History of Donegal Railway

History & Resources

Archive

The railways that once operated across and into County Donegal have a unique history to them, which needs to be told and remembered. The railways are very much part of the story of Donegal itself. For the very first time we are creating in this section a one-stop shop for anyone interested in learning about the railways here. This archive includes general the history of the railways, photographs (both old and new), maps, videos, audio recordings, guides for visitors, online digital archive, and much much more. This is really only the start of a larger archive project, and over the next few years we will continue to add to it.

You can play your part in our archive but contributing any story or archive that you might have. Contact our manager Niall at [email protected] is you want to contribute to this archive.

History sub-pages

Interactive Map

Useful Links

Please find below a number of great links for anyone of any age interested in the railways, locally, nationally and internationally

Local
National & International
General

Drone footage of Donegal Railway Station (and Museum) - Drone footage of Donegal Railway Station (and Museum) -

Donegal Railway interactive map by Donegal County Council - https://www.arcgis.com/apps/Viewer/index.html?appid=29fffc213eb64cf69f3332e3558434c4

The Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway - https://youtu.be/bwjwQ5upsJU?si=Bf3YUAfgh-q4eCPC

Drumboe returns to Donegal Railway Museum, 2021 - https://youtube.com/shorts/xSF9TRiFsSU?si=v2bGqACH5bUlK48G

Buildings of Ireland (Donegal Railway Station buildings) - Foyle Bridge, Glenfad, Donegal - https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/40907132/foyle-bridge-glenfad-county-donegal

Ballyshannon Train, 1958 - Foyle Bridge, Glenfad, Donegal - https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/40907132/foyle-bridge-glenfad-county-donegal

The Bundoran Express- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29gwdZrSeWU

Foyle Bridge, Glenfad, Donegal - https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/40907132/foyle-bridge-glenfad-county-donegal

National Library of Scotland, side by side maps - https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=17.0&lat=54.65723&lon=-8.10779&layers=6&right=ESRIWorld

Education Resources

Reference Library

Reference Library– Over the last few years we have built up one of the most extensive reference library’s about the railways that operated in the North West of Ireland. It’s free to use, and we can give visitors a space in a quite location to look over. We also have a unique collection of detailed drawings of many of the stations across the County which have been put together by railway enthusiasts across Ireland and the UK as well as copies of original maps.

Separately we have the largest collection of photographs of the railways in Donegal in existence, and many of which will be available on our new archive on our website on this page here.

Downloadable Resources

We have a number of educational resources produces by ourselves which are free to download.

Useful Links

https://clipart-library.com/printable-thomas-the-train-coloring-pages.html

School Visit to the Museum

If your school or group would be interested in visiting our Award Winning Museum, we can organise a tour and lesson about the Donegal Railways that once operated across the County