Former Fermoy Railway Station

Fermoy Railway 1844 – 1967. The Duke of Devonshire, along with Lord Mountcashel, Sir Richard Musgrave of Tourin, Co. Waterford, and Mr Briscoe of Clondulane, put forward a motion to put Steamboats onto the river Blackwater. The Steamboats were to carry goods and people up and down the Blackwater. The Blackwater Navigation Committee were asked to prepare a Prospectus relating to a clear waterway from Youghal to Mallow. There were various obstructions along the route including numerous weirs which Mr. Curry pointed out, as he had reservations to the viability of the plan. The idea was postponed and never came to fruition. As a result the idea of a railway incorporating Fermoy, Mallow, Cork, Youghal, Lismore to Waterford was put forward as an alternative. Numerous ideas for the new line were put forward, however finance was an issue. In the end the Fermoy to Mallow line was built, allowing connections in Mallow to take goods and people to onward destinations. The contruction process was slow and arduous and the project was taken over by the Great Southern Railways.The line from Fermoy to Mallow by contractor William Dargan cost £100,000. Once completed, four trains ran every week, with six during the summer months. The Railway was extremely important to the people of Fermoy as well as the the Military personnel. During fighting on the Western Front thousands of soldiers left Fermoy to take part in the Great War. Many of the injured personnel returned to recuperate in the military hospital in Fermoy. Once the Viaduct near Carrigabrick was completed the Fermoy to Rosslare line oopened along with a line to Glanworth which served Mitchelstown. Many emigrant trains left Fermoy heading to Rosslare to take the Irish to the far corners of the globe during the famine. The Fermoy Raailway provided the people of Fermoy with opportunity, by enabling the local businesses export goods to the UK. During the Second World War 1939-45, and for many years afterwards the export of Rabbits, Crab Apples, and Blackberries to England was a thriving business for Fermoy. Fermoy Railway Station closed on Saturday 25th March 1967.