is the home place of Michael O’Halloran, MP for Islington, London, one of the many emigrants who have achieved an eminence abroad that would almost inevitably have been denied them at home.” [20] He was, of course, writing in the late 1980s. The present incumbent of the role of MP for Islington (2019) is the current leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbin.

Caherfeenick Crossing No. 4 was located at the point where the old railway encountered a T-junction of roads at the boundary of two townlands – Caherfeenick North and South. That crossing is evident on the adjacent map. The railway continued on to Doonbeg which was no more than a mile ahead. It appears in the bottom left of the adjacent OS Map from the 1940s. On the way there the railway crossed Skivileen Bridge about 300 yards from Caherfeenick No. 4.Cahirfeenick Crossing No. 4, looking back towards No.3.And looking forward towards Doonbeg.

Patrick Taylor says: “Doonbeg (Dunbeag) “The Small Fort” is said to be the longest village in Clare. It is here that the Doonbeg river enters the sea at Doonbeg Bay, and was once a fortress of the McMahons and later O’Briens, where until recent times stood a large stone castle. A short distance on one side lies Baltard Bay and on the other side Doughmore Sandhills. The station at Doonbeg, also a block post, situated on the town side was provided with a platform, car park, loading bank, goods store and a large siding all on the station side, with a two lever ground frame on the opposite side.” [1]Doonbeg in the 1950s looking towards Moyasta. [1]Doonbeg in 1960, © Roger Joanes. [22]Doonbeg Station building in the early 21st century, © C. Cooney. [21]

South of the station platform, the Goods shed was at the head of a passing loop decsribed as a siding. Taylor says: “On leaving Doonbeg yard after a slight curve the three arch Mountrivers bridge (No.64) over the Doonbeg river was crossed, and the line ran parallel with the public road for over a mile. The public road veered to the left at this point and the railway continued on a straight line to Shragh siding.” [1]

As the route of the line meets the Doonbeg River the quality of the satellite images available on Google Earth deteriorates. However, Streetview was able to provide a view of the bridge over the Doonbeg River which is a steel girder bridge, not the three-arched bridge mentioned by Taylor. Lenihan confirms that it is the road bridge which is the three-arched structure. [22]South of the river, the landscape is relatively flat and trains on the old railway would have trundled along in their own sweet way heading for Moyasta Station. The road and railway ran in parallel, as can be seen on the image below. It is taken at the point marked ’30’ on the OS Map and looks back towards Doonbeg.

The following image shows the point at which road and rail diverge. This is evident on the adjacent map.

We see the ongoing journey on the 1940s OS Maps. After leaving the road, the railway continued in a southerly direction before running parallel to another minor road as it travelled passed Moanmore Lough to the west of the line.

The Google Earth satellite image shows the the relative positions of road (blue line), old railway (red lines) and the Lough. The old railway track bed has been used in places as the formation level for private driveways to properties built over the old line.The line continues to follow (approximately) the line of the road heading to Moyasta.

Moanmore Crossing had can derelict Crossing Cottage when Edmund Lenihan first visited in the 1980s. [23] Later he notes that it had been rebuilt. [24] The next two photographs show the trackbed either side of the crossing.Looking north along the trakbed at Moanmore Crossing.And (above) looking with at the same crossing.

Moyasta Station was a junction station. Here the line separated to serve both Kilrush and Killed and allowance was also made in the form of a triangular junction for through traffic between the two. We will finish this section of the journey here at Moyasta, aware that there will be more to explore than just the history of the line and ready to do so in the next post in this series. A preservation scheme has been in operation for a good number of years in the 21st century and we will in due course explore what has been done.

We finish this post with a few images from the past.Moyasta Station lookin north in September 1950, © James P. O’Dea, National Library of Ireland. [25] Three images of Moyasta Station in 1960, © Roger Joanes. [26]A railcar on the through route from Kilrush to Kilkee in 1953, © Les Hyland. [27]The through connection between Kilkee and Kilrush is on the left. The railcar is leaving Moyasta for Kilrush. There were very few through workings between the two towns that did not also need to call at Moyasta, © A.M. Davies. [27]Branch train meets main line train at Moyasta Junction on 17th July 1947. On the left is No. 11C, with the 9.30am ex Kilrush, making connection with No. 6C, on the right, with the 9.35am from Killed through to Ennis. Interestingly, the main line engine is running bunker first -perhaps the Killed turntable was out of use for some reason. The Kilrush train, after departure of the one to Ennis, would propel back out of the platform, and then via the third side if the triangle, proceed to Kilkee, thus providing a Kilrush to Kilkee service, © C.H.A.Townley. [28]Moyasta Junction in 1952, © IRRS. [29]Engine 5C with a down goods at Moyasta, 5th February 1955, © IRRS. [29]A plan of Moyasta Station before the closure of the West Clare Railway in 1961. [30]

References

1. Patrick Taylor; The West Clare Railway; Plateway Press, 1994, p42.
2. Edmund Lenihan; In the Tracks if the West Clare Railway; Mercier Press, Dec. 2008, p182.
3. http://www.milleens.net/showmedia.php?mediaID=53&medialinkID=54, accessed on 30th April 2019.
4. http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/quilty_arialview.htm, accessed on 30th April 2019.
5. http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/quilty.htm, accessed on 30th April 2019.
6. Edmund Lenihan; op. cit., p184.
7. Ibid., p187.
8. Ibid., p193.
9. Ibid., p194.
10. Ibid., p195.
11. Ibid., p196.
12. http://elevation.maplogs.com/poi/doonbeg_co_clare_ireland.73139.html, accessed on 1st May 2019.
13. http://eiretrains.com/Photo_Gallery/Railway%20Stations%20C/Craggaknock/IrishRailwayStations.html#, accessed on 3rd May 2019.
14. Edmund Lenihan; op. cit., p198.
15. Ibid., p198-199.
16. Ibid., p203.
17. Thomas J. Westropp; The Cahers of County Clare: Their Names, Features, and Bibliography;
    Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy (1889-1901), The Royal Irish Academy Volume 6, 1900, p415-449; https://www.jstor.org/stable/20488784, accessed on 5th May 2019.
18. http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/archaeology/CL047-002—.htm, accessed on 5th May 2019.
19. Edmund Lenihan; op. cit., p205.
20. Ibid., p206.
21. http://eiretrains.com/Photo_Gallery/Railway%20Stations%20D/Doonbeg/IrishRailwayStations.html, accessed on 5th May 2019.
22. Edmund Lenihan; op. cit., p212.
23. Ibid., p221-222.
24. Ibid., p302.
25. James P O’Dea Collection, National Library of Ireland, https://www.flickr.com/photos/nlireland/30230379325, accessed on 5th May 2019.
26. https://www.flickr.com/photos/110691393@N07, accessed on 5th May 2019.
27. Patrick Taylor; op. cit., p44.
28. Ibid., p68.
29. Edmund Lenihan; op. cit., p224.
30. Patrick TaylorTaylor; op. cit., p48.

The Line of the West Clare Railway from Miltown-Malbay to Quilty

Before setting off on the next leg of this journey South along the Atlantic Coast of Co. Clare we take a quick look at the town of Miltown-Malbay which has only existed since about 1800 but grew rapidly: by 1821 it had a population of 600. During the Great Famine (1844 – 1848) many farmers were evicted by the unpopular landlord Moroney. In the years after the famine the (Protestant) Moroney family went on with rack renting and evictions. At one time the population had enough and started a boycott. The government did not like that and imprisoned all pub-owners and shopkeepers who refused to serve the family or their servant. So at the end of 1888 most pub-owners and shopkeepers were in jail! [9]

The Co. Clare Library says the following about the town:

Miltown Malbay or Sráid na Cathrach is at the heart of an ancient area known as Kilfarboy. Sráid na Cathrach translates into “The Street of the Fort”, deriving from the existence of an Iron Age fort (An Cathair) near the site of St. Josephs Parish Church. The earliest inhabitants of the area were likely found on the rising ground to the north and east of the present town, stretching from the fort to the monastic foundation in the townland of Kilfarboy. It is suggested by some that Miltown comes from the Irish “Meall-Bhaigh”, meaning a treacherous coast or bay. It could also have taken the name Malbay from either the tradition of the witch, Mal, being drowned in the bay, or that of the volcanic eruption which drowned 1,008 people and separated Mutton Island from the mainland in 804.

Miltown Malbay grew in part because of developments at nearby Spanish Point. Thomas Moroney built the Atlantic Hotel in the early nineteenth century and for a time it rejoiced in the title of the largest hotel in the British Isles. The seaside resort developed as a refuge for the aristocracy and some of the lodges can still be seen today although only a small portion of the hotel ruin remains.

Miltown Malbay once had five corn mills, of which the ruins of three can still be seen. In 1825 Terence MacMahon owned a corn mill and Mary MacMahon a tucking mill and the growing town was referred to as Poll a Mhuillin. This was later translated as the town of the mill or Milltown.

By 1837 Miltown Malbay contained 133 houses and 726 inhabitants. During the year of the abortive rising, 1867, the local resident magistrate wrote to the Under-Secretary at Dublin Castle because he was “seriously apprehensive of a Fenian outbreak” in the locality.

One of the greatest historical events ever witnessed in the town was the public address delivered by Charles Stewart Parnell in 1885. Although he was almost totally confining himself to parliamentary work at that stage of his career, Parnell agreed to come to Miltown due to his admiration for parish priest, Fr. Patrick White’s involvement in the land struggle. On January 26, 1885, Parnell came to Clare to turn the first sod for the West Clare Railway and later the same day came to Miltown for the meeting. Standing in front of the recently built parochial house, he addressed a crowd of over 20,000 and there were numerous bands in attendance. [10]

The town had a population of 575 according to the 2011 Census. Including the rural area around the town it counts about 1,600 inhabitants. [9]Miltown Church – St. Joseph’s [11]Miltown-Malbay regards itself as the home of traditional Irish music. [12][13][14]

The station building is sited to the Northwest of the town centre and is listed on the Irish National Inventory of Architectural Heritage as follows: “Detached former railway station complex, built 1857, comprising L-plan three-bay two-storey station master’s house with two-bay two-storey return, and four-bay single-storey station to right, having six-bay single-storey flat roof canopy over former platform. Now in use as guest house. Pitched slate roof with rendered chimneystacks. Rendered walls. Cast-iron columns to former platform. Timber sliding sash windows to former station. Replacement uPVC windows to house. Rough-cast rendered chamfered gate piers with wrought-iron gate to site. Former goods shed to site. Foundation stone of West Clare Railway laid by Charles Stewart Parnell to rear of this site.” [3]A Diesel Railcar at Mailtown-Malbay Station, seen from the North. Both the Good Shed and the Station building can be seen in this photograph. Both still stand and are now part of the complex of the guest house/hotel and apartments on the site [6]An Ennis-bound excursion train leaving Miltown Malbay on 16th August 1947, headed by Locomotive 11C. Presumably the wagon next to the engine was either vacuum braked or piped, but the reason for its use is unclear – unless to carry additional fuel for the locomotive. The first three coaches are West Clare ‘all thirds’, followed by two of the saloons. Notice the signal box. This was the last of the West Clare stations, equipped as a terminus complete with turntable and locomotive shed, and the last station with two platform faces, (c) Frank Jones. [16]

Diesel Locomotive No. F503 at Miltown-Malbay Station in 1956. [4]Loco No. F502 pulling a train for Kilrush in September 1960, (c) Roger Joanes. [8]A pickup goods in the hands of Loco 503 at Miltown-Malbay in September 1956 (c) O’Dea Photograph Collection. [7]A view South towards the N67 from under the canopy of the extended and modernised station building. [5]The station layout in its heyday is shown above. [1]

Patrick Taylor describes the station as being “the last station to have both up and down platforms both of which were provided with verandahs. A loco shed, goods store, turntable and water tank (10,000 gals) were also situated here as Miltown-Malbay was the terminus of the West Clare Railway. A staff post with the station building on the down side, it possessed pretty extensive accommo-dation. The signal cabin and a cattle bank were situated on the down side. The water tank, goods store and engine shed were to the rear of the up platform. [15]

He goes on to say that: “On passing the down home signal the up road was connected to the right and a siding veered off to the left to run onto the rear of the down platform. Another siding ran off the up road to the rear of the platform, which served the goods store loading bank and water tower. There were two connecting spurs off this siding, one running on to the turntable and engine shed at the Lahinch side. The other running on to both the up and down road adjacent to the level crossing gates on the Quilty side. The up starting signal was situated beyond the up platform on the up side and a water column was at the end of the up platform on the Lahinch end . The down starting signal and a second water column at the end of the down platform faced towards Quilty.” [15]

The onward route of the line heading South is shown first on the satellite image above and then on the adjacent 1940s OS Map. The South Clare Railway commenced at this station, and ran past three level crossings inside the first half mile. The line passed to the West of the small town of Miitown-Malbay whose centre is shown on the OS Map above.

Taylor continues: “The Lahinch-Miltown Malbay main road was crossed at the station gates and after a minor road at Flag Road No.1, the Miltown-Quilty road was crossed at. Flag Road No.2 crossing. The Miltown-Malbay up home signal was situated on the upside a short distance on the Miltown side of Flag Road No.1. Two bridges, Sextons (No.53) and St. Joseph’s Well river bridge (No. 54) were in close proximity on the next stretch after crossing Braffa level crossing at 28.57 m.p.” [15]

For a bit more detail we turn to Edmund Lenihan. He says that a short piece of shallow cutting is all that remains of the line until it reaches the Flag Road No. 1 crossing which is just 300 yards West of the town’s main crossroads. [2]Looking North from the minor road which was crossed at Flag Road No. 1 Crossing along the route of the old railway line back to the location of the Station. The shallow embankment shows the location of the old railway with Miltown Malbay away to the right of the picture. The image below is taken looking South at the same location.The next crossing was Flag Road No. 2 Crossing and the line crossed Flag Road at this point.The location of the crossing is easily established as there is a different form of boundary wall across the line. This view is taken from Flag Road and looks back towards Flag Road Crossing No. 1.Looking south from Flag Road the route of the line has been built over.

We are now at the top of the adjacent 1940s OS Map. The line is shown all the way through to Quilty on this and the next two OS Maps. The line curves gradually from a southerly trajectory to a southwesterly direction before curving south again at Quilty. The same length of the line is shown below these OS Maps in a series of satellite images from Google Earth. These are interspersed with Google Streetview images and others where available.

Edmund Lenihan spends some pages describing this part of the route. First, after the Flag Road crossings the line drifts towards Mullagh Road. Lenihan encounters two bungalows built over the line of the railway. At that point, adjacent to Mullagh Road the line was in cutting, so to build the two bungalows the cutting had to be filled. Prior to the construction of the two bungalows the cutting must have been immeidate ly adjacent to the road verge. [17]

The adjacent satellite image shows the route of the line tending towards Mullagh Road.

The next two satellite pictures show the two bungalows mentioned above. In these images, taken in around 2015, it appears that much of the railway cutting has been infilled. There are lengths close to the bungalows, both North and South of them where the cutting still appears to exist. In between the satellite images are pictures taken from Mullagh Road which show the line drifting towards the road from the North and then drifting away again to the South.

The photographs taken from Mullagh Road have the rough path of the railway line shown in red.

In the first, Miltown Malbay can be seen in the right-distance. The remaining three form a straightforward sequence with the last shown the route of the railway moving away from the road. The satellite image which folows these four oictures shows the route of the old railway from above.As we travel on towards Quilty, we note that the route of the line now runs across open fields. On the ground there ois little trace of the line. The satellite images keep us on track.

We cross a minor road at-grade. This was a gated crossing and the crossings keeper’s cottage remains in the 21st century. It is approachingvas we leave the adjacent satellite image and shows up clearly at the top of the next satellite image.

In between the two are Google Streetview pictures of the crossing and its immediate environment.A view from the East looking along the minor road. The old railway approached on the alignment shown, travelling behind the crossing-keeper’s cottage.The cottage has been extended towards the alignment of the old railway.The crossing was on a very shallow angle. This view is also taken from the East. The gate posts can still be seen at the far side of the crossing.The line continued on towards Quilty. As it does so, we listen to Edmund Lenihan’s description of the route just a little further ahead along the old line. Clearly he did not have the benefit of satellite imagery.

“We could see Miltown power station ahead and Breaffa cottage to our right, but of the line there was no trace. We reached the road, and could have saved ourselves discomfort by merely walking to the crossing and continuing from there. But instead we started across the fields towards the river, gradually correcting our line of progress as we went. We had an easier passage than we deserved, there being no more than muck and high ditches in our way, and even these we forgot as soon as we saw the Glendine River. Swirling, looping in sharp turns and little pools, it rattles along in its narrow gorge as if shepherding stones downstream to its meeting with the Annagh River. Our crossing point, Sexton’s Bridge, was intact, but since here were no parapets we hurried over it like men expecting that it might fall at any moment and with only the briefest glance of acknowledgment to the stream gushing underneath. Already, our sights were on a scene more imposing. Here, from a large valley towards which the Glendine cascades, rears a high, ivy-draped road-bridge of one main arch, with others flanking, while nearby, in the lee of Aillateriff heights, a group of mill-like buildings nestles. Over all, the power station stood out like a beacon, white against the sky. Without ever looking to the map we knew that this was Stackpoole’s Bridge and Poulawillin Mills. A few minutes’ walk and we were at Annagh No. 1 crossing, 28.75 miles from Ennis.” [18]The crossing-keeper’s cottage from Annagh No. 1 Crossing is shown above in 21st century and in the adjacent image from the 1950s © IRRS. [19] The second image is taken from south of the crossing, the first from the single-lane road that the railway crossed.The railway continued South from Annagh No. 1 Crossing. 

A few hundred yards beyond the road-crossing the railway crossed the Annagh River again. The bridge can be seenninnthe top right of the adjacent photo.

To the West of the road-crossing the road crossed the Annagh River. It was from McMahon’s corn and woollen mills in the immediate vicinity of thst road bridge that “the village of Miltown took its name in the nineteenth century, and the name of the nearby townland, Poulawillin, still preserves this memory. The bridge, at least 40-feet high, bears the inscription `Built by John Stackpoole, Esq. July 1811′, and has withstood the years with dignity.” [19] Just to the West of the bridge is St. Joseph’s well, the site of regular pilgrimages.

Once the railway crossed the Annagh for the second time it entered the townlands of Annagh. Lenihan’s says: “There was much to admire in the way the river squirmed along in a semi-circle to a huge pool at the base of the embankment close to where the twenty-ninth milepost once stood. A fine place for fishing, without doubt, but extremely deep and dangerous-looking. The current has begun to eat into the foundations of the line, and already land slippage has occurred, leaving a sheer and frightening drop.” [20] 

One thing which is a recurrent reality in Lenihan’s book is the swamp-like nature of much of the conditions underfoot and at other times, just how easy it was to loose the route of the line. This next passage from his book gives a good impression of so much of the walks he and his son undertook.

“Our troubles continued, the swamp developing into a small lake. But for the rushes at the edges of the line, we could have made no progress. We hopped along, from one to the next, a business that demanded total concentration. Then, in lightning contrast, when we squelched through a muddy gap we found ourselves faced with a huge levelled field.The line was being elusive again, and succeeded in hiding from us for most of the way to the next crossing cottage half a mile away.” [21]

The next crossing was Annagh No. 2 Crossing and was 29.5 miles from Ennis and appeared in the centre of the last satellite image above. It was opened as a halt in May 1952. The control of the line passed, at this point, out of the control of Miltown Station.Annagh No. 2 Crossing in 1954, © IRRS. The picture is taken from south of the Crossing. [21]This new-build cottage is in approximately the same position as the old Crossing-Keeper’s Cottage at Annagh No. 2 Crossing.The line ahead.

Lenihan comments that from Annagh No. 2 Crossing, “there was no difficulty in getting to Emlagh crossing, for the way is quite clear and the surface dry. But there was little of interest to be seen. … At the triple boundary, Annagh, Caherrush and Emlagh, a handsome stone culvert lined with Liscannor flags still carries the boundary stream.” [21]

The crossing keeper’s cottage at Emlagh Crossing is still present in the early 21st century and can be seen easily in the satellite image above.

In the adjacent image we see the line from the Northeast arriving at Emlagh Crossing. The image below we look Southwest passed the Cottage.We are now not so very far from Quilty. The village is in sight.

Lenihan continues his tale from the 1980s: “Ahead of us, an odd-looking fence appeared somewhat like a jump on a racecourse, surmounted as it was by a long post. When we reached it we found that it was no post, but one of the steel rails, only the second we had come upon in all the miles since leaving Ennis. A small stream once ran here, but it has been much altered enlarged by excavation, and the culvert demolished in the process. Two hundred yards farther on is another stream, this one the boundary with Quilty East. Here is a more substantial bridge, its stonework and girder facings still firmly intact.” [23]

Further ahead through muddy terrain, Lenihan encountered the stream dividing Quilty East from Quilty West  where the bridge “had met the fate of so many others, leaving a 10-foot-wide, 6-foot-deep channel, newly gouged.” [23]

After that the final quarter of a mile towards Quilty was, for Lenihan, easy going. [23]

At Quilty a small estate of houses has been built over the route of the old railway, immediately before the station itself.

Quilty station building remains recognisable in the early 21st century. The station was built on a curve at the 31.5 mile post. It “was on the upside and consisted of a platform, small siding and goods store.” [24]

We will finish this short part of our journey here near the sea. It is worth noting that an anemometer was installed at Quilty because of the ferocious nature of the Atlantic storms which hit the coast here. It was installed in 1911. When the instrument indicated gales of over 60mph, only ballasted stock could be used and when a gale of 80mph was predicted, all traffic on the line was brought to a halt. It is on record that wind of 112mph were recorded in January 1927. The anemometer hut and pole are shown in the adjacent image, © IRRS. [24][25]

Edmund Lenihan expands on these bare facts: “On 3 March 1897 several carriages of the 10.30 a.m. passenger train from Kilrush were blown off the line between Kilmurry and here, and tumbled down an embankment.That there was no serious injury to any of the two dozen passengers was, as a newspaper report put it, ‘really marvellous’. Two years later, on 12 January 1899, at Quilty cross, the 8.30 a.m. train from Ennis was derailed in similar circumstances. Again, no one was seriously injured, but rather than wait for a tragedy to occur the company began to take precautions. A high earthen bank was built at the seaward side of the line south-west of the station, and in 1911 an anemometer was installed to warn of storms. Its high mast protruded from a little wooden hut on the up side a short distance from the goods’ shed (which stood at the end of the platform), but the instrument itself was in the station-house, where two differently toned bells awaited the onset of the wind. It became part of the stationmaster’s daily duties to take wind-speed readings. .... Ballast consisted of slabs of concrete under the carriage seats.” [26]Diesel locomotive at Quilty Station just before closure, © IRRS. [27]Quilty Station just after closure. The picture was taken on 7th June 1961, © Roy Denison [27]

References

1. Patrick Taylor; The West Clare Railway; Plateway Press, 1994, p48.
2. Edmund Lenihan; In the Tracks if the West Clare Railway; Mercier Press, Dec. 2008, p168.
3. http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=CL&regno=20300608, accessed on 20th April 2019.
4. https://stationhousemiltownmalbay.wordpress.com/station-house-accommodation, accessed on 20th April 2019.
5. https://www.facebook.com/StationHouseMiltownMalbay/photos/a.259048931094658/468777630121786, accessed on 20th April 2019.
6. https://www.hydeparknow.uk/2017/07/13/stuck-in-miltown, accessed on 20th April 2019.
7. https://twitter.com/theclareherald, accessed on 20th April 2019.
8. https://www.flickr.com/photos/110691393@N07/11373840335, accessed on 19th April 2019.
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milltown_Malbay, accessed on 20th April 2019.
10. http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/miltown_history.htm, accessed on 20th April 2019.
11. https://www.westclare.net/miltown.htm, accessed on 20th April 2019.
12. https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g635643-i94980478-Miltown_Malbay_County_Clare.html, accessed on 20th April 2019.
13. https://www.clareecho.ie/miltown-malbay-written-off-the-map, accessed on 20th April 2019.
14. https://www.facebook.com/clareplaces/photos/a.1121180214559064/1121180307892388, accessed on 20th April 2019.
15. Patrick Taylor; op.cit., p41.
16. Ibid., p66.
17. Edmund Lenihan; op.cit., p170.
18. Ibid., p170-171.
19. Ibid., p171.
20. Ibid., p174-175.
21. Ibid., p175-176.
22. Ibid., p177.
23. Ibid., p179.
24. Patrick Taylor; op. cit., p41.
25. Edmund Lenihan; op. cit., p180-181.
26. Ibid., p181.
27. Ibid., p179.

The Line of the West Clare Railway from Lahinch to Miltown-Malbay

We recommence our journey at Lahinch Station. The satellite image below was provided close to the end of the last post in this series.This satellite image allows the whole of the Lahinch area to be included. The area in the curved red box in the station area and is represented below in a sketch plan.Lahinch Station. [1]Lahinch Station around the turn of the 20th Century, with the village beyond. [2]A train from Kilkee waits at Lahinch on its way to Ennis. [5]Lahinch Station in 1961. [2]

As the above pictures show Lahinch Station developed over the years.

Lahinch or Lehinch (Irish: An Leacht or Irish: Leacht Uí Chonchubhair, meaning “The Memorial cairn of O’Connor”) is a small town on Liscannor Bay, on the northwest coast of County Clare, Ireland. It lies on the N67 national secondary road, between Milltown Malbay and Ennistymon, roughly 75 kilometres (47 mi) by road southwest of Galway and 68 kilometres (42 mi) northwest of Limerick. [4]

The town became a popular tourist destination on the Atlantic coast and close to the Cliffs of Moher.The Cliffs of Moher. [6]

Lahinch developed from having just a few cabins in the eighteenth century to having a population of over one thousand people in 1835. However, no significant development took place in the early nineteenth century as the sea front continued to take a severe battering from the Atlantic gales. [3] It was not until later in the century that the infrastructure of the town developed and it became a seaside resort following the opening of the West Clare Railway in 1887. In 1883, the town was struck by a severe storm which destroyed the sea wall and promenade and damaged many buildings. Local governor William Edward Ellis oversaw the repair work which followed and the construction of a new sea wall and promenade were inaugurated by the wife of the Viceroy, Lady Aberdeen, in July 1893. [14]

Lahinch’s popularity and fame depend on two features. First and foremost is the mile-long beach of golden sand stretching along in front of the village, promenade and sandhills. With the growing popularity of sea bathing and the arrival of the West Clare Railway in 1887, people began to arrive in unprecedented numbers. The village’s secondary claim to popularity is its Golf Club. [3]

There was a short ascent out of Lahinch, 1 in 193, across Gregg level crossing, just beyond Mile Post 21 and through Coffey’s Bridge (No. 41) which carried a laneway over the line. With Moy Bay on the west the line crossed over the Lahinch-Miltown Road twice, first at Major’s Bridge (No. 42) and secondly at Crag Bridge (No. 43).

South of Lahinch Station the route described above is now hidden under new development as far as Major’s Bridge (or perhaps it is Crag Bridge). This bridge is the first evidence we can see of the route of the line South of Launch. It spans the modern N67 road.The line was carried on an embankment to the South of Lahinch. Major’s Bridge (see below) has lost its superstructure but it was no doubt of very similar construction to the next structure which can be seen and the bottom of the adjacent satellite image, Crag Bridge (see below). [7]

Crag Bridge (see below) can be seen in the Google Streetview images below. The first picture is taken from the East looking towards the coast. The second photograph is taken from the West  looking back along the N67 towards Lahinch.

In both these images the bridge is far more overgrown than it would ever have been while in use before the closure of the railway line.

Patrick Taylor’s choice of names for these two bridges [7] is unlikely to be correct. Edmund Lenihan suggests that the first bridge encountered is Crag Bridge and the second, Major’s Bridge. He comments: “Quite unexpectedly we were at Crag Bridge – or rather, where it had been, for the metal deck which spanned the Milltown road is one of two that have been removed. Before climbing down to the road, we paused for another look at the panorama stretching away southward. The line, embanked all the way, loops off to the southeast like some monstrous snake on its way towards the rugged scenic area known as ‘The Major’s Wood, beyond which the ground rises into the dark ridge of Black Hill, following the coast into the distance towards Rineen.” [8]

In the North Clare Bridge Survey, the second bridge is recorded as Calluragh South Bridge as below. It’s proximity to Moy House suggests that this much have been Major’s Bridge. [11]This length of the line was exposed to the strongest Atlantic weather. So exposed that it was the scene of a derailment on 24th December 1912, caused by a freak wind. [7] Edmund Lenihan, writing in the late 1980s, says: The sizeable cutting which succeeds this long clear stretch has only one claim to fame, so far as I am aware. Here, on a (lay of fierce storm almost eighty years ago, several carriages of an unladen special from Kilrush were derailed — literally blown off the track. [12]

That cutting included Major’s Road Bridge and Major’s River Bridge over the River Moy. Edmund Lenihan comments: “Moy House, white and turreted, [is] situated on rising scenic ground overlooking the coast just west of the Moy River. Built by the Fitzgeralds, landlords of the area, in the early nineteenth century, it was later bought by Major George Studdert, whose descendants lived in it until the 1930s. He lent his title to the fine railway bridge which crosses the river a short distance away. Even yet it is known as `The Major’s Bridge’ and is, with Toloughlahan and Cullenagh, one of those that should be preserved for posterity. The view from it is spectacular. The public road dips into the wooded valley of the Moy River here, and the coincidence of road and rail bridges only yards apart makes this a memorable place.” [12]

Sadly the wooded valley of the River Moy is now choked with blackthorn and the river bridge is, in the 21st Century, seemingly inaccessible.Moy House is now a Georgian country house hotel about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of Lahinch near the village of Moy. Originally set in 15 acres of woodland on the River Moy, it was built in the mid-18th century as the holiday home of Sir Augustine Fitzgerald. Later it was sold to Major Studdert, who gave his name to the bridges over the road and the river on the West Clare. The house was vacant for 10 years, but was purchased by Antoin O’Looney who undertook a three year restoration of the property. It was voted Country House of the Year by Georgina Campbell’s Ireland in 2003. [9][10]Moy House from the sea. [10]South of the second bridge, the line crosses the Moy River and curves slightly to the East before swinging  gradually round to the West. The adjacent satellite image and the one directly below show the route.

The location of the Moy River Bridge was adjacent to Major’s Road Bridge. The picture above shows that the river bridge is amidst  heavy blackthorn growth.

Both the road and the railway followed the line of least resistance as they climbed to cross Black Hill, travelling first along its flank and heading towards the sea.

Edmund Lenihan found the ground along the route from the river to Moy Bridge almost impassible in the 1980s. Moy Bridge another structure to have had its steel/wrought-iron deck removed. Headroom was no doubt the issue here. Edmund Lenihan says: “The metal deck of Moy Bridge, like the one at Crag, has been removed. Only the stone abutments remain. The reason probably is that it was a particularly low structure, with headroom of no more than 10 feet — hardly high enough to let modern cattle trucks pass. This was also known as Hanrahan’s Bridge, and was made a halt in October 1958 — the last halt, in fact, to be instituted before the closure of the system.” [13]

From Moy Bridge Lenihan talks of the line turning southwestward “more or less paralleling the Miltown road at a distance of never more than 500 yards for the next mile or more, until they swing together again halfway to Rineen school house, whence they curve round the western edge of Drummin Hill and on south to Miltown.” [13]The picture below is taken from Google Streetview and shows the line of the West Clare at the location of the first road (to the right of the image) shown on this satellite image.Miltown is a mere 2 miles from here, but there is still much to encounter on the route of the railway before Miltown is encountered. Edmund Lenihan again: “We left Moy Bridge behind, and framed by the V of the cutting beyond lay the wood we had seen from Crag Bridge as a mere smudge along the side of the hill. As we came closer we saw why it is called the Black Hill: the ‘wood’ consists almost wholly of blackthorn, flattened into the steep hillside by the sea wind, thereby giving the impression of a solid mass. The visual effect created at this time of bare branches is startling. As we passed into the townland of Moybeg, the line had almost swung under the hill, and the distance between us and the wood continued to narrow. It is rough land and very neglected-looking. Water, more than anything else, impresses itself on the eye and ear: sodden fields left and right, a hidden cascade tumbling down somewhere through the wood, and the bay off to the west beyond the road. It is no place for the fainthearted traveller. Where line and wood eventually met we found our way barred by a stout fence and beyond that a jungle. We were soon floundering in bog and marsh.” [15]The line follows the gentlest possible path rising seemingly gradually through the contours and as a result drifts back towards the line of the road as this 1940s OS Map shows. The grade was however really quite steep for the underpowered locomotives of the West Clare Railway.

Lenihan continues his late 1980s perambulation: “All this time the only constant thing was the hill, overlooking us severely to the left; the rest was a mixture of inaccessible thickets followed by the odd patch of reclaimed land. Among the stones at three different places we found chunks of yellow scorched brick and knew we were still on target. These were burned-out fire-bricks from the fire-boxes of the steam locomotives, dumped here with ash and other debris as packing for the sleepers.They were a useful guide to us on several occasions in ground that would have been otherwise featureless.” [16]

“When the line began to rise, it did so gradually at first over 500 yards or so, but then steeply. It is so straight and grown in by hazel up along the flank of the hill that we had to pause every so often in order to check our progress by looking through the branches, out towards the bay.” [17]The un-gated crossing on the minor road at the bottom left of this image is shown in the images below.The un-gated crossing close to the centre of this image is the site of the next picture looking forward along the line.Patrick Taylor’s comments about this length are more succinct than those of Edmund Lenihan: “At Mile Post 22.25 Hanrahan’s Bridge (No. 45) (or Moy Bridge in earlier days) became a railcar stopping place on 1st October 1958 (the last one created before closure). The line, already ascending at 1 in 96 steepens with sections of 1 in 63/64/55 and 52 up Rineen Bank on the flank of the Black Hill – a formidable climb in steam days. Moymore No. 1 and No. 2 level crossing were in this section – close together at Mile Post 23. and Rineen Halt was at m.p. 24.5, opened on 5th May 1952. A ballast siding was once in operation here and in the earlier days trains stopped on request. ” [7]The road and railway ran immediately next to each other for some distance  through Rinneen.Again, Patrick Taylor comments: “The line continued by the side of Rineen Hill quite adjacent to the main Lahinch-Miltown public road. which ran parallel with the railway for three miles and at some points was only separated by a stone wall. On this stretch there were two bridges, Rineen over a stream, and Downes (No. 51) which crossed the line at Ballinaphonta, before Miltown-Malbay was reached at Mile Post 27.” [7]

Lenihan takes us on towards Rineen: In the next mile or so, “to Rineen school, there is a dramatic improvement in the quality of the holdings and consequently far more houses. Most of them are just one field in from the road, which means that the railway ran by their front doors. Perhaps this is why, in May 1952, a halt was opened a few hundred yards to the Lahinch side of the school.” [18]Rineen Crossing and Halt in 1953, (c) IRRS. [18]

“Across the road from the school is as good a place as any to get an accurate impression of the condition of the line. Look back – it is there; look forward – nothing. For as far as we were able to see all had been swept away. … Under Drummin Hill, which in places falls cliff-like to the road, railway and highway were separated by only a stone wall, a short way beyond where the 25th Mile Post was located.” [19]

Below the railway along this length is a small stone monument – a plaque commemorating the Rineen ambush, one of the best-known actions of the War of Independence in Clare. From this hill, on 22nd September 1920, a party from the 4th battalion of the IRA attacked a truck bringing police from Miltown to Ennistymon. In the ensuing fight, which was soon joined by British reinforcements, six police were killed with no losses on the part of the attackers!

The consequences for Lahinch, Miltown and Ennistymon were drastic. “Tne orgy of reprisals — burnings and shootings — released against them still remains vivid in the minds of old people. At 7 p.m that night the military invaded Miltown, burning, looting and smashing windows. In the small hours of the morning, when it seemed as if the worst was over, the Tans arrived from their depredations in Ennistymon and Lahinch, and joined by the local RIC they continued the arson, theft and shooting until the following morning. It was a night’s work that destroyed for ever any shreds of confidence that the people of Kilfarboy might have retained in the forces of the Crown.” [20]

The form/layout of the ambush is illustrated in the sketch plan above. [22]

Travelling on, the line has all but been obliterated beyond the Bridge at Rineen which is shown in a sketch (c) M. Lenihan in Lenihan’s book. [21]The North Clare Bridge Survey calls this bridge Drummin (Ibrikan) Bridge. [11]The same location, above, in a Google Streetview image from December 2009.

The momument is at location ‘1’ on the adjacent satellite image, the bridge is at location ‘2’.

The bridge, says Lenihan, is the “most elegant stone-arched crossing remaining on the line today. All its facings and the underside of the eye are of West Clare stone, but it is beginning to deteriorate, probably because of damage done by machines when the bank on its southern side was being cut away. It cannot survive long even in its present condition unless some restorative action is soon taken. [21]

As can be seen on this satellite image and the OS Map from the 1940s, a little way south of the bridge the road and railway separate.

It is very difficult to pick out the line of the railway on Google Earth and it appears to have been just as difficult to follow the line in the late 1980s. Edmund Lenihan comments that a very broken section followed: “with a filled-in cutting, a house built on the line and farm sheds surrounding a second cutting.” [23]

From here, it appears that the line ran in a straight line to Miltown Station. Lenihan says: “We emerged into not only the flat prospect of Fintramore but also an unexpected blaze of wintry sunshine. It cheered us, as did a clear view of the line for over half a mile, embanked all the way across the low bare fields. Off left, the spire of Miltown Church needled the sky, showing us how near we were to the terminus of the West Clare, while a bridge ahead served as a marker of our progress. Just beyond the location of the twenty-sixth milepost, a cattle-pass, 200 yards out, is still entirely intact [location ‘4’ below], but we had eyes only for the bridge [location ‘3’ above and below] and the view around.” [23]“At the bridge, [location ‘3’] we were a little surprised to find the metal deck still in place, but this is probably only because the road which runs underneath does not lead to anywhere of great significance and traffic is not heavy. Though in the town-land of Drummin, it was known as Rineen Bridge.” [23] It is shown below in its listing on the North Clare Bridge Survey. [11]Looking back from location ‘5’ on the 1940s OS Map above, the embankment is visible in the distance under the red line showing the route of the railway. The record from the North Clare Bridge Survey below, shows the infilled bridge at location ‘5’. [11]The next image is taken from the single track road carried by Fintra More Bridge. The view looks South towards Miltown.The partially-filled cutting above clearly shows the line of the railway under the road bridge at location ‘5’. Miltown church spire can be seen on the horizon. Lenihan refers to this as Downes’ Bridge which he says is a “stone-arched span carrying a by-road over the line.” [23]

South from this point the line crossed two streams and a cattle underpass before reaching another highway. Lenihan describes one of these valleys like this: “But now occurs one of those folds in the land which in extent are not large but which possess a beauty that has nothing to do with size alone. A small river flows here a full 25 feet below the level of the surrounding little hills, and it was this space that the builders of the line had to contrive a crossing for. That they succeeded admirably is unquestionable, and far from spoiling the beauty of this secluded place, their well-proportioned embankment and bridge lend it a light touch of order and symmetry. It is well worth a visit, though I suspect that few people know about it, near and all as it is to the town.” [23]

The satellite images provided by Google are relatively poor quality along this section of the line. The streams can only just be made out on the adjacent image. The highway is the erstwhile N67 which fled west from the line earlier in the journey. It is highlighted by the blue line on the satellite images – at the bottom left of the first and entering from the left on the second.

The route of the line either side of the N67 has been heavily built over. The properties built are all domestic dwellings. The OS Map from the 1940s shows road and railway crossing (below) at what appears to be an at-grade crossing rather than a bridge.

Pictures from the 21st Century seem to confirm this. The first photograph below looks back along the route of the line towards Lahinch. The private driveway is roughly along the line of the old railway.

The private house is what was once the old railway station of Miltown-Malbay. In the 21st century this has been refurbished as a home.

The station itself was on the North side of the N67. The second picture below takes a better look at the buildings and the old station canopy is clearly seen in the image.The view back towards Lahinch from the N67 in Miltown. The picture was taken from Google Streetview.The old station layout is clearer in this image. [25]The station while still in use with the road which is now the N67 in the foreground with the crossing gates being opened to allow the passage of the railcar travelling South. The station track layout is also clear in this image and is reproduced as a sketch by Patrick Taylor below. [24]The rail layout at Milotown Malbay. [1]

We finish this part of the journey here in Miltown-Malbay.

References

1. Patrick Taylor; The West Clare Railway; Plateway Press, 1994, p48.
2. Edmund Lenihan; In the Tracks if the West Clare Railway; Mercier Press, Dec. 2008, p130-136.
3. http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/lahinch_history.htm, accessed on 15th April 2019.
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahinch, accessed on 17th April 2019.
5. http://www.schmalspur-europa.at/schmalsp_87.htm, accessed on 17th April 2019.
6. https://www.postcardsireland.com/postcard/cliffs-moher-lahinch-co-clare-1, accessed on 17th April 2019.
7. Patrick Taylor; op.cit., p40.
8. Edmund Lenihan; op.cit., p144.
9. Georgina Campbell; Georgina Campbell’s Ireland, the Best of the Best: Ireland’s Very Best Places to Eat, Drink and Stay; Georgina Campbell Guides. 2005, p. 71, accessed on 19th April 2019.
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moy_House, accessed on 19th April 2019.
11. https://www.clarecoco.ie/services/arts-recreation/publications/north-clare-road-bridge-survey-2015-22291.pdf, accessed on 12th April 2019.
12. Edmund Lenihan; op.cit., p145.
13. Ibid., p147.
14. http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/lahinch_places_interest.htm, accessed on 19th April 2019.
15. Edmund Lenihan; op.cit., p149.
16. Ibid., p150.
17. Ibid., p151.
18. Ibid., p152-153.
19. Ibid., p155.
20. Ibid., p156-157.
21. Ibid., p158.
22. http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/history/rineen.htm, accessed on 19th April 2019.
23. Edmund Lenihan; op.cit., p159-160.
24. Patrick Taylor; op.cit., p40.
25. https://www.booking.com/hotel/ie/miltown-malbay-station-house-accommodation.html, accessed on 20th April 2019.