Blue Plaque remembering Tramore Railway's city terminus unveiled at Railway Square
Mayor of Waterford City & County, Cllr. Liam Brazil with Eugene Broderick, Chair of Waterford Civic Trust and Bernadette Guest, Heritage Officer, WC&CC. Photo: John Power
The second of two Waterford Civic Trust Heritage Blue Plaques was unveiled at a windy Railway Square on Tuesday, September 29, by Mayor of Waterford City and County, Councillor Liam Brazil.
The plaque remembers the Waterford and Tramore Railway and was appropriately placed on the site of its Waterford terminus, the old Manor Street Station, which was demolished decades ago.
The railway, which was opened on September 5, 1853 and ran for over 107 years, holds a unique place in Irish history as the only railway running on one single line.
The Mayor recalled that this railway had a special place in the hearts of those living in Waterford and Tramore, at a time when cars were not as common as they are now.
Chair of Waterford Civic Trust, Eugene Broderick, noted that the Trust is best known for its association with Blue Plaques, a distinctive and noteworthy feature of Waterford’s streetscape.
Over 70 plaques have been erected since 1990, recording different aspects of the county’s history.
The Vice-Chair of the Civic Trust, Cian Manning, also spoke at the unveiling, where he informed and entertained the large attendance with a historic overview of the railway.
Following the unveiling of the Blue Plaque, a group of attendees viewed the heritage interpretation board recently installed by Waterford City and County Council along the river walk in Poleberry.
Designed by Dave Pollock of Archaeografix and funded by the Heritage Council, the board details the history of the Waterford to Tramore line, once described as ‘the jolliest little railway in the world’.
With the addition of blue plaques at Waterford’s Railway Square and Tramore Station by Waterford Civic Trust the story of ‘the jolliest little railway’ is now rightly recognised in the public realm.
