Heritage Week Speakers Announced
Donegal Railway Museum is delighted to announce two guest railway historians speakers, Charles Friel and Joe Begley, will each give illustrated talks at our Museum as part of National Heritage Week programme for August.
On Saturday 17th August, 2:30pm, Charles Friel will give an illustrated talk title “The Wee Donegal in pictures”. Using many previously unseen photographs, well-known railway historian, photographer, and preservationist Charles P Friel will recreate a journey over all 124 miles of the County Donegal Railway – from Victoria Road in Derry to Letterkenny, Glenties and Killybegs. The first part of the talk finishes with a trip from Ballyshannon to Donegal Town. After the break, Charles will recount the last day of public trains, some subsequent events and the lifting trains before, much more happily, reviewing the many CDRJC vehicles which survive in preservation – including some of the work on Drumboe in Whitehead.
Then on Tuesday 20th August, 7pm, Railway Historian Joe Begley will give an illustrated talk titled “Building the Burtonport Extension Railway”. The Letterkenny & Burtonport Extension Railway has been variously described both as the greatest journey on the Irish Narrow Gauge, running as it did just short of 50 miles through some of the wildest of the Donegal countryside, and a Folly, given the nature of its chosen course and construction. Its development and history is well described elsewhere. This talk will feature a trip along the extension, accompanied on the way by a “special train” and will have a focus on aspects of its construction and some of the challenges faced, illustrated with some rare photographs from Engineers involved.
Both events will be ticketed and take place at the Donegal Railway Museum in Donegal Town and will also be Broadcast live online; further details on the Event Page of this site
