The pioneering days when the railway network was expanding its reach throughout Ireland have been recalled in Co Kilkenny with a celebration of 175 years of rail travel in the area.
MacDonagh Station in Kilkenny city was the venue for the unveiling of a plaque to mark the occasion, remembering a time when journeys by train between Kilkenny and Thomastown became possible.
Today the station is regularly served by the train, which passes from Dublin to Waterford, albeit a few dozen metres from the site of the original station.
The first rail line in Kilkenny was built by the Waterford & Kilkenny Rail Company and opened on 12 May, 1848, with a section of track just over 16km in length and travelling through Bennettsbridge on its way to Thomastown.
It was in 1854 that the line was extended to Waterford, after the first connection to Dublin was made feasible in 1850 with the extension of the line northwards to Bagenalstown in Co Carlow.
Among those behind the commemoration was local rail enthusiast Donie Butler, who said he had "fond memories" of the line, from his childhood days.
"I walked by here every day, going to school, coming back to school," he said.
"But also, in terms of using the facility, goods would come on the train and come into the goods shed and they would be collected up. They could be anything from day-old chicks to bicycles to mudguards for cars, when cars came in different parts and in different ways.
"But also, the people here at the station - there was a huge staff at the station at one time, there must have been close to 35, 40 people employed here."
The railway presence was always vital, he said, from the early days in 1848.
"The city was chosen for its importance because of the charter given to the city by James I in 1609. So, Kilkenny was deemed the second most important place, after Dublin, to be prioritised for railway."
As for the future, Mr Butler said: "You only have to be here anytime the trains come in.
"The amount of commuters that leave here for Dublin and here for Waterford, it's a very, very busy spot."
Jane Cregan of Íarnród Éireann said remembering the past helps us to move forward.
"It was a major engineering feat in 1848 to have 10.75 miles of track from Kilkenny to Thomastown open. At that time, it would have been difficult to construct such an infrastructure and that infrastructure remains important today," she said.
Such innovation is also a lesson for current times, Ms Cregan added.
"Rail travel and public transport are becoming more important because we have climate challenges that we must face and, even coming down this morning on the train, it was really busy and it’s a really good way to travel.
"Not only is it a sustainable way to travel, it’s also good because you can get some work done and relax and you don’t have the pressures of driving yourself."
Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council, Cllr Pat Fitzpatrick, hailed the "brilliant service" available to rail passengers in the area today and said that employees of the service are "ambassadors for Kilkenny," with the station the first thing that visitors see when they arrive in the city.
Cllr David Fitzgerald, Mayor of the Kilkenny Municipal District, said so many people had "met and greeted" family members and friends at the station over the years.
"When the train station came here, it connected Kilkenny to the Dublin area in particular," he said, adding that Kilkenny is one of the "main hubs" of the network.
MacDonagh Station is today subject to 16 train services per day.
