The Trip to Sligo 6

We lived in Leyney railway station house in Coolaney which is on the closed Ennis to Collooney railway line - the so-called Western Rail Corridor. The station was closed in 1963 and the railway line soon afterwards. The line was never lifted so the track remains in place though overgrown. The picture shows a train, a "special" passing the station in 1971.

There has been agitation over the years to have it reopened. The Transport 21 policy document of November 1st 2005, stated that it was Government Policy to re-open the Western Rail Corridor as part of a comprehensive rail development programme for the whole country. This was to be done in two phases, commencing with the Ennis-Claremorris section and followed by the Claremorris-Collooney section.

However the recent McCarthy report recommends dropping the western rail corridor from the public transport programme, report here.

When I went to look around the station house recently I found a crew there making a film. I'm not sure of the plot of the film but it has something to do with the possible reopening of the railway. The crew, Laighne Films Ltd, is local, based in Tubbercurry, and this seems to be the second such film they have made.

Their previous feature film was called The Old Fair Day Conspiracy and there are reports here and here of its showing in Tubbercurry.

The current film should be completed and on show by this time next year.