Friday, May 3rd - Mrs Emmanuelle d'Achon, French Ambassador to Ireland, in the company of Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, will tomorrow officially open the Lartigue Monorail Museum in Listowel, County Kerry.
The Lartigue Monorail Museum is located in the former CIE goods shed for the main Limerick–Tralee Line. The museum, which includes exhibitions, an AV room, and a gift stand, is a significant addition to the Lartigue Monorail attraction in Listowel.
The Lartigue Monorail ran between Listowel and Ballybunion from 1886 to 1924, during which period its unique rail system, developed by the French engineer Charles Lartigue, attracted worldwide attention.
In 1998, Jimmy Deenihan TD established a committee to build a replica of the Lartigue as a tourist attraction, recreating an important part of local heritage. Having secured extensive support from public and private bodies including Fáilte Ireland, the project was brought to fruition. The project also benefitted from significant local, national and international sponsorship, without which it would not have been completed.
Minister Deenihan commented:
“The completion of this museum is a tribute to the determination of everyone who has worked on, and supported, the Lartigue project. The existing replica of the original engine and covered carriages is now complemented with a museum in what was once the old CIE goods shed.
“The Lartigue monorail is a landmark tourist attraction, attracting visitors from many countries, especially rail enthusiasts. I want to thank the contributors — from Ireland and from abroad — who through their support made this museum project possible.
“I also want to thank Mrs Emmanuelle d'Achon, French Ambassador to Ireland, for agreeing to officially open the Lartigue Monorail Museum. Her compatriot, a Mr. M. Chapron, French Minister of the Marine and the Colonies, officiated at the opening ceremony in 1886, and this gives our ceremony today an appropriate historical resonance.”
The official opening of the Lartigue Monorail Museum takes place in Listowel, Co Kerry at 2.00pm on Saturday, May 4th.
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Note to Editors:
Approved on the 16th of April 1886 under the Listowel and Ballybunion Railway Act 1886, the Lartigue Monorail was the only one of its kind in the world and was characterised by the engine and carriages which were suspended on a single trestle about three feet from the ground. Efforts to replicate the system in Pannissieres, France, had limited success.
The Lartigue Monorail Restoration Committee completed the restoration of a section of the railway in 2003 and it was officially opened in 2004 by President Mary McAleese. The line is worked by a diesel locomotive built to resemble the original steam engines.
Work on the conversion of the former goods shed has been supported by Fáilte Ireland, by fundraising, and through the proceeds of sale of Jimmy Deenihan's book My Sporting Life. Fundraising events to support the track and train restoration and the development of the museum were held locally and in Dublin, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, San Diego, Boston and San Jose.
The design for the conversion of the former goods shed to the museum, officially opened today by the French Ambassador, was undertaken by Mark Leslie of Martello Media.