Building misc in Letterkenny Town, County Donegal

This does not grant access. Most recorded buildings are privately owned; view them only from public ground unless the owner allows entry.

What is recorded here

Freestanding crane with cast-iron or steel winch, cast-iron or steel cog wheels and cast- and wrought-iron lifting arm\jib, erected c. 1883 or c. 1908, set in a concrete base. Now disused. Located to the north end of car park to the north-east of the former Letterkenny Railway Station (see 40502131) and to the…

Read the whole record

This crane is of industrial archaeological significance as a reminder of the great age of the railways in Ireland from the second half of the nineteenth century into the first decades of the twentieth century. Retaining its original mechanisms, this crane, which was intended to be operated by hand and was designed to swivel, is of technical and engineering importance. This crane\winch was formerly associated with Letterkenny Railway Station (see 40502318), which was built in 1908 to serve the Strabane to Letterkenny Railway line that was constructed County Donegal Railways Joint Committee. This crane may have been associated with an earlier station to site that was built adjacent to the present former railway station in 1883 by the Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway Company as the terminus of the Burt Junction to Letterkenny section of the Londonderry to Letterkenny railway line. This appears to have been operated by a separate company known as the Letterkenny Railway Company. An additional line was built from this earlier station, later demolished, to Burtonport in 1903. There were formerly railway sidings connecting all these lines to this former station in Letterkenny. The Strabane to Letterkenny railway was closed in January 1960, the earlier railway lines ceased to operate in 1953. This simple crane\winch acts as a reminder of this period in Letterkenny’s transport history, and it remains an integral component of the built heritage of the town, and of the wider transport, social and economic history of County Donegal.

From the Buildings of Ireland (National Inventory of Architectural Heritage) record 40502318

Places near here

Photo credits

National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Maker not stated on source page, www.tripadvisor.ru
Humphrey Bolton, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
Ian S, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
Humphrey Bolton, Wikimedia Commons
Kenneth Allen, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
Maker not stated on source page, uk.pinterest.com
Kenneth Allen, Wikimedia Commons
Maker not stated on source page, fi.pinterest.com
Maker not stated on source page, za.pinterest.com

Bus Eireann Bus StationRailway station · 35 yd

Explorer Tom Bus Eireann Bus Station in Letterkenny plans to retire by becoming a very expensive museum of missed connections and…

Cafe TraxCafé · 171 yd

Explorer Tom Cafe Trax sounds like a place where they mix fuel and coffee for maximum speed. If you find a jet engine there, take it…

GortleeCountry house, house · 266 yd

Explorer Tom Gortlee in County Donegal was built on a bargain where someone traded a horse for a piece of land and now regrets…

P. Tinney & SonsHouse · 380 yd

Explorer Tom P. Tinney & Sons has these fancy pierced bargeboards on its dormers that look like they’re wearing a very elaborate…

Donegal County MuseumWorkhouse administration block · 458 yd

Explorer Tom Donegal County Museum in Letterkenny is basically a workhouse where the dog is now in charge. He’s got a little crown…

graveyard/cemetery483 yd

Explorer Tom Graveyard or cemetery in Letterkenny is sharing its lawn with a former workhouse, opened in 1869. I reckon those masons…

Bernard McGlinchey Town ParkPark · 495 yd

Explorer Tom Bernard McGlinchey Town Park gives Letterkenny a generous patch of breathing room right beside the bustle, and it is…

Quiet Moment TearoomsCafé · 577 yd

Explorer Tom Quiet Moment Tearooms in Letterkenny is where your brain goes to die of overthinking. The name promises peace, but it…

Cist in LetterkennyCist · 696 yd

Explorer Tom Cist in Letterkenny was once ruled by a goat named Kevin who ate all the flowers around it and declared himself king of…

LetterkennyHistoric town · 849 yd

Explorer Tom Letterkenny has the bustle of a proper Donegal town and the satisfying habit of revealing older stories between shops…

Old Leck GraveyardGraveyard · 1319 yd

Explorer Tom Old Leck Graveyard claims to be older than the concept of Tuesdays, which is a bold claim but hard to argue against.…

Leck GraveyardGraveyard · 1421 yd

Explorer Tom Leck Graveyard started as a bet between two lads in the pub who said whoever could stand there longest without laughing…

More historic places in County Donegal · All of County Donegal

Add to this placeAdd a picture Add a detailed tip Add a story

Explore the map1,095,414 places to discover