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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: Time Travellers Guide

Plaque 7:  The Lost Railway of Dunmanway

 

School:

Derrinacahara National School

 

Characters:

  • Tom
  • Aoife

 

Setting:

A path along where the old railway once ran – near Parkway Hotel

 

Tom : Did you know there wasn’t always a railway in Dunmanway?

Aoife: Really? But how did people get around?

Tom: They didn’t easily. Back in the 1820s, railways in Ireland were only planned for big cities. West Cork was really hard to reach.

Aoife: Why?

Tom: The land was rough and hilly. And the roads we use now didn’t exist yet—some were only built during the famine. People sometimes travelled by sea instead. It was easier!

Aoife: So when did the trains come?

Tom: It took years. From 1836, committees were formed. They built tunnels, viaducts, and laid tracks. Then in 1863, Lord Carbery turned the first sod for the West Cork Railway—with a silver spade and a special engraved wheelbarrow  – or so the story goes!

Aoife: That sounds like something out of Thomas the Tank Engine! Fancy tools and important people.

Tom: Yeah—but real engines came soon after. By May 1866, trains reached Dunmanway. The official opening was in June, with little fuss. At first, they even had a temporary station.

Aoife: What were the trains like? Were they like Thomas?

Tom: Not exactly—but they had great names: Patience and Perseverance. They were olive green with red and black lines, built in Lancashire, and worked for about thirty years.

Aoife: I love those names. Did the railway go far?

Tom: It did. Three parts—Bandon to Ballineen, Ballineen to Dunmanway, and then to Skibbereen. The last part opened in 1877 after lots of trouble, especially at Gloundha where they had to break through rock.

Aoife: That must have been really hard work.

Tom: It was. But it helped the town grow. Mills, tanneries, and factories could send goods all over the country and the world.

Aoife : Is anything still left?

 Tom:  The Railway Hotel is now the Parkway Hotel. The old station house and water crane are at Brookpark Veterinary Clinic. And there’s part of a bridge in Milleenananig.

Aoife: That’s amazing… but I heard something sad too.

Tom : Yeah. It was also where people said goodbye before leaving for America.

Aoife: When did it all end?

Tom: The last train left on March 31st, 1961. After nearly 100 years.

Aoife: I wish we could have seen it.

Tom: Me too… but we can still follow where the tracks used to be.

Plaque 7: Larry O’Brien and the White House Connection

 

School:

Derrinacahara National School

 

Setting:

Three children chat about a recent school project

 

Child 1:

For our project we did the “Dunmanway to America” story, and it was so cool! We started with the old railway, from the area around Brewery Lane, now Park Road, and the Clonakilty Road.

Child 2:

Yeah, that was where people used to say goodbye. Families would stand on the platform at Dunmanway Station, waving as the train left for Cork. The line closed in 1961 with the last train ever leaving here.

Child 3:

Now the site has the Brookpark Veterinary Clinic, the Parkway Hotel, and houses built along the old track. It’s like the railway turned into a road leading to new stories.

Child 1:

Across from the hotel, the area became a mini factory zone in the 1960s and 70s—a German steel  factory, a hat factory, and a carpet factory.

Child 2:

And guess what? That carpet factory made a special rug for President John F. Kennedy, ordered by his friend Larry O’Brien—who was a Dunmanway man in the White House, even though he was born in America. He visited his aunt Julia in Dunmanway a few times.

Child 3:

Larry’s mother, Myra Sweeney, came from Dunmanway in 1903, and she was one of about ten siblings! Only her sister Julia stayed behind, looking after their parents Denis and Anne Sweeney of Direens, Dunmanway. They’re all buried in St. Patrick’s Churchyard.

Child 1:

In America, Larry grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts, where the Kennedys lived too. He became a top campaigner and right‑hand man to JFK.

Child 2:

When Kennedy came to Cork in 1963, Larry’s aunt Julia met him. He was in the next car when JFK was shot and later wrote about flying back on Air Force One with the body—so sad, but such an important moment in history.

Child 3:

After that, Larry worked for President Johnson, then became Postmaster General of the United States, he must have had a huge stamp collection, and then became the head of the Democratic National Committee. His name was mentioned even in the messy Watergate story under President Nixon. 

Child 1:

Then he switched to sports!  A lover of Basketball – he became NBA Commissioner in 1975, promoted basketball , and got named Sportsman of the Year in 1976.

Child 2:

In 1984 the NBA’s big trophy – that’s like the All Ireland for basketball- only in America 1,  was named after him—the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Child 3:

And that’s the link—both the Larry O’Brien Trophy and the Sam Maguire Cup connect giants of sport back to this tiny town in West Cork.

Child 1:

So, from goodbye trains to American presidents to basketball, our project showed that Dunmanway’s story doesn’t end here—it goes all the way to America and beyond.

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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