Ireland and UK Holiday 2015, 31st May

To Ballylongford, near to Listowel

From Killorglin firstly to Foynes, a sea port on the Shannon and the base for trans-Atlantic flying boat services for a brief period. Then to Listowel to the unusual and only one in the world mono-rail train of the Lartigue type. The re-creation was made and opened in 2003 to keep the history alive. Checked into the nice B&B near Ballylongford, down a quiet lane so no traffic at all. Went for a drive to Ballybunion, a seaside resort town where the Lartigue railway used to run to from Listowel. Then drove along the side of the Shannon eventually back to the B&B.

Inside the flying boat museum, plenty of information about the operation........



A full size mockup of the Boeing B314 flying boat, fuselage and part of one wing was built.......



Walking inside we get the spacious interior, nothing like tourist class now......



Now for a totally different sort of railway, the Lartigue mono-rail system. The Listowel to Ballybunion railway was the only one run in the world, ran successfully from 1880 to 1924. Severe damage during independence struggles and also competition from the car caused it to close, no parts saved at all. This reconstruction trying to show how it looked with its double boiler arrangement is now a diesel-hydraulic system, as tourist steam operations are impossibly expensive and doomed to failure unless they get huge visitor numbers......



The carriages also straddled the rail so passengers should balance out each side.......



So that passengers could reach the side they needed the train carried its own bridge to cross the rail.....



Here's a copy of an old photo of the original locos before they added the huge headlight later in its life........



Next checked into the B&B, nice that they welcomed us in the afternoon with hot apple pie and ice cream and coffee....



On to Ballybunion to have a look and get something to eat, never been in such a windy place, walking on the beach was dangerous as we were getting sand-blasted.....



Everywhere has its ruins, and no exception here with the remains of a castle......



Drove back to the B&B via the shore and not very far from the B&B is this view of the mouth of the Shannon River........