THE Donegal Railway Museum in Donegal Town have announced a jam-packed programme of railway-related events for Heritage Week, including walks, talks, and their flagship ‘Road to the Railway’ Vintage Car and Tractor Run.

The events will kick off on Saturday, August 16, at 3pm with Dr Joe Kelly’s talk ‘The Donegal Railways: Aspects of their History and Folklore’. Joe will be known to listeners of Highland Radio’s Nine ’til Noon Show for his regular ‘Talking History’ segment, and in this talk he’ll be discussing the Donegal railways in relation to their historical development, social impact, and the local lore that developed around them.

On Sunday, August 17 at 2pm, railway historian Jim McBride will return to the museum for a talk entitled ‘Partition & the North-Western Railways’. In this talk, Jim will focus on the effect the partition of the island in 1921 had on the railways that operated across what then became a national boundary, including the County Donegal, Lough Swilly, and Great Northern Railways. As part of the event, the museum will also be launching their new booklet Railway Connections: Stories and Memories from the North-West of Ireland.

On Tuesday, August 19 at 7pm, the museum will be going off-site to Dorrian’s Imperial Hotel for Ballyshannon’s Railway’s Remembered in association with Ballyshannon and District Museum. The event marks the 120 year anniversary of the County Donegal Railway’s Ballyshannon branch, and will include artefact displays, a presentation by Jim McBride, and an opportunity for members of the community to share their stories and memories of the town’s two former stations.

On Thursday, August 21 and Friday, August 22 at 12pm, Donegal Town Walking Tours will lead Heritage Walks of Donegal Town, which will include free admission to the museum. At 5.30pm on Friday, August 22 meanwhile, the museum will be bringing the recently donated InverStationModel to display for the local community in Dunkineely Community Centre as part of the Killaghtee Festival.

Last but by no means least is the biggest event of the week on Sunday, August 24– the ‘Road to the Railway’ Vintage Car and Tractor Run. This year, the museum are teaming up with the Bluestack Foundation, with half of all proceeds from the run and raffle going to supporting the incredible work they do for people with additional needs in the community. After a scenic trip, the drivers will be rounding out the afternoon back at the museum, where there will be refreshments provided by the Bluestack Shack and some live music in amongst the historic Donegal railway stock. While the cars, tractors and other assorted doo-dads are out on the run, there will be a fantastic programme of family-friendly events in the museum throughout the afternoon. There will be no admission cost for the museum on the day, only donations, and these will all be added to the fund to be split with the Bluestack Foundation!

Donegal Railway Museum Manager, Marty Gilroy said in a statement: “We’re very proud of the programme we’ve put together this year, and we’re especially happy to be pursuing new collaborations with other groups and organisations in the communities once served by our railways. There’s something for everyone, from kids to adults, die-hard enthusiasts to railway agnostics, and we’re hoping to get a great turnout from old and new friends alike. We’re especially keen to have a great celebration to round out the week at our Road to the Railway event on Sunday, August 24 and we’re delighted that this year’s proceedings will also be supporting the fantastic work of the Bluestack Foundation.

Online bookings and further Information:https://donegalrailway.com/events or telephone +353 (0) 74 9722655