Sligo Mac Diarmada station, also known as Sligo railway station, is a mainline

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...

which serves the town of

Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the largest urban ce ...

County Sligo County Sligo ( , gle, Contae Shligigh) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the Border Region and is part of the province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in the county. Sligo County Council is the local ...

, Ireland. It is a terminal station which now has two platforms and an intermediate carriage siding. The railway at the station is elevated above the surrounding streets and the station building dominates its surrounds. There is a

passing loop A passing loop (UK usage) or passing siding (North America) (also called a crossing loop, crossing place, refuge loop or, colloquially, a hole) is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at or near a station, where trains or ...

at the approach to the station. It is named after Irish

patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American Revolution * Patriot m ...

Seán Mac Diarmada.

Iarnród Éireann Iarnród Éireann () or Irish Rail, is the operator of the national railway network of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ). It operates all internal InterCity, Commuter, DART and f ...

, Ireland's national

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a p ...

operator, runs

inter-city rail Inter-city rail services are express passenger train services that run services that connect cities over longer distances than commuter or regional trains. There is no precise definition of inter-city rail; its meaning may vary from country ...

services between Sligo and Dublin on the

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

-Sligo railway line.

History

The station opened on 3 December 1862, when Sligo acquired rail links to

. The

Sligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties Railway The Sligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties Railway (SL&NCR) was a railway in counties Cavan, Fermanagh, Leitrim and Sligo in north-west Ireland. It consisted of one main line, with no branch lines and remained privately owned until its closure. ...

linked to

Enniskillen Enniskillen ( , from ga, Inis Ceithleann , ' Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,823 a ...

to the north in 1881. A link to

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2 ...

and the south followed in 1895. The line to Enniskillen closed in 1957 and passenger services to Limerick closed in 1963. The station building was burned down and destroyed on 11 January 1923 during the

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War ( ga, Cogadh Cathartha na hÉireann; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United ...

. Seven engines were sent down the line to the quay and one crashed through a concrete wall into the harbour. The station formerly had two intermediate carriage sidings rather than one. The southern platform was previously shorter and included a small bay platform. There was a depot previously to the south of the line to the east of the station, the building is now demolished. The turntable was used for turning steam locomotives and later proved useful for turning 121 Class single cabbed diesel locomotives.

Naming

In 1966, Sligo railway station was renamed Mac Diarmada Station after Irish rebel Seán Mac Diarmada from

County Leitrim County Leitrim ( ; gle, Contae Liatroma) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the ...

Freight terminal

There is a line to the mothballed freight terminal which curves off to the north and downward just before the station. The facility includes a large crane for handling containers.

Connections

Sligo bus station is at street level adjacent to south side of the station.

Gallery

File:Sligo Station - geograph.org.uk - 2238741.jpg, Sligo Station in 1993 File:Engine shed, Sligo - geograph.org.uk - 1461369.jpg, Sligo station engine shed which has now been demolished File:Entrance to Sligo Mac Diarmada railway station (geograph 4948976).jpg, Station entrance 2016 File:20.10.85 Sligo 130 & 122 (6299547446).jpg, Leaving Sligo in 1985. The locomotive shed is behind the distant locomotive, the line behind the signal box leads to the quay File:Sligo Railway Station (geograph 4677698).jpg, Station entrance and car park in 2015

References

External links

{{Commons category, Sligo railway station
Irish Rail Sligo station website
Iarnród Éireann stations in County Sligo Railway stations in County Sligo Railway stations opened in 1862 Sligo (town) 1862 establishments in Ireland