Autumn tour recap
As the summer drew to a close, Táilte Tours volunteers remained busy into the early Autumn, with not one, but two 'Bus Substitution' railtours taking in two of Ireland's long-lost railway lines.
The Achill Explorer tour
On Saturday 26th September we embarked on a tour of the former Midland Great Western Railway branch line from Westport to Achill. Our guide for today was Jonathan Beaumont, author of Rails to Achill and Achillbeg - The Life of an Island. The tour bus took us from Westport station all the way up to Achill via Newport. A few passengers travelled all the way from Dublin and Kildare via Iarnród Éireann service train, with the majority joining in Westport or Newport. At the latter, we had a healthy contingent from the Newport Historical Society, who had assisted us in promoting this outing locally. The weather cooperated and an enjoyable day was had. Special thanks also to Bus Éireann who arranged the coach for us.
The Return to Shillelagh tour
The following Saturday, 3rd October, saw us operate another 'Bus Substitution' railtour, this time in the south-east of Ireland rather than the north-west. Operating from Arklow, the Return to Shillelagh tour took in what was left of the former Dublin & South Eastern Railway branch line from Woodenbridge Junction to Shillelagh. Our coach today was provided by Leonards of Coolgreany, who, as a bonus, brought along their vintage 1973 Mossley Continental coach for display at Arklow station. The sun shone throughout, and after exploring the remains of the line (including some rails that remain untouched almost 75 years later), we took a lunch break in Ireland's oldest hotel, the Woodenbridge Hotel. Some passengers had travelled from Dublin to Arklow using the Iarnród Éireann service train, and Leonards kindly provided an extra bus shuttle to ensure anyone who needed to make the afternoon service did so without hassle. It proved to be one of our most popular bus tours to date.
A huge thank you to all who supported our tours this year. With us being unable to operate mainline excursions, these bus tours have kept our voluntary operation alive and we're very grateful to all supported our bus operations. We hope you enjoyed them as much as we did.
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