Dunmanway Historical Association Logo with a transparent background
Teagmháil
A monochrome illustration showing civic and transport themes. On the left, a man and woman in formal mid-20th-century attire stand talking in front of the White House (a large, neo-classical building with columns). On the right, set against a dark background, is a close-up of a basketball entering a net. In the background of this section, a vintage train is stationary on tracks at a rural railway station under a night sky.

Plaque 7: Echoes of the Past

Plaque 7:  The Railway in Dunmanway

When Railways were first suggested for Ireland in the 1820’s they were intended to be between cities rather than the rural areas. It took many years before  West Cork would be linked to Cork City by rail. Prior to the famine, West Cork was difficult to access, roads we are familiar with today, did not exist.  Many were built during the famine under the board of works schemes. Terrain was hilly, rough and not suitable for walking or even travelling by horse or carriage. Coastal travel from town to town was often preferable. From 1836 onwards many committees were formed that eventually saw a rail infrastructure extend to West Cork’. Viaducts and tunnels were built; the tracks were laid. In May 1866, the independent Cork and Macroom Direct Railway opened. Around the same time, The West Cork Company’s line from Bandon to Dunmanway was nearing completion. The first sod was turned by Lord Carbery in June 1863 using a silver handled spade and a specially engraved wheelbarrow for the occasion. 

There were three sections of the West Cork Railway to be completed by 1866, Bandon to Ballineen, Ballineen to Dunmanway and Dunmanway to Skibbereen. It took longer than anticipated to complete the section to Dunmanway. Trains first ran to Dunmanway on 1st May 1866 but the official opening did not take place until June. The opening ceremony was low key and for a while Dunmanway had a temporary station. Halts were opened at Manch for Ballinacarriga. When Ballabuildhe Fair was held at Ballyboy near Ballyhalwick there was a railway stop there for visitors and horses to use the railway. The first two engines to run on the new line were called Patience and Perseverance. They were built in Lancashire in 1865. They were painted olive green with black and red lines and they remained in service for about thirty years. The company’s repair shop was in Dunmanway. The goods wagons were purchased from the South of Ireland Wagon and Wheel company in County Waterford. The West Cork Railway ran its own trains separate from the Cork and Bandon Company. By 1877 the line from Dunmanway to Skibbereen was ready after a long process of securing finance. The Engineers had their biggest difficulty at Gloundha , where they had to rock break, as the railway and roadway had to pass through a narrow gap between the hills.

The new stretch of line from Dunmanway to Skibbereen was marked by celebration in July 1877.

Dunmanway’s Railway contributed to the development of the town. Its tanneries, milling and textile industries all benefitted from the connection to the wider world. Unfortunately, the Railway was also a place where emigrants said their final goodbyes to family and friends. In Dunmanway the Railway Hotel is now  the Parkway hotel. The tracks once crossed the road through what is now McMahons yard towards Drimoleague. 

The water crane and the old station house can be seen in the grounds of Brookpark Veterinary Clinic. In Milleenananig , remains of a metal railway bridge are still evident. The layout of the railway yard in the 1960s consisted of two platforms with a station building which had a short canopy. Beyond the down platform were the goods yard and cattle bank, while beyond the level crossing on the right-hand side was a siding into Atkins Mills. Over the century, the railways benefitted from modern advances however the last train left Dunmanway 31st March 1961 after almost a century, the iron track was no more.

Plaque 7: A Dunmanway Descendant in the JFK Administration

The area around Brewery Lane, now Park Road and the Clonakilty Road, is deeply tied to Dunmanway’s diaspora and emigration to America. From here, generations said goodbye as families gathered at the railway platform for trains bound for Cork. The line closed with the final train departing Dunmanway Station in 1961. Today, the site includes Brookpark Veterinary Clinic, the Parkway Hotel, and houses built along the route of the tracks of the West Cork Railway.

Across from the Parkway Hotel, this area became an industrial hub in the 1960s and 70s, home to a German steel fabrication factory, a hat factory, and a carpet and rug factory. The latter was reputedly commissioned to create a unique rug for President John F. Kennedy by his advisor and friend, Larry O’Brien—a notable but often overlooked son of Dunmanway.

Larry O’Brien, can claim the title of our Dunmanway man in the White House. At his funeral in 1990 he was praised by Senator Ted Kennedy as a “founding father of post-war American politics” and a cherished friend of the Kennedy family. Larry was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1917 to Myra Sweeney, who emigrated from Dunmanway in 1903, and Lawrence O’Brien Sr., also from West Cork. Myra was one of about ten siblings; only her sister Julia remained in Dunmanway, caring for their parents, Denis and Anne Sweeney of Direens, all three are buried in St. Patrick’s Churchyard.

Raised in Springfield, where the Kennedys also lived, Larry became a close confidant and key campaign strategist to JFK. He accompanied the administration throughout, including the 1963 visit to Cork, when his aunt Julia proudly met the President. Kennedy’s address at City Hall on June 28, 1963, celebrated the enduring kinship between Ireland and America.

O’Brien was in the car behind Kennedy on the day of the assassination. In his memoir No Final Victories, he recounts returning on Air Force One with the President’s body alongside fellow Irish associates Powers and O’Donnell—a moment of global and local significance.

After Kennedy’s death, O’Brien served President Johnson, who appointed him Postmaster General. He later chaired the Democratic National Committee and supported Robert Kennedy’s 1968 campaign. During Watergate, he was among those surveilled by the Nixon administration.

In 1975, O’Brien became NBA Commissioner, revitalising the sport and earning Sportsman of the Year in 1976. In 1984, the NBA Championship Trophy was named in his honour – The Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Notably, both this trophy and the Sam Maguire Cup—named after another Dunmanway native – link global sporting history back to this small West Cork town.

A black and white studio family portrait of Larry O’Brien posed against a dark, neutral backdrop. On the far left, Larry O’ Brien stands as a young boy stands facing forward, wearing a light-coloured, long-sleeved shirt with a wide collar and dark shorts or trousers that reach the knee, paired with dark socks and shoes. Seated next to him in a dark wooden chair is his mother facing forward with a calm expression. She wears a dark, loose-fitting dress with a long necklace.To her right stands his sister wearing a light-coloured, short-sleeved dress with dark, striped socks and dark shoes. She has a bow in her hair.On the far right, Larry O’Brien’s father sits facing slightly inward toward the family. He wears a dark three-piece suit consisting of a jacket, waistcoat, and trousers, with a stiff white shirt, a dark tie, and dark lace-up boots.
A family portrait of a young Larry O'Brien taken from his memoir "No Final Victories: A Life in Politics from John F. Kennedy to Watergate". 7 year old Larry is photographed with his mother, his sister Mary and his father.
A colour photograph capturing a candid moment between American political strategist Larry O'Brien and his maternal aunt, Julia Sweeney, standing outdoors next to a stone pillar at Cork City Hall during a visit in 1963.On the left, Julia Sweeney stands facing right, smiling warmly at her nephew. She wears a structured, light beige or cream-coloured tweed coat that falls below the knee, featuring prominent brown buttons. Her outfit is completed by a matching folded fabric hat, white gloves, and brown, low-heeled shoes. She holds a small white paper or card in both hands and has a dark brown leather handbag tucked under her left arm.On the right, Larry O'Brien stands facing left, looking down at his aunt with a smile. He wears a dark, pinstriped navy or charcoal suit with a white shirt, a dark patterned tie with white polka dots, a white pocket square, and dark dress shoes. He also wears his characteristic thick-rimmed glasses.In the background, a man in a dark suit and a woman with grey hair wearing glasses are partially visible, looking toward the pair. The architectural setting consists of the large, light-grey stone blocks and a classic column base of Cork City Hall on the far left.
American political strategist Larry O'Brien shares a smile with his maternal aunt, Julia Sweeney, outside Cork City Hall during his visit in 1963. Photo courtesy of Dunmanway Historical Association.
A grey, weathered stone headstone of Larry O’ Brien’s grandparents and Aunt, Julia Sweeney’s grave positioned in an outdoor churchyard against a cloudy, overcast sky. The headstone features a symmetrical design with a central rectangular plaque topped by a stone cross. The cross has the stylised letters "IHS" carved into its base block. The central plaque is flanked by two decorative side pillars with geometric caps and carved floral or leaf motifs running vertically down their fronts. The stone shows significant dark weathering, lichen, and staining across its surface, particularly on the top and left sides. Green foliage and trees are visible in the soft-focus background.
The grave headstone of Larry O' Brien's grandparents and aunt Julia Sweeney
A black and white photograph showing an active Dunmanway Railway Station from a low-angle perspective looking down the tracks.A diesel railcar train is positioned on the left set of tracks, facing directly towards the camera. The train has a large front window split into sections. To the left of the train, a stone station building with large windows and chimneys runs alongside the platform. A few indistinct figures, including individuals walking, are visible on the platform near the building.To the right, a second parallel track runs alongside an opposite platform, which features a small, simple passenger shelter and a larger goods shed or warehouse structure further in the background. A line of trees stands behind the structures on both sides under a clear, bright sky.
A diesel railcar train stands at the platform of the bustling Dunmanway Railway Station in 1959, just a few years before the line's eventual closure. Photo courtesy of Cork Digital Archive, Cork County Council.
A black and white photograph depicting the deserted and derelict site of Dunmanway Railway Station in 1966. The landscape sits under an overcast sky.In the foreground, the ground where railway tracks used to run is uneven, covered in gravel, patches of weeds, and scattered debris, including a tangled coil of thick wire or cable on the left. An old, dark metal water crane or pump mechanism stands prominently near the centre of the frame where trains once stopped. In the mid-ground, the single-story, light-coloured station building with a dark roof stands empty and parallel to the abandoned platform. A tall wooden utility pole stands to the left of the building. To the far left, a low stone wall and a simple wooden fence separate the former station grounds from a dense line of mature trees. To the right of the station building, a small cluster of tall, dark pine trees stands against the pale sky.
The abandoned and overgrown site of Dunmanway Railway Station in 1966, shown after the closure of the line and the removal of the tracks.

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