KILLARNEY will undertake a nostalgic trip back in time when an authentic, traditional steam train will roll into the local railway station as part of a novel historical project.
The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland has included Killarney on the itinerary for a dramatic rail tour that will bring golden memories of an era long gone flooding back.
The South Munster Railtour event, planned for Sunday, May 10, is a key part of the 46th Irish Railway Heritage Weekend which will see the old steam engines, still in perfect mechanical order, touring the country for two days.
Painstakingly restored and preserved steam locomotives, built for the Great Northern Railway and the Dublin and South Eastern Railway between 1922 and 1932, will feature over the weekend and Killarney has been included on the programme, along with Belfast, Cobh, Cork, Dublin and Midleton.
Dedicated trainspotters and other members of the public can book seats for the journey and the package available includes overnight hotel accommodation.
It won’t be the first time that an old steam train will be the centre of attention at Killarney Railway Station which was one of the locations for the filming of the smash hit civil war drama, The Wind That Shakes The Barley, in 2005.
The box office hit, starring Cillian Murphy and Liam Cunningham and directed by Ken Loach, was set in 1919 and it told the story of two brothers who fought together during the War of Independence.
The film was shot on location in Kerry and Cork with some dramatic railway action filmed in Killarney.
