The Foynes Branch was a 26 mile railway from Limerick City which was opened by the GS&WR in stages between July 1856 and April 1858. At Ballingrane, 17 miles from Limerick there was a junction with the railway line to Tralee between 1867 and 1975.

The Foynes Branch lost its passenger service in 1963, but was kept open for freight traffic as several railfreight services had been established at the port. These included mainly barytes ore from Silvermines, coal & oil to Ballina and later fertiliser traffic. Unfortunately these railfreight services have ceased to run and the last freight train departed Foynes in 1999. Today, the Foynes branch is now disused and disconnected at Limerick Check.

The last train movements over the Branch were the Weedsprayer Train on the 7th May 2002 and a Inspection Car on 9th January 2003.

Update: April 2015:
A vegetation clearance programme has taken place on the Foynes Branch. This is to allow the ongoing study funded by Shannon Foynes Port Company to be completed to help develop the case for reopening the railway line to freight traffic. To see the progress so far, I took a trip between Limerick and Foynes on a very sunny Saturday 18th April.

Update November 2016:
While visiting Foynes for a book launch there is a small update to the gallery.

Update September 2017:
I stayed in Adare overnight to visit a friend so on the Saturday morning I popped up to the disused station to snap some photographs.

Update July 2019:
While visiting Foynes on Sunday 7th July I called into Askeaton to see the former railway station. The family living in the former station also invited me in for a look around.