Donegal Railway Heritage Museum has confirmed that they will receive just over €14,500 in LEADER funding through DLDC towards a feasibility study that will investigate their plan to develop a unique miniature railway attraction in Donegal Town.
Current development plans for the Barnesmore Gap Greenway will connect Donegal Town and Stranorlar via a walk and cycle path largely following the historic railway line that closed in 1959. The proposed miniature railway, it is envisaged, would run alongside the Greenway between the museum’s Tyrconnell Street premises and the historic railway bridge crossing the Eske on the approach towards Mill Lane – a distance of around one kilometre. Feaver Planning based in Donegal Town will be carrying out the feasibility study over the next nine months, commencing work in January.
Museum Manager Marty Gilroy said in a statement:
We are delighted to have received this LEADER funding via DLDC to investigate what we feel is a tremendous opportunity to build a flagship tourist attraction and community amenity here in Donegal Town. Our vision is unique –not just a miniature train, but a miniaturised version of the old County Donegal Railway that would operate replicas of historic rolling stock. This would include versions of the iconic cream-and-red liveried railcars that many locals remember fondly, as well as a smaller sister to our steam engine Drumboe - provisionally nicknamed Drumbelina! It is this combination of heritage and ‘fun-factor’ that makes the project unique, and we believe it has the potential to become a significant part of both the North-West’s tourism landscape and the weekend timetable of many local families.
-and-Donegal-Railway-s-Seamus-O-Donnell,-Marty-Gilroy-and-Paul-Smith.jpg.aspx)
Simon Canning DLDC (L) and Donegal Railway's Seamus O'Donnell, Marty Gilroy and Paul Smith
We would like to extend a huge thanks to Simon Canning at DLDC for his assistance on the project so far, and we are excited to be working with the experienced team at Feaver Planning over the coming months. We encourage stakeholders in the area and the public in general to get in touch, follow the process on our social media and our website, and to provide feedback on our surveys and consultations as they arise. We would appreciate any and all support over the coming months and years as we try to make Donegal Miniature Railway a reality.
This project is a cornerstone of the museum’s forthcoming Strategic Plan 2026-2030, which will be released in February. In the meantime, the museum will be launching a new arts and culture project funded by the Shared Island Civic Society Fund and releasing information about a number of exciting new acquisitions and donations in the coming weeks.
More information and updates on the project, the Strategic Plan, and the museum’s other activities can be found on donegalrailway.com.