Admission free to upcoming talk on history of the railway in Kilkenny

The first in a series of talks will be presented at The Cave Bar on Tuesday, April 16 at 8pm by Donie Butler, Kilkenny railway enthusiast.

The principle focus in this first lecture will be the railway station at Corbetstown. Corbetstown is located just to the side of the N78 before the Cave Bar on the Kilkenny to Castlecomer main road.

Corbetstown station was located on the Dunmore West Junction to Castlecomer railway branch line. The line opened in 1919 with the first passenger service commencing from Castlecomer to Kilkenny on 21st February 1921. Corbetstown was sometimes described as a ‘halt’ rather than a station.

The catalyst for the opening of this branch line off the main Kilkenny to Maryborough (Portlaoise) line was the coal mines at Deer Park Colliery and the Leinster Coalfield in general.

Captain RH Prior-Wandesforde of Castlecomer House was the main promoter of the building of the railway line as he had been lobbying the government for the line for over 25-year period.

WT Cosgrave, MP for North Kilkenny played a pivotal role in enabling the funding of the line through securing a British War Office grant. British engineering was in dire need of fuel to aid its industry to support the War effort and rebuild the country following World War I.

The 1901 Census tells us that there was just 14 families resident in the townland. It also had an RIC Police Barracks with three Constables and a Sergeant based there. The Muldowney family had the licensed premises over several generations with Elizabeth Muldowney the publican in 1901 and her son George Muldowney the publican in 1911.

There was a level crossing just beyond the Station and before the Cave Bar. Matt and Biddy O’Dwyer were the last to have operated the level crossing gates until the line closed on January 1, 1963. There was a total of eight level crossings on the line between Dunmore West and Deer Park. Much of the heritage of the line will be highlighted during the talk.

Donie Butler will talk you through the specific route listing all the level crossings, known gate keepers, heritage landmarks still surviving along the way. Some rare or possibly even unseen before photographs will be included in the presentation. The contents of the 1901 and 1911 Census containing details of those people who lived at Corbetstown will be touched on too.

So, go along on Tuesday, April 16 at 8pm and see for yourself. Admission is free. Joe Maher at the Cave Bar will have a warm welcome and greeting for you on arrival.