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The old railway station

The Railway Station, now no longer in operation, was first opened in April 1894 and was finally closed in 1963. It is situated to the north-west of the village. It was opened to serve the village and surrounding area. A short editorial carried in the Tuam Herald on the 10th of November 1877 records the […]

June 7, 2017/13,754 Comments/by Nick Skehan

Things to do and see

Kilclooney Castle

June 7, 2017/7,612 Comments/by Nick Skehan

Things to do and see

The old railway station

June 7, 2017/13,754 Comments/by Nick Skehan

Things to do and see

Kilclooney Castle

June 7, 2017/7,612 Comments/by Nick Skehan

The old railway station

The Railway Station, now no longer in operation, was first opened in April 1894 and was finally closed in 1963.

It is situated to the north-west of the village. It was opened to serve the village and surrounding area.

A short editorial carried in the Tuam Herald on the 10th of November 1877 records the names of a number of shareholders who contributed towards the funding of the Tuam to Claremorris extension, which included the Milltown section.

Those noted as contributing were:

John Bodkin, Kilclooney (50 shares)
John Birmingham, Millbrook (20 shares)
D.J. Kirwan, Dalgin (20 shares)
Martin McDonnell, Dunmore (40 shares)
D. Flannery, Milltown (20 shares)
James McDonagh, (Clerk of Petty Sessions) (5 shares)
Rev. T. McWalters (3 shares).

Though Milltown Railway Station lies abandoned today it still retains many of its original features. The station house (occupied by the Greene Family until 2012), platform, signal cabin, goods shed and railway sidings are all still intact. The

Railway line looking North

line was originally built by the Waterford, Limerick and Western Railway which operated between Limerick and Claremorris and was later taken over by the Great Western Railway.

Old railways are an often overlooked but are increasingly important wildlife habitat. The line in Milltown has not been used for many years and is no longer sprayed or cut to clear it of encroaching plant life such as meadow grasses, tall herbs and shrubs. This has led to an explosion of bird species along its length that use it for both feeding and breeding.

In summer, nesting Willow, Sedge and Grasshopper Warblers are found along with Whitethroat, Stonechat, Meadow Pipit, Linnet, Lesser Redpoll and Long-tailed Tit. In the more mature scrubby areas, especially next to conifer plantations, Chiff-Chaff and Blackcap have both started to breed in recent years. In winter, the railway is a good place to see large numbers of Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch and Reed Bunting, which flock together as they search amongst the abundant vegetation for seeds. These flocks in turn provide prey for Sparrowhawks, which are present throughout the year in reasonably good numbers.

Kilclooney Castle

A large section of the 15th /16th century Kilclooney Castle still stands and is listed as a Recorded Monument. This building, which is correctly described as a Tower House, was once the home of the renowned Ó hUigín bardic family and was occupied by Donell Ó hUigín in 1574. Tadgh Dall Ó hUigín of Sligo (1545-1593) refers to a school of poetry here in the 16th century – in which it is stated that seventeen poets of Ulster’s brightest progeny sought learning in Kilclooney of Connacht. They each studied filíocht for 12 years, the school year lasting from November to March. It is said that each student had his own stone hut where he would meditate on a prescribed theme, and next day would recite his composition before fellow students and his tutor. There is no evidence of the stone huts there today, but with careful archaeological survey using modern electronic ground probing techniques it might be possible to determine where these structures may have been.

Brian, Hugh and Tully Ó hUigín held three parts of Kilclooney in 1641 but their lands were granted to William Burke at the Restoration in the 1660’s. While an amount of this important castle still stands, it is in quite a ruinous state. An underground stream which originates near Corcoran’s Mill in Dunmore and is known as Kilclooney Well.

The following is a verse in Irish from the poem Cáislean Cheall Chluaine agus Scoil na bhFile composed by Tadgh Dall Ó hUigín recalling the presence here at Kilclooney of seventeen poets from Ulster:

“Seacht bhfir dhéag d’éigaibh Uladh

Do chuaidh d’larraich ealadhan

Dal an chuaine fhinn Ultaigh

Go Cill Chluaine I gConnachtaibh”

A field system consisting of a series of low earthen banks of c.300m length running north-south by c.250m length east–west is to be seen in the land surrounding the castle. The foundation of a grassed-over rectangular building is also present.

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The old railway station

Kilclooney Castle

The old railway station

Kilclooney Castle

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The old railway station

Kilclooney Castle

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