From CIE to IR: The Changing Face of Ireland's Railways

In 1987 the operations of the once monolithic CIE were split between Irish Railways (Iarnrod Eireann, IR) and two bus companies. It was only after the creation of IR that the railways of Ireland underwent major modernization. Prior to that date, investment in the railway infrastructure in the Republic had been limited, and as a result, the lines were still controlled by aged semaphore signaling installations, and there were long and rambling freight-only branches as well as a variety of life-expired locomotives and rolling stock. With the considerable investment that Ireland received as part of the rise of the Celtic Tiger economy, much of this historic infrastructure has been replaced or is under threat. This new book is a large-format, all-color album featuring some of the best railway photography to provide a graphic portrait of the evolution of Ireland’s railways from 1980 onward.