Shillelagh branch line
The Shillelagh branch line was a branch line of some 16.5 miles (26.6 km) to Shillelagh, County Wicklow opened by the Dublin, Wicklow and Wexford Railway (DW&WR) in 1865. It joined the Dublin–Rosslare railway line at Woodenbridge halt.
| Shillelagh branch line | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Earl FitzWilliam, sponsor of the Shillelagh line to his Coolattin Estate | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other name(s) | The Fitzwilliam Railway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 16.5 mi (26.6 km) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of tracks | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The single track line closely followed the course of the Aughrim River to Aughrim and then the Derry River to Shillelagh. A short spur from Aughrim served the Aughrim Flour Mills.
Passenger services ended in 1944 due to coal shortages which became critical during The Emergency, and though there were hopes of it re-opening this never happened. However, the line remained open for goods as far as Aughrim until 1952, serving Forgarty's Flour Mills. The line was officially closed and lifted the following year.
A walking trail was developed in 2005 on a 2.7km section of the old alignment near Tinahely.