Iarnród Éireann - Part One 

I used to travel by train and ferry from Crewe in England twice a year to visit my family in Limerick from the late 60s until the early 80s. As a young boy I was struck by the CIE livery and how the Park Royal coaches had that exotic oval window. I will never forget being greeted by the Dun Laighoire boattrain with steam rising everywhere from the heating. CIE even had a disinfectant/cleaner whose unique smell permeated the carriages. Heady stuff for a schoolboy enthusiast! This video helps rekindle those memories for me.

The days when everything was loco hauled. I really miss the them days of the railways. Now they are just so boring and miserable. I used to love an 071 class, or a 121 class, or even the 201 class in the original livery passing by with MK2, MK3 or Cravens coaches. I would watch them all day. Now I see a train and there is no nice motor sound and they are look so boring. I miss the good old days of Irish Rail.

Just love this! Used to stick my head out the window on the way to school and wherever else I could. The feel of the chill morning air. The sound of the steam leaks. That very particular long metalic chime from the Park Royal bogies. The huge comfort and width of their seats. And the glorious crescendo of a whole train braking, squealing, shuddering and clanging to a gentle stop!

Thanks for a great video. Liked the Park Royals on the Ballina shuttle and the Limerick shuttle, and A Class 014 on a rake of Cravens probably doing a Maynooth. Great views of the former track layout at Limerick Junction. Alas no video of the Limerick Rosslare doing a 5 point turn !

that angle of hanging out the window at the end of the carriage.................just illustrates my childhood........magic.

This is great footage I used to travel from England to Ireland in 80s to see my grandparents and loved the Irish trains and hospitality great times and miss them wish I had a time machine.

Looks like flowers or plants loaded on that train. High value goods that should still be moved this way in Ireland the UK and elsewhere

Wonderful footage of a bygone age, thanks so much for sharing it!! :))

They are park royal coaches on the ballina train

excellent footage the old train clackty clak is worth listening too brings back good memories thanks

I would say that this fantastic footage was shot between 1989 and 1993. There are "A" Class locos and Park Royal rolling stock but the "ir" logo came in in 1987 and Manulla opened in 1989. One of the guys on the platform at Ballina is wearing a "Father Ted" type anorak which would suggest nearer 1993. It looks like autumn or winter too.

Paul,

Excellent footage! Thanks for sharing. Great to see Connolly station in those days.

Excellent nostalgia there John. Thank you. I was expecting a derailment after

great to hear all those sounds again as well as the carraiges. there was a 2 carraige mail train which connected wth the Galway mail via Mullingar. One carraige was partly a corridor and the rest of the carraige for baaggage. Had the old leaf spring bogies.

Glorious steam heating :)

Thank you.

Totally enjoyed that video, pure magic, some great scenes of the very best time on Irish railways, thanks for sharing, now tell me this if you can. As loco no. 076 leaves Connolly the last two (2) carriages have 8 windows while the previous 3. Have only 7 ! So can someone explain the difference please, thanks in advance,

I love the rattle of the rails. Brilliant footage. Thank you! What's the year?

Anyone know what year this was filmed?