bridge

Single-arch former railway bridge, built c. 1909, carrying the former Strabane to Letterkenny narrow gauge railway line over small stream. Railway line now out of use with tracks removed (c. 1960). Squared construction to spandrels and abutments. Round-headed arch with rendered voussoirs. Timber fencing to parapets. Grass deck. Located in private garden adjacent to former railway crossing guard’s house (now altered and not in survey). Located in the rural countryside to the south-east of Letterkenny.

This modest small-scale former railway bridge retains its original form and character despite the closure of the line in 1960. It survives in relatively good condition, which is testament to the quality of its original construction, and of the ambitions of the railway company involved in its initial erection. It is constructed in local rubble stone masonry while the concrete voussoirs to the arches are a feature of many bridges built along this line. It demonstrates the attention to detail afford even the most modest of structures along railway lines. It was originally built by the Strabane to Letterkenny Railway Company (worked by the Donegal Railway Company Joint Committee) as part of the Strabane to Letterkenny narrow gauge (3-foot) railway line, which opened in January 1909 and closed on the 1st of January 1960. This former railway bridge forms part of a group of related structures associated with this former railway line in south-east County Donegal, and is an integral element of the built heritage and transport history of the county.